Schweitzer Imbroglio Runs Into Big Hassle

An 80-acre chunk of land at Schweitzer Mountain Resort has turned into a bit of a headache. The owner of the parcel was ferreted out of land records during the battle over the sale of the ski hill.

R. David Brown, a distant relative of the Brown family, who own and founded the resort, has a key parcel he leases to the resort.

His 80 acres is the site for the beginner ski run and chairlift. The base of chairlift No. 4 also is on the property. The resort’s lease for the land expires in December 1999.

Companies that appraised the value of Schweitzer said if the lease is not renewed, the lifts likely would have to be moved. The mountain also would have to use existing property slated for condominium development to build a new ski run for beginners and the ski school.

Resort trustee Ford Elsaesser has been in contact with Brown. Brown is waiting to see who will be in control of the resort before making any decision, Elsaesser said.

If the lease to the land is lost, it was estimated to cost $682,000 to realign lifts and create a new run. Shuttle buses also would be needed to take skiers from the lower parking lot to the resort’s lodge. One of the ski lifts now is used to haul patrons from the parking lot to the base of the mountain.

Harbor Properties Inc., which wants to buy the resort, has talked of installing a gondola on the mountain. It would allow skiers to park at the bottom of the mountain and ride to the top. That would ease parking problems and free up current mountaintop parking lots for development.