Unclear whether college contract proper Re: Spear-0 caretakers
Sheridan College purchased the old Spear-0 Wigwam Ranch. The ranch is located on leased land in the Bighorn National Forest. The purchase cost was $650,000. This mountain campus was envisioned as a revenue-generating facility.
Since 2011, the campus has achieved $289,502 in revenue and the taxpayers have spent $920,347 for salaries, operation and capital expense for the Spear-0 campus. In 2012, a letter from “Friends of Spear-0” was distributed, asking for people to volunteer their strength, know-how and enthusiasm to work at Spear-0. The letter was from Trudy Munsick, among others.
The road to Spear-0 is closed from Nov. 15 to April 1; the campus is open June, July, August. Twelve hours of free lectures were offered in 2016 and six hours of free lectures in 2017. There were “no-fee” classes in those • · two years.
On Dec. 7, 2015, Dr. Young, the college president, signed a management con-tract for Spear-0 with Dave and Trudy Munsick. The contract was provided by the Munsicks for the years 2016 and 2017. The contract was for $95,000 per year, a total of $189,999.84 for both summers. The management contract signed by Dr. Young states the contract fee would be payable monthly upon “presentation of an invoice to the CFO.” However, the payments of $7,916.66 per month were made from purchase -orders, not invoices.
In 2016 and 2017, the campus was not a classroom, but a resort. Food service was ~ contracted, facilities renovated under supervision of the project manager for the college, website and marketing from the public information office of the college, IT services from the college. These college offices had been provided in the years before 2016 and 2017.
In May of 2017, college Trustee Gary Koltiska made a motion to liquidate Spear-O. The motion died. In June of 2018, Mr. Koltiska made the motion to sell • Spear-0, which passed.
I hope to address the college board in February to ask that they review the Munsicks’ contract.
The absence of invoices for payment of $189,999.84 is the problem. I would hope the college would share their conclusions about this contract. with the college attorneys for comment.
See College expenditure documentation here
…Credits: Vicki Taylor