The Cannon Debate Continues...

[thetrailboss]

This article appeared today. Comments?

 

[ctenidae]

I think it makes sense to at least look at leasing, but with some extrememly high hurdles. If a truly compelling case exists, it's important to figure it out.

Overall, though, I say keep it Cannon.

 

[Phildozer]

I think the whole privatization thing is a crock.

If things are running well now, why mess with it?

 

[thetrailboss]

I was surprised, given the poor weather, that they are forecasting a $500,000 profit

 

[ski_adk]

Sounds to me like this is just a handout to political coffers. With a $500,000 profit, I'd say they're running things just fine. Now, they should be able to take that profit and either reinvest it in the ski area or the state. If they privatize the place, that $$$ will just go into some wealthy elitists' pockets.

 

[ctenidae]

The Sunapee lease gives them what, $6 million? I wonder where that money's going. Seems to me, that ought to be enough by itself to run the state forests. Hell, they're just trees.

 

[Vortex]

If its making a profit... Leave it alone. I usually like developement that keeps areas open.
Sounds like its fine as is though. More reading on my part needed.

 

[riverc0il]

I was surprised, given the poor weather, that they are forecasting a $500,000 profit

probably gross profit before overhead i would imagine. i would be impressed if that is net profit after overhead! certainly no reason to privatize with a lease with numbers like that! without real estate and slope side, it is argueable that a leased area might not even make that much money from the leasee.

i still fail to make sense of the pro-lease arguement. this article seems like there is a lack of support not just in the legislature, but also more importantly a lack of support from the local residents that actually run the area and the representatives that represent those areas.

state owned and managed cannon is a special place, why fix it if it isn't broken?

 

[ctenidae]

You can bet that the few who support it have interests other than those of the state and locals at heart. Those against the idea should probably support looking at it, though, just to prove that it's not worth it.

 

[ckofer]

While we're at it, let's lease out all of the state parks. Maybe Bear Brook could become a big motocross track-biggest in the world. All state forests should become logging land by 2008. Lease out boat ramps and charge $10 per launch.

Or maybe not.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

About the profit your forgetting that the Whites is a very busy place in the summer, the fall as well. Lots of revenue during the summer from all them tourists taking the tram, the gift store, the museum, the snack bar.

I did want to mention that access by the locals to Sunapee State Park has been greatly reduced since Triple Peaks took it over. I have friends in New London who are into mountain biking, one of the older kids used to work in that bike shop in Newbury and they lament the days when it was just a state park.

I think there is s good chance the same thing would happen at Cannon.

It might be a bad comparison in that Cannon is much more well know being in the Whites while Sunapee is alittle more unknown.

Overall I think the lease thing would probably benefit the state and the leasees financially but the average joe would end up paying more. Real estate prices in the area would start rising as well.