Having dropped the process of finding a company to manage MetraPark, Yellowstone County Commissioners are taking up the search for a manager for the county-owned facility. The need to replace the former manager, retiring Bill Dutcher, was put on hold, a year ago, as the commissioners explored the possibility of hiring a private company to manage the entertainment venue. In the interim, they advanced Assistant Manager Tim Goodridge to the position of temporary manager.
On Thursday, Commissioner Don Jones suggested they start the process by engaging a company to start a nationwide search, which he strongly advised they do. He said that he is a believer in conducting a national search for such positions in order to make sure they get the best possible manager.
The commissioners will review a draft “request for proposal” for a company to help conduct the search during discussion on Nov. 21, upon which they may vote during a regular board meeting on Nov. 22.
Commissioner John Ostlund commented that he wanted to slow the process down and “to thoroughly analyze the process, and to include the advisory board and the public.”
County Finance Director Kevan Byran suggested that they consider advancing further the process they started in hiring a consulting firm to analyze how MetraPark is managed and improvements that could be made. The information would be helpful in choosing a manager and more accurately identifying the policies and goals the commission has.
Ostlund said to Bryan, “You are on the right track.” He said that the commissioners have failed in the past in clearly establishing policies and “we can make some improvements.”
Jones said he didn’t want to “drag the process out.” He said that a general manager needs to be in place. “I think it is critical to have that as we go through the process.”
Commissioner Denis Pitman said, “Before we go too far down the road, we need to solidify how this board interacts with the manager of MetraPark.” Not having that process clearly defined has been problematic in the past, he said.
Ostlund said that he agreed.
County Commissioners dropped their search for a private company to manage MetraPark, last week, following the filing of a lawsuit against the County, challenging the process that had been pursued. In response the county notified the court that they were ending the process as requested by the plaintiff and asked the court to dismiss the suit since all of the plaintiff’s demands had been met. The court has yet to reply on the request to dismiss the case.
