Many concerned citizens attended Crystal Bay Township’s special meeting on July 30th. The meeting was short, lasting around 15 minutes. It left many people confused, concerned and upset. During the meeting, board members informed attendees they would not be allowing public comments due to it being a special meeting. If people want to air their concerns and make public comments, they would need to attend the regular Crystal Bay Township meeting on August 20, 2024 at 7pm.
The purpose of this meeting was to extend the Management Contract for the Clair Nelson Community Center. The extension period is for 2 months while a new contract is being negotiated. The current contract has become irrelevant. Friends of Finland (FOF) has grown and the contract is 11 years old. There has been a turnover of board members and there is a new active clerk in the building. The contract extension will be prepared and ready for the Crystal Bay Township Board and FOF to sign at the August 13th special meeting. The township will pay Q3’s $5,000 payment at the regular town meeting on September 17th. FOF is required to keep Crystal Bay Township as a rider on their insurance. There is a document with all the expectations and requirements that need to be met by FOF in order for the contract to be extended.
During the meeting it was announced that the FOF Executive Director Honor Schauland was put on paid administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation. The President of the Friends of Finland Board, Elaine Loeffler, stated, “an outside firm has been hired for the investigation to keep it as non biased as possible.” While discussing the security in the interim, Honor Schauland and Andrew Deyette, former Youth Night Program Director of Friends of Finland, have both had their access to the Clair Nelson building removed. Access to the building will also be tightened up and monitored more closely by the Operations Lead/Building Manager, Kyle Flack. Flack will be reviewing the building’s video footage and monitoring the use of everyone’s door codes. Everyone that has a code will be asked to read the rules and sign that they agree to respect the building and follow the rules.
The FOF Board is made up of volunteers. There is a mixture of people ranging in age and various backgrounds on the FOF Board. Their Mission is to help make Finland and its surrounding area an inviting and vibrant place by:
- Creating community spaces and connections,
- Supporting economic initiatives,
- Implementing social programs,
- Enhancing natural surroundings, and
- Demonstrating sustainable practices.
Friends of Finland value that bonds between people strengthen a community.
Strong partnerships between people and organizations foster a shared vision, action and collective impact. The Friends of Finland structure is a horizontal structure: Non-Hierarchical (not top down). This is a system where people are accountable to each other rather than one person.
The current list of FOF Board members is:
- Elaine Loeffler, President/Chair (Elaine.loeffler@gmail.com)
- Danielle Hefferan, Vice Chair and Treasurer (d.hefferan@gmail.com)
- Kathy Chumley, Secretary (poly.chumley@gmail.com)
- At Large – Terry Miller, (tmillerscsu@aol.co)
- Shelby Roback, (shelbyroback@gmail.com)
- Randy Duke, (randyrduke@gmail.com)
Part of the FOF Board is made up of Members at Large. Typically they don’t have defined roles, but can have voting rights. There is a newly formed HR Committee within the FOF Board.
The Core Staff members consist of four members operating five positions. They are the Executive Director, Financial Lead, Operations Lead/Building Manager, Program Lead and Communications Lead. Here is a current list of the Core Staff.
- Kyle Flack – Operations Lead
- Kaare Melby – Communications Lead
- Jenni Yandrasits – Finance Lead
Presently, Executive Director Honor Schauland has been put on administrative leave. The role of the Executive Director can be assigned to any of the Core Team or could be rotated over time. It is currently being held by the Program Lead, Kyle Flack. The Core Team holds the responsibilities of the Director in a shared role and are the most responsible for keeping the mission alive, clear and impactful. Executive Director Schauland was hired by the board and is accountable to the board. The Executive Director has authority and accountability for final decisions, along with hiring and termination.
A motion was passed that a Crystal Bay Township Board Member will attend all Friends of Finland Board meetings going forward in order to have a more hands on approach due to the changes that are taking place. They want to create peace in the valley again and keep the programs running. Board members will rotate attending the meetings. The FOF welcomed and thanked them for taking a more hands on approach.
As the meeting came to an end, the Township Board invited everyone to please come and share their public comments at the general meeting on August 20, 2024 at 7pm. They “respect and appreciate it.”
The next special board meeting is August 13th at 6pm, and regular board meeting is August 20th at 7pm at the Clair Nelson Center.
