‘Sima needs the community and the community needs Sima’
The message was clear and delivered by more than 20 people who addressed city council Monday night:
The message was clear and delivered by more than 20 people who addressed city council Monday night:
“Sima needs the community and the community needs Sima.”
Delegates repeatedly called on the city to plan for long-term core funding for the Great Northern Ski Society, which operates Mount Sima, after thanking the city for its past support of the hill.
And after each presentation, speakers were greeted by applause from the audience of more than 100 spilling out of council chambers, some holding signs to show their concerns.
Along with a core funding agreement, the society has also asked for an immediate cash infusion of $400,000 to pay off accounts and get it through the next year after some “hiccups” in its first summer of operation.
If the hill doesn’t get the immediate funding, it would cease operations after the winter season wraps up on April 7, ski society president Craig Hougen told council.
Board member Patti Balsillie, who sat before council with Hougen and treasurer Jody Woodland, suggested though that through the discussions on the ski hill’s future, other options may present themselves.
Hougen’s presentation came after user groups voiced their enthusiasm for the hill and called on the city to show its support.
The request comes after the city has put $3.5 million into the facility over the last three years for a new quad chair and to support year-round operations, along with funding the group has received in previous years.
“This is not a unique situation,” Hougen said, pointing out that ski facilities are often the recipients of core annual operating funding from the municipality.
The Eaglecrest ski area in Juneau, for example, gets annual funding to the tune of $750,000 US from the City of Juneau, he pointed out, noting that’s with the hill bringing in $1.7 million in sales each year.
What Sima has done, he told council, is come up with a plan to actually reduce its reliance on government funding by moving to a year-round operation with federal funding to the tune of $1.5 million to build an adventure park, zipline and offer bike trails in the summers.
The business plan would have seen full summer operations begin May 1 last year.
However, construction delays meant it didn’t fully open until late in the season, with only portions of it open at a time.
That meant Sima didn’t get the revenue it anticipated and is now in need of more short-term funding.
The situation had Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu wondering why the society waited so long to let the community know its financial situation.
As Hougen explained, the board has been working over the last six months to find other ways to deal with the situation than going to the city for cash.
Treasurer Jody Woodland said the $400,000 would go to accounts that are due in the next few months as well as keeping things going for the next year.
In an interview this morning, Hougen said he didn’t have the figures showing how much the hill owes on various bills.
The society is still paying for the nearly $3-million new chairlift the city put $1.3 million into in 2011, owing $180,000 on it. He pointed out that is part of a payment plan that was made prior to the purchase of the lift.
Other accounts owing are for operational expenses, he said.
Looking ahead to the summer, Hougen said the board is anticipating a base revenue of $240,000 in its first full summer season.
“We’re keen to get a full year under our belt,” Balsillie told council.
Coun. Dave Stockdale took issue with the board’s vision of Sima as an “iconic” destination that would draw tourists.
Suggesting that Sima is an iconic tourist draw is like comparing the local farmers’ market in Whitehorse to Vancouver’s Granville Island.
“It is not an iconic facility,” a stern Stockdale argued.
Coun. Mike Gladish wondered about its management staffing, with Hougen stating the hill now employees six full-time managers with a salary budget of about $100,000.
It was Sam Oettli who addressed council last night on behalf of the staff and volunteers at the hill, which has long been a part of his life even before he started working there.
Sima, he said, has a dedicated and diverse team that has repeatedly proved it can host large events, including the Canada Winter Games, Arctic Winter Games and mountain biking events, among many others.
A number of staff have even taken the skills they’ve learned at Sima to larger facilities like Whistler and Big White in B.C.
Council heard from one such employee who will be moving on to Whistler in the coming weeks.
“They’re paving the path for my career,” one Sima employee noted.
In 2011, he was hired to work at the hill. At the time, he didn’t know what his long-term career goals would be.
As he worked at Sima, he was trained to run equipment, help build a terrain park and so on, and it wasn’t long before he knew he wanted to continue in that field.
Others spoke of the role the hill has had in their lives over the last 20 years.
