City considers year-round skating at Ice Den

The ice season at Stumptown Ice Den will be extended this year and Whitefish City Council has agreed to look into keeping the facility open for year-round skating.

Glacier Skate Academy has been working for the past few years to get year-round ice at the Ice Den. They requested a spring extension and early opening in the fall for this year.

Council OK’d extending the season to June 6 and an early opening date of Aug. 10. The operating dates will have to be approved by the city Parks and Recreation board. The ice season was originally set to end April 19.

“We have an amazing facility that outshines some,” Parks Director Maria Butts said. “There is a growing need for use of such facilities.”

Glacier Skate has about 200 members and offers figure skating and hockey training programs. The last two summers the group has brought in a professional ice show series for its summer camp program.  

Glacier Skate director Chad Goodwin said year-round ice will give skaters the opportunity to live at home and not have to move or travel for training. The first major figure skating competition occurs in October, which makes spring and summer training critical, he noted.

“To be a competitive figure skater in this day and age you have to train at an ice rink that has ice on the floor 11 to 12 months per year,” he said. “We’ve made it our mission and goal to develop and establish this for the kids in our programs.”

Glacier Skate agreed to pay about $50,000 to rent ice time during the extended period. However, city staff figured the cost to operate the extra 10 weeks at about $60,000.

Councilor John Anderson said he was fine with the figures.

“If the customer is willing to prepay 80 percent, that is good,” he said. “We can market for the other 20 percent. I’m also willing to have the city subsidize a portion, if necessary.”

Council directed city staff to further investigate the possibility of operating with ice year round.

The Ice Den operated with a six month season when it opened in 2003, and by 2011 had increased to eight months. Last year the season grew to nearly 11 months.

The six month season brought in an average profit of about $1,300. A deficit developed when the facility increased the season. The average deficit from 2008 to 2011 was $52,000. From 2012 to 2014, the deficit increased to about $130,000.

Finance director Dana Smith cautioned council that a review of the Ice Den operating and maintenance costs, along with the user fees, should be conducted before approving year-round operations.

“We need to make sure we are covering our costs for operating expenditures, debt payments and future capital improvement costs,” she said.

Smith said there needs to be a plan for the wish list of capital improvements for the Ice Den that totals about $980,000.

Jason Loveless, parks superintendent, told council a season longer than eight months risks putting more wear and tear on an aging refrigeration system at the Ice Den.

“I do not believe it is in the best interest of all the user groups or the community to extend the season past eight months,” he said. “If we were to have a major breakdown during the season, we would not have the necessary funds to make repairs.”

Loveless suggested the city do a feasibility study and create a plan for necessary upgrades.

The Ice Den operates with a refrigeration system that is “commercial grade” similar to what is found in supermarkets, according to Loveless. This type of system works for seasonal ice rinks, but an “industrial grade system” is more appropriate for a year-round rink.

The rink is currently operating on three of its four compressors after one failed. The Park and Recreation board has said to extend the season, two additional compressors would be needed, but still wouldn’t be enough to operate year round.

The Stumptown Ice Den, known then as the Whitefish Community Pavilion, was constructed in 2003 as a six month ice rink and summer event center. Prior to that the outdoor ice rink operated on the spot that is part of the Mountain Trails Saddle Club.

The city has invested over the years in multiple upgrades to the facility.

Glacier Hockey Association in 2013 received a grant to add two locker rooms. Glacier Skate last year raised $104,000 to purchase a new evaporative condenser and recently raised funds to purchase a compressor.