The concept of a fascist arrangement at Gunstock has been long in the making:
Kinda harsh thing to say about those who are now your best buddies, eh? What EVAH will they think of you know?
This email, from now Gunstock Area Commissioner Doug Lambert (of DGF Industrial as well) was in a bunch of stuff that I had received from a Right To Know (RSA 91A) demand that I had put in. Now, if you read the quote, you’d think it was the “current” Doug that has been yammering and bringing the political pressure onto Peter Ness (who resigned) and is still trying to pressure Commissioner Dr. David Strang to follow suit.
Sidenote: Lambert has been ALL ABOUT that Ness and Strang violated their Oath of Office, screaming it like a verbal cudgel. Yet, to date, neither he nor Jade Wood (current NH GOP Area 5 Vice Chair) have indicated HOW they violated such:
- No mention of any Federal Laws that may have been broken
- No mention of any NH State Laws that may have been broken
- No mention of any regulations or rules that may have been twisted out of shape
- No mention of ignoring RSA 399 that controls Gunstock
- And no mention of how any ByLaws of the GAC have been broken.
But I digress. Here’s the email. The newspaper story from the Laconia Sun is below.
And LOOK at who Lambert is fingering (emphasis mine)?
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Doug Lambert <dlambert@dgfindustrial.com>
To: david strang <davidstrangmd@yahoo.com>; Mr Peter Ness <petergness@yahoo.com>
Cc: Mike Sylvia <mike@mikesylvia.org>; Norman J Silber <njs@silbersnh.com>; Barbara Comtois <bcomtois2016@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2022, 06:56:03 PM EDT
Subject: Gunstock From 2007The concept of a fascist arrangement at Gunstock has been long in the making:
I sure would like to know if some company or LLC has already been set up to achieve this goal.
The way these people are fighting, there HAS to be something. And Kiedaisch must be the ringleader along with Day and White.
Doug
So you believed that former Commissioner Gary Kiedaisch, General Manager Tom Day, and Chief Financial Officer Cathy White were in cahoots over something? Did you find out more about that German website you told me about in a phone conversation that mentioned a possible hotel project at Gunstock?
I never got an answer to that question because that was about the time that you went, may I dare say it, went rogue and stabbed those in the back that put you onto the GAC? Did you have a purpose BEFOREHAND, Mr. Lambert? Questions keep swirling about about your Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde transformation before our very eyes.
Questions, questions, and more questions. And I’ll ask more, too. Like what ARE you and Jade, and now Denise, hiding by squashing both the Legal and the Audit GAC sub-committee?
From the Laconia Daily Sun (emphasis mine):
Investors wanted: bring your millions and civic duty to Gunstock
Private-public partnership requires patient partner
There is money to be made for the right partner for Gunstock. However, the right partner can’t be too concerned with making big money.
In the “request for information” that Gunstock Mountain Resort plans to publish soon in local and statewide newspapers as well as ski industry publications, Gunstock General Manager Greg Goddard makes it clear that any potential private-sector partners will have to maneuver through a bevy of priorities, and profit-making isn’t on the list.
The request for information document is intended to invite private equity or real estate holding firms to send in suggestions as to how they might be able to partner with Gunstock to add amenities in keeping with the stated goal of transforming the ski mountain into a four-season destination resort.
“The declared purpose of the Gunstock Area Commission is to operate, maintain, develop, improve and promote Gunstock Mountain Resort for recreational purposes, and to further the public interest thereby,” reads the request. Throughout the request, the interests of the general public and county residents are mentioned, as is maintaining a good relationship with the county government and protecting the scenic and historic characteristics of the property. It almost sounds as if it was written in a way to deter a potential partners who would be interested in achieving the largest and fastest return on their investment.
“It’s going to be a fairly complicated process,” said Goddard in an interview yesterday. Because Gunstock is owned by the citizens of Belknap County, and has received federal and state grants, any project proposals would have to be approved by several layers of approval processes, including passing muster with the people of the county.
So, who would be willing to take on such a complex project, while accepting a lesser profit for all the trouble? Goddard said, “It would have to be someone who is interested in the recreation industry and recognizes the uniqueness of this property, and someone for whom making the biggest profit isn’t the most important factor.”
This certainly isn’t the first time that private dollars have been invested in a public project, but given the unique ownership structure of Gunstock — administered by Goddard, with the five members of the Gunstock Commission providing fiscal management, and bottom-line oversight by the Belknap County Convention — Goddard said he couldn’t think of another example to use as an organizational model. “We’re really kind of plowing our own road in more ways than one.”
That being said, he’s not concerned that Gunstock won’t find a partner for the dance.
