Idaho ski area forced to close

DONELLY, Idaho – When it began loading skiers in late 2003, Tamarack proclaimed itself the first major destination resort in the United States to open since Beaver Creek in 1980.

But Tamarack, located 100 miles north of Boise, was forced to close March 4, the continued financial losses unacceptable to receivers of the bankrupt resort.

After its opening, the resort had expanded rapidly, with seven ski lifts, bike trails, and a Robert Trent Jr.-designed golf course. But problems became apparent in 2007, and developer Jean-Pierre Boespflug and primary partner Alfredo Miguel Afif needed to get a refinancing from Credit Suisse. That financing was considered crucial to build the base-area village.

Instead, Credit Suisse called in a $250 million loan, forcing Tamarack to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

But the resort continued to lose money, $2.8 million since October, which is greater than the resort (or anyone else) anticipated, according to court documents reviewed by the Associated Press. Of the 2,100 planned housing units, only 250 have been completed.

Speculation last year had been that Vail Resorts or Intrawest would be interested in the assets of Tamarack. But what matters entirely is the price. Resort industry analysts always found Tamarack a risky proposition, because of the immensity of the infrastructure needed at the resort, but also its remoteness.

 

Gated community goes on the block

PARK CITY, Utah – In similar news, Promontory, a half-built gated community near Park City, is to be sold at auction in mid-April. The developer had defaulted on a $275 million loan from Credit Suisse in December 2007.

About 300 houses have been built on more than 700 platted lots, with eventual plans calling for more than 1,900 houses, reportsThe Park Record. The newspaper says Credit Suisse, as the agent for first lien holders, had the option of raising $70 million to keep the luxury development afloat. But instead, it is to sell the property to the highest bidder.

Earlier, the Associated Press had reported the project was the first of several major resort communities to recover from bankruptcy. The projects, located from Hawaii to Florida, were forced into bankruptcy by the real estate meltdown.

Rich Sonntag, Promontory managing director, toldThe Record that the auction allows other parties, who are more directly involved in the development business, to bid for control and may even accelerate Promontory’s rebound from bankruptcy under what he called the guidance of a “qualified developer.”

 

A-Rod rehabilitates hip in Vail

VAIL – Alex Rodriguez, the phenomenally gifted, wealthy and now controversial baseball player, has been in Vail for several weeks to rehabilitate after surgery on his hip.The New York Times visited Vail to meet with the doctor who performed the surgery, Marc Philippon, and get local reaction.

“In fact, Rodriguez’s stay in Vail has produced a collective shrug, at least from those who live and work here,” reported the newspaper. “In Vail, he is more than a mile high and nearly 2,000 miles away from the turbulence he continually creates in New York. Just this week, he raised eyebrows from Brooklyn to the Bronx with his off-the-wall, on-the-mirror photo spread inDetails magazine. But in Vail, who cared?”

While the skyline of Vail continues to be permanently crowded with cranes, celebrities like Rodriguez file in and out of town, impermanent parts of the landscape. “It’s not to say people don’t know them,” said Dick Cleveland, the mayor. “But celebrities are very comfortable here because they enjoy it without undue harassment.”

Rodriguez chose Vail, as do many professional athletes, because of its Steadman-Hawkins Clinic, which has a staff of nine highly regarded orthopedic surgeons.

 

Banff grizzlies adapt to safe crossings

BANFF, Alberta – There are 22 ways under and 2 ways over the TransCanada Highway for wildlife within Banff National Park, and the evidence is accumulating that grizzly bears are using the structures ever more each year.

You still wouldn’t call it a rush, but there has been a steady increase, from five crossings the first year of monitoring, in 1996, to 177 crossings last year. About one-fifth of the estimated 60 grizzly bears in Banff have used the structures.

Tony Clevenger, the project’s principal researcher, said the evidence shows that the bears prefer broader overpasses, instead of the more constricted underpasses.

