Requests for Reform

• The continued resistance to safety reform is causing more needless injuries - mostly to children..
• The continued favoritism of Team Gilboa marginalizes the majority of children and costs the taxpayers..
• The real and perceived culture of retaliation is what maintains this dysfunction year after year.
• Lawsuits are costly for everyone - including the public.

We are asking for immediate reform on these important items. We want TRPD to act proactively on these issues, as they are reasonable and will prevent further harm.

We are asking TRPD to uphold their existing policies, adhere to laws governing them and implement procedures for safety and equity.  More specifically:

Update existing or create a new list of safety procedures that are followed each winter, every day the ski area is open.  Assign responsibility for executing these procedures.  Review and update these procedures yearly at the very least.  

• Engage ski industry experts/consultants to assist in defining these - someone who understands how well-managed ski areas operate with basic safety procedures..
• If the required staff and skills are not available internally, hire qualified and experienced staff to do uphold the procedures. 
• In most ski areas, the general manager, hill operations manager, and ski patrol director are responsible for this. These positions are on the hill regularly to ensure procedures and fencing protocols are followed.

Include the following items in the procedures:

A. Protective fencing and removal of park features that are way too close to the bottom of the hill to manage safe traffic flow from:

• Chalet to North Hill (along the bottom of big kickers)
• Bunny Hill and Center to the Chalet and In front of Chalet where people spectate and put their skis on and take them off.

*** Currently, It is impossible to travel safely to/from the stairs that are the only exit from the ski hill to the parking lot/bus stop.  This is due to masses of kids bombing down in the park and equipment in front of the chalet that further constrict the limited access that exists.  

*** The same fencing (B NET) that is in front of the ski patrol room should be used as this fencing is the gold standard for ski area fencing.  It protects people from injury (vs. other immovable and frozen options such as chain link fencing, wooden posts, frozen hay bales, etc.). 

B. Either close off the new "Borealis" Trail (because it's wooded and narrow, not patrolled regularly,  there is no safe merge to the bottom of North and lighting is bad) OR put up a control fence each day that slows all traffic before merging near the North hill rope tow.  

• People (especially children) like to bomb this trail, and this is the site of a near-fatal collision in 2022.
• Even after this life-threatening accident, control fencing is lacking most days as of January 22, 2023.

C. Fencing to prevent packs of skiers/boarders bombing through the woods and into the Bunny area where children and adults learn to ski.

D. Removal of all park features in the bunny area - this is just asking for trouble to have these hazards that attract uncontrolled  skiers/riders. The Bunny area is for learning - not for mobs of unruly park riders and skiers.

E. Safety fencing at the bottom of South where chairlift line gets very long and people routinely crash into the lift line.

F. Install B NET along the bottom of the North Hill, where there is a ditch and chain link fence along the length of the short out run. Several accidents (one in 2023 requiring an ambulance ride) have occurred here.

G.  Fence around lift & snow gun towers with B-Net

H. Limit crowds to reduce collisions and promote the enjoyment of patrons.  

• Limit ticket sales - especially on busy days. Allow ticket pre-purchase to manage this.
• Limit Team Gilboa to their operating number of 275 (vs. 550, which is way too many for the hill to absorb).  This oversubscription jams up the lifts, the chalet and the hills - especially on North.  This ruins the experiences of other patrons such that they don't want to come to Hyland which is unfortunate.  Some safety issues are by-products of this oversubscription and reckless skiing (e.g., bombing of hills).

I. Violators of the Skiers Responsibility Code should have their passes pulled depending on the severity of violation - and pulled for the season for repeat offenses.

This procedure should specify a process for all teams to have fair, equitable and equal access to all facilities at Hyland.  Publish who is accountable for the implementation of this.  This procedure should include fair rotation of:

• Preferred race "lanes"
• Preferred Start Ramps 
• Preferred Practice Times 
• Amount of Practice Time

When scheduling conflicts arise (e.g., multiple requests for the same times and lanes), ALL teams should rotate in and out of preferred facilities and times. Leftover slots (unrequested) can be picked up after all teams get their requests in, and are considered FAIRLY and EQUITABLY with rotation on the schedule..

