Big Burke announcement

[ablb]

I attended but left before Q&A which I assumed would not be civil based on the aforementioned gentleman. My take away was same; Ary continues to require a short leash in public and can't be trusted to be on his own. Stenger has 0 financial interest in Burke so why is he being trotted out like a dog and pony show? Great guy, knows his business, locals trust him, but why is he doing PR for Burke?
Ary said "service will improve when the hotel opens". Huh? Why wait? I was happy to hear he won't be running the hotel.
There are tennis courts at BMA. I rarely see anyone on them. There were also indoor courts at Old Mill in St J. This facility closed last winter.
Many years ago there was an approved plan to run a power line up through the field where the hotel is to provide more power for snowmaking. I don't think this happened. Sounds like its still an issue.
The rambling lady had one good point. If there is one egress, Willoughby, down the mountain Xmas week, do we really think that could safely handle 400 additional skiers? Would you rent a room at a hill that has one top to bottom run?
They promised a Thanksgiving opening next year. We'll see.

 

[River19]

Again this whole thing goes back to one of the original points I made a few hundred posts back and still feel strongly about......

They have no flipping idea who their customer is. You have a roomful of skiers who literally keep the lights on in that place, and you are pinning your hopes on tennis and swimming......it's like answering a question no one asked. Where is the pent up demand of several hundred tennis players and swimmers just drooling for a multimillion dollar tennis and pool facility in this area?

Heck, if they were talking about a golf course vs. this crap it would make more sense to me......

I'm disappointed that no one asked anything about KTA, but I get that this was a skier focused meeting.....that being said the actual growing sport and activity in this area is still MTB......and they don't come with tennis rackets and speedos......

I say punt the damn tennis and Olympic sized swimming pool and get to work on the whole snow making investment and build that rumored indoor MTB park......which would be one of the first in the Northeast in a place already drawing the right crowd to take advantage of that activity and pay nicely for a pass. That would be a reason to buy a season MTB pass to Burke vs. Highland, etc. or other downhill lift served parks.....add in the KTA piece and that is a damn fine destination that may put some asses in your hotel.

 

[from_the_NEK]

I attended but left before Q&A which I assumed would not be civil based on the aforementioned

That guy left early too, which I'm glad he did since he seemed really bent on getting in a pissing match.

There are tennis courts at BMA. I rarely see anyone on them. There were also indoor courts at Old Mill in St J. This facility closed last winter.

Their target market of the tennis facility isn't locals or BMA students.

Many years ago there was an approved plan to run a power line up through the field where the hotel is to provide more power for snowmaking. I don't think this happened. Sounds like its still an issue.

The new power line was installed in late fall 2013?
I don't think the problem is the amount of power that can be delivered to Burke. It is the amount that Q Burke is buying from LED and the restrictions in the current contract. LED has contracts to buy power from generators and if they go over that amount they pay premium prices. If LED knows that Burke is going to require more power, LED will have to contract for the power from the gererators. And Burke will have to contract to buy that power from LED.

 

[ablb]

That guy left early too, which I'm glad he did since he seemed really bent on getting in a pissing match.



Their target market of the tennis facility isn't locals or BMA students.



The new power line was installed in late fall 2013?
I don't think the problem is the amount of power that can be delivered to Burke. It is the amount that Q Burke is buying from LED and the restrictions in the current contract. LED has contracts to buy power from generators and if they go over that amount they pay premium prices. If LED knows that Burke is going to require more power, LED will have to contract for the power from the gererators. And Burke will have to contract to buy that power from LED.

I realize the target audience isn't locals or BMA....just don't see the "build it and they will come" philosophy making sense and there was no mention of any market studies etc. In my opinion the meeting was disjointed at best. It did nothing to help improve perceptions of Ary.

 

[VTKilarney]

The more I think about it, it's actually rather embarrassing to see how much Ary relied on Stenger to save Ary from himself. Whose mountain is it?

The Q&A, as I mentioned earlier, was very respectful - and there were some interesting points brought up during the Q&A.

If there was one flaw in the meeting it's that it was very disjointed. But that tends to happen at events such as this.

 

[MEtoVTSkier]

Thank you VTKilarney, from_the_NEK, ablb and the others that attended and shared their experiences. Lots of information to digest.

 

[burski]

They have no flipping idea who their customer is. You have a roomful of skiers who literally keep the lights on in that place, and you are pinning your hopes on tennis and swimming......it's like answering a question no one asked. Where is the pent up demand of several hundred tennis players and swimmers just drooling for a multimillion dollar tennis and pool facility in this area.

Actually they know exactly who their customers are, their customers are the EB-5 investors, the Chinese. There was just a great story on 60 minutes over the past few weeks about how tennis is exploding in China because of a recent Chinese womans pro that recently retired, I wouldn't know her name, because I do not follow tennis like the rest of the people in this country. But in any event it's exploding over there, the Chinese investors are going to see a tennis center as a perfectly legitimate investment. Who cares about the reality of its viability here in Vermont. The whole EB-5 program is a scam and there are some people at the top getting very rich off it.

 

[VTKilarney]

One really odd thing about the meeting is that they made absolutely no mention of their application to install night skiing.

 

[from_the_NEK]

One really odd thing about the meeting is that they made absolutely no mention of their application to install night skiing.

Has there been any indication of it other than the Act 250 application? I have a pretty strong suspicion that this particular project is not going to be pursued.

 

[VTKilarney]

Nothin that I have seen. Why file if they aren't going to pursue it?


.

