A July 20 Whitefish City Council meeting on whether to raise usage fees at Stumptown Ice Den highlighted the uphill battle of local skating groups trying to bring year-round ice to Whitefish.
It also brought to the fore the rink’s desperate need to dispatch deferred maintenance projects, offset those costs through rate increases and find time during the off-season to accomplish the work.
The city parks board recently derailed the efforts of user groups to expand the season when it voted to cap the ice season at eight months, a decision that did not require council approval. At the July 20 public hearing on an increase in ice rental fees at the rink, hockey players and parents of figure skaters said they wanted more ice time.
Parks and Recreation Director Maria Butts said the Ice Den started operation with a six-month season but increased that to an eight-month season in 2011, and last year the season ran nearly 11 months.
Park Board Chairman Doug Wise said the Stumptown Ice Den was not designed to be a year-round facility, and the commercial-grade refrigeration equipment and open-air layout would increase maintenance costs and run down the facility more quickly.
Wise also said maintaining summer ice would conflict with the pavilion’s designation as multi-use, and interfere with the popular Summer Day Camp for children.
The Ice Den operated with a deficit of $607,000 over the past eight years, but ran in the black last year with a cash balance of $237, and City Manager Chuck Stearns said the facility should be self-sufficient.
Butts recommended the fee increase for the six-month regular season, which runs approximately October through March, as well as for the two-month extension, allowing the facility to run September through April.
The fee increase will create a reserve fund for maintenance costs.