For wildlife researchers interested in improving the permeability of highways such as Colorado’s I-70, the structures have become something of a must-see. TheRocky Mountain Outlook notes that wildlife biologists from around the world are paying attention to the crossings in Banff. But Jim Pisscot, of Defenders of Wildlife Canada, says neither the governments of British Columbia nor Alberta seems keen on following the lead of Banff.

 

Woman ordered to give up chimps

RED LODGE, Mont. – A showdown is under way between the local county government and Jeanne Rizzotto, who has two chimpanzees. The county authorities want the chimps moved or, at least, put into a sanctuary run by professionals with primate experience. They are threatening to seek a court injunction, forcing her to give up the chimps. TheCarbon County News says that after a recent hearing, a defiant Rizzotto told reporters it wasn’t going to happen. “The chimps would be removed over my dead body,” she said.

The chimps have appeared on both the “Today” show and “Nightly News.” They have also escaped, and the last escape resulted in what the newspaper describes as an attack on one of her neighbors. As well, county officials say, Rizzotto has acknowledged in the past that she couldn’t “count how many times” her chimps have bitten someone.

Bottom line: the county wants the chimps strictly quarantined. Failing that, they want to move the chimps to a sanctuary run by professionals with primate experience.

 

Whistler walks sustainability talk

WHISTLER, B.C. – Whistler’s municipal government has allocated $450,000, or about two-thirds of the first-year budget, for the Whistler Centre for Sustainability.

Cheeying Ho, the executive director, said her group has six employees and will be working both within the community and more broadly across British Columbia. It is already promoting energy conservation at lodges. It may launch a program called “green table network,” which is designed to help restaurants and other food services in Whistler hone their sustainability practices.

The program is also working with other resort communities in British Columbia. Apparently, there will be a charge for this expertise. Ho toldPique newsmagazine that she expects the sustainability centre to be financially self-sufficient at the end of three years.

 

Containers considered for housing

FRISCO – Metal shipping containers – the kind you see on trains – may be used to create four units of housing for town employees in Frisco. If so, the containers will be dressed up in an attempt to blend with the historic context of Frisco.

Architects and others have been experimenting with the containers, because they are commonly available for little or even no cost. They are variously 20- or 40-foot long and typically more than 7 feet tall. They are used to transport goods from China and other manufacturing centers. They can be plucked from the holds of shipping vessels and deposited onto rail cars for further transport.

The thinking it is that it’s cheaper to dispose of them in the United States than transport them to China again for reuse.

 

Wolverine spotted in Sierra Nevada

TRUCKEE, Calif. – A wolverine first photographed in February 2008 has been seen again north of Truckee. Environmental scientists were mildly disappointed, because they had hoped it was a female, reports theSierra Sun.

Analysis of DNA in the wolverine’s hair revealed that it was not a descendant of a species of wolverine that disappeared from California in 1920. Instead, this is a wolverine that came from somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. The closest place is in the Sawtooth Mountains, located near Ketchum, Idaho, roughly 600 miles away. It’s not impossible for a wolverine to cross that space, although not ordinary.

 

Vail employees decline pay raises

VAIL – Vail’s best-paid municipal employees have declined merit pay increases of 4 percent. Stan Zemler, the town manager, who earns $160,000 a year, and Matt Mire, who earns $132,000 a year, both said thanks – but no thanks. Also declining the pay raise is the town judge, Buck Allen, who earns not quite $50 an hour for typically 17 hours of work per week.

Vail’s sales tax revenue dropped 13.5 percent in January. The town has already cut more than $7 million from its 2009 budget and eliminated several jobs, theVail Daily notes.

– Allen Best

 

In this week's issue...

January 25, 2024
Bagging it

State plastic bag ban is in full effect, but enforcement varies

January 26, 2024
Paper chase

The Sneer is back – and no we’re not talking about Billy Idol’s comeback tour.

January 11, 2024
High and dry

New state climate report projects continued warming, declining streamflows