Future of Community Park lies with Seeley Lake community

SEELEY LAKE – At the inception of the Seeley Lake Community Park in 1983, there were plans for many recreational facilities including tennis courts, a fitness trail, covered pavilion/ice skating rink, softball fields, basketball court and horseshoe pits on the 10-acres owned by Seeley Lake Elementary District #34. While many of these projects have been completed over the past 35 years on the property, minimal maintenance has been done to maintain the existing infrastructure.

While the SLE school board accepted the maintenance responsibility when the Park was conceived, there is currently no designated funds set aside to complete this task. At their September meeting, the SLE School board echoed the sentiments made by Seeley Lake Park Advisory Committee Chairman Ron Cox in an April 24, 1984 article, "The success of the park will depend on cooperation, involvement and participation of Seeley Lake residents."

History of the Seeley Lake Community Park

According to a 1980 poll of 26 percent of the registered voters in Seeley Lake School District #34, 90 percent favored establishing a community park. Respondents indicated that most families would use the park frequently.

The favored location for three-quarters of those polled was School District #34 property. The five tracts of County land designated as open space/park land were determined to not be suitable for park facilities because of swamp land, high water table, steep slopes and other limiting factors.

On Oct. 16, 1980, the SLE Board of Trustees entered into a 25-year interlocal cooperation agreement with Missoula County. The purpose of the agreement was to provide cooperation between the parties in securing, constructing, maintaining and improving recreation facilities on school district property. The agreement was updated Oct. 11, 1983. The School District #34 was responsible for the financial administration of the Park and retained ownership of the land.

Planning for the community park started in 1982 with the SLE School Board, Seeley Lake Planning Association, Seeley-Condon Chamber of Commerce and several interested citizens. The initial proposal for the 10-acre park included tennis courts, softball fields, 16 horseshoe pits, basketball courts and a fitness trail made by the Seeley Lake Lions Club. Preliminary costs for the park was estimated to be around $300,000.

The major reason for the park's construction on school property as cited in The Valley Times Nov. 23, 1983 article was "the availability of a cleared, centrally located site, existing watering facilities and willingness of the School District to be responsible for future maintenance."

During the summer of 1983, the School Board petitioned the Missoula County Commissioners for funds to construct a double tennis court on school property. Rationale for the request centered around $28,890 paid to Missoula County back in 1973 by the Double Arrow Ranch in lieu of parkland being set aside for some of their developments. The funds were held by the county and were deposited with the Missoula Parks and Recreation Department in the early 1980s for use in developing county recreation facilities.

The board also estimated that revenue generated from the District by the county mill levy for County Parks is about $3,200 per year – a small portion of the mill levy could help support the local park.

In October 1983, the School Board received a $25,000 grant from the Missoula County Park Board to construct the double tennis court facility. The Valley Times reported that this was the first time Missoula County Park funds had ever been spent in the Seeley Lake area.

In April 1984, the board received an additional $25,000 grant from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks from the Land and Water Conservation Funds to help further improve and add to existing recreational facilities.

A Park Advisory Committee was established to help advise the SLE Board of Trustees on matters pertaining to the development, operation and maintenance of the park. They identified the basic objectives of the park facility. The park was designed for local families to use with a special emphasis towards improving opportunities for preschoolers and adults that does not duplicate other public facilities.

The double tennis courts cost $36,160 to build. They along with the access road and parking area were completed on the east side in August 1984.

Additional developments completed with the $50,000 grant funding included the outdoor basketball court, ball-field baseline fence and dugout, security lighting, boundary fence, permanent toilets, utility building and water hydrant. The total cost of the facilities was $54,044.

The Park Advisory Committee also identified several other proposed facilities including: signs, horseshoe pits, fitness trail, ice skating area, a helicopter landing pad, installation of a bandstand stage, expanded playground, picnic tables, football/soccer field and improved softball field.

In September 1984, the park was named the Seeley Lake Community Park. It was Seeley Lake's first official public park and consisted of double tennis courts and two ball diamonds.

SLE Superintendent Bob Aumaugher was quoted in the Sept. 6, 1984 Missoulian, "Most of us up here don't know how to play tennis. We're going to initiate it in gym classes."

"People used the tennis courts like mad," said Kaye Mahoney, an SLE teacher at the time. "It was like [Wow,] Seeley Lake has a tennis court."

