The management team of Gunstock Mountain Resort, including General Manager Tom Day, at center in blue, resigned and walked out of Wednesday night's Gunstock Area Commission meeting. (Jon Decker/The Laconia Daily Sun)
The management team of Gunstock Mountain Resort, including General Manager Tom Day, at center in blue, resigned and walked out of Wednesday night's Gunstock Area Commission meeting. (Jon Decker/The Laconia Daily Sun)
LACONIA — The entire management staff of Gunstock Mountain Resort tendered their resignations at the very beginning of the Gunstock Area Commission meeting Wednesday night, after the entire team was placed in audience seating instead of at the speaker's table.
The placement was the final straw for a team that has been at odds with a new set of commissioners overseeing the ski resort. Staff members including Tom Day, president and general manager; Cathy White, chief financial officer; Becky LaPense, director of human resources; Peter Weber, snow sports director; Robin Rowe, director of resort services; and Patrick McGonangle, facilities operation director, offered two weeks notice for their resignations.
GAC member Gary Kiedaisch also tendered his resignation and exited the meeting, which was held at the Belknap County Complex.
Editor's note: This story is being updated as additional information becomes available.
Great courage and resolve for a group that has more than done their jobs. They have exceeded any and all practical expectations for running our resort in a practical manner, including daily operational tactics and long-term strategies. "et tu Brute" to the commission and all the nonsense espoused by the commission and the delegation. The oversight is astonishing bereft of intelligence.
About time. Can we now have an honest discussion about how the people of this county should not have to subsidize a business that we get zero benefit from?
The county does not currently subsidize the operations of Gunstock, rather it receives income from the operations (yes I'm aware of the history from the 1990's). In addition to the direct money paid to the county, there is a economic benefit to the local economy.
My understanding was that the ski area is now self supporting. Is this correct? As for the residents getting "zero benefit", my own experience, growing up there, was that the resort provided inexpensive and healthful recreation, especially for children. The Kiwanis Club raised the money to provide a free bus for school children. We had inexpensive subsidized youth passes and skied there every weekend and, on snow days, many of the kids I knew were at Gunstock skiing on the fresh snow. Are these things no longer the case? If not, why?
Gunstock was a tremendous boon to those living in the area. "The Area", as we called it, was one of the great advantages to living in the community and a benefit to the tourist economy that has become so important. The original was more a total winter resort with skating on the pond, fires in the huge stone fireplaces, ski jumping, cross country skiing, camping, and hiking than the current narrowly focused ski area. My understanding is that Gary Kiedasch and the rest of that team sought to reinvigorate that original vision. What the resort would be like today if the vision and love of this area of those who created the resort had been sustained would surely be very much like what they have proposed.
How many people do you employ? That is a benefit. The local businesses benefit from the sale of season-related merchandise. Families from Belknap benefit when they use recreational opportunities offered at Gunstock.
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Great courage and resolve for a group that has more than done their jobs. They have exceeded any and all practical expectations for running our resort in a practical manner, including daily operational tactics and long-term strategies. "et tu Brute" to the commission and all the nonsense espoused by the commission and the delegation. The oversight is astonishing bereft of intelligence.
About time. Can we now have an honest discussion about how the people of this county should not have to subsidize a business that we get zero benefit from?
The county does not currently subsidize the operations of Gunstock, rather it receives income from the operations (yes I'm aware of the history from the 1990's). In addition to the direct money paid to the county, there is a economic benefit to the local economy.
Tired of you BS - Can you tell us how much has been spent recently subsidizing Gunstock?
My understanding was that the ski area is now self supporting. Is this correct? As for the residents getting "zero benefit", my own experience, growing up there, was that the resort provided inexpensive and healthful recreation, especially for children. The Kiwanis Club raised the money to provide a free bus for school children. We had inexpensive subsidized youth passes and skied there every weekend and, on snow days, many of the kids I knew were at Gunstock skiing on the fresh snow. Are these things no longer the case? If not, why?
Gunstock was a tremendous boon to those living in the area. "The Area", as we called it, was one of the great advantages to living in the community and a benefit to the tourist economy that has become so important. The original was more a total winter resort with skating on the pond, fires in the huge stone fireplaces, ski jumping, cross country skiing, camping, and hiking than the current narrowly focused ski area. My understanding is that Gary Kiedasch and the rest of that team sought to reinvigorate that original vision. What the resort would be like today if the vision and love of this area of those who created the resort had been sustained would surely be very much like what they have proposed.
How many people do you employ? That is a benefit. The local businesses benefit from the sale of season-related merchandise. Families from Belknap benefit when they use recreational opportunities offered at Gunstock.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.