Filling the Vacancies
Happy Summer!
Thank you for your interest in my last newsletter on the unfortunate firing of the general manager of our community ski area by the Eaglecrest Board of Directors. I really want to move on from this topic and get back to to the more fun stuff. But I thought you might be interested in what is happening in the aftermath.
The board is on a fast track to hire a new General Manager. But it needs new members with a fresh perspective. Thankfully, the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly will soon appoint three new board members, one to serve out a three year term for a year and two for terms of three years. July 2 is the scheduled date to begin interviewing board applicants.
For those of you living in Juneau or Douglas, I encourage you to recommend the appointments of applicants Rick Harris and Charlie Herrington to City and Borough of Juneau Assembly members at BoroughAssembly@juneau.gov. Learn more about Rick and Charlie in my letter to the assembly at the end of this newsletter.
As most locals were out celebrating the Solstice, I found myself hurrying through the nearly empty Eaglecrest parking lot the evening of June 20. Destination: The Day Lodge and a meeting of the Eaglecrest Board Human Resources Committee.
The first thing I noticed upon entering the lodge was a bank of empty chairs in the warm sunlight of the longest day of year. The set up was apparently in response to the disastrous last public meeting of the full board, held in a setting too small to hold members of the public upset by the forced resignation of GM Dave Scanlan. I appreciate the effort to hold subsequent meetings at Eaglecrest.
In another bank of chairs sat a hand full of users and members of the remaining staff. Three committee members sat around a table facing the audience. Up on the back wall a screen displayed the faces of members of the board and public via Zoom. The committee reviewed a draft job description for the next General Manager and took public testimony. Below are my observations from that meeting in a letter to the Assembly.
June 27, 2024
Dear City and Borough of Juneau Assembly,
Due to strong opposition to the forced resignation of the Eaglecrest General Manager, it appears that the board may not be effectively representing the interests of the community.
As a skier, part time ski instructor and former board member, I am interested in learning more about how the empowered board governing the snow sports playground of the CBJ works. So I attended the most recent meeting of the Eaglecrest Board Human Resources Committee.
The focus was a draft job description and process for filling the now vacant General Manager position. Despite my profound disappointment with the board’s sudden decision to fire what many users consider the most inspired and effective leader in Eaglecrest’s 50-year history, I understand the need to move on to the next chapter.
Instead, I was struck by the inanity of the discussion. The committee attempted to parse out what percentage of the General Manager’s time should be spent “hands-on” base operations vs. financial management (office work).
Duties of the GM are always a moving target due to ever changing weather conditions, equipment maintenance, breakdowns and staffing issues. Indeed, as board member Kevin Krein noted, “The expectation is that the manager will not be sitting in an office somewhere.” It appears the duties required of this position cannot be sufficiently done by one person. No wonder three of the four past General Managers either left or were let go by the board.
In the current position description, the GM is “ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mountain base activities and functions.” Members of the public asked what “oversee” really means in this context. And why specific duties of the GM are listed, but not qualifications. For example, can the candidate operate and maintain machinery at the ski area? They also wanted to know the plan should no GM be hired in time for ski season.
But the biggest issue is the multi-industry-wide lack of post-pandemic staff. The committee spoke of a “team” the GM would lead. Board President Mike Satre affirmed that you can’t have a true General Manager if you don’t have a team. The reality is that no such team currently exists. In addition, the key mountain operations position has been vacant for months.
Meanwhile, the board is in the process of hiring former GM Kirk Duncan as a temporary management consultant at the rate of $15,000/month.
A lack of trust in the current Eaglecrest Board in the wake of the loss of a respected and appreciated General Manager resulted in the signing of a petition signed by more than 500 people. It addressed a raft of concerns for Eaglecrest’s future.
Clearly, open board positions should be filled by more people with a true passion for and belief in a sustainable community ski area, applicants like Rick Harris and Charlie Herrington. Rick is a longtime Eaglecrest skier and member of boards including the Juneau Symphony Board. Charlie is a devoted skier who helped transform and elevate Eaglecrest’s marketing, website and social media presence during his tenure as Marketing Director. Please appoint these well-qualified applicants to the Eaglecrest Board.
Thank you,
Katie Bausler, Douglas