BILLINGS — New lighting at the Billings Skate Park is illuminating more than just the concrete, but it's also shining a light on a broader effort to improve safety and address deep-rooted issues in the Southside area.
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The lights were installed in November with the assistance of a $20,000 award from the National Recreation and Park Association, a $100,000 grant from Musco Lighting awarded earlier this year, and more than a year of private fundraising. Peter O’Brien, a committee member, said the lights are part of a larger vision by the Billings Skate Park Committee to enhance safety and visibility.
"Having them done now is great," said O'Brien on the light's first day of operation. "Very, very cool to see people skating after dark and enjoying a recreation opportunity that Billings have to offer."
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On Sunday, parent Terry Byrum brought his 9-year-old son, Asher Blank, and his son's friend, 8-year-old Xavier Molina, to the park. He said safety is always top of mind when they visit and was pleased to learn of the new addition.
“These boys are just now getting into some skateboarding,” said Byrum. “They're only eight and nine years old, so I like to come with them and make sure that they're safe here.”
The new lighting is just the latest addition to planned improvements. The committee is pushing for a $1.2 million expansion that would extend the concrete riding area across the remaining grass, creating new beginner and intermediate zones.
"Our goal is to build out the rest of the park and make it user-friendly for everybody," said O'Brien.
For others, the project is part of a larger mission to address deeper challenges surrounding the park, including crime, substance use, and the presence of vulnerable populations.
“It's such a fascinating geographic location, and to me, it has all of the best of Billings and all of the absolute worst,” said Matthew Leavenworth, a mental health counselor. "You have Family Promise, you have the Montana Rescue Mission, you have Riverstone Health, but you also have a porn store and a home that's primarily rented to sex offenders, and you have a pretty significant unhoused population that stays there."
Leavenworth also founded the nonprofit, Pay Love Forward. His group began painting a mural several months ago in the parking lot behind Family Promise to make the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline more visible. Recently, he said the work has been repeatedly vandalized, including several instances of human feces on the artwork.
"We had seven instances that I personally cleaned up where people are literally defecating on what has been an act of love,” said Leavenworth.
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As a result, he recently joined the skate park task force to help tackle those issues.
"It's a breeding ground for some of these things that we have to as a community address," said Leavenworth. "There's a vision for it to really make it what it can be, which is a resource for our community and for our youth, and so that's a long-term project."
Leavenworth and the task force met with various city and nonprofit leaders several weeks ago to explore long-term solutions focused on coordinated support, code enforcement, and addressing the concentration of high-risk factors near the park.
"I truly think this, that displacement is not a solution. It's just moving a problem somewhere else," said Leavenworth. “I think it's going to take all of us, and I mean, it was such an exciting conversation because the resources in the room were enough to actually solve this problem.”
Leavenworth said part of the work will include distinguishing between unhoused residents who want resources and transient visitors who contribute to crime and refuse services. He also hopes to examine whether certain nearby businesses, including an adult book store and a house Leavenworth said is primarily rented to sex offenders, comply with local regulations regarding proximity to public parks.
"These issues are complex, and so you can't wave your wand and just make these solutions," said Leavenworth. "It takes all of us coming together, having open-ended, open-hearted conversations to move the dial forward, but this is something that we can do."
The task force is continuing to raise money for the next phase of renovations, which supporters say could help bring new life to an overlooked corner of Billings.
“Having a phase one done for us is awesome," said O'Brien. "It's great to see improvements here. It's kind of a forgotten space in downtown Billings, and I think this is a great step for bringing it back to life.”
For parents like Byrum, the improvements are already making a difference.
“I think that's great," he said. "Makes our community safer.”