 

[ablb]

Actually they know exactly who their customers are, their customers are the EB-5 investors, the Chinese. There was just a great story on 60 minutes over the past few weeks about how tennis is exploding in China because of a recent Chinese womans pro that recently retired, I wouldn't know her name, because I do not follow tennis like the rest of the people in this country. But in any event it's exploding over there, the Chinese investors are going to see a tennis center as a perfectly legitimate investment. Who cares about the reality of its viability here in Vermont. The whole EB-5 program is a scam and there are some people at the top getting very rich off it.

Li Na is her name. So wealthy Chinese are going to send their children here to train?

 

[MEtoVTSkier]

Nothin that I have seen. Why file if they aren't going to pursue it?

Is it really going to be for "winter" use?? The plan just showed the terrain park and the beginner slope lit...

 

[ablb]

For anyone who missed this in October. http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/octo...estors-question-state-watchdog’s-independence

 

[River19]

Actually they know exactly who their customers are, their customers are the EB-5 investors, the Chinese. There was just a great story on 60 minutes over the past few weeks about how tennis is exploding in China because of a recent Chinese womans pro that recently retired, I wouldn't know her name, because I do not follow tennis like the rest of the people in this country. But in any event it's exploding over there, the Chinese investors are going to see a tennis center as a perfectly legitimate investment. Who cares about the reality of its viability here in Vermont. The whole EB-5 program is a scam and there are some people at the top getting very rich off it.

Fair point, I had my NEK and New England hat on, not my Chinease hat...what was I thinking. Makes sense through the warped view of the eb5

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Actually they know exactly who their customers are, their customers are the EB-5 investors, the Chinese. There was just a great story on 60 minutes over the past few weeks about how tennis is exploding in China because of a recent Chinese womans pro that recently retired, I wouldn't know her name, because I do not follow tennis like the rest of the people in this country. But in any event it's exploding over there, the Chinese investors are going to see a tennis center as a perfectly legitimate investment. Who cares about the reality of its viability here in Vermont. The whole EB-5 program is a scam and there are some people at the top getting very rich off it.

Yeah - it's a big pyramid scheme. Everything is a plot to rip you off! Scary foreigners who don't look/sound like us!!

Brilliant deductive reasoning!

EB-5 has some issues I'm sure, like most govt programs with insufficient oversight. But you guys act as if a single nickle would get invested in the otherwise economically irrelevant NEK w/o it. That, alas, is simply not the case - the last 300 years of its history amply demonstrates. Instead of demonizing the program and treating it like neanderthals seeing fire for the first time, perhaps you'd be better off redirecting your energy to improving what's in place.

 

[VTKilarney]

Yeah - it's a big pyramid scheme. Everything is a plot to rip you off! Scary foreigners who don't look/sound like us!!

Brilliant deductive reasoning!

EB-5 has some issues I'm sure, like most govt programs with insufficient oversight. But you guys act as if a single nickle would get invested in the otherwise economically irrelevant NEK w/o it. That, alas, is simply not the case - the last 300 years of its history amply demonstrates. Instead of demonizing the program and treating it like neanderthals seeing fire for the first time, perhaps you'd be better off redirecting your energy to improving what's in place.

So ignorant. Did EHV need EB-5? Did the Fairbanks family? Did the Comfort Inn? Sorry, but we're not orphans depending on a handout of porridge.


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[burski]

Yeah - it's a big pyramid scheme. Everything is a plot to rip you off! Scary foreigners who don't look/sound like us!!

Brilliant deductive reasoning!

What??? I don't know anyone who is worried about foreigners coming to Burke, it would be nice to see some new faces in the area. No one at Burke is being ripped off or claiming such nonsense, and foreign investors are not ripping anyone off anyway, they are the ones being ripped off by the DEVELOPERS taking advantage of the EB5 program. I feel sorry for these investors. I am glad to see investment in Burke I would just rather not see useless investment that will likely be an anchor to the future viability of the resort and area.

 

[Amos Hobbs]

See stats from Physical Activity Council 2014 Participation Report on water and racquet sports....
http://www.physicalactivitycouncil.com/pdfs/current.pdf

 

[thetrailboss]

Actually they know exactly who their customers are, their customers are the EB-5 investors, the Chinese. There was just a great story on 60 minutes over the past few weeks about how tennis is exploding in China because of a recent Chinese womans pro that recently retired, I wouldn't know her name, because I do not follow tennis like the rest of the people in this country. But in any event it's exploding over there, the Chinese investors are going to see a tennis center as a perfectly legitimate investment. Who cares about the reality of its viability here in Vermont. The whole EB-5 program is a scam and there are some people at the top getting very rich off it.

Wow good call. I never even thought about that.


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[thetrailboss]

I attended but left before Q&A which I assumed would not be civil based on the aforementioned gentleman. My take away was same; Ary continues to require a short leash in public and can't be trusted to be on his own. Stenger has 0 financial interest in Burke so why is he being trotted out like a dog and pony show? Great guy, knows his business, locals trust him, but why is he doing PR for Burke?
Ary said "service will improve when the hotel opens". Huh? Why wait? I was happy to hear he won't be running the hotel.
There are tennis courts at BMA. I rarely see anyone on them. There were also indoor courts at Old Mill in St J. This facility closed last winter.
Many years ago there was an approved plan to run a power line up through the field where the hotel is to provide more power for snowmaking. I don't think this happened. Sounds like its still an issue.
The rambling lady had one good point. If there is one egress, Willoughby, down the mountain Xmas week, do we really think that could safely handle 400 additional skiers? Would you rent a room at a hill that has one top to bottom run?
They promised a Thanksgiving opening next year. We'll see.

You answered your own question regarding Stenger: he's the only one who can do any good PR. Both father Q and Q Jr. have both abysmally failed at it. It's time for them to literally be silent partners as they are at Jay.


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