loretteThe Office of Community Development
406-434-5222 lorette@shelbymt.com

The Office of Community Development serves to administer and oversee numerous projects for the benefit of the community.

Safe Routes to School: The community of Shelby has an active Safe Routes to School Program offering walking school buses in the fall and spring months to encourage and assist in walking and biking programs for elementary students.

Shelby Recycling Association: The Shelby Recycling Association is a small group of dedicated citizens who, with the help of the City of Shelby coordinates Recycle Shelby. The recycling site is located at 514 1st St. North.  The recycling site offers an aluminum trailer for all crushed aluminum cans; a tin bin for tin cans; and a cardboard bin for all corrugated cardboard boxes.

Roadrunner Recreation Trail: The Roadrunner Recreation Trail is a little over 5 miles of paved city and rural trail.  The trail officially begins at the intersection of Main Street and Coyote Pass, heading north along Oilfield Avenue and circumventing around Lake Shel-oole.  The trail loops back into Shelby on the City Shop Road.  A mid-way loop intersects the trail at the Coyote Hills subdivision.  A picnic area on the north-east corner of Lake Shel-oole; exercise stations; benches; pet stations and points-of-interest signage compliment the trail system.

Shelby-Toole County Community Transportation Committee/DUI Task Force:  The City of Shelby, in partnership with Toole County commissioners, judicial officials, health department; law enforcement; School District #14; Marias Medical Center; Montana Department of Transportation; and Montana Highway Patrol meet on a quarterly basis to discuss strategies and priorities in an effort to make our city and country safer for all residents.  Priorities of the group include Inattentive/Distracted Driving Strategies and Impaired Driving Strategies.

Community Forestry Program:  Over the last 20 years, the City of Shelby has been recognized as a Tree City USA.  As such, the city has continually sought to initiate and improve our forestry program that creates a healthier tree community.  Tree care and planting workshops; Arbor Day activities; Master Plans for our trail and within the community; a utility partnership; annual tree care in our parks and public areas; and teaching our children to be good stewards have long reaching benefits.

Champions Park: Dubbed “The Fight That Won’t Stay Dead” – Champions Park Committee continues to work diligently to bring history alive commemorating the infamous Dempsey-Gibbons World Heavyweight Championship Fight held in Shelby on July 4, 1923.  The outdoor interpretive park is located at 484 12th Avenue North.  The park, centered with a smaller scale version of the original arena features iron silhouettes of the fighters – Jack Dempsey and Tommy Gibbons and the referee.  Surrounding the ring you’ll find interpretive signage depicting the events that led up to the infamous bout.  The main entrance into the park features 4 heritage signs depicting pictures and highlights recounting fight events as well as the history of homesteading in North Center Montana; the coming of the railroad; and the discover of oil and gas in the region.  Still to be completed is a monument sign and additional lighting.