Bozeman News

Bozeman church, hoping to expand, hits a roadblock

Posted: Nov 18, 2012 11:36 PM by Ben Trotter
Updated: Nov 19, 2012 10:28 AM

BOZEMAN - A local church, looking to expand, has hit a snag.

With a rising number of congregants, the Springhill Church has been forced to hold services at its old location on Springhill Road and at the Emerson Cultural Center. So, they're hoping to build a new facility.

The church purchased a 21-acre tract of land west of Bozeman near the new Petra Academy. However, before they can begin construction, they have to get approval from the planning department.

"They're asking us to build a road. One road dead-ends into a mitigated wetlands, which we don't want to do, and they're asking us to build another road that connects to that one," says Pastor B. J. Otey.

Otey estimates the cost of the road at between $200,000 to $400,000. He says that kind of money could break the bank.

We tried contacting the planning department but they would not comment on the project.

Pastor Otey and church members will be at the city commission meeting Monday, requesting that the commission annual the road request.