After the Portage la Prairie Lions Club announced they were disbanding after nearly a century in the community, questions about the Lion's Den started to be asked.

There is a group that has been put together to keep the Lion's Club alive and an information evening has been planned for April 4th. They are hoping all interested people will attend. Watch for a story in more detail on that next week on Portageonline.

Despite those efforts, the keys to the Lion's Den, located at 290 Royal Road South, have been returned to the city, at least for now. City Manager Nathan Peto says an agreement made in the 1980s allowed the Lions Club to use that land until they ceased operations.

"As of February, the City has been in possession of the building," explains Peto. "We're doing a building assessment and reviewing the building itself. We're learning options for the council to discuss at a future meeting regarding the next steps."

He adds that the building is designed as a recreational space, so any future use of the Den would be focused on that area. Despite the club's recent decline, Peto is grateful that the Lions Club has been a part of Portage's history.

"I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for the local Lions Club, both present members and past members, for decades of service to this community," notes Peto. "They've definitely made their mark in Portage."

He also recognizes the work that the greater Lions Club has made on both a national and international level, which, according to their website, has served 539 million people from July 2022 through June 2023 alone.