Currently, one team (Team Gilboa) is given a a monopoly on the best lanes and best times, and is given most of the total allocation.  The disparities are glaring.  Seventeern (17) other teams (15 High Schools and 2 Clubs) must fight for the crumbs that remain.    Team Gilboa ALWAYS gets preferred lanes for 11-13 of 33 lane-slots, nearly every day.  They are never relegated to the inferior facilities. 

• These inequities have been going on for 20-25 years, and it's been wrong for that long. 1,000+ children/year don't get the same training opportunities and must wait in line for limited access to inferior lanes.    Unless of course, they can afford to pay extra for Team Gilboa membership.
• Because of Team Gilboa's over-subscription,  all children must wait in long lift lines and then wait again in lines at the top for their practice runs that are few on any given day, due to their team getting short changed on lane assignments.   This reduces some team member's actual training to about 1/16 of what some Team Gilboa members get.   This is wrong, unnecessary and easy to remedy with fair rotation. 

Fixing this current situation is not difficult and costs NOTHING. It's been mentioned many times for at least 15 years, yet nothing has ever been done about it to make it truly fair.

Three Rivers Park should be fair and equitable to ALL the children and not favor the privileged few.

Four current/past TRPD commissioners and Hyland Manager have had children on Team Gilboa. 

Because there has been no justification for these inequities and no reform, despite multiple requests, it certainly appears that some type of quid pro quo is occurring. This should not be ignored or covered up any longer.   

The TRPD commissioners are well-apprised of these inequities. Reform was needed 20-25 years ago, and it's still needed today.

 Stop all subsidization of Team Gilboa immediately.  There is no justification or benefit to the public to continue these financial favors that other patrons must pay for. 

Alternatively, TRPD could offer these same favors for free to all patrons of the park.   For example:

• Host all weddings be held for free in the "new" chalet just as Team Gilboa can have their fundraising events here for FREE.
• Let all children use the "Team Gilboa" warming house for which Gilboa has exclusive access and ownership/maintenance/insurance/utilities is dubious at this point.
• If it is determined legally that TRPD owns the GIlboa warming shack because of the conveyance of this building over time, open it up for all patrons to use the building.  Or, cancel the lease with Gilboa (legally with 1 year's notice) and allow other programs to bid on this structure and land lease arrangement (currently $1 for 20 years).  
• Provide free ski storage lockers for all skers at Hyland.
• Make All Teams at Hyland "Home Teams" as Hyalnd is their Home HIll also.
• Give out free rounds of golf at Baker to every partner program in TRPD so they can raffle them off as fundraisers. 

These favors/subsidies given to Team Gilboa add up to approximately $6-10 million over 20 years and run about $275,000 per year.  

It is wrong that taxpayers are expected to subsidize a private, elite ski program in our public park system  -  especially when it is harming other children's training opportunities.   It is also wrong for a special interest group ("the privileged few") to profit off of these favors at the expense of the majority of the children.

There has been no justification given by the TRPD Commissioners for these "favors" that are given year after year.   They never should have been started - especially in a public park system -  and these harmful practices need to end.  

TRPD should be fair to all patrons and not pick favorites..

Simply put, stop resisting reform... and start improving operations for everyone. 

A. State, IN WRITING, that those speaking up with ideas to make Hyland safer, more equitable, more transparent, and better for patrons, etc., will not be retaliated against in any way.  Especially for advocates whom TRPD/Hyland employs.

B. Establish a suggestion box or feedback mechanism whereby ideas are solicited and considered.

Patrons and taxpayers expect professional and competent management that provides a SAFE place to recreate.   They also expect fairness.  This is a taxpayer-funded park system; approximately $48,000,000 of taxes and user fees are collected yearly for TRPD.    That's a lot of funding that should be available to remedy these concerns - especially since the costs are minimal.

It should be viewed as positive when people speak up, and this type of feedback should be encouraged by TRPD leadership.

Reform is needed now.

We expect full transparency from our leaders.   

This is a Park.  It's not a private reserve for privileged groups to monopolize resources.  It's time to end the "special relationship" with Team Gilboa and treat all partner programs and children fairly.