Montana Athletic Club undergoes expansion

By spring the Montana Athletic Club in Bigfork will have even more to offer.

The athletic club is currently in the process of adding 6,500 square feet to accommodate a new physical therapist and expand the exercise facilities.

While the addition probably would have happened in the next couple years anyway, the process was accelerated when physical therapist Kaci Monroe, who grew up in Bigfork, approached the club about starting her own practice.

“It’s really a logical progression of what we’ve done at the athletic club over last 20 years,” athletic club director Doug Mahlum said.

Monroe’s practice, River Bend Physical Therapy, and Preventative Care, will be on the ground floor of the two-story expansion and offer features, such as a therapy pool for patients. The business, which is separate from the Athletic Club, though it’s housed under the same roof, with have it’s own entrance from the parking lot, but will also access the rest of the clup.

“The benefit I think really is going to be the therapy pool,” Mahlum said. “This really is going to help people at this end of the lake.”

Mahlum said having a physical therapy clinic attached to a place like the Montana Athletic club can really help the physical therapy patients with their lifestyle changes.

“You want to have a seamless transition to go from recovery to a lifestyle change that will allow them to continue to do what they want to do,” he said.

The upper portion of the expansion will house aerobics, spinning and Pilates. Some of the athletic center’s Pilates equipment is currently house across the street at Eagle Bend.

The current aerobics room on the first floor will be used to expand the weight room and add functional training equipment.

Functional training involves training the body for activities performed in daily life, and has grown in popularity.

“This will allow us to expand our offerings,” Mahlum said.

The athletic club has seen steady growth over the last several years, as well as an increase in the age of its members.

The expansion, plus new equipment will cost about $700,000.

Beside being a place to exercise Mahlum said the Athletic Club is also a place where people come to socialize. 

“That’s one of the things we want to try and do is create something social,” he said. “We want to be able to help people in the community.”

Though membership fees might be an obstacle for some people, Mahlum said they’ll with people and offer some scholarship options.

“We’ll figure out a way to get them in,” he said. “Our goal and our mission is to make Bigfork a better place to live,” he said. And helping people in the community stay fit and healthy is part of that.