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Son of Drifter
04-14-2006, 01:18 PM
The below is from today's issue of the Times Union.

Senator fights on for ski aid
Lawmaker weighs options for reversing veto of $5.5 million for Ski Bowl chairlift

By LEIGH HORNBECK, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Friday, April 14, 2006

"ALBANY -- A Queensbury lawmaker said Thursday she will fight for money to build a chairlift at the Ski Bowl in Warren County next to the Gore Mountain ski area.
State Sen. Betty Little was behind the addition of $5.5 million to the state Olympic Regional Development Authority budget, only to see Gov. George Pataki veto the budget item and dash her decade-long hopes to expand Gore in North Creek.

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"I really want this," said Little, a Republican, when asked if she would try for an override when the Legislature reconvenes April 24. She said she would spend the next week working to restore the money and then "weigh the consequences" of an override attempt.

The $5.5 million would go toward building trails and installing a chairlift to replace the lift that once carried skiers uphill at the old Ski Bowl, she said. It was one of the last steps toward connecting the site with Gore, she said.

Six years ago, the Legislature passed a law allowing the Olympic authority to operate on town-owned land as well as state land. As a result, the state agency made a deal with the town that allows every student at Johnsburg Central School to ski free at Gore and gave the authority control of a tubing park at the Ski Bowl.

In March, the Adirondack Park Agency amended Gore's management plan to allow a gondola to bridge the two miles between Gore and the Ski Bowl.

The historic Ski Bowl on Route 28 was a destination in the 1940s and '50s but business tapered off when the state opened Gore next to it. The Ski Bowl closed to skiing in 1976.

The senator and Johnsburg Supervisor Bill Thomas said they were particularly disappointed by the veto because Pataki had expressed support for the project. He toured the Ski Bowl in July and has consistently approved upgrades at Gore, until now.

Gore remains popular. Skiers and snowboarders made 128,274 visits to the ski center as of April 1, compared to 117,884 last ski season, according to an Olympic authority spokeswoman.

A 2004 study by the state Comptroller's Office said connecting Gore and the Ski Bowl could double tourist income for parts of Warren, Essex and Hamilton counties by luring skiers and snowboarders away from Vermont resorts.

While Little says the connection is crucial to North Creek, a private developer is relying heavily on its completion. FrontStreet Partners LLC of Darien, Conn., which owns 400 acres around the Ski Bowl property, plans to build a private day lodge, town houses and a 30-room inn. Condos are also planned for Ski Bowl Village.

Project manager Mac Crikelair could not be reached for comment.

Len Fosbrook, president of the Warren County Economic Development Corporation, said FrontStreet's plans for a $200 million investment represented just the kind of public-private partnerships the governor encourages.

"This is a good business decision," Fosbrook said. "At the end of the day the right thing will be done and we'll get this project off the ground."

Hornbeck can be reached at 581-8438 or by e-mail at lhornbeck@timesunion.com. "

I say they give the 5.5 million to Whiteface to get their expansion project going.

takeahike46er
04-14-2006, 08:05 PM
I say they give the 5.5 million to Whiteface to get their expansion project going.

I would prefer that as well. WF has more potential at this point than Gore; however, North Creek would benefit tremendously from the interconnect which is the major impetus for this project.