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 equivalent (FTE) who would be a year‑round county employee under Road and Bridge and groom as part of their duties. Staff estimated an all‑in annual cost for a full FTE of about $80,000. The FTE model was proposed to secure consistent on‑site staffing and reduce reliance on vendors’ schedules. - County groomer plus seasonal help: Use the county’s existing snowcat or side‑by‑side groomer with two or more seasonal part‑time workers to groom most days; staff estimated seasonal labor plus operations at about $71,000 in the example shown, with additional allowances for fuel and maintenance. - No county‑sponsored grooming: Maintain the status quo of volunteer grooming and ad hoc arrangements (the board did not choose this at the meeting; it was listed for comparison).

Key operational and budget details discussed - Maintenance and spare parts: Staff flagged that parts for older machines are sometimes discontinued; replacing a wheel or buying spare wheels was discussed as a nontrivial short‑term cost and an operational risk. Staff suggested ordering spare wheels as a near‑term contingency. - Fuel and maintenance: One vendor’s estimate included annual maintenance needs and staff estimated roughly $3,000 a year for fuel and routine upkeep for contracted arrangements; staff also built an allowance for a Nordic Pulse subscription for trail posting (about $1,500). - Volunteer and committee funding: The Mineral Belt Trail Committee has raised funds historically and verbally indicated a willingness to contribute (Chisholm said a figure of about $30,000 was under discussion, described as not finalized). Staff discussed using committee donations for seasonal operations or a reserve for eventual capital replacement of a groomer. - Prioritization conflicts: Road and Bridge duties (plowing and emergency response) take precedence; commissioners asked whether a full‑time road employee assigned grooming might be diverted during storms. Staff acknowledged that plowing is a higher operational priority but said the FTE model can be budgeted under Road and Bridge to ensure year‑round value outside grooming season.

Discussion versus direction - Discussion: Commissioners and staff debated trade‑offs: leased groomer reliability and vendor backup versus a local FTE for daily grooming; whether to attempt grooming both Mineral Belt and the golf course in year one; limits imposed by trail width and Forest Service permit language (the Mineral Belt Trail has permit restrictions that staff said require clarification for grooming width). Dan, a frequent user and commenter during the meeting, argued that “Daily grooming. Everyday. Daily grooming. Cool. It’s the industry standard.” - Direction/assignments: Chisholm and Road and Bridge were asked to (1) inspect county equipment, confirm spare‑parts availability and order critical spare wheels if possible, (2) continue the RFP process with an Oct. 3 deadline, and (3) present final cost and operational plans to the board quickly so a staffing or lease decision can be made before the season. Commissioners asked staff to track usage and fundraising results if the county pursues a pilot year. - Formal decision: The board did not adopt a binding contract or hire an FTE at the session; staff recommended leasing as the preferred option for 2025–26 subject to final vendor quotes and machine inspection.

Community fundraising and events: Commissioners and staff discussed using targeted events, improved signage and QR codes to capture donations and build a dedicated grooming fund. Staff described past QR campaigns that generated small sums (about $5,000 in prior years) and suggested more organized event‑based fundraising and clearer donation mechanisms could offset a portion of grooming costs.

Next steps: Staff will finalize vendor responses to the RFP, inspect county equipment, estimate spare‑parts costs, and return with firm numbers and a recommended contract or hiring plan. Commissioners asked for a decision soon to avoid missed seasonal procurement windows and to allow time to recruit or post for any new FTE.

Ending: Commissioners expressed support for a pilot approach that prioritizes a high‑quality grooming product on the Mineral Belt Trail; staff recommended either a leased commercial groomer for year one with vendor backup or a county FTE that can provide daily grooming if funded.