The Lake County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday decided to stick with what works, opting to renew a long-term lease with the existing operators of the county-owned Ski Cooper ski area.
After three public meetings, the commissioners split in a 2-1 vote to slightly tweak the existing lease for the volunteer board that has run the ski area for the past 20 years. Local groups had urged the commissioners to consider more sweeping changes, either by soliciting proposals from potential new operators or by adding performance standards that would force Ski Cooper’s operators to work harder to lure more visitors.
The nine-man board that runs the ski area was asking the commissioners to renew its lease for another 20 years, noting that the area had funded $5.5 million in improvements since 1992 without incurring any debt or asking the county for any money.
John Clapper, a 21-year member of the Ski Cooper board and manager of the ski area, said: “We are really proud of our record — that we’ve never gone back to the county for assistance.”
The commissioners voted to sculpt a 15-year lease. They also will require the serve-for- life management board that has traditionally met in private to hold two public meetings every year. And the board must provide the public with an annual accounting of the ski area’s revenues and expenses.
The county’s attorney is drafting a new lease, which will require final approval by the commissioners.
The modest concessions are not enough, said Leadville City Councilman Jaime Stuever. Stue ver joined a few local groups — such as Friends for Change at Cooper Hill — in arguing that the commissioners should open a bid process to see what other operators would consider at the 400-acre ski area, which averages about 62,000 skier visits a year.
Stuever said Ski Cooper is a “winter gold mine” that could spark economic activity during Lake County’s dormant winter months.
“This new lease has no teeth,” said Stuever, who plans to run for Leadville mayor this fall. “It’s a rubber-stamp process. All (the commissioners) have done is given us lip service. They told us at the beginning that we had great ideas, and then they never considered anything.”
Lake County Commissioner Mike Bordogna crafted 11 changes to the ski area’s lease, but his colleagues on the board supported only two — two open meetings and annual accounting reports — in the new contract. He voted against the proposed new lease.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” Bordogna said. “But you can’t always get what you want.”
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com
