Editor:
As Charter Members of Mansfield Ski Club, Isabel and I, along with many other members, are concerned that the grandiose scheme to build up to 93 condos, in the parking lot of the club, could cause the club to go into bankruptcy.
The board members, who are pushing this development, freely admit that they tried without success to find a developer to take on the project, so they set up a wholly owned subsidiary of the club, with no independent financing, to build it themselves. A risky proposition, to say the least. We well remember helping buy out the previous owners of the ski hill from bankruptcy as the club was formed, in 1984. This time around, that might not be possible. We also note the recent financial collapse of the time share housing development at the Horseshoe Valley Ski Resort.
Especially at this time, when the club faces an uphill battle to try to operate profitably, under the severe limitations caused by COVID 19, it would seem foolish to be launching a mega project.
The size of the project dwarfs anything the club has attempted so far and changes the nature of the club from a ski hill operator to being primarily a real estate builder/developer. Their only experience in that line so far, was building and selling two single dwelling units at a net loss.
Also, parking has always been tight at MSC, and filling much of the parking lot with condos shows a lack of respect for the existing members, who will have to park in a new lot, further down the hill, and walk up to the main chalet, and the ski lifts.
The concept of this development has been around for several years, but the members have never been given an opportunity to vote specifically on the project. We are not legal experts on the club constitution, but we find this morally unacceptable.
From the township’s point of view, the risk of loosing the largest taxpayer and employer in the municipality cannot be a positive thing. The presence of the ski club is a significant reason why many people are attracted to move to Mulmur, and if it is lost there would be a depressing effect on real estate values in the township.
For these reasons, we think it is unwise to proceed with this risky project.
John and Isabel Ireland,
Mulmur