FUTURE OF BRUCE MOUND NOT 'SET IN STONE'
Thursday, February 10th, 2011 -- 2:14 PM
The future of Bruce Mound is still up in the air, but it seems less likely that major change will happen there next year after a Forestry and Parks committee meeting Thursday morning.Dozens of supporters of the tubing, skiing and snowboarding facility attended the meeting seeking answers and offering input.
At their meeting last month, the committee passed a motion to ?move in the direction of proposed department structure without Bruce Mound.?
Interim department administrator Rick Dailey said Thursday the committee thought leasing the facility to the Friends of Bruce Mound?which is a local non-profit dedicated to helping improve the facility?would be the best option.
Many members of the group were in attendance this morning. Friends Chair Bryan Staff said the group held a meeting where its members voted unanimously that the County should continue to operate the hill, noting their intent was never to run the facility.
"We certainly didn't form with the idea that, one day, we could run a ski hill," Staff stated. "Our goal was to raise money for improvements and to encourage healthy, family winter activity."
A major drawback to a private entity operating the facility is insurance, he warned. "We certainly recognize the advantages the county has in running a winter recreational area. It's a big time insurance cost difference. Privatized, we've heard cost estimates of $50,000 compared to the few thousand (the County) pays," Staff said.
While committee chair Jeff Kolzow, Colby, conceded the committee may have made too hasty a decision, others committee members reiterated their concerns that improvements at the facility have led to more maintenance costs and more county resources being drained from other duties.
Supervisor Joe Waichulis, Thorp, said donations meant for improvements often led to long-term expenses.
"Our biggest issues are maintenance, personnel...it seems like when the hill's running, it seems like it takes everything from the whole staff out there," he said. "Donations get to be a tricky thing...Lots of times, for every dollar (in donations), we probably end up spending two or three dollars."
Former County Board member Bill Elmhorst spoke in opposition to leasing the facility and said the committee should honor the resolution they passed when the accepted thousands of dollars in private donations for improvements, including the construction of a new chalet. That resolution stated the county would pay back donations from the Lunda Charitable Trust if they relinquished operational control of the facility before 2017.
"As far as leasing it, I would say absolutely not. That could be a disaster. You have a huge investment there. You can't just lease it out and think that's going to work. You have too much invested there to lease it to people that aren't experienced in that kind of operation," Elmhorst said.
Elmhorst said he didn't think the county should be in the business of running recreational enterprises, but if they were, the goal should be to try to break even, not turn a profit.
The Committee took action to form a board of managers for the facility that will include representatives from the Friends, other private donors, board members and possibly others with a stake in its operation.
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