Civic Group’s Mount Spokane Plan Endorsed Parks Commission Ruling Forces Current Operator To Comply Or Leave

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission on Friday strongly endorsed a local civic group’s vision of how to run Mount Spokane ski area.

The commission emerged from a two-hour secret session in the Spokane Valley Friday and announced its overwhelming preference for the Mount Spokane 2000 Study Group’s proposal.

That means the current operator, Mount Spokane Skiing Corp., will either accept sweeping changes in how it manages the state-owned ski hill or will have to find a new slope to run.

Both the study group and Mount Spokane Skiing Corp. have been negotiating with the state for the concession since January.

The study group wants more events and programs, as well as more community involvement at Mount Spokane. The group wants more diverse activities for handicapped skiers and skiers of different age groups.

Under the group’s proposal, a non-profit board would oversee the operation and activities at the resort.

Mount Spokane Skiing Corp. runs the resort for a profit.

Commissioner Bruce Hilyer of Shoreline, Wash., called the study group’s ideas “clearly superior.”

Spokane attorney Ted Stiles of the study group said the members were pleased by the commission’s assessment. Negotiations between the study group and state parks will continue, with a September agreement likely, he said.

Once the state approves the proposal, Mount Spokane Skiing Corp. will have 30 days to comply with the terms. If the company declines, the study group will be granted the 20-year concession.

The company can keep the concession if it agrees to run the mountain under the terms of the study group’s proposal.

Gregg Sowder of Mount Spokane Skiing Corp. said Friday he wouldn’t comment on the decision.

If a new concessionaire replaces Mount Spokane Skiing Corp., the sticky issue of how much the company’s equipment and improvements to the facilities are worth will have to be negotiated. A new operator would have to buy the chair lifts, maintenance machines and other assets of Mount Spokane Skiing Corp. before taking over.

The appraised value of the equipment - $3.5 million - scared off many potential bidders for the concession when the original request for bids went out last May. That left just the Mount Spokane Skiing Corp. and the study group.

Binding arbitration will settle the price of the assets in the event a new concessionaire comes to the mountain, Stiles said.

The current 20-year concession expired in June, but Mount Spokane Ski Corp. agreed to continue running the ski area until a new agreement is reached.

Wayne McLaughlin, contracts manager for the state parks department, said Mount Spokane Ski Corp. would likely continue running the facilities through the next ski season regardless of the outcome of the negotiations.

The lack of a financial audit of Mount Spokane Skiing Corp. also kept away potential bidders. Without reliable information on the ski hill’s bottom line, other ski operators passed on the chance to bid for the concession.

The parks commission Friday gave its staff permission to pursue legal action to get the company’s books audited.

, DataTimes