Documentation Received and Key Points

See here for the formal request if information per the MN Data Practices Act -- scroll down to the August 8th Communication

As you can see, TRPD does not have much in the way of policies and procedures to keep patrons safe or to promote fairness and equity at Hyland for the 1,500 children who practice ski racing there each year.  

Please see the first PDF (Response to FOH Data Request) for the answers that say that nothing exists for most of our requests.

More specifically:

1. The safety procedures provided are generic and not specific to Hyland and this is why we are raising the concerns about safety:   Multiple requests by industry professionals, patrons and staff for improvement have gone unheeded over the years. 

• With strategic fencing placement, limiting crowds and team size, these hazards could be greatly mitigated.

2.  The documentation provided about the race facility allocation (#9) may imply some fairness but does not match what is done in practice, year after year. 

• Team Gilboa does not participate in the Team Contract that the other 16-18 teams must abide by. Basically, per Hyland managerJeff May, here is how it works:
• Gilboa gets 1/3 - 3/4 or more of the facilities on any given day - including the best facilities -  and the rest of the teams must slot in around them, taking what they can get and making do with inferior training during the worst times.
• Hyland will say that they take the needs of all teams into account.  However, as evidenced by the lane schedules and domination of facilities by Team Gilboa, equity and fairness are NOT taken into account.
• "It's always been this way", "your kids are not as deserving or as good", "we have a special partnership with Gilboa", "you'll never get this changed", "we've been hearing about this for 15 years or more", "the lanes are all the same", "go somewhere else if you don't like it"  are all comments made by TRPD/Hyland management in the past for why these systemic injustices occurs.   
• Simple rotation of these facilities is all that is needed to remedy this and this option is not mentioned ANYWHERE in the policies.   And, of course they don't do this despite hundreds of requests to be simply BE FAIR.

3.  With regard to #7, please see the 2040 System Plan first few pages (4-9) that talks about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  This is great information!  

• It seems that TPRD commissioners and management don't honor this plan at Hyland.   The commissioners who approved this plan are in the photo at the top (or right) of this section.
• It's been mentioned in the past that because Hyland Hills is operated as an "enterprise operation" within TRPD, they don't have to honor fairness... or DEI.  John Gunyou stated this. This is a silly excuse and makes no sense, as Hyland Hills is a public asset and should be operated for the public, pursuant to what is in the best interest of the citizens.    
• Plus, who could imagine Baker Park (the other enterprise operation within TRPD) limiting tee times for certain privately run golf organizations - and allowing only them to play on the signature holes... during the best times when most people can and want to plan golf?  This analogous situation would make no sense either.

4. With regard to #8 on the request...

Letters of concern received and responses by TRPD commissioners and employees regarding DEI at TRPD since 2008.

• Please include all letters received by TRPD board of commissioners, TRPD superintendent and assistant superintendents regarding concerns related to Equity at Hyland going back to 2015.  
• Please include letters received, responses and public meeting statements made by Former Chair John Gunyou and other board members during the Black Lives Matter protests in June of 2020.  

....There are hundreds of letters, TRPD responses, phone calls, testimonies, a petition, meeting handouts and minutes/follow-ups that were not provided.  Superintendent Boe Carlson, Hyland manager Jeff May,  Chair John Gibbs, Vice Chair Jennifer DeJournett, Commissioner Marge Beard and former commissioners John Gunyou (former chair), Penny Steele, Steve Antolack, Dan Freeman should all have this documentation as they were sent emails, letters, and participated in the public meetings.      

There are public meeting minutes from 2015/2016 that also have this information yet it was not provided.

Because only a few select letters were sent, we are not including these as this information is woefully incomplete as to what has been requested by citizens in the past.  In addition,  retaliation is still an issue and we don't want more of it.