Bridge and path project in the works to honor Doug Irving at Gunstock Mountain

GILFORD — At the scenic pond at the base of Gunstock Mountain, friends and former colleagues are planning to build a covered bridge and walking trail to honor longtime employee Doug Irving. While the Gunstock Area Commission has given the green light for the project, Live Like Doug — the nonprofit founded in Irving’s memory — needs funds and resources to put it in motion.

Irving was a 44-year employee of Gunstock Mountain Resort before he suddenly died in 2018 while serving as the director of operations. The board of Live Like Doug began searching for a way to celebrate his love of outdoor recreation, environmental stewardship and, of course, the ski area in 2019.

In his post at the mountain, Irving was involved in every update and improvement at the mountain since the 1980s, according to the project’s website. 

The idea for an accessible walkway around the pond and a covered bridge over its dam was Irving’s, said Greg Goddard, a Live Like Doug board member and former general manager at Gunstock. Goddard and Irving, friends since their youth, were hired full time at Gunstock on the same day in 1982.

Irving envisioned a place where anyone could fish, meander and enjoy the scenic ambiance of the pond. When Irving oversaw the dam rebuild in 2001, he ensured its design included the possibility of adding a footbridge over top. 

“It was one of those things that was not really viable as a commercial enterprise, and so every time he would ask me about getting the bridge built, I'd say no,” Goddard said. “So this effort really is a way that we now, as citizens, can get his bridge built.” 

The philosophy he brought to his work, Irving’s partner Debbie Irwin said, combined growing the ski area with protecting the natural resources around it and making the overall experience as inviting as possible. The bridge project encapsulates that philosophy.

The organization considered various projects to honor Irving, Irwin said, but landed on this one as a natural continuation of his legacy at the mountain. 

“This is perfect. This is him. This is a project that he just couldn't get done but would have loved to,” Irwin said. 

The path will make enjoyment of the mountain and its natural beauty more accessible to all, said Amy Landers, executive director of the Lakes Region Tourism Association and a board member of Live Like Doug. “Whether they're people that live here or visitors that come, it's adding so much to the community, so much access to the outdoors and the natural resources for everybody of all ages and all abilities.”

While the project is separate from mountain operations, general manager Tom Day expressed the management team’s support for it and its organizers. 

“Everyone liked Doug,” Day said. “And they think this is a great way for him to be memorialized.”

“The collective sadness among the staff [at Irving’s death] was like something I've never experienced before,” Goddard said. “To this day people ask me, ‘What are we going to do for Doug?’”

The Gunstock Area Commission voted to endorse the project at its September meeting. With the commissioners’ blessing, the board of Live Like Doug is now able to pursue the project formally.

In addition to fundraising and grant applications, the organization is in need of material and service contributions. Initial generosity from board members and beyond includes bridge designs from board member Bob Durfee, path designs from Kevin Hayes and Bill Nutter, timber donations from Belknap Landscape and ArborTech and an eagerness by Jack Lyman to take on the excavation. But, under the agreement with the GAC, the organization needs all of its funding and materials lined up before construction can begin. 

“Our hope is to get the word out there, in the ski community, the Gunstock Season Pass community, the staff community and the business community.”

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The Sunshine Effect is a series in The Laconia Daily Sun highlighting the people and organizations working to improve our communities through volunteering and fundraising. We believe that telling their stories will encourage others to support their work, and launch new charitable efforts of their own. Have a suggestion for someone making a difference we should feature? Share it with us at laconiadailysun.com/sunshineeffecttip.