The Belknap County Delegation has scheduled an emergency meeting to consider the removal of two commission members.
Wednesday, July 27, 2022, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
One week after the Gunstock management walk-out, the Belknap County Delegation has scheduled an emergency meeting to consider the removal of two members of the Gunstock Area Commission.
The county-owned resort is overseen by the five-person Gunstock Area Commission, which in turn hires a day-to-day management team. The commission hired former Waterville Valley general manager Tom Day in January 2020. Day and other members of his management team tendered their resignations to the commission last week.
At a heated Gunstock Area Commision meeting last night, commissioners Peter Ness and David Strang were unable to enter a previously scheduled executive session when the other two commissioners refused to support the motion. Instead, commissioners Jade Wood and Douglas Lambert asked for their resignation.
Wood and Lambert have now requested the Belknap County Delegation remove the two commissioners. Last year, the Gunstock Area Commission unsuccessfully sued to prevent the Belknap County Delegation from removing commissioners.
Meanwhile, Representative Norm Silber (R-Gilford) appeared on Good Morning New Hampshire today and stated "there's clearly inappropriate expenditures and mismanagement." Silber, an attorney, claimed audits by a CPA firm and a legal firm will be released in the next week to ten days. Silber also alleged that the management walk out was to "head off the imminent release of this damaging information."
Silber went on to state the wrongdoing was "egregious" and that "there's going to be a request for investigation and probably some aspects of it are going to be referred to the attorney general."
When asked by host Jack Heath when Gunstock would reopen, Silber declined to answer, but stated "the Gunstock Area Commissioners have already been contacted by people from around the country who are in the ski industry who want to come to Gunstock to get it back open" and that the commission is attempting to bring back one of the managers who resigned.
Though Gunstock's mountain coaster and ziplines remain closed, the campground continues to operate and preparations are being made for next week's SoulFest concert. SoulFest announced a month ago that it will be relocating to a new venue next year after nearly two decades at Gunstock.