Sima, said Katrina Couch, Snowboard Yukon’s vice-president and coach, “stands as a pillar in my upbringing.”
Couch represented the Yukon at some major events like the Canada Winter Games when she was younger.
Upon her return to Whitehorse from university, Couch decided she wanted to give back to that community, and began her volunteer work with the snowboarding organization.
Snowboard Yukon and Sima have collaborated on a number of events. The territory’s top snowboarders have acted as ambassadors in Outside competitions where coaches for other regions have been impressed with the level of skill coming out of the Yukon.
“The future of our club is in jeopardy,” Couch said, arguing that without Sima, the territory will be without a snowboard team in future competitions.
“Snowboard Yukon is a family and Mount Sima is our home,” Couch said.
Representatives from other groups using the hill, such as the freestyle and alpine ski teams, also noted the important role the facility has for training their young skiers.
“Without Mount Sima, we can’t exist,” said Lynn MacDiarmid of Freestyle Yukon.
The entire team would have been at council, she said, but five skiers were travelling to Penticton, B.C for a competition.
The hill’s value in promoting healthy lifestyles was also not lost on the many speakers who came forward last night.
As well, as a number of speakers pointed out, not everybody enjoys team sports like hockey or soccer.
One parent recalled her child did two years of cross-country skiing, but then wanted to be able to do tricks. It was then they started going to Sima, and the child became involved with freestyle skiing, finding a true sports passion.
“Without Sima, we would have nothing,” said freestyle skier Callahan Guidolin.
Vanessa Brault spoke of Sima as a place where she can ski with her son – something she can see continuing well into the future.
Asher also spoke of the fun he has on the hill. He summed up his message to council with, “If Sima wasn’t open, I think it would suck because everybody would be bummed.”
He went on to also note the impact on business, pointing out that businesses wouldn’t make as much money because they wouldn’t be able to sell ski and snowboard equipment.
While others continued to espouse the benefits of the hill, there were some critical of Sima.
Brault, for instance, pointed out the benefits Sima brings to her family, but suggested there needs to more transparency from the ski society.
If the city is to continue to fund the ski hill, the society should have to show what it has done for the entire community, Brault said.
As a season pass holder, she said she’d also like there to be a feedback form that could be filled out at the end of the year.
Jeff Kalles, who grew up in Watson Lake, took issue with how the society informed the community of the financial situation, suggesting there should be some sort of town hall to see if the public supports the funding.
While Bill Barnie voiced his disagreement mainly with the tax hike proposed and pointed to October 2012 election promises, he also noted that while he’s not against Sima, the city needs to learn to live within its means.
Scott Tynner joked he was surprised to find himself agreeing with Barnie, and argued the city should focus its attention on plowing streets in the winter and garbage collection.
He also pointed out that he seemed to be OK after growing up without a ski hill to go to.
This morning, Hougen said the society is already working on a few changes after listening to last night’s presentations.
An online forum is expected to be up on Sima’s website (http://www.mountsima.com) later today where issues can be discussed. He said it’s also planned to include a Frequently Asked Questions section to help get as much information to the public as possible.
A suggestion box for the board will also be added at Sima with the ideas to go directly to the board.
After last night’s meeting, Coun. Betty Irwin, who was the lone councillor to vote against the society receiving the $1.3-million boost last year and $1.6 million in 2011 for the chairlift, said council and senior management will meet later this week to discuss its first step.
“We’re going to talk about it,” she said, opting not to commit to a position on the latest request from the ski hill.
Irwin noted the city hasn’t received a formal request in writing from the ski society.
She also noted council will have to consider how its request will impact other recreational groups, including whether this would be a level playing field for the wide range of recreational groups throughout the city.
Mayor Dan Curtis, who is in France, and Coun. Kirk Cameron were not at last night’s meeting.
not impressed
Mar 12, 2013 at 4:28 pm
I cannot afford to send my child to any Sima Spring Camps nor to the ski hill for the day. Sima does not need more of our tax money, put the money into accessible programs.