Shortly after Cam Sholly became superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, he named improved housing as one of his top priorities. It wasn’t an idle promise.
By the end of the year, the park will have built, refurbished and reclaimed almost all of its available employee housing options, closing a wound that has been festering for decades.
“Getting rid of those trailers from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s was literally goal number one,” he said.
The park built modular homes, produced by Northstar Systems in Minnesota, a very “cost-effective, high quality, long term solution,” Sholly said.
Using modular versus on-site construction has allowed the park to build quality units in less time with lower costs, the park reported in the 2021 State of the Park report released last week. The park will save an estimated $36 million from the original housing improvement plan proposal.
The structures are engineered for snow load, energy efficiency and come with modern amenities. “A place that people can actually call home,” Sholly said.
The Park Service removed all seasonal trailers from the Mammoth Hot Springs housing area in the winter and spring of 2020. They received 31 modular homes at Mammoth and 10 at Old Faithful last year and an additional 19 units are scheduled to be placed throughout the park in 2021.
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Gary Fleisher is the Managing Director and contributor to the Modcoach Network and its affiliated blogs. Email at [email protected]
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