On Tuesday afternoon, the Headwaters Metropolitan District (HMD) Board of Directors held a Special Meeting to discuss Amenities Operations and the RFP for Amenities Management. A follow up to a Work Session conducted on April 1, all three members of the small HMD board were present for the meeting (Lance Badger, President; Dustin Lombard, Secretary/Treasurer; and, Christopher Harff, Vice President). Badger led the meeting which was hosted virtually on Zoom. Over 100 participants, mainly Granby Ranch homeowners, attended the meeting.
For years, Granby Ranch Amenities (GRA) has provided Amenities Management of the ski area and golf course operations as well as several-miles of Fraser River access. Earlier this year, GRA notified HMD of their intent to terminate their contract on April 1. The terms of the contract include a 180-day operations performance “run out” beyond the date of termination, but GRA stated they were amenable to early termination.
A single response to HMD’s Request for Proposals (RFP) had been submitted by Andy Wirth and Jace Wirth of Ridgeline Executive Group, acting as contractors to and agents of GP Granby Amenities Holdings LLC (GAH). GAH is wholly owned by an affiliate of Granby Prentice LLC, the lender in current legal proceedings with Granby Realty Holdings (GRH).
The proposed team would bring over 40 years of cumulative experience in executive management and “hands on” work experience at 23 resorts across North America and China. “We would very much look forward to engaging and working with the team at Granby Ranch with an important emphasis on minimizing any disruptions to operations and effecting a respectful, thoughtful and smooth transition,” stated Wirth in the RFP cover letter.
Granby Ranch homeowners voiced support for a transition from GRA to GAH, hoping to see activities in full swing by summer, after winter activities disappointingly came to a halt mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When asked about the transition timeline, Andy Wirth told them 60 days would be ideal, 30 days was doable and 10-15 days was possible. The key element would be determination of the actual termination date for GRA. Wirth said they could then back into that date as necessary. He also clarified there would be a Transition Services Agreement between GRA and GAH to enable a smooth, seamless transition of operations.
Homeowners requested HMD move forward with the transition to GAH as quickly as possible, suggesting dates as early as June 1.
Badger explained that all plans are subject to the Executive Order. “We are in uncharted territory,” said Badger, adding, “If the order is lifted, I would assume it would be operations as normal.” The process would entail the vendor (GAH) submitting a Management Contract to HMD, working through potential contract negotiations and approval by the HMD Board, determining a date of termination for GRA and development of a Transition Service Agreement.
Wirth said he did not anticipate any challenges with preparing the documents and moving forward, “provided that everything is lifted, of course”.
If all goes smoothly, Granby Ranch could be under new management in a matter of months.
