A deal is in the works to settle the Parks & Resorts, the Grand Canyon’s concessionaire for 110 years.
A hearing scheduled for Tuesday in Denver U.S. District Court was cancelled as the park service and the nation’s largest operator of park concessions negotiate a settlement to a lawsuit filed by Xanterra, which is contesting the park service’s handling of concessionaire bids at the Arizona park.
The hearing was supposed to address from awarding a portion of Xanterra’s operations to another concessionaire. That contract changed the allotment of employee housing, a move Xanterra says is crippling its ability to retain employees.
Xanterra’s contract for operating several lodges and restaurants on the Grand Canyon’s South Rim expires Dec. 31, ending a tenure that extends beyond the Grand Canyon’s history as a national park. The park service on its heavily amended contract for Xanterra’s operations, threatening winter operations at the park.
The lawsuit highlights the park service’s struggle to solicit competitive bids for park contracts, which require new concessionaires to reimburse outgoing operators for capital investments in parks.
Xanterra has invested almost $200 million in the Grand Canyon over the last century and the park service is paying that investment down in hopes spur interest from other concessionaires who could pay the park service a larger share of revenues.
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374, jblevins@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jasonblevins
