Staff recommends that City Council accept the trail easement from the Roman Catholic Bishop of Great Falls. 

The City of Billings is building a trail on land it owns located north of Rose Park and the BBWA Canal and south of St. Francis Catholic School between 21st St. W. and Woody Dr. Upon survey, it was discovered that St. Francis' pump house is located on City property. With the pump house in the way, there is not enough space to construct the trail on City property in that location. In order to avoid requiring St. Francis to take down or move the pump house, staff asked the Roman Catholic Bishop of Great Falls, by way of Billings Catholic Schools, for an easement on its property. The Roman Catholic Bishop agreed and has signed the easement document. 

This easement will allow the City to construct the trail in a timely manner and will save St. Francis the expense of moving its pump house. 

City Legal has reviewed the easement. The trail being built is paid for by Recreational Trails Program grant funds and funds from the Public Works Department, the Parks Department, and non-profit Billings TrailNet. Accepting the easement is an important part of spending the Recreational Trails Program grant funds on a timely basis and meeting grant requirements. 

City Council may:

• Approve the easement; or,
• Not Approve the easement

Not approving the easement would result in delays for the City's trail project and expense for Billings Catholic Schools to move or demolish the pump house. 

There is no cost to the City for accepting this easement. However, not accepting the easement could result in delays in the project and later bidding/quote gathering could result in higher construction costs. It is also important to deliver this project in a timely manner to avoid putting Recreational Trail Program grant funds in jeopardy.