Portage Glacier Lodge operators declare insolvency
By Ken Smith
Turnagain Times
The operators of the Portage Glacier Café and Gallery sent out a letter last month declaring insolvency. The letter received by the Turnagain Times and signed by co-operator Jaya Marr, stated that the business is “insolvent and ceasing operations and filed for dissolution with the State of Alaska.”
Marr, 47, and her husband Ben Gorelick, 31, began operating the lodge’s café and gift shop in March. In addition to the lodge, they were running a mountaineering training school, a business they also are involved in at Coyhaique, Chile.
However, after six months, business debts began to accumulate, and the couple was unable to meet their financial obligations, said Marilyn Williams, owner of the lodge, who is now back to running the business. Williams, 73, has owned the lodge for 28 years.
She said Marr and Gorelick paid a deposit and were paying a monthly lease with the agreement that they would buy the lodge.
The Turnagain Times spoke with Gorelick for an article published March 3. In the article he stated that they bought the lodge Feb. 28, however, Williams said they never closed on the sale.
“He was waiting for the Forest Service to complete his lease permit,” said Williams, “and was paying on a monthly basis. The sale was postponed until we got to the first of August and everything was ready to be signed, and we were waiting for the title insurance, and then Ben came to me and said that there wasn’t any way they could close. He said it was for financial and health reasons, and he said they would be done Sept. 5 and gone on Sept 6.”
Williams is now running the gift shop and Jeannine Armour and her boyfriend Will Spears are working as the caretakers. Armour is also managing the café. Armour was hired in June by Gorelick and Marr to manage the café.
“They offered to buy my ski pass at Alyeska, they offered me paid vacation,” she said. “They made a lot of offers. I gave up my cleaning business in Girdwood basically because I thought these people had great ideas. Obviously that wasn’t the case.”
The staff wasn’t paid for the last week of work when Marr and Gorelick left, said Armour, 33, however, after several employees went to the labor board and filed claims, they were paid in full.
The lodge will remain open through the winter Friday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“If everyone could come down and show their support for Marilyn, who is a wonderful women, and dealing with a difficult situation, it would be greatly appreciated,” said Armour.
The Turnagain Times attempted to contact Marr and left a message on her phone, but no return call had been received as of this writing.
