Balsams Resort
It appears that we now only back 2 pp. in previously topics. I've not be able to open people's photos. Is there something different/new with our new site that I need (to do)?
ropeways.net | Home | 2015-05-20
| N.H. House Sets Up Taxing District To Pave Way For Balsams Re-Do
Balsams Resort New Hampshire's House of Representatives passed an amended bill creating a special taxing district allowing the state to back $28 million in bonds toward redeveloping the Balsams Resort and ski area, which closed in 2011. Ski resort entrepreneur Les Otten wants the state-backed bond to help finance the $143 million project in Dixville Notch. The House passed an amended version of the measure by a vote of 293-57 according to published newspaper reports. The amendment clarifies that the state’s Business Finance Authority is the agency that will consider any bonds, raises the limit to any one project from $25 million to $30 million and raises the BFA’s total borrowing limit from $95 million to $115 million. The Senate passed the original bill and now must vote on the amendment. Otten’s plan is to renovate existing buildings, build a 400-room hotel, conference center, spa and retreat and to expand the ski area. Some 1,700 jobs could be created, according to a study commissioned by the developer. The full project, estimated at $320 million, could be finished by 2024. Source: "Snocountry.com" |
Comments
Since this ought to be a long-running topic, I'll post the link that has the expansion plan:
https://thebalsamsresort.com/vision/ski-expansion/
They really must get rid of that photo at the top from somewhere out west. Dishonest. There are beautiful photos of the Wilderness ski area available.
I think the expansion plan is absurd. The northwest summit bowl makes sense, and the two southernmost pods which also reach 3,400 feet would make an excellent self-contained ski area with 1700 vertical feet; just need a shuttle. All the stuff in between would be marginal skiing.
It might be easier to get to than Sugarloaf, but why would anyone drive 5 hours from NYC for a ski area with 1'000' of vertical and fairly boring runs. I skied there in March of 2009 and there where maybe 10 cars in the parking lot, even though it was a weekend. At it's present size this place was a one and done IMO with no desire to return.My ski report posted on Alpinzone from 2008
Area skied: The Balsams Wilderness, New Hampshire
Date skied: March 21st, 2008 from 10:45am - 3:45pm
Surface conditions: Powder, windblown, variable
Weather: snowshowers all day, 9F base and 3F summit, 20-30mph winds
We woke up today to no new snow at all from last nights storm and winds here in Rumford Center where not very high but a quick call to Saddleback revealed a closed mountain with the same at Sugarloaf. Sunday River was not sure about lift operation so we called The Balsams and they confirmed the chair running and 8-12" of new snow overnight.
We made the drive up from Rumford Center in a bit over an hour and arrived to a light snow falling and a brutally cold 9F with fairly high west winds. We booted up and paid $31 for an adult lift ticket and $23 for my son which is a good deal for 1,000' of vertical and 15 trails.
Snow conditions ranged from deep powder on the lower 3/4 of the mountain to wind blown exposed ice and frozen granular for the first 200' of vertical down a majority of the trails, due to the high winds at the summit blowing the new snow right into the woods.
The trail of the day was Notch which is about 20' wide and had stashes of powder on the edges and in the woods and was a nice refugee from the cold high winds. We did this twice and had fun each time.
Notch:
We skied down Androscoggin which had some deep untouched powder halfway down the trail:
Overall we had a fun day but this is the coldest Spring day that I have ever skied in 25 years of skiing, truly frosbite weather and we took pictures very sparingly as it hurt to have exposed skin out for more than a few seconds at a time. Warren was a real trooper skiing in such high winds and cold weather.
The Balsams Wilderness:
I was referring to driving from NYC, why pass up all that VT has to offer along !-91 instead of skiing at Balsams?
Middlebury and Dartmouth are both similar in size and good options for avoiding crowds.
CONCORD, N.H. – Amid a large group of legislators and New Hampshire North Country leaders, Governor Maggie Hassan signed Senate Bill 30 into law. Originally sponsored by New Hampshire Senate Minority Leader Jeff Woodburn and later amended with the help of the entire Coos County delegation, SB 30 ultimately passed by an overwhelming, bi-partisan majority of the New Hampshire House and unanimously agreed to by the New Hampshire Senate.
The law, which will allow New Hampshire’s unincorporated places such as Dixville to be eligible for NH Business Finance Authority (BFA) support, is critically important to the redevelopment and expansion of the legendary Balsams Resort and Wilderness Ski Area. The Balsams redevelopment team, led by renowned resort developer Les Otten, may now apply to Coos County for a redevelopment assessment district and the BFA for a credit enhancement as part of its proposed $145 million Phase 1 development.
“Senate Bill 30 is a critical piece of economic development legislation, giving unincorporated areas the same access to economic development resources as the rest of the state,” said Governor Maggie Hassan. “This bipartisan measure is also an important step forward for advancing the Balsams redevelopment project, which is a bold vision for the revitalization of this historic resort with great potential to create jobs, boost the North Country’s economy, and have a ripple effect for businesses across the state.”
New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner Jeff Rose stated, “The passage of SB30 is a major step forward in the exciting rebirth of the iconic Balsams Resort. Better yet, this legislation will be a powerful economic development tool to support New Hampshire’s North Country by providing new opportunities for unincorporated places. I am confident today marks a landmark moment for The Balsams effort and stands to transform the region through investment, job growth, and economic development.”
