State-owned Ski Resort Plans Expansion
Belleayre's bold plan inspires both economic hope and consternation
by Terence P Ward
Even before New York State's
Olympic Regional Development Authority, or ORDA, took over daily
According to the plans filed
by the DEC in early 2013, the upgrades would include: three new ski lifts and replacements
of two more; sixteen new ski trails; three additional parking areas; expansion of the existing two lodges; a new
lodge; an information booth; salt storage building; and an additional
snowmaking infrastructure. In order to complete the work, the DEC plans on leveling
another 101 acres of forest, which it said is necessary to add expert-level
skiing to the facility.
The project is expected to
result in twice the number of visitors, 280 additional jobs, new revenue of
$5.2 million, and an extra $220,000 in tax money for state and local coffers. The
bulk of new trails and facilities would be at the adjacent "Big Indian
plateau," which was the location of the former Highmount ski resort which closed
in 1984 and was acquired by the state in 2011.
John Parete is the local
representative sitting on ORDA's board. "I support the total build-out
with its new trails and modern lifts," Parete said. "The lodge is
barely adequate for skiers—if it's crowded, people have to sit on the
floor."
Parete isn't the only public
official who believes the expansion will be a net gain. Todd Pascarella is the mayor
of the village of Fleischmanns, which is home to the ski center, and would like
to see a turnaround for his community. In the late 19th century, the
village was largely re-created by the eponymous yeast-empire family as a cornerstone
of the Catskills and as a resort getaway for Jewish families not always welcome
elsewhere. Despite Belleayre's proximity, Fleischmanns has struggled during the
region's decades-long tourism downturn, and was hit incredibly hard by tropical
storm Irene in 2011.
"Our economy is
completely intertwined with Belleayre's existence," Pascarella said.
"Even people who don't work there have their jobs completely dependent
upon the facility. That's the game in town." That dependency also extends
to second homeowners who have purchased specifically to have access to the
slopes. The mayor explained that
the village and ski center itself is woefully short on lodging. "A lot of
people end up staying in Kingston, or just driving there and driving back,
which is nuts."
Owners of private ski
resorts—those from nearby Plattekill Mountain in Roxbury to larger facilities
such as Hunter and Windham in Greene County—have cried foul over the plans and
some elected official have come to their defense. The major point of contention
is that Belleayre has foundered on the public dole for decades, and is now
being expanded by reaching into the state's deep pockets once again.
The chairman of Greene's
county legislature, Wayne Speenburgh, wrote the DEC a letter that said in part,
"Tourism is a major source of economic activity in Greene County…. Our two
privately owned and operated ski resorts that have had to use private capital
to maintain and expand over the years simply cannot compete with the benefits
provided to a state-run facility such as Belleayre."
Laszlo Vajtay, the owner of
Plattekill Mountain, is equally concerned by what he believes is an uneven
playing field. In a June 2013 opinion written on the ski blog Harvey Road
(nyskiblog.com), Vajtay said that resources are much more limited for small
businesses such as his. "We can only spend what we make. We have to price
our tickets to match our infrastructure, cover our fixed and variable costs,
and hopefully make a little money to put back into mountain…. Belleayre is
exempt from these costs and ongoing losses have been a part of the normal
course of business."
Another cautionary note is
sounded by Eric Ortner—an enthusiastic hiker who has earned membership in the
3500 Club (meaning he has climbed every peak in the Catskills that is above
3500 feet in elevation) and himself an avid skier of the Belleayre facility.
"The Catskills were set aside to protect the watershed, and we can't
forget that," he said. While the forest preserve's purpose was first
undermined by a constitutional amendment in the 1940s so Belleayre could be
created, Ortner feels that the intent to preserve the Catskill Mountains continues
to be important. "Water is our most precious resource, and it's becoming
more so. It seems the people of New York State are getting a bum deal on their
land."
In contrast to Pascarella,
Ortner feels the economic benefits of the expansion, as well as ORDA management
in general, are specious at best. "The lodging in the area is underutilized
already," Ortner says, so it's unclear to him why new facilities are
needed. In addition, "I go into local ski shops where I used to be able to
get discount lift tickets, and now I can't get them there." **
Ortner's impression is that
the staff—particularly management—is less accessible and less friendly under
ORDA control; something he doesn't feel bodes well for the future. And the
authority's mission of promoting and improving skiing sometimes conflicts with
the role of the forest preserve: "ORDA doesn't seem to care about the
ecology of the mountain. I'm there year round, camping and hiking as well as
skiing, and I care about it more than most people do. Belleayre's situation is
unique among ski resorts,” he said, and "trying to turn it into Stowe
won't work."
Posted by Chris Hewitt
on 11:02 AM.
Filed under
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