Quote:
Originally Posted by rocket21
That is incorrect.
Wachusett and Sunapee were constantly having issues prior to moving to private operators (Sunapee in particular), resulting in taxpayer bail outs.
Wachusett has been run by the Crowley family's company for decades and is considered one of the most successful ski areas in the country.
Mt. Sunapee was run by the Mueller family's company for two decades and quickly grew into one of the most successful ski areas in the state. Lease payments were made to the state every year.
It is hard to defend some of Vail's decisions in recent years (I personally refused to patronize any of their areas last season due to their draconian vaccine mandates). Nevertheless, they have continued to make lease payments to the state every year. The Sunapee lease payments subsidize Cannon. Without the annual lease payments or taxpayer bailouts, Cannon would likely default on its debt.
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It's really hard--basically impossible--for private citizens to know if they are getting a good deal with any of these arrangements. I ski Wachusett regularly, and agree it's a great hill from a customer perspective. I don't doubt that Sunapee subsidizes Cannon.
But the thing that we do not know is how much quality/revenue is due to the private company compared to the amount of profit (or loss) they are taking from citizens/skiers--it's a complex question. That's why we need professionals/technocrats leading these issues, not extremists who can't even manage their legal bills or keep a well respected management team on the job