Grand Mesa Nordic Council (GMNC)

Board Meeting

June 17, 2026

Zoom

Board Members Present: Abe Herman, Marguerite Tuthill, Tom Ela, Christine Noel, Dan Tille, Susie Attaway, Marilyn Kastens, Christine Noel, Ben Graves, and Tom Scillaci 

Staff Present: Christie Aschwanden and Beth Klein

Guests: No guests were in attendance

Abe Herman called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm.

1. Public Comment Period. No guests were in attendance to make public comments.

1. Approval of Minutes from Last Board Meeting. The May 13, 2026, Board Meeting Minutes were approved unanimously.

1. Executive Director (ED) Report. Christie provided her written ED report in the Board packet; following are the highlights she discussed during the meeting:
   1. Christie emailed the GMNC Annual Report to all members. There was an issue with the email system that caused some emails to be marked as spam.Christie will look into the issue. 
   2. We’ve already received several donations towards the Skyway Station funding gap in response to Christie’s Annual Report letter, which had mentioned the funding need.
   3. Christie has been working earnestly with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) about GMNC’s proposed trail expansion project. USFS has told us that they intend to approve the project, but they’d like us to wait on some sections until several planned logging projects are completed. The logging projects, taking place near the Skyway and County Line ski trails, are anticipated to begin  this summer. Christie is meeting with the USFS to determine which new trails can be opened before the logging project is complete and how this will affect our timeline.
   4. GMNC currently has a Special Use Permit with USFS, which allows us to manage ski trails, operate Skyway Station, hold on-site events, and ask for public donations. Christie and Board members are pursuing a Ski Area Permit instead, as we are now eligible for one. Benefits of a Ski Area Permit include the following:
      1. It might  give GMNC the ability to limit some uses of the trails; e.g., we could potentially ban walking on groomed trails.
      2. GMNC could potentially rent out Skyway Station to other users as a revenue generator.
      3. The current Special Use Permit needs to be renewed with USFS every 10 years; a Ski Area Permit potentially could be renewed every 20-40 years.
      4. Although this is currently not seen as an option, GMNC could theoretically charge trail fees. The USFS likely would not approve such an action, nor would GMNC pursue it, as it would go against GMNC’s founding principles.
   5. A Board member questioned whether GMNC needed to keep some of the old, outdated files on its Google Drive; other Board members suggested that we keep the old files and archive them instead. Christie is working on two things associated with the canvas warming hut at Skyway: (1) working with  USFS on a plan to move it to County Line, and (2) getting a grant to cover the $4,000 cost of a new canvas “skin.”

• Treasurer Report. Christine provided an updated financial report in the Board packet. During the meeting, she mentioned that (1) GMNC’s new fiscal year began on May 1, (2) that the organization’s certificate of deposit with Edward Jones had matured and would be deposited in an Alpine National Bank account to cover reclamation activities at Skyway Station, (3) she had updated the 990 Report to include salary information, and finally, (4) the Finance Committee’s next meeting would be in September.

1. FY2026 – 2027 Budget Review. Christie provided FY2027 budget information in the Board packet and highlighted several items during the meeting. Board members discussed some of the line items, and as a result, some changes will be made to the budget. A few of the highlights included: 
   1. Christie estimated GMNC would need $12,000 for Skyway Station operating expenses and $6,700 for Skyway Station equipment expenses. . Christie stated that GMNC would continue to raise funds for the Station because the building qualifies for an Enterprise Zone tax benefit through 2029; however, funds raised through this tax benefit can only be used for equipment and maintenance. The board discussed whether there should be a line item for Skyway Station donations in the budget. No agreement was made, and Christie suggested tabling this discussion for a later date.
   2. Because fuel prices have gone up, the line item for fuel expenses increased in FY2027.
   3. The FY2027 equipment maintenance budget is currently set at $25,000, although Christie mentioned that this figure is likely high. We can only hope.
   4. A Board member recommended increasing website maintenance costs to $6,000. Another Board member recommended separating costs for the IT contractor (Jordy) from the costs of hosting and registering the GMNC domain. Christie will look into this.
   5. Christie stated that (1) wages for GMNC’s bookkeeper, groomers and ski school director, will increase by 2-3% in FY2027, (2) she has also budgeted for  a third groomer, and (3) more hours for the operations manager/lead groomer..
   6. Christie also stated that a part-time Colorado Mesa University (CMU) intern was difficult to get (for our Public Outreach position) because the timing of GMNC’s need and CMU’s academic schedule does not mesh; therefore, she has budgeted additional money to hire a professional to ensure she can hire help for the pre-season and early season and potentially the entire season. 
   7. Reimbursement costs for vehicle mileage, mainly for the groomers but also for the Public Outreach staff member, might be increased in FY2027. Board members discussed increasing the cap..
   8. A Board member mentioned that the line for GMNC uniforms, $800, seemed low. After working with GMNC employees for several years, Christie assured the Board that it was an appropriate amount.

A Board member asked if the Board should approve the FY2027 budget that night. After discussion, Christie decided that she would make recommended updates and would reissue the proposed budget to the Board after she returns from a 2-week vacation. At that time, she also can share the FY2026 “Actuals” for a comparison. 

1. Committee Structure, Annual Calendar, and July Work Sessions. 
   1. Abe asked if we should reactivate the Fundraising Committee, and the Board responded with a “yes.” Dan, Tom E., and Susie, former members of the committee, agreed to staff the committee  in the coming year. They will meet on August 10 or 11.
   2. The Events Committee, composed of Tom E., Tom S., Marilyn, and Marguerite, decided to meet on July 13 at 12:00 p.m.
   3. The Financial Committee will meet sometime in September.
   4. The next Board meeting will be held through Zoom on July 15 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Dan and Christie suggested it’s time for a strategic planning meeting. Marilyn will aim to  finish a draft building operations plan before then.
   5. Abe wants to wrap up discussions concerning GMNC’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mesa County Search & Rescue, which is still in draft form. The MOU needs to be approved by the Board before it goes to Mesa County for approval.

1. Discuss Future Board of Directors Strategic Planning Session. The last time GMNC worked together to prepare a Strategic Plan was in 2023. There is a need to meet again to formulate goals and make plans for the next 5 years. Board members agreed that the strategy session should be led by a professional facilitator and held in person, possibly at Skyway Station. The session will take a full day’s work and likely be held on a weekend-day in August or September. 
2. Other Business. Dan wants to purchase a snow blower/snow remover so that snow can be managed next to the Skyway Station. The Piston Bully snowcat is too large to manage snow adjacent to the building. Dan has researched various pieces of equipment and believes that a stand-behind mini-loader, costing between $25,000 and $50,000, would be an appropriate purchase. Bobcat makes a machine that costs $47,000 and has a $4,000 snow-blower attachment. Another potential attachment—a brush cutter—would cost between $4,000 and $5,000. 

The Board determined that money to buy the machine would not come out of the Snowcat Fund. Abe stated that GMNC should get at least three different quotes before a machine is purchased. He also stated that GMNC needs to have a written procurement policy. Board members considered using money from the Capital Equipment Reserve Fund (CERF), which currently has about $30,000 in it, and/or the Reserve Fund, which has about $60,000 in it, to pay for the machine. Christie suggested that we could use donation money made to GMNC (through the Enterprise Zone tax benefit) to pay for the machine.

The Board adjourned and then moved into executive session at 7:50 p.m. The Board re-opened at 8:15 p.m. to approve motions for a new ED contract and yearly bonus for Christie. Both motions passed unanimously. The Board will meet next on Wednesday, July 8, via Zoom.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilyn Kastens, GMNC Secretary