Hamilton community ice rink at Big Corral Park gets tentative approval

Ravalli County Commissioners gave tentative approval for a one-year contract with the Hamilton Downtown Foundation (HDF) to have a community ice rink installed for the 2026-2027 winter season at the Big Corral Park on Kurtz Lane in Hamilton during a meeting on Monday, Feb. 23.

Ravalli County Park Board President Gary Leese sat alongside HDF Director Matthew Zwicker and HDF Board President Mary Casper, as they presented plans for how the ice rink will be run and operated.

The rink will be 44x80 feet and use chiller units to keep it refrigerated so it can be utilized during warmer winter months. The chiller units would make it usable with outside temperatures getting up to 55 degrees, according to Zwicker. The HDF board members have talked with Lolo and Florence residents about their ice rinks that are non-refrigerated and said they sometimes go months without use.

“We're at the mercy of Montana weather," Zwicker said. "Right now it's above 40, and so you just don't have ice."

Zwicker says the plan is to install the ice rink right before Thanksgiving so people coming back to visit family can use it the weekend of the Hamilton Christmas Stroll. The rink would stay open until the end of March and be taken down after spring break.

Initial costs will be around $160,000 Zwicker said. The HDA was able to raise around half of that in a six-week period last year.

“We were able to accrue — whether they're in hand or in pledge — half of that, just because the community is so excited about getting an ice rink down here in Hamilton,” Zwicker said.

He said they have grants people are ready to give but to do so they need a signed contract of where it will be placed. Most of the grants they would need to reapply for have applications due by the end of March.

The initial cost includes the rink itself, any dirt or other material to level the ground, electrical work, a contracted worker to upkeep the rink so it is safe to use, insurance and other miscellaneous costs.

Zwicker said actual operating costs — included in the $160,000 for the initial year — are $50,000, with an estimated $15,000 in operating costs expected annually going forward. He says they already have some funding secured for each additional year of operation.

The commissioners questioned whether the rink could be run for that low and asked the HDF to supply them with is an itemized list of costs for a year of operation.

Since the HDF would like to keep it a community rink, Zwicker said they are planning to put signage asking for donations if people use the rink and a rental cost if someone were to host a birthday or business party. Even with rentals from groups, the HDF expect the revenue to be low and plan on most of the operating costs being covered by sponsorship.

The HDF are finding equipment for maintenance like handheld Zambonis. They have someone in Corvallis who owns a full-size Zamboni and are looking into possibly use it and what it would take to run.

Zwicker said the HDF is also willing to pay for portable bathrooms to be installed during the winter months if needed.

Hours of operation are still up in the air for the ice rink, but Zwicker told commissioners he would like to have it be operational seven days a week so kids can use it on the weekends. Casper said she feels the rink would give kids somewhere close by to go and keep them active outside during the winter months.

“We also see it as an option for a lot of students who don't have an opportunity to leverage something like Lost Trail to help keep kids active and provide a safe place,” Casper said.

The commissioners would like to have HDF draft a memorandum of understanding with budget and hours among other information they would need to continue with plans to put the ice rink at Big Corral Park. They asked HDF to consider installation of cameras to help keep vandalism at a minimum and for insurance reasons in case someone has an accident they can go back and view the video. They also asked the HDF to speak with neighbors to see what they felt would be reasonable for hours of operation since having 50-60 people skating late at night with lights and sound coming from the rink could be a possible issue.

Once the HDF satisfies the requirements needed by the county the lease agreement will be for a one-year trial period at the end of which they will meet again with commissioners to discuss any ongoing lease agreement.