Part of his assuredness is because of Peter Knight, president of Connecticut River Valley Holdings. Knight said his company specializes in real estate holdings and public-private partnerships. In such cases, he acknowledges that “your life is ultimately easier” when choosing a less complicated, more straightforward investment. But not everything can be measured in dollars. “The impact that you’re able to have in concert with the community is significant. Is this the highest profit scenario? No, almost never,” Knight said. When asked why he would get involved anyway, he said it would be “tremendously interesting and gratifying.” It’s not all altruism, though. “There will be some economic gain. We wouldn’t step into a partnership to lose money.”
Knight, who has experience in the skiing industry, said he has a vision for Gunstock that is greater than what is currently on the mountain. He declined to say exactly what he would propose, saying he would wait to see what the public and other local parties suggest would be a benefit to the greater community.
What would a private partnership with Gunstock look like? Goddard said he’s not exactly sure what would be the best arrangement, but he’s sure that a “synergy” could be created to benefit both the ski mountain and new business ventures.
For example — and this is just hypothetical — if a private firm approached Gunstock with the concept of a grand resort hotel and conference center, Gunstock could draw up a long-term site lease that would allow the private partner to build and operate the hotel, paying Gunstock annually for the use of the land. Because Gunstock already employs people to plow snow in the winter and maintain the grounds in the warmer months, then the arrangement could be written so that Gunstock’s employees provide those services for the hotel’s grounds, too.
Having a hotel on the grounds would not only be a boon in terms of the yearly lease payments, the guests would also be likely to buy lift tickets, rent equipment, and buy food at the ski mountain.
In an effort to increase activity year-round, one of the amenities Goddard has suggested is a golf course. Gunstock’s grounds crew could assist with maintaining the greens and fairways, and the general manager said many ski pros work as golf pros during the summer.
These are simply examples of how such a relationship might work, he was careful to emphasize. In any partnership, Goddard said the first step would be a market study to see what amenity would be most successful for both parties and palatable for the community.
This will be the eleventh year for Goddard as Gunstock’s general manager. He spend about as much time as the director of finance and administration for the mountain resort prior to that. He still lives in the Gilford house he grew up in, just a short distance from the mountain. For Goddard and the Gunstock Commissioners, proposing this change will undoubtedly bring about more headaches. “We would like to keep doing what we’re doing, we just don’t see a long-term viability in it anymore.”
In a good year, Gunstock will see gross operating revenues of about $7.5–million. In recent years, due to poor skiing weather, the annual gross revenues have been about $6.5-million, the level at which Goddard said the resort is “treading water.”
One of the difficulties for Gunstock is that is currently seen by most as a one-day destination. Visitors can decide on the very day of their visit if they’ll go, depending on the weather. Compare that to destinations further away, or ones that require lodging with deposits, which guests plan weeks or months ahead of time. For those destination resorts, their guests still show up even if the weather is poor.
In an average winter, Gunstock sees about 170,000 skiers and about 20,000 tubers — tube riders that is, not potatoes. Another 25,000 will come to the resort, but won’t take to the slopes or tube hill.
With development of RV camping sites and summer events like Ribfest, SoulFest, Oktoberfest and the Timberman triathlon’s Timberfest, summer visitors are up to 80,000 per year. However, for a resort in an area known for warm weather recreation, Goddard would like to see more people at Gunstock whether it’s cold outside or not.
A bit interesting that Doug would have dredged this up from 15 years ago – and that it hasn’t been the first time that plans were discussed to expand beyond the original mission statement of a Government Agency – happens all the time.
But it IS interesting that it surfaces yet again when monied people were on the GAC, that former Commissioner Rusty McLear is a developer of some note locally, Kiedasich boasting about his skills and money, and Tom Day working at the Rt 93 Rest stop that McLear and Alex Ray put together, and that Alex Ray does restaurant development.
And JUST BY COINCIDENCE, a new Master Plan for Gunstock was proposed….timing, timing, timing.
The way these people are fighting, there HAS to be something.
And is there something, Doug Lambert (of DGF Industrial)? Wwhy all of a sudden you flipped from being the guy I knew that always wanted to ferret this kind of stuff out to now being the guy that is keeping everyone from finding it by killing of the sub-committees that could have found out?
Inquiring minds want to know…because you, since violently switching sides, have been working VERY hard in continuing to deflect attention away from this and putting the public’s attention onto those that WERE looking for that “something”.
Is THIS the “why” you had to get rid of them?
Why, Doug, why?
And, in no small manner, why you were leaving comments on GraniteGrok about me? Not to worry, I have them all. I need to start doing some more DIQUS Doodling posts again. Thanks Doug, for reminding me.
