Big Squaw/Big Moose Mountain Improvements

NewEnglandSkier13

Not sure if this would be good or not. I like the idea of revitalizing the ski area, but I don't like the idea of new resort development.

https://bangordailynews.com/2021/01/20/news/piscataquis/knox-county-developer-proposes-75m-ski-resort-by-moosehead-lake/

JMaul

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20459705/01082021_moosehead-lake-ski-resort.pdf

Did they just use a pic of Katahdin for the cover of the proposal?

NewEnglandSkier13

JMaul;c-46356 wrotehttps://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/20459705/01082021_moosehead-lake-ski-resort.pdf

Did they just use a pic of Katahdin for the cover of the proposal?

Yes, that's from Sandy Stream Pond on the east side of the mountain. It's not even the angle that you can see Katahdin from Big Squaw.

newpylong

If it can give that area a shot in the arm like the Balsams could for Coos County I am all for it.

rickbolger

JMaul;c-46356 wrote Did they just use a pic of Katahdin for the cover of the proposal?

Yes! and a rendering of JFK Terminal 4 for the base lodge

trackbiker

Is that supposed to be a rendering of a ski lift going up the mountain behind buildings in picture 13? If so, I'm thinking someone who was never at a ski area came up with that sketch. Must have been someone from the Louisiana contingent.

lotsoskiing

trackbiker;c-46366 wroteIs that supposed to be a rendering of a ski lift going up the mountain behind buildings in picture 13? If so, I'm thinking someone who was never at a ski area came up with that sketch. Must have been someone from the Louisiana contingent.

Or someone who worked at the Cog Railway

TomWhite

WGAN, Portland had this AP article:

New buyers for decrepit ski resort ask for county support
PHOTO: CLIPART.COM

(AP) Potential buyers of a Maine ski resort that has fallen into disrepair are asking for the support of county leaders.

A developer based in Knox County and a Louisiana nonprofit are proposing to buy out the owner of the ski resort on Moosehead Lake that has not been fully operational since a lift failed in 2004, the Bangor Daily News reported on Wednesday.

The ski resort is located about 77 miles (124 kilometers) northwest of Bangor in Piscataquis County. County commissioners say they will sign a letter of support for the project that would build a new lodge, a hotel and condominiums, new ski lifts, a marina among other improvements, the newspaper reported.

The state sued the owner of the resort, James Confalone, in 2016 for failing to maintain the property, and in response to a court order to renovate the resort, he agreed to sell, the newspaper reported.

The proposed developers, Provident Resources Group of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Big Lake Development LLC, say the project will create 120 jobs during construction and 100 permanent positions. They intend to ask for financing for the $75 million project through bonds from the Finance Authority of Maine, the newspaper reported.

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STORY © 2021 ASSOCIATED PRESS - IMAGES © 2021 CLIPART.COM

rickbolger

Found it! Knew I'd seen this place before.

Brklynskier

trackbiker;c-46366 wroteIs that supposed to be a rendering of a ski lift going up the mountain behind buildings in picture 13? If so, I'm thinking someone who was never at a ski area came up with that sketch. Must have been someone from the Louisiana contingent.

Architect is based in Portland, ME.

Not sure what Provident Resource Group brings to the table. They seem to be more about healthcare and student housing. A ski area doesn't really jive with their mission statement.

FWIW, their 2018 form 990 is here

TomWhite

Peter runs Liftblog.com and is a SJ member.

Could Another Maine Mountain Stage a Comeback?
January 21, 2021Peter Landsman

The mostly defunct Big Squaw Mountain would transform into Moosehead Lake Resort under a new plan by a Maine developer and nonprofit partner. The $75 million project would include a new summit quad chairlift, snowmaking system, a day lodge, hotel and summer activities. “Moosehead Lake Ski Resort and the Greenville area represent one of the only true Four Season resort venues in all of New England,” notes Big Lake Development, LLC, which seeks to purchase the resort from current owner James Confalone. Confalone was ordered by a court judge to restore the mountain to operating condition last year. Maine developer Perry Williams is behind the rebirth plan along with Provident Resources Group of Louisiana. Provident specializes in “mission-based business activities” in the housing, education and health care sectors. “Combining a family friendly ski experience with a high quality, big lake experience will be a unique product in the New England resort industry,” notes the company.

Big Squaw Mountain first opened in 1963 and passed through numerous owners over the decades including the Scott Paper Company and State of Maine. In 2004, while under the ownership of Confalone, the mountain’s Stadeli double suffered an accident which injured four skiers. The lift never reopened, rendering the summit inaccessible. Currently a local nonprofit operates the mountain’s lower mountain triple on weekends when natural snow permits. With the rebuild, that lift would remain in addition to the new summit lift and a connector surface lift between the two base areas.

The vision in many ways mimics the story of Saddleback, which a Boston-based impact investing group began rebuilding last spring. At Moosehead, Big Lake Development would finance its project with bonds from the Finance Authority of Maine. If successful, the group could reopen skiing from the 3,196 foot summit of Big Moose Mountain in late 2022.

TomWhite

NESI has it as well:
https://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=881

slatham

Hummmm, smaller and further than Saddleback or Sugarloaf.......

Peter

Brklynskier;c-46387 wrote Not sure what Provident Resource Group brings to the table. They seem to be more about healthcare and student housing. A ski area doesn't really jive with their mission statement.

FWIW, their 2018 form 990 is here

Am I reading right that they had $200 million more in liabilities than assets in 2018 and the President made $600,000?

joshua_segal

I'm noticing that more and more people have jobs that can be done anywhere with a good internet connection. I see the success (or failure) of remote developments such as Squaw - and yes, the Balsams, too; will be dictated by what happens at Saddleback over the next decade.

If they can make Saddleback work, it will become a paradigm for future similar remote developments. If they don't - well: ballgame over.

TomWhite

I agree with Joshua. Local housing for remote locations is important. This Covid season won’t be an accurate indicator for that with Saddleback.

JMaul

I'm totally for it 🍻

ski_it

Nice JMaul, you can walk 30 feet to the shuttle after leaving the Brew Pub to go to the hotel! :beer

Why does that say Beachfront on the other side?

z1000307470

joshua_segal;c-46402 wroteI'm noticing that more and more people have jobs that can be done anywhere with a good internet connection. I see the success (or failure) of remote developments such as Squaw - and yes, the Balsams, too; will be dictated by what happens at Saddleback over the next decade.

If they can make Saddleback work, it will become a paradigm for future similar remote developments. If they don't - well: ballgame over.

Public Schools say Hi!

rickbolger

ski_it;c-46426 wroteNice JMaul, you can walk 30 feet to the shuttle after leaving the Brew Pub to go to the hotel! :beer

Why does that say Beachfront on the other side?

probably hoping to emulate the "beach" at A-Basin, or more likely the "beaches" at Park City where they have some striped lounge chairs facing the slopes. In central Maine that would be a late March kind of thing LOL