The board of directors of the Eaglecrest Ski Area held its regular meeting Thursday evening, with General Manager Matt Lillard discussing maintenance work at the facility, ticket sales for the upcoming season and the uncertain fate of $3.5 million marked for Eaglecrest in a ballot proposition.
Proposition 1, to authorize a $25 million bond issue that would help fund several projects in the City and Borough of Juneau, narrowly trails in vote returns from the Juneau municipal election Tuesday. The outcome remains too close to call.
The proposed Eaglecrest Learning Center is slated to get $3.5 million from the bond next year if the proposition succeeds.
About 1,600 absentee and questioned ballots will be added into the vote count Friday starting at about 11 a.m., City Clerk Laurie Sica said Thursday, shortly before the meeting.
“We’re waiting another day,” Lillard told the board.
Assemblymember Karen Crane, the Assembly liaison to the Eaglecrest board, said at the meeting that she thinks the proposition could pull through.
“I think there’s a real possibility,” said Crane.
Fifty-seven votes out of 6,131 cast separate the number of “no” votes from Election Day on Proposition 1 from the number of “yes” votes.
“Yes” actually led in the count Tuesday night until the final precinct, covering part of the relatively conservative Mendenhall Valley, reported and put “no” ahead.
Referring to pre-election predictions on the proposition’s chances of succeeding, Lillard remarked, “Those who said 50-50 were pretty darn right.”
After Friday, the next big date for Eaglecrest is Sunday, the last day of its Permanent Fund Dividend sale on season passes.
“If you take an average for the next four days, we should be on pace to be about $40,000 above where we were last year for the pass sales,” Lillard reported.
The PFD rate is $449 for an adult unlimited season pass. After Sunday, Lillard said, the “early bird sale” rate is $499 for the same item.
Lillard’s update on Eaglecrest’s maintenance situation touched on one of the most anticipated changes at the ski area this year: the completion of its four-year endeavor to install electric motors in its chair lifts.
“We’re wrapping up our summer projects and maintenance, and starting to prep for the season,” said Lillard. “Hooter (lift) passed its load test today, so outside of a final inspection in about two and a half weeks when the inspector comes up, Hooter is ready to go, and all the other lifts are ready to go or will be.”
Hooter is the last of three lifts to be upgraded with the electric drives. Black Bear lift, which is located farther away from the lodge, is the only one that is still running on diesel.
“We’re looking forward to a nice, quiet ride up on Hooter,” Lillard said.
Thursday’s meeting was likely the last for Crane, she told the board, as new liaison assignments will be made by Mayor-elect Merrill Sanford when the incoming Assembly is organized.
“They try and move us through the different ones,” Crane explained. “It gives us each a chance to learn more about different segments of the borough. And so I imagine somebody else will have the opportunity. But I’ve learned a lot. I’ve really enjoyed it.”
Board President Wayne Stevens praised Crane’s service as liaison to the Eaglecrest board.
“On behalf of the board, I want to say thank you very much, because in my tenure, you are singularly the best-attended Assemblymember and participant in the deliberations of Eaglecrest that we’ve had,” said Stevens. “So thank you very much. It means a lot.”
Board member Michael Stanley echoed Stevens.
“Karen, thank you,” Stanley said. “Your insights into the Assembly’s thinking and helping us shape our decision-making has been really helpful, so really, thank you very much.”
• Contact reporter Mark D. Miller at 523-2279 or at mark.d.miller@juneauempire.com.
Comments (14)
Add commentEaglecrest is a gem
Few communities have such a wonderful facility.
While I didn't support the 1% tax or bond package, and the way they were structured, I'm glad the community supports this operation. Juneau would be a lesser place without it.
What is "Eaglecrest Learning
What is "Eaglecrest Learning Center"?
Why is it worth 3.5 Million from the bond issue?
3.5 Million buys allot of teachers and school nurses.
eaglecrest learning center
Is a proposed building located near the existing lodge. It's intended use will be to house the snow sport rental department, retail and repair shop, ticket window, classroom, staff offices, restrooms and adaptive learning facilities.
