No Update From Saddle Club as Lease Expires

At the Monday, July 29th meeting of the Whitehall Recreation Board, held at the Town Hall, there were no new updates from the Whitehall Saddle Club (WSC) regarding the lease of their property to the Town and whether or not the property will remain on the Rodeo Grounds indefinitely. The lease between the WSC and Town for the equipment expires at the end of July. During legal discussions, it was concluded by both entities' legal representation that the WSC owns the property not permanently affixed to the ground at the Rec Complex’s Rodeo Grounds.

Rodeo chair Tim O’Donnell said they did not want to waste any more time waiting around and needed to know one way or another. He asked WSC member Bridget Morse, who attended the meeting, if the WSC would be willing to answer as soon as possible—hopefully within the next month.

“We need closure. We’re fine either way, but we need a decision,” O’Donnell said, adding that improvements would be made to the facility regardless—but knowing what would stay and what would go would be helpful.

Monty Klistoff of Next Gen Entertainment in Butte proposed holding a demo derby at the Rec Complex, possibly by the end of August. Discussions included whether the facility had enough bleachers for the expected crowd and whether the derby would damage the ground.

“We’ve put a lot of work into making those grounds safe for horses—safety comes first,” O’Donnell said. O’Donnell also said that, when speaking with the Rodeo Board on this proposed event, the Board was against having a demo derby on the grounds. Board member Curtiss LaFountaine said that he was up for it—that it would be something new for the town—and the Board agreed to bring it to the Council for discussion.