| August 19th, 2009 City Strikes deal on McIntyre Ski Area MANCHESTER – The city has struck a tentative deal to lease McIntyre Ski Area to a private company and replace its aging clubhouse with a new $1.3 million lodge. The agreement would put the McIntyre Ski School in charge of day-to-day operations at the North End fun spot. The school has been providing skiing lessons at McIntyre for the past three decades. Officials say the deal will give the ski school a fair shot at doing what the city has been unable to do for many years now: take a financially struggling winter-sports venue and turn it into a money-maker. "It certainly is a gem that's going to shine again," Alderman Ted Gatsas said. Aldermen last night asked the city solicitor to write up a contract with the ski school and present it to the board Sept. 1. Ski School Director Ross Boisvert said the new management hopes to remake McIntyre into a year-round attraction. By the summer of 2011, he said, the site could be ready to play host to a day camp and volleyball or basketball leagues. The new lodge, he said, could be used for small weddings and other functions. The school hopes to begin building the new lodge next spring. Chuck DePrima, the city's interim director of parks, recreation and cemeteries, said he hopes to see the building completed by October 2010, before the start of the 2010-2011 skiing season. The existing clubhouse is widely described as an eyesore. City Finance Officer Bill Sanders said he believes if nothing is done, the building will no longer be usable two or three years from now. At one point, officials were talking about merely renovating the lodge. Alderman At-Large Mike Lopez, who was involved in the negotiations with the ski school, said the extra cost to demolish the building and start from scratch has been projected at $300,000. Sanders called the deal a "good decision for the city of Manchester." Officials say the deal will have no impact on the local tax rate. The tentative agreement calls for the city to sell $1.6 million in bonds, with the ski school making debt payments annually for the next 20 years. Most of that tab would go to demolishing and rebuilding the lodge; about $300,000 would be spent on "Ski Area equipment," according to documents distributed to the aldermen. DePrima said the city would incur some expenses in the first few years of the agreement but that it would be fully reimbursed over time. The early expenses, he said, would be covered by "enterprise" funds, not taxpayer dollars. In addition, McIntyre Ski School would assume all of the debt the city has already incurred for past improvements to the venue. McIntyre Ski Area has been bleeding money for years. Records show the venue has lost nearly $600,000 in the past three years alone. In a letter to the aldermen, DePrima chalked those losses up to "the age and condition of the facility, its existing debt service and the lack of employees with knowledge specific to the ski industry." DePrima said the losses "have begun to have a negative impact on the city's bond rating," potentially threatening the city's ability to borrow money for major purchases and projects. DePrima said he does not expect the management transfer to result in any layoffs. Boisvert said he expects there to be 200 seasonal jobs at the ski area, plus five full-time jobs. Lopez said the city has had a strong working relationship with the ski school over the years. "They've been great tenants for us. They've done everything we've asked," he said. - Scott Brook, New Hampshire Union Leader Back To News |
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Paid for by Ted Gatsas for Mayor. B. Rivard, Fiscal Agent PO Box 6655, Manchester, NH 03108 603.623.0220
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