Slow and fast pitch softball tournaments were common in the late 1980s and through the 1990s. In the late 1990s, Winterfest offered a softball tournament as well that drew teams from Kalispell and Missoula.

Spearheaded by the owner of the Filling Station at the time, Don Larson, volunteers installed 16 horseshoe pits during the summer of 1985. Larson, a Class A State Horseshoe Pitching Champion in 1996, organized and hosted state horseshoe tournaments in Seeley Lake for 20 years. The National Horseshoe Pitchers Association sanctioned these tournaments that Larson called, "easily the most popular tournament of the nine-weeks summer pitching circuit because of the money throw" with the purse reaching $2,000. Friday and Saturday pitchers played at the Filling Station which became the largest tournament in the state. Sunday they moved everyone to the Community Park to finish out the tournament.

The last tournament was held in August of 2000.

"It was great fun...lots of GREAT people came to town [filling every motel in town]," said Larson. "I still have many horseshoe friends."

Seeley Lake resident Anita Richards started teaching tennis lessons in 1985. Her first class included 14 adults and six youth. She taught for many years, teaching a few that continued to play in high school and become state tennis champions. The YMCA hired Carole Rice to teach tennis lessons through the early 2000s.

Rice joined the Park Committee in the early 2000s in hopes of getting some much needed maintenance for the tennis courts. The committee's focus turned to the Eagle's Nest playground that was constructed in 2006. The community raised nearly $110,000 and within a week nearly 100 volunteers erected the new playground.

"It was truly amazing to see that many people come together," said current SLE Board of Trustee Chair Todd Johnson.

"It just seems like the committee died after we got that playground equipment done and I don't think anything else got done," said Rice. "Our courts just continue to deteriorate although I'm happy we have what we have otherwise we wouldn't be playing at all."

Since 1983, SLE and Seeley Lake Community Park have received $50,000 in grants from Missoula County Parks and Trails: $25,000 was the initial grant to start the Community Park, $9,000 was awarded to fund the Eagle's Nest Playground and the remaining $16,000 in grants were awarded to plant trees and grass, to improve the ball fields, install a sprinkler system, and to make the park ADA accessible.

The Seeley Lake Community Park now

The 25-year interlocal cooperative agreement with Missoula County ended in 2008. According to Missoula County Parks & Trails Coordinator John Stegmaier, the cooperative agreement between the SLE District #34 and Missoula County to secure, construct, maintain and approve recreation facilities "ceases to remain."

While the Seeley Lake Community Park Policy Manual identifies a park advisory committee, an ad hoc committee selected by the SLE Board of Trustees, the last documented meetings of the Parks Committee was in 2010.

The restroom facilities are permanently locked and the horseshoe pits are unidentifiable.

The football/soccer and balls fields are used for SLE activities and maintained regularly. The playground and basketball courts are used daily but are in need of upkeep.

Rice received a quote in September 2010 to repair the tennis courts. The estimated cost for crack repair was $6,500 per court. This option was the least expensive but also had the least longevity. There were four other options with the most expensive repair was to replace the current slabs estimated up to $110,000 per court.

"At the very least we should have been able to repair the cracks," said Rice. "What it really needs is a total digging up and starting afresh but that is an expensive proposition."

No action has been taken to fix the cracks that are throughout both courts. Knapweed is growing in the cracks and the posts that hold the nets are being pushed up and leaning in.

Rice and other volunteers sweep off the courts and cut the weeds back so they can continue to use the courts. She still teaches lessons to youth and adults every summer for no charge.

"I just really want to get the kids out there playing tennis," said Rice.

When asked at their September 2018 board meeting, the SLE School board was supportive of a community effort to maintain the park. Chair Johnson said there is no capital to fund projects at the park but if funding was secured, the board would be happy to entertain proposals for maintenance projects for the existing infrastructure.

After Mahoney questioned who was liable if someone injured themselves at the tennis court or using the fields, Johnson said that there should be some signage for the park so people realize they are recreating at their own risk.

Johnson also asked Superintendent Chris Stout to investigate what it would cost to repair the tennis courts.

Board member Ryen Neudecker said she would like to see a community group form, prioritize a list of projects and then present that to the board. Following board approval they can get to work.

"I want to know what the community wants to see," said Neudecker.

To share your priorities for the Seeley Lake Community Park, to be added to a list to help with maintenance needs and/or to get involved on the Park Committee contact Andi Bourne, 406-677-2155 or email pathfinder@seeleylake.com.