Cooke City, Silver Gate, Colter Pass Chamber of Commerce

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Cooke City Area
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Donate to Our Dream
Community Center

Your donation will help our area fullfill its dream—a multipurpose community center—with a museum, visitor's center and much, much more.

The purchase of the property for the community center is complete, thanks to all of the community and folks who made donations and supported this first step!

To donate online, click the button below or contact us at: info@cookecitychamber.org or (406) 838-2495.

April 6, 2009

Community Council Update

The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the Community Center Building project, as well as to advise you about some changes to the Cooke City Community Council.

The Community Center Building has been a priority project. With input from the community, we have developed a building design and look forward to seeing that design become a reality. While the process has taken much longer than we would like, we are dedicated to respecting the community's desire for cost controls and responsible financial management on this building project. The Chamber and CCCC have been working with the Northern Rocky Mountain RC&D, Park County Commissioners, and attorneys on the Community Center Building.

Here are a few of the issues we are working to address with regard to the Building Project:

In the initial process of taking the project to public bid in Spring 2008, we did not fully understand the constraints associated with using resort tax funds to finance the Center. We have since learned more about the using resort tax to finance this structure, have met with lenders, and are not able to continue with the project without a budget threshold. As we have tried to communicate, the budget threshold requires that we modify the design to ensure that we can construct this building on a construction budget that is capped at $500,000. This amount does not include ongoing operation and maintenance expenses.
The Building Committee is researching our construction alternatives as they relate to financing. However, we are also exploring other options in regard to design and affordability. The committee is being conservative; as is prudent in the current economy, and is studying costs related to ongoing operation and maintenance. This is a very time consuming process and requires much more time, detail and legalities due to public building regulations and the nature of our financing.
Our findings associated with the financing have directed the Building Committee, CCCC and Chamber to look at how the building will be owned and operated. The CCCC has filed to be an independent 501(c) (3) and no longer a sub-division of the Chamber. When construction is complete, the CCCC will own and operate the Community Center Building. The current CCCC Board will remain until July 2009 when we have annual elections. The Board is comprised of individuals who are willing to represent the Community as a whole—not just a specific organization or Community. This is a great opportunity for any "community orientedÓ individual to come forward and be active! The Board will pursue nominees and the Board will vote to accept the new nominees in July. Please help us with possible nominees for re-election in July.
Resort tax collections since 2006 have been competitively awarded to this project; however we are still lacking a minimum of about $200,000 to build the building. We are pursuing financing using the resort tax to provide annual financial support for the structure. This is required for financing. In order to dedicate funds for debt service and operations and maintenance on an annual basis, a vote of the registered voters in Colter Pass, Cooke City, and Silver Gate is required. Unless we have an outstanding donation, such as a private donation of this substantial amount with a possibility for the building to be named in the donor's honor, we will, at the soonest, go out to bid in mid-summer.

As you are aware, this project fills a critical need for the communities of Colter Pass, Cooke City and Silver Gate. The lack of public restrooms is of serious concern to the residents and businesses in the area. In addition, the facility will provide much needed space for hosting community group meetings as well as become a showcase for heritage tourism and a portal for the Beartooth All American Road.

CCCC continues to be active with fundraising events, grants, ongoing donation campaigns and forming specific committees to achieve tasks. We have established a history committee and they are working on details, materials, and funding for the museum piece of the project.

It is evident that we still have the need for a major fundraising effort. This project cannot be accomplished in a reasonable time based solely on fundraisers and grants. Your support and contributions are vital to the success of our Center now and into the future. This small community has been extremely successful in raising local matching dollars for the funding it has obtained to date. We look forward to your continued support. Confident, secure, and tax deductible donations can be made with due to our legal 501(c) 3 status. We also have the ability to accept endowments or other Foundation gifts dedicated specifically to the Community Center.

If you would like further information on the project or would like to discuss making a donation to this building project, we would be available via phone or in person. Please feel free to contact any of the following leaders who are involved in this project almost on a daily basis:

Suzy Hahn, CCCC President: cookecitymt@aol.com; 406-838-2332
Sarah Hamlen, RC&D Coordinator: shamlen@montana.edu; 406-209-7679
Bev Chatelain, CCCC Vice Chair: info@bigmooseresort.com; 406-838-2393

We are very excited that you are interested in donating to this worthwhile project.

Attached is a donation form for your convenience. Thank you for being so supportive!

Sincerely,

Cooke City Community Council

		Position
Suzy Hahn		President
Bev Chatelain		Vice-President
Nellie Israel		Secretary
Donna Rowland		Treasurer
Florence Zundel		Board Member
Rick Sommers		Board Member
Jerry Tachick		Board Member
John Oldemeyer		Board Member
Carole Oldemeyer		Board Member
Betty Sommers		Board Member

We have many, many folks who are impossible to list for their contributions, they have also volunteerd their time to serve on committees, fundraiser,donated items for auctions, purchased items at auctions,labor, events, etc. Any event that has raised money for the Community Center from other identities has also gone to the Community Center project, such as the Chamber events/sales, etc.. We appreciate every single one of these folks but it would be impossible to name everyone and not exclude someone.. so thanks to all of their ongoing support!

Listed below are the financial contributors made directly to the CCCC for the Community Center with the ongoing fundraiser campaign.

Diamond ( >$10,000)

Margaret Hart

Ed & Harriet Spencer

Sapphire ($5,000-9,999)

Nellie Israel

Florence Zundel

Platinum ($2500-4999)

Ross & Gloria Edwards

Garnett Cary

Davenport, Jeanne & Tom Bird

Fred Schilling

Gold ($1000-2499)

Jim & Joan Bateman

Beartooth Alliance

DW Burns Plumbing & Heating

Dr. Michael Menzel

John & Carole Oldemeyer

Jerry & Dene Tachick

Upper Yellowstone Snowmobile Club

Silver ($500-999)

Cooke City Motorsports

Elk Horn Lodge

Flathead Electric

Margaret Hart

Mike & Rita Hefron

Linda McDonald

Bronze (250-499)

A.S. Hart III

Aspen Real Estate

Big Moose Resort

Tom Bird

Colter Pass, Cooke City, Silver Gate Chamber of Commerce

Gary & Denise Everson

Margaret Hruza

Earl McNinch

Gary & Diane Miano

NF Shopping Center

Raz Schneider (Miners Salon)

Other Financial Donations made directly to the CCCC for the Community Center (<$250)

Dean & Alice Allred

Bachman, Donald & Cathy Cripps

Blain Gallery

Larry & Kathy Blain

Rodney & Mary Blain

Kent & Shanna Clark

David Cooper

Cummins, Ken & Peggy Wilzback

Jerry & Mary Dye

Gerald & Avis Edmonds

Richard & Alice Edwards

Raymond & Maureen Ford

Ralph & Sue Glidden

Marc & Alice Hansen

Alan & Carrie Hayes

Hog Roast Auction

Hayward & Baker

Susan Hedrick

Barbara Hering

High Country Motel

Lois Hinrichs

Bill & Joan Humiston

James Jones

Arlene Koeferi

Doris Morgan

Yoshifumi Neff

Peaco

Ed & Chris Perry

Ron Reimann

Steve & Lisa Schluter

Chuck & Ruth Sumner

Edward & Frances Woletz

Hank & Marcia Woolman

We really appreciate your support!