Vote no on West Bowl amendment

Kathy Hubert
Newport
To the editor,

Vail Resorts Inc., under their subsidiary VR NE Holdings, is the new lease holder of Mount Sunapee State Park ski area. On Oct. 31, our executive councilors are scheduled to vote on three additional amendments relating to the ski area. The three amendments should be a separated out and each one voted on their own merits. The amendment known as the West Bowl amendment is premature and greatly opposed by New Hampshire citizens (2,600 signatures of opposition were sent to the state in 2015) and should be tabled or better yet receive a “no” vote from our executive council and governor. 

The West Bowl amendment links the state park with private property Vail now owns to allow slope side commercial resort development on the border of our State Park. Yet, Vail during its presentation in August 2018 to New Hampshire citizens said they had no plans for West Bowl development. In addition, the ski subsidiaries of Vail Resorts Inc. no longer do resort expansion and all real estate transactions are handled under their Vail Resorts Development Council (VRDC).

In Vail Resorts Inc. form 10-q US Securities Exchange under the real estate segment, they state “principal activities of our Real Estate segment include the sale of land to third -party developers and planning for future real estate development projects …We continue undertaking preliminary planning and design work on future projects and are pursuing opportunities with third-party developers rather than undertaking our own significant vertical development .” 

So it would be irresponsible at this time for the New Hampshire Executive Council and governor to give carte blanche permission to develop the West Bowl. When there are no present plans and the identity of a third-party real estate developer is unknown. Especially in the light that the third party developer will have decades of access to our state park. It is my hope that the council and governor will be prudent and heed the concerns of New Hampshire Sierra Club, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, Friends of Mount Sunapee, and the over 2,600 citizens that have signed their opposition to this West Bowl expansion and vote NO or at least table the amendment.

 

Kathy Hubert

Newport