Mount Sunapee Expansion Has Supporters

NEWBURY, NH - Off-site article from Concord Monitor Online

I used the linc and sent an e-mail they appreciated it and sent me a nice response not an automatic or prepared reply. Change will always happen just control it and do it tastefully. Good linc Greg.

Concord Monitor Report

The Concord Monitor posted this on their Website today:

LEBANON - A regional planning group has declared its opposition to a Mount Sunapee Ski area expansion.

The Upper Valley-Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission voted to oppose the plan Wednesday.

Commissioners said unanswered questions and incorrect information led them to decide it doesn't fit their regional plan. The resort's operators want to expand the area by 175 acres. They also hope to connect it to land in neighboring Goshen, where they'd build up to 250 condos.

Commissioners said most of their questions concern the housing development. They also said the fiscal analysis the resort supplied with its new five-year plan is incorrect, and the expansion's impact on local schools is unrealistic.

To see more go to http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/.../REPOSITORY/409170332&SearchID=73187973184880

Mount Sunapee

Advice on resort plan is on hold
Commissioner to confer with new governor
By CHELSEA CONABOY
Monitor staff

November 09. 2004 8:16AM

The commissioner of the state Department of Resources and Economic Development said he will not likely make a recommendation regarding the Mount Sunapee Resort's expansion proposal until after the governor-elect has taken office.

Sean O'Kane had said he would have a recommendation ready at the end of the month at the earliest. But yesterday, he said he wants to meet with John Lynch to go over the complexities of the proposal before making a recommendation. A press release put out by the department said O'Kane also wants to "demonstrate respect" for the next governor.

The two are trying to find a time to meet, but that may not happen until December, O'Kane said. "There's a strong likelihood that this (recommendation) would wait until the first of the year, which is fine," he said. "It gives (Lynch) a chance to come up to speed."

The resort's owners, who have leased the ski area in Mount Sunapee State Park from the state since 1998, want to expand the lease by about 175 acres, up from 968. The land would be used for new trails and a chair lift to connect the resort to property they own in Goshen, where they want to build up to 250 condominiums. The development would allow visitors to ski directly between the condos and the resort.

According to the press release, O'Kane is still waiting for reports from the Natural Heritage Bureau and Department of Fish and Game analyzing the resort's master plan.

Pamela Walsh, a spokeswoman for Lynch, said Lynch has not spoken with Gov. Craig Benson about the issue but has concerns about the expansion and would like to have a say in the decision process.

Lynch has spoken publicly against the proposal. In a statement submitted to DRED, he said rejecting the proposal is an essential step in protecting the state's natural resources.

Tom Elliott, executive director of Friends of Mount Sunapee, a group working to stop the expansion, said he is pleased with the delay.

"I was concerned, going back to August when the commissioner laid out the timeline that he did, that a lame-duck governor and a lame-duck Executive Council could move this forward,"Elliott said.

Since resort owners Tim and Diane Mueller signed the lease, they have worked with two governors.

Mount Sunapee's general manager, Jay Gamble, said last week he looks forward to working collaboratively with Lynch and welcomes the chance to go over the details of the master plan with him.

(Chelsea Conaboy can be reached at 224-5301, ext. 309, or by e-mail at cconaboy@cmonitor.com.)

Monitor staff

National Park Service to stay out of Sunapee Mountain debate...

The Concord Monitor is reporting a move that surprised some involved with the Mount Sunapee Resort expansion debate, the National Park Service has told the state it would stay out of the matter. Because the ski resort and surrounding parkland has received federal grant money, the Park Service could have had the final say on the controversial plan to expand ski trails and build condominiums at the resort....

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041207/REPOSITORY/412070316/1031

Gov-Elect Lynch may have the final say...and let's see what that is... :idea:

Mount Sunapee Operator Plan To Give State Land Draws Skepticism

The Concord Monitor is reporting that the Mount Sunapee Operator Plan to give state land draws skepticism.

Mount Sunapee Resort has purchased 207 acres near the mountain's summit that it has offered to donate to the state if it gets approval to expand into the west bowl of the mountain. Critics say the state would be trading a lot for a little if the deal goes through because the land is already protected by a conservation easement purchased with taxpayer money…..

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041223/REPOSITORY/412230323/1001/NEWS01

Is this a form of a Times Square shell game? :blink: