Dear Governor Cuomo,
It’s been hard to miss the ongoing “Start-up NY” TV advertising campaign that promotes the benefits of new regulation and tax policies designed to encourage businesses to relocate to upstate NY. We support this message and these efforts.
As you know, New York has more ski areas than any other state in the country, and the economic impact of this sector is significant.
Your own office estimates the impact of Gore and Whiteface at $100 million per year. A 2015 study conducted by RRC Associates of Boulder Colorado concluded that NY ski areas added over $900 million to the state’s economy each year through both direct and indirect spending.
In our view, supporting the ski business in New York is a no-brainer. Keeping NY skiers in state and attracting others from points south is a pure win for New York. But there is one issue that is more nuanced: the funneling of public money to New York’s state owned ski areas.
Issues surrounding public and private competition in the parks are not new. In the 1960s, New York employed a double standard for ski area signage in Adirondack Park that put private areas at a significant disadvantage. Today within the blue line, publicly financed competition, combined with other factors, has all but eliminated private alpine ski areas.
In the Catskills, by the turn of the century, there were nine ski areas remaining. Skiers grouped them into “the Big 3 and the Little 6.” The Big 3 — Belleayre, Hunter and Windham — are still serving skiers and creating jobs in New York. Of the Little 6, only Plattekill remains.
In 2013, in reference to the approval of $74 million for improvements at Belleayre, Snocountry quoted Chip Seamans of Windham:
“…it’s tough to compete with free money and no taxes. We want (Belleayre) to succeed, but not at our expense. I am not aware of any resort that can invest that kind of money.”
This summer work has begun on the next step for Belleayre, a new gondola that will rise from the Discovery Lodge to carry skiers and riders to the summit. This highly visible investment is exciting and concerning all at once.
Like any skier area owner, New York must maintain and improve their assets in the Adirondacks and Catskills to thrive. But the question remains: How can private business compete with the flow of taxpayer funded grants that go to New York’s three state-owned ski areas?
We’d like to resurrect an idea that was first proposed on these pages back in 2013:
New York should consider offering low interest financing to private NY ski areas for projects that will help them compete in the northeast marketplace. Successful proposals should be required to demonstrate the potential to create or preserve jobs in our state.
In our view, upgraded snowmaking capacity and efficiency should be a priority to get NY areas operational early to take advantage of the crucial December holiday period. In addition these kinds of improvements could decrease the environmental impact of skiing. But proposals should not be limited to snowmaking upgrades.
An independent review board could estimate each proposal’s viability and make approval recommendations. Approved proposals would be eligible for publicly funded long-term low interest loan to be repaid in full. The initiative would improve competitiveness, encourage skier visits and create jobs in the state.
We know this idea is much easier said than done, but this is true for almost any worthwhile project. The Start-up NY commercial says that the new New York is ready to embrace bold ideas: “If there is something that creates more jobs and grows more business, we’re open to it.”
Let’s grow the ski business in New York for the benefit of all.
Sincerely,
The Editor
NYSkiBlog.com
Bravo, Editor!!
Good one Mr Editor
the Gov loves him some zip lines and mt coasters so those would get fast tracked of course
Well thought out and well written. Good job.
While it’s admirable that NY State is investing $$ in state owned ski areas, they need to make no-interest / low-interest loans available to privately owned ski areas in the same catchment area so that there can be fair competition. A park with only 2 [state-run] ski areas is not healthy for the economy, nor for skiers’ freedom of choice when recreating.
Great Job, NYSkiBlog Editor! I just hope this brings in a bunch of summer/off-season business because this gondola sure doesn’t make much sense from a skier’s perspective. As a born and bred NY’er for 50 years, it would be nice if our state government gives a bit of foresight before spending our taxpayer dollars.
Your letter reveals your insight into the nuances of state owned ski areas, without putting anything in a negative light. You merely offer reasonable additional and/or alternative methods for the state to increase job growth and revenue and to stabilize the ski industry in New York State.
This is a good idea and has already been successful in Vermont (focusing on efficiency and environmentalism, if Cuomo wants to go that route):
https://skivermont.com/skivt-blog/1808/2016/09/27/the-carbon-boot-print-environmental-efforts-at-vermont-resorts/
Also, the State should buy Big Tupper. Tupper Lake needs more help.
I like this idea. It would make it easier for private ski resorts to invest and compete fairly with state-owned ones.
I believe the state has to approve Hunter’s proposed expansion because they are building the gondola at Belleayre. Not doing so would be an abuse of power by the government to limit competition with their own ski area.
Nice letter, Editor.
It’s frustrating to arm-chair quarterback these decisions. We don’t have a seat at the table; any amount of money that is lost or gained at the ORDA resorts in simply rumor.
What is undeniable is that Belleayre’s original mission statement was to provide affordable winter opportunities for New Yorkers to recreate. It is the departure from this modest goal that makes the conversation so much longer about the spending.
I guess I’ll leave it at that a couple of new snow guns and a shiny billboard on 87 would have made for a great and shorter seeming summer.
Nice job on a measured and well reasoned case. Making some easy financing available to private mountains would help of course but it won’t eliminate the economic pressures that family owned resorts live with everyday. Operating a ski resort is a tough business.
It’s not just a matter of Bell competing with Hunter but also New York competing with Vermont and New Hampshire (not to mention Colorado) for scarce vacation dollars so hopefully the state can find some way to help all our mountains prosper and keep some more of those dollars here.
Well done, Mr. Editor. Competition is a good thing and could help some economically distressed areas. Tupper Lake comes to mind.
Best blog post ever!
I like the idea — any idea where the money could come out of the state budget for this type of thing?
What was the source of the $30M that was recently granted to the three state-owned areas? Remember too that the editor is proposing repayment of these funds.
Thank you Governor, this is very much appreciated: https://bit.ly/2LWXYh3