County weighs leased groomer, hiring a full‑time operator for 2025–26 winter trails

Duncan Chisholm, Lake County Parks, Recreation and Open Space director, presented four options on Sept. 23 for winter grooming of the Mineral Belt Trail, Mount Massive and the county golf course for the 2025–26 season and recommended leasing a commercial groomer as the county’s preferred first‑year approach.

“At this point in time, we’re recommending option 1 for 2526,” Chisholm told the Board of County Commissioners, laying out estimates and vendor guidance the county has collected through an RFP process that has a due date extended to Oct. 3.

Why it matters: The Mineral Belt Trail is a high‑use recreation asset that county staff and commissioners described as an economic driver for local businesses. Commissioners must weigh cost, equipment reliability and staff capacity before committing scarce general‑fund dollars or hiring new personnel.

Options presented - Leased commercial groomer: Staff presented two vendor estimates and a working price range of roughly $50,000–$60,000 for a season lease of a modern grooming machine to service the Mineral Belt Trail, Mount Massive and, if feasible, the golf course. One vendor estimated roughly $62,000 and included about 500 hours of machine use; another proposal was roughly $56,600 and included about 300 hours plus a vendor maintenance schedule. Staff noted that leased units provide backup if a machine in county ownership fails. - Lease plus FTE: Lease the groomer and also hire a full‑time…