Those who now lease the Mount Sunapee ski area from the state are requesting an extension of the lease boundary in order to connect the ski area to a large undeveloped tract in Goshen, which then would be developed as second homes for skiers.

At a meeting with state Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner George Bald, residents said their questions remain unanswered about the economic and aesthetic impacts that a large-scale resort development would have on the rural character of towns surrounding Mount Sunapee State Park.

Bald tried to reassure several dozen residents that they were being heard through their local planners and representatives.

The public will be invited to express concerns at a public forum at Mount Sunapee on March 3.

This may be the only opportunity for public input on the Mount Sunapee Resort’s five-year Master Plan. The Plan, which Bald said was conceptual, will be 'unveiled' on May 11.

Bald requested the Master Plan last February. He would make his decision on the lease extension after reviewing the Master Plan, but he doesn’t know when he will decide.

“I can’t tell you that,” he said. “I don’t have a target date.”

The Governor and Executive Council will vote after receiving Bald’s recommendation.

The developers of the Okemo ski resort in Ludlow, Vermont, have been leasing the Mount Sunapee ski area from the state since 1998 and are operating it on a for-profit basis. The state uses the lease proceeds to operate the Cannon Mountain ski area.

With only three months to go to until the Master Plan is scheduled to be released, Tim Mueller, who holds the current 40-year Mount Sunapee lease, said he didn’t know how many housing units would be built, but guessed it would be in the 200 to 300 range and consist of single-family homes, condos, or fractional ownership of hotel units.

Terrence Dancy of the Upper Valley-Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission, said he was concerned the state might be ignoring reasonable planning processes. He told fellow members of the Mount Sunapee Advisory Committee that broader issues must be considered beyond the one state park.

“If the state does allow the expansion of the lease, is it the role of the state to use public property to aid private development?” he asked.

Bald replied, “I think the issue was decided five years ago.” That was when the Sunapee lease was signed.

Dancy said other developers of commercial projects might expect similar accommodations by the state in the future.

“There’s a feeling of helplessness in the face of enormous economic impact on a small economy,” Dancy pointed out. Also, he said, there’s a concern the state isn’t giving enough weight to aesthetics and quality of life issues.

Randy Richards of Sunapee said his parents’ land was taken by eminent domain for the state park and now the land is going to become a parking lot. He said the Okemo owners told residents they had no plans for real estate development when they originally sought the lease.

“It’s a matter of trust,” he said. “I think that trust has been broken. They’ve said one thing and done another.”

Jay Gamble, the Mount Sunapee general manager, said skiers’ most frequently asked question is where they can spend the night. “We’re not proposing any lodging within state parklands,” he said.

Rebecca Rice Robinson of Sunapee said the local community should create housing for skiers.

“It would benefit local people rather than a resort,” she said.

Some of the expansion opponents said they were taking a trip to Ludwell, Vermont, yesterday afternoon to view development at Okemo.

Catherine Bushueff of Sunapee said the state park was created for the public good, not for private developers, but now local people are priced out of skiing, and the mountain is being marketed to out-of-state residents.

“This land was taken from local families,” she said

Thomas D. Elliott, director of the 'Friends of Mount Sunapee', said the state isn’t requiring Okemo developers to undergo a true planning and approval process.

“Only in New Hampshire can you have a state park system run in a vacuum of information and process. It’s just stunning,” Elliott said.

He said the DRED commissioner has a “huge bear to wrestle with,” but doesn’t seem to have any plans to deal with it and may be setting up state parks to serve “as doorways to residential sprawl.”

He called Bald “an absolute monarch when it comes to management of this park and other state parks. There seems to be a total absence of logic, reason and good government.”

David Barden, a Newbury resident, said the developers are more interested in making money than in responding to local concerns.

“The state is more interested in economic development than the character of the Lake Sunapee region,” he said.

“They’re not listening to us,” said his wife, Fay Barden.

Copyright 2004 The Union Leader

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