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with the County delegation and Commissioners and the Business Finance Authority. We truly appreciate the State’s overwhelming support,” said Les Otten. “By passing legislation that gives Coos County this opportunity, the State has enabled the North Country and our team to restore and expand this majestic resort, making it a world-class destination for all seasons and begin the revitalization of the North County.”
The proposed Balsams’ redevelopment includes renovating the historic Dix House, Hampshire House and Hale House, as well as the acclaimed Panorama golf course and clubhouse designed by pioneering course architect Donald Ross. The Balsams Lake Village, which will encompass the Dix and Hampshire Houses, will feature a new Lake Gloriette House, a 500-seat conference center, Nordic hot baths and spa, a performing arts center and an open-air marketplace. The resort’s fine cuisine and chef training programs, known worldwide, will return through multiple dining opportunities around the resort. All will embrace the farm-to-table concept by sourcing locally-grown meats, produce and dairy.
The plan also includes expanding The Balsams Wilderness Ski Area into the largest and most technically advanced ski resort on the East Coast. With a skiing base camp at 2,350 feet above sea level, in a true alpine climate zone, The Balsams is known to receive among the highest annual snow totals of any ski resort in the Northeast. At build out it will offer 2,200 acres of alpine terrain accessed by 22 lifts, and 100 kilometers of Nordic Trails.
The market is abuzz over the Balsams’ rebirth. In less than two months, more than 100 people have reserved a position to purchase a Century Club residence when the opportunity becomes available. The Century Club was created to celebrate next year’s 100th anniversary of the Hampshire House, offering a limited opportunity to own a fully-furnished luxury one or two-bedroom residence in the fabled structure, through a program that can eliminate some or all carrying costs. Each Century Club owner will enjoy up to 100 nights each year of lodging, as well as ski, golf, and spa privileges, exclusive facilities and priority positioning on all future real estate offerings.
“We are not only redefining the resort experience,” added Otten, “we are redefining and improving the modern resort ownership model. It’s truly a unique offering that is clearly resonating with those who want to own a piece of The Balsams.”
Nestled within the grand northern White Mountains in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, The Balsams’ 11,000 sprawling acres of breathtaking and accessible wilderness is spectacular. The Balsams Resort will offer all of the following on its property, so visitors will never need to take their cars to access the:
A recently completed Economic Impact Study by noted New Hampshire economist Brian Gottlob of Polecon Research shows The Balsams’ redevelopment will dramatically revitalize the North Country job market and bring long-term economic gain statewide.
The Polecon study shows that Phase 1 renovation and expansion will create nearly 600 full and part-time jobs in Coos County between 2015 and 2016, of which 300 are directly related to construction. At full expansion, the Balsams is projected to create 1,700 new jobs.
The State of New Hampshire will benefit, too. Based on conservative projections of visitors to the expanded resort, Polecon estimates the additional annual rooms and meals taxes generated by the Balsams will range from $1.5 million in 2016 to $4.6 million in 2024. In addition, visitors will spend money on gasoline, tolls, alcohol and other commodities, all of which generate revenue for the State of New Hampshire. Revenue from visitor spending is estimated between $1.6 million in 2016 to $5.3 million in 2024.
Information about the Balsams Resort is available at www.thebalsamsresort.com
Original June 1 construction start date now postponed until fall.
Thursday, July 30, 2015, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
In a Facebook post this morning, The Balsams Resort disclosed its construction start date is now "later this fall." Originally targeted for June 1, 2015, the date was postponed until later in the summer, allegedly due to the delayed passage of the state bond bill. No reason was given for the latest delay.
"[W]e continue to make steady progress on many fronts, including construction permitting. If everything comes together as we hope, we could begin construction later this fall."
As of late spring, an estimated $144,000 in deposits had been procured toward the $143,000,000 project. Provident Bank is reportedly lined up to provide the $28,000,000 million state-backed Business Finance Authority loan. Additional government funds are reportedly expected to be used for the project.
The group is reportedly still hoping for a 2016-17 reopening. The resort has been closed since September 2011.
The odds of commercial flight to Berlin Regional in Milan are about 2%. There are zero flights now. If there was ever to be a regular flight into Berlin it will be along the lines of a 6-10 passenger Cessna 402s (see Cape Air). It will never have any impact on Balsams business.
By the way, The Balsams is just shy of 400 miles and 7 hours from NYC. There will be very few visitors from the NYC metro area.
Balsams Water Withdrawal Permit Approved
Pipeline related permits have yet to be obtained.
Friday, July 31, 2015, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
According to WMUR, the Balsams Resort has been granted a permit to pump up to 22 million gallons of water per day from Androscoggin River in Errol.
Dixville Capital, LLC, led by developer Les Otten, applied for the permit with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services on December 17, 2014. The Water Quality Certification was granted on July 28, 2015, allowing for withdrawal related to fire suppression, as well as seasonal withdrawal for snowmaking between October 15 and March 15.
The permitting process has begun to dredge and fill an area around a proposed river pump house north of Errol. It is not known how the ownership plans to obtain right of way for nine miles of pipeline needed to connect the river pump house to the resort.
The permit news comes just hours after The Balsams disclosed on their Facebook page that the original June 1 construction start date has been postponed until the fall.