Lions Club Park Welcomes Skaters

SEELEY LAKE - After managing the ice skating rink on the corner of Elm Drive and Cedar Lane for the past 13 years, the Seeley Lake Lions Club continues to make improvements. This year the storage building is complete with all sizes of ice skates and hockey sticks and is open for anyone to use.

Lions' past president Gary Lewis commissioned the park in 1993. On Jan. 4, 2003, the Lions held their grand opening skating party. According to the Jan. 16, 2003 issue of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder, the Lions excavated the pond in the fall to remove debris and smooth up the edges. A crew of Lions members worked to keep the snow off the pond and the parking area and then flooded it to give it a smooth surface for skating.

In 2006, the Lions Club purchased a Ranger four-wheeler to plow the ice. Lion and Park Committee Member Neil Ruttenbur volunteered to plow the pond and has been plowing it ever since. The Lions kept the Ranger at Rent-All for the first couple of years and then built the 12 by 12 foot garage at the park to store the Ranger and other tools.

"Then we got so many skates and it got so bad that when I came down to plow, I would spend a half an hour hanging up skates," said Ruttenbur.

The Lions decided to build a 14 by 28 foot extension onto the garage in 2014. Most of the extension was to house the skates and have it accessible to the public. The existing garage plus 14 by 8 feet of the addition was made into a locked storage for the Lions' maintenance equipment.

Crescent Mountain Builders framed the addition and hung the sheeting. The Lions Club members bought the siding, stained it and put it up. Ruttenbur and Lion Elden Barbieri built and installed the skate racks.

When the Lions moved the skates into the addition, Ruttenbur said they had around 200 pairs of skates. All of the skates have been donated. Ruttenbur said the Double Arrow Lodge donated nearly 40 pairs after discontinuing their skating pond. The rest have come from members of the community and from the Missoula Youth Hockey League and Missoula Figure Skating Club. They always welcome donations of usable skates for the community to use.

"There are quite a few gone now because we have been encouraging the kids if they find a pair of skates that fit them really well, and they are going to skate through the skating season, to take the skates home with them and then bring them back at the end of the year," said Ruttenbur.

This fall the Lions dug out the cattails and grasses around the edges and added 200,000 gallons of water to the pond to bring the water level up. Lion Ruttenbur said that helps make better ice.

So far this year, Ruttenbur has plowed the rink 21 times. He said it only takes him about 30 minutes when there is less than three inches of snow.

"It's been an on-going project," said Ruttenbur. He added that this year they hope to put up paneling inside the building and are having a big sign made by Doug Richards for the top of the storage building. The Lions would also like to get a skate sharpener but have been grateful that the Missoula Skating Club has been willing to sharpen skates for them at no cost.

Many of the park projects, including the addition, were funded through matching grants from the Missoula County Parks and Recreation. While the Lions Club maintains and operates the park, it is officially a Missoula County Park.

Ruttenbur said the building is run on the honor system with the door being left unlocked. The rink is lit every night until 10 p.m. with a large light over the pond.

"As long as [the community] doesn't abuse it, they can use it," said Ruttenbur. "It's worked out pretty good."

The Lions Club will be hosting their annual Skating Party Jan. 31 from 1-3 p.m. There will be games, food and refreshments and skating for the whole family. It is free and the whole community is invited.