Council Approves Early Termination of Saddle Club Lease, Hopes to Renegotiate

It was a smooth sailing special meeting of the Town Council on Monday, April 10 until the real point of contention on the agenda was presented: the Town Council’s determination on whether to approve the recommendation of the Whitehall Recreation Complex Board to early terminate the Whitehall Saddle Club (WSC)’s lease. Once that topic was broached, the floodgates of emotion - anger, frustration, and despair - were apparent.

Earlier this month the Rec Board voted to recommend the early termination of the WSC lease on the building used to headquarter the WSC as well as the concrete slab at the Rec Complex. However it seems the lease isn’t the real point of contention; that can be attributed to a lack of clear and concise communication, as well as trust, from both sides of the issue.

“I have been asking since last April to get a list of what the Saddle Club owns and what is the town’s,” newly promoted Clerk/Treasurer Kennedy Kleinsasser stated, to which she, at that point, had received no information. Kleinsasser added that the Town just wants to know whether or not the arena will stay, if the WSC were to leave, in order to appropriately fill out grant applications.

“No one is trying to get rid of the Saddle Club,” said Rec Board member Tim O’Donnell. “But we need to know who owns what over there.”

Rec Board member and WSC representative Bridget Morse noted that she had dug through the WSC’s records and had found all the leases, receipts, and information being requested. Councilwoman Linda Jung requested copies of all the information she had.

All agreed that the situation at hand - WSC leasing Town property with their equipment and sweat equity improving the area - is a unique one.

By early terminating the WSC lease, Councilman Shawn Hoagland said it would be “a catalyst - we will HAVE to talk. We will HAVE to figure it out. We need to address the reality and renegotiate the lease.”

While Hoagland suggested tabling the discussion until the April 17 Town Council meeting, in order to read the information Morse found, Councilwoman Pat Peterson motioned to terminate the lease, without tabling, with the hopes of forcing the Town, Rec Board, and WSC to renegotiate.

“This is about leverage,” said WSC member Rich Johnson. “But if I want to dance with a beautiful woman I don’t yank her by the arm, I ask her out on the floor.”

IN OTHER NEWS:

• During the Mountain Horizons Subdivision public hearing, subdivision property owners Barbara Lien and Joe Granvold voiced their concerns about the current plans for the area. Citing a lack of once-required fencing, a promised park, a windbreak, and more, both stated their fears that the company in charge is no longer aligned with what they were sold on.

“I wish they would keep their website better updated with this new vision because this is not what it was supposed to be originally,” Lien said.

McBride noted that Jefferson County was the original approver of the subdivision, not the Town and that since the Town is now annexing the properties in, they are “just picking up the pieces.” The discussion went over the allotted timeframe and was moved to be continued at the April 17 meeting of the Town Council.

• The Council approved applying for a Transportation alternative Grant with a match of $35,00 from the Town and $76,936 from TIFF.

• Kennedy Kleinsasser was promoted to Clerk/Treasurer.

• Jennifer Beebout was hired as Deputy Clerk.

• The Town entered into a sub-contractor contract with Allissa Christensen for court clerk services.