JAY — Spruce Mountain Ski Area has long been a winter staple and while new energy is being seen, a winter manager is needed.

“We are in a generational transition,” President Ron Jacques said Thursday, Nov. 16. “We’ve got people with young families getting involved. Those guys are amazing.”

Earlier that afternoon the Livermore Falls Advertiser met with board members Ben Guild, Justin Shink and Jake Letendre. Other active board members are Michele and Frank Coates, Zack Hamilton and Nelson DiPompo.

“We’ve got a fairly young group now,” Guild said. “Justin and Jake, myself and Zack, we are all younger with young kids who ski here. So there is a good group of people that are really doing a lot up here.”

A pressing need at the moment is to hire the services of a mountain manager.

“Someone to come in here and work when the mountain is open to coordinate everything,” Guild said.

In addition to the manager, three lift operators are paid during the season, Jacques indicated. Everything else is done by volunteers, he added.

There have been some major improvements, the hope is more people will get involved, Guild noted.

Tasks done this year include:

• Brush clearing on the bowl, orchard, bunny and barn.
• New corral at the bottom of the barn added a gate and extended it 12 feet.
• Removed the old tree that anchored the barn tow rope and replaced with a pole.
• Buried two huge rocks in the groomers way.
• Put a culvert between raspberry and suicide.
• Removed three big rocks on suicide that were in the groomers way.
• Straightened a pole on the bottom of 3rd tow that was rubbing on the towline.
• Dug a trench for the barn tow stop to be moved.
• Rails grinded, painted, and prepped.
• Two 4×8 boxes framed and sheathed [known as dance pads in ski/snowboard terms].
• Corrugated pipe cut into three sections. Turning one feature into three.
• Replaced lights on generator building and near compressor.
• Cleared brush on the cross country trails.
• Finished weed whacking around out buildings.
• Cleaned the lodge.
• Started bathroom demo [our bathrooms are getting a much overdue refresh].
• Got the new sticker on the groomer.
• Repainted exterior doors.

A Google Doc created this year showed 50 hours of volunteer time were put in at the mountain in October alone, before the major work day the first weekend in November, Guild noted.

Community partners are also making a difference. Ware-Butler is assisting with redoing bathrooms and Guild’s Hardware has helped with lighting, he said. Richard Crocker, Trevor Timberlake and Johnny Castonguay have done a lot of work at the mountain, he noted.

Some people may have been forgotten, Guild stated.

Spruce Mountain Ski Area is having a Black Friday Sale at Ski Depot, 12 Riley Road, Jay, on Friday, Nov. 24, and Saturday, Nov. 25, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. There will be no increase from last year’s pricing.

“I don’t know how many ski mountains or ski slopes around here are municipally owned as a not for profit that are run by volunteers,” Guild noted. “An adult can ski here all day for $225 a year. Saddleback, Sugarloaf, Sunday River it’s $125 a day. Kids second grade and younger ski for free and it’s $400 for a family of four annually.”

As an added bonus, Titcomb Mountain and Lost Valley have agreed to reciprocal half price tickets, Guild said. Black Mountain has agreed to $25 lift tickets if you have a pass here, he stated. “That’s a huge deal,” he stressed.

Ticket prices do increase some in December and again in January. For a complete list, visit the Facebook page or website. Weather permitting, the mountain opens Dec. 26. Days and hours of operation are found on either site.

“We have some corporate groups that we are talking to in hopes that we can do some major infrastructure upgrades here next year,” Guild noted. “We’ve got a grant out through Hannaford that we are hoping to use to restart our ski patrol. Get a new ski toboggan and a bunch of safety gear for the guys so we can do a more organized ski patrol.”

Other grants are also being looked into for snowmaking infrastructure upgrades, he said.

During the grant writing, poverty limits were determined for the three towns, Guild noted. Livermore Falls was about 34.5%, Livermore about 7% and Jay almost 8%, he stated.

“If you look at those poverty numbers, our community is really struggling,” he said. “So having an area like this where kids can come for next to nothing, ski for the day is huge.

“We are not for profit, the funds we raise barely keep the place open. It’s a shoe string.”

“We are trying to keep our heads above water,” Shink said.

“It’s for the kids, that is what it is all about,” Guild said. “Our kids are all young. They come up here and see their friends. It makes all the time and energy worth it.”

Letendre spoke of the hours he put in making snow, often bringing his dog with him and sleeping 45 minutes on a cot before rising and starting the process all over again throughout the night.

There are about 10 people who volunteer on a regular basis, Guild said.  A list of things to work on next summer is already being put together, he stated. New volunteers are welcome, he noted.

“We still have a lot of work to do before the season starts,” Guild said.

Those interested in the manager position or volunteering should visit the Facebook page or call Michele Coates, 207-491-0888.

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