A $1.25 million tourism grant from the Montana Department of Commerce slides the Mission Valley Ice Arena significantly closer to reality.

“We’ve got the money to get kids indoors and on skates,” said Carmine Mowbray, the organization’s treasurer.

With $4 million in hand, plus $1 million pledged for an endowment, the organization launched a major campaign last fall to raise the remaining $2 million needed to construct the multi-use indoor arena on Ridgewater Drive in Polson. The Montana Tourism Development Grant provides $1.25 million over the next two years, with the possibility of an additional $1.5 million over the following three years, based on construction milestones, for a total of $2.75 million.

“This phased approach ensures the arena's development remains on track and supports a long-term vision for a vibrant, community-centered facility,” said Rep. Linda Reksten in announcing the award during a Polson City Commission meeting.

According to Mowbray, project manager Danell Thingelstad “is sharpening his pencil now to get further clarity” as to when construction will begin. The board hopes to break ground on the 2-acre parcel this summer or early next fall.

The vision for an ice arena first took shape in 2013 and has been slowly maturing since then, spearheaded by a very dedicated group of volunteers, many of whom travel to Missoula each week to play hockey.

Board Chair Devin Huntley is among those enthusiasts.

“We are incredibly thankful to have received a significant grant from the State of Montana,” he said. “While this support gets us moving forward, we still have important fundraising and growth ahead of us to fully realize this vision.

Hockey player and board member Steve Todd acknowledged the personal benefits of finally having a local arena. 

“For the group of us that travel to and from Missoula once to twice a week to play hockey, we’re ecstatic for the potential to have local ice, play close to home and get a get a lot more sleep,” he said, adding that they often don’t get home until well after midnight.  

Todd noted that the arena will open opportunities for area ice enthusiasts to enjoy figure skating, curling and public skating, and for kids to add year-around skating to their recreational repertoire.

Todd also praised the efforts of Reksten, who supported Senate Bill 540, the legislation that created funding for the Montana Tourism Development Grant program out of bed tax revenues. The funds are designed to help “rural and under-visited communities by diversifying local economies, fostering community pride and creating tourism destinations that represent the qualities that make rural communities special,” said Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio in the press release announcing this year’s seven grant recipients.

Reksten had encouraged the Mission Valley Ice Arena board to apply for the grant last August and wrote a letter of recommendation.

“We can’t thank her enough for her support and assistance,” Todd said.

Board member and educator Hilary Lozar predicts the funding infusion will “get our local kids on skates as soon as possible, and provide a much-needed economic boost to our amazing community.”

Mowbray voiced appreciation to the Mission Valley community for its ongoing support. “They’ve had faith in us, even though we’ve had very little to show for it,” she said. “And now, we’ll have something to show for it.”

In announcing the grant, Reksten said the grant administrator at the Department of Commerce was impressed with the application, and praised “the Mission Valley Ice Arena’s organization, structure, their board, the fact that they had several million dollars in the bank and were actively securing other contributions.”

Reksten also noted, “it takes more than a sincere, persuasive narrative on an application for these awards to materialize. … They were on it so fast – they got it in and got it in early.”

Both Mowbray and Reksten emphasized that local contractors and service providers will be used in almost every phase of the project, except for the specialized ice infrastructure. According to Mowbray, the board has hired Everything Ice, a Pennsylvania-based company, for that “very technical, very critical” part of the project.

While the grant “gets us moving forward, we still have important fundraising and growth ahead of us to fully realize this vision,” said Huntley.

“What we are building is more than a facility,” he added. “It is a gift to the entire Mission Valley – a place where people can gather, grow and create lasting memories. It has the potential to change lives, strengthen connections, and provide opportunities that will benefit our community for years to come.”