By Donna M. Perry,Staff Writer

JAY – Spruce Mountain’s ski season will go on after all.

About 25 people showed up Sunday at a special meeting to find a way to keep the mountain on track this year. It had been in jeopardy because club President Rick Couture and Vice President Randy Rose planned to step down and no one had offered to become president.

However, Rose stepped forward to become the new president Sunday night, Couture said Monday. Couture will become vice president of the club.

Couture, who has been president for four years, has been a board member more than 20 years. He also served as treasurer with his wife while he was president.

As president, Couture has said he was involved in all aspects of the ski operation, from paperwork and organizing meetings to snow-making and maintenance. He estimated it took 200 to 300 hours annually. He wanted to step down from the leadership position but stay on the board and continue to do snow-making and maintenance.

He also said he was willing to help whoever took over.

“We had a great turnout,” Couture said of the meeting.

A lot of the new people want to be on the board, he said.

The club oversees the mountain and buildings owned by the towns of Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls. It also oversees the operations and the ski equipment owned by the nonprofit club. The mountain offers downhill and cross-country skiing and snowboarding.

About 15 new people attended the meeting, he said. Some joined the board, some didn’t, Couture said. Some were concerned about what would happen to the mountain and ski season, he said.

The ski club is not a business, he said, and it relies on volunteers.

The plan is to open mountain Monday, Dec. 26, Couture said.

The board expects to develop a plan for the season at its next meeting, Sunday, Oct. 16.

Couture said he was surprised to see so many people turn out for the meeting.

“Everybody has a lot in the mountain that’s on the board, and you don’t want to see it close,” Couture said. “It looks good. We’re going forward.”