Goal 1 Develop a visually appealing and culturally rich community.

It is widely recognized that the appearance of a community can affect how its citizens feel about themselves and influence other aspects of community life ranging from economic development to the crime rate. The City Commission and many others in the community have made great strides in recent years to make Great Falls a visually attractive place to live and visit. The visual perception of our City just over a decade ago was dramatically different than the image one sees today. Much of this perception was connected to an old image during a time in our City when little happened to improve its appearance.

In its commitment to increase the visual appeal of Great Falls, the Commission can illustrate many successes. For example, the park located at the west entrance to Great Falls at the Fox Farm and 10th Avenue South intersection was for many years an eyesore filled with garbage and weeds. This entrance was beautified through the initiative taken by the Community Beautification Association (CBA), a community-based volunteer group of citizens interested in making our City a better place. The City agreed to maintain the area after the CBA put in grass, trees and irrigation. This partnership between the CBA and the City is just one example of how a positive relationship and a common goal can benefit an entire community and affect the quality of life of its residents.

Many other visual improvements to Great Falls in previous years are a direct result of partnerships between the City and other groups and organizations in our community. Other examples include:

The downtown "Streetscape" project, which introduced period lighting, decorative sidewalks, resurfacing, replacing and reconstructing of many curbs, gutters and streets along Central Avenue and 1st Avenue North, in cooperation with the downtown Business Improvement District (BID). The improved design of both parks on either side of the Civic Center, now a public gathering place and home to many community activities and functions such as the Taste of Great Falls and the Farmer's Market. The beautiful plaza and court on 3rd Street and Central Avenue, built mostly through private funds of Ian and Nancy Davidson and their family, and complementing many City projects. The beautification and new greenway at the south approach to the historic 9th Street Bridge, a collaborative effort by the city, state, and federal governments, as well as the private sector to enhance a major entrance to the City. Rehabilitated and new buildings in downtown areas which were formally blighted and now house Energy West, the Milwaukee Station, the City-County Health Department, the new parking garage, and other businesses.

The second component of this goal involves continually strengthening the opportunities for cultural enrichment within our community. The City plays a key role in its support of and assistance to many of our cultural institutions. The symbolic center of our City, the Civic Center, could presently compete alongside many of the performing arts centers in the Northwest. Many of the improvements to the building, such as the new seating, carpet, stage curtain, paint, and sound equipment in the Theatre, take place as funds permit. The Convention Center, which was formerly an ice rink, is a relatively new facility used by numerous cultural groups throughout the year. The entire building is beautifully maintained and is now well-equipped to meet a variety of community needs.

As with any community, the Public Library serves as another symbolic center of learning and culture. The City has dedicated great efforts toward maintaining the Library as a viable resource and has surpassed its legal financing obligations and requirements in this commitment. Additional illustration of the City's support of cultural enrichment is that it deeded Charlie Russell's original log cabin studio and home, as well as the Trigg Collection and the Michel's Trust Fund, to the C.M. Russell Museum in the early '90s. The Museum and Paris Gibson Square also have received significant financial support and assistance for improvements from the City Commission in the form of Community Development Block Grants and other means. Recognizing the potential impact and cultural benefit of the Lewis and Clark Interpretative Center, the City committed funds to assist with utility construction costs to contribute its share to this broad-based partnership. The fairgrounds complex is another facility in the heart of the City that has been kept alive and thriving through preservation and restoration because of the resources provided by the City.

The Community Livability Award, a joint venture of both the City and the County Commissions, encourages and recognizes private property owners who make improvements to their property for use by the public. The sculpture in front of the Park and Recreation Department on River Drive was commissioned by the City to honor all recipients of the award.

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