The reasons for this expansion is current demand requires more space in the lodge, more room for rental gear, and overall upgrades to the eaglecrest lodge facility. This will alleviate the lodge demand. It's also intended to provide a more appealing location for hosting events.
It's a three-phase operation stretched out over three years, I believe. I support an upgrade to the services we all have access to. We are lucky to have a facility like this, as latitude58 mentioned.
For more info on this expansion and Eaglecrest finances there is a JE article from June this year:
http://juneauempire.com/local/2012-06-22/eaglecrest-sees-spike-use
Actually, noroad...
Since we don't issue bonds to pay for teachers and school nurses, your comparison is irrelevant. The payments on a 20 year bond would barely pay for two teachers or nurses. Is that your definition of "allot"(sic)?
Lat, Uuhhh... the city still
Lat,
Uuhhh... the city still has to pay back the 3.5 million PLUS the interest.
I don't know the exact terms of the bond but a generic example would be 3.5 million at 30 years at 2% means we pay 3.5 million in principal and about 1 million in interest. In monthly payment that would be around $12,000 a month.
The city pays that back using tax monies that could be used for teachers or nurses or anything else that is needed more than a new rental shop at the tax payer supported ski resort that maybe 25% of the population uses.
Exactly
Now you're getting it.
$12,000 a month equals $144,000 per year, which probably doesn't cover much more than one nurse for a year when you consider total employment costs.
And note that if the bond doesn't pass, the city doesn't get that money to pay for Eaglecrest or a nurse or anything else. You keep it in your pocket.
Bonds
My opinion is simply each request for money should be split up for vote. I hate voting "yes" or "no" on a bond when I don't agree with everything in it.
For example I often vote no anytime something about the airport is mixed in it. Simply because as long as we pay ridiculous prices for travel from our only airline in SE I do not want to support more useless airport extensions.
But I would prefer to be able to vote yes on things that grow any activity for our youth.
Have to bundle
It is the only way to get projects through. Don't think there is enough support for any one item.
subsidy?
What is the annual CBJ subsidy of eaglecrest? $750,000 ?
Eaglecrest finances
According to FY 12 Eaglecrest Manager's report, here are the financial highlights:
Sales through Sunday, April 22 including receivables are $1,785,882, a $220,257 (12%)
increase over FY11 YTD.
Expenses through 4/22 are $1,945,308. With adjustments we are ~$39,000 or 2% above
FY11.
The difference of $159,426 I believe is essentially the CBJ subsidy for FY12. If so, I wonder where the $750,000 number came from... wavemkr?
http://www.skijuneau.com/pdfs/20120516085650-r.pdf
Cheesy, the actual numbers
Go to page 29 of the pdf at the link below. These are the 2011 numbers because fy 2012 is not out yet, but the 2012 results will be very close to 2011. The numbers you cite above already include the CBJ transfer to Eaglecrest. Before the transfer of $750,000, in fy 11, Eaglecrest lost $641,000 from operations. That is 36% or revenues or 27% of expenses. That equates to a 73% cost recovery.
http://www.juneau.org/financeftp/cafr2011/documents/SPECIALR.pdf
$750,000 a year would sure
$750,000 a year would sure get more teachers in the classrooms and more nurses in the schools...but its probable better spent so 20% of Juneau can ski for cheap.
EagleCrest should pay for itself.
time to sell
Why not just sell it to the privet sector then the city can get the tax that would generate and not have to pay out. Most of us in Juneau never us it, but our kids sure could use more teachers and nurses in the schools
yes but,
Lots of people over the years have suggested what you say. Juneau has a real opportunity that you don't take advantage of. This is your problem. Not Juneau's. I can guarantee you that Juneau would lose a lot of people if Eaglecrest were not here.
Crotchity old farts could suggest we sell parks and rec so we don't lose money on it... or that we should never have built an ice rink... or that trails should have per use fees to pay for it.
Yes, and you know what Juneau says? As a whole, we are generally for the good of the public. If you don't appreciate all Juneau has to offer, there are many places you can move to without the benefits that we all share in.