Local snowmobile group finishes their new space just in time to hit the trails
The Springfield Trailblazers are celebrating the completion of the new shop for their club on CIL Rd. in St. Clements which will allow the group to store its equipment and continue to keep up local snowmobile trails for seasons to come.
Pat Neskar, president of the Springfield Trailblazers and co-contractor of the new shop acknowledged that it was a dream of the Trailblazers to have a shop of their own and a partnership with the Municipality of St. Clements as well as a provincial a Building Sustainable Communities grant and a lot of volunteer effort made it possible.
“We put out roughly 900 signs every year. Stop, stop ahead, cautions, etc. Right now, those are stored at my home, so that’ll all move over here. All the spare parts, tools, compressors, and, of course, the groomers (will be here too),” said Neskar.
Currently, the space is built more as a storage area than a permanent club space but Neskar explained that they hope to add a mezzanine for some space for members in the future. For right now, they have a completed, heated and finished building inside and out and are celebrating that accomplishment.
This will be a great addition to the club as they groom 240km of trails for their members every winter season which benefits our community in many different ways.
“Our area brings trails to a lot of the local gas stations, into Selkirk, Petersfield, Clandeboye, the Esso on 44 and South Beach Casino, they’re a big one and they’re a big supporter of us. It’s about making these trails and keeping them safe. And also, if there are trails, people tend not to wander onto private land,” he explained.
Neskar explained that the Springfield Trailblazers are one of the oldest snowmobile clubs in Manitoba having started in 1968.
“We’re around 60 plus members. We have, in the summertime, a barbecue and a fall corn roast. In the wintertime, we have organized rides every week. We have three different groups within the club. They’re each responsible for putting a ride on their weekends. So that could be anywhere from going to Spruce Woods to going up to Lac du Bonnet for lunch or whatever. And then, also during the winter season, we plan a weekend away where everybody in the club is welcome to come,” said Neskar.
He explained that they try to keep the rides fun with warming shacks at the end of routes as well as hotdogs and non-alcoholic drinks.
The club is an active member of Snoman and membership is $30 per family per year.
Neskar explained that this new shop is going to be very beneficial not just for increased storage but so that the volunteers that keep all of the trails and club activities running can do their jobs a little easier.
“It’s a lot less volunteers having to work outside. You can well imagine working outside when it’s 40 below, or even trying to get the machine started when it’s that is cold is a bit of a challenge. Now we can come here if there are any repairs to do. It’s just like a dream come true for myself and a lot of the club members as we have a really good volunteer base,” he said.
Kevin Kostecki a member of the Springfield Trailblazers and also co-contractor of the new shop said that it was so humbling to see the new shop get built.
“When we look at this building, we know that it was years, not just the four or five months of construction, but years of fundraising and just the culmination of, I’d say, the better part of half a decade’s work, getting where we got to,” he said.
As for what’s next for the club they say that they are going to continue on with their community activities.
“We’re always trying to grow the club membership without pushing it, but just kind of getting it out there. We feel an obligation, and it’s a priority for us to reach out to the youth in the area and have a grassroots program that promotes safe snowmobiling, and everything that that it comes with,” said Kostecki.
He and Neskar welcome anyone who wants to join the club and enjoy the benefits of being part of the group.
“We certainly are not shy to put out the advantages of riding in groups and just the safety of numbers and seeing so many different places in Manitoba based on the knowledge of the club’s groups captains,” said Kostecki.
If you’re looking for a snowmobile club and the Springfield Trailblazers sound like the kind of group you’d like to belong to you can contact them to sign up at springhilltrailblazers@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/STSCadmin1.
