Interview with Greek Peak Round 2

Rj1972 wrote

You know Camp, I don't totally disagree with Al and his vision.  

I hear ya, the man has done some good things for the area, no denying that. IMO, HLL would've been better off being open to the public right from day one. If it were me, one my very first events would've involved Virgil Elemantary students and teachers. Can you imagine the buzz that would've created to get those kids/adults all jacked up about the place?!?! But no, you had to be staying there to use the park. Then when the going got tough they looked to us, the locals, to start using the place and spending our money there. That wasn't recieved all that well, most gave them a big FU.

Anyway, only a few months from snow!!!

Yeah, the exclusivity of the waterpark died a slow death when the going got rough. Now they even charge hotel guests to use it.

On a different note, Orions is being gutted as we speak.

I know that a few of you know Alexis Kenney. She was injured in a skiing accident in Colorado last season. A few years ago I saw her ripping up the slopes at Greek on her twin tips and she definately is one heck of an all mountain freerider type skier. Anyways I stumbled across this vid she has recently made:

http://www.newschoolers.com/membervideo/649175.0/Alexis-Keeney---The-Neckbreaker-Edit?s=109867&t=6&o=8

Funny how everyone is all riled up about the Philly player when that same word is all over these rap songs

County I-D-A Endorses Scaled Back Tax Break for Greek Peak
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The Cortland County Industrial Development Agency has granted preliminary approval for a tax incentive package to help the new owners of Greek Peak Resort in Virgil with a nearly $4 million dollar upgrade.

Greek Peak owners Mark Stemerman and John Meier appeared before the County I-D-A yesterday with a revised tax incentive package, they have asked for a break on sales tax and mortgage recording taxes in connection with a $3.8 million dollar upgrade to the resort which includes a new high speed chair lift and several other improvements. Total cost to taxpayers if the exemption is approved is $330 thousand dollars.
 
County I-D-A Director Gary VanGorder says he supports the revised tax break for this project, the improvements which also include upgrades to the main lodge; including new restrooms, a makeover of Orion’s Pub, new rental gear, a new ski shop, and a state of the art groomer are expected to add another 30 thousand visitors to the mountain annually generating sales and occupancy tax.
 
Back in July the new owners came to the I-D-A looking for a 15 year tax break worth $4.2 million dollars, the I-D-A board rejected the proposal.  The new exemption if approved means the company won’t pay sales taxes on construction materials for the new updates and will not have to pay the County imposed mortgage recording fees.
 
In addition to the increased use taxes, Stemerman and Meier must maintain at least 75 jobs at the mountain for the next five years; they employ around 800 people during the prime season.
 
Meier says work on the new lift is already underway and it is expected to be ready for the upcoming ski season.
 
In addition to the proposed tax breaks the new owners will see a substantial reduction in their property tax bill after the Town of Virgil approved a $2.5 million dollar reduction in the resorts tax assessment.  That reduction amounts to an annual property tax break of more than $85,000 or $1.2 million over 15 years. Meanwhile the resort continues to receive Empire Zone benefits.
 
The new abatement is subject to a public hearing which is scheduled for August 20th at 10:30 in the Virgil Town hall, a meeting will be held after the hearing to consider final approval.

Interesting info, Snowshoe.

In case any of you are not aware, the base area is a mess, as the creek flooded most of the base area facilities.  Crews have been in for the last several days removing the carpeting from all of the buildings and trying to dry the place out.  The asphalt in front of the first footbridge also sunk by a couple of feet.  The snowmaking pond blew out.  There was a dumpster full of rental boots, helmets, and bindings that were all damaged.  There were also dumpsters full of drywall.  

Ironically, the log home offices were cleared out, and Wes moved his office to the lower level of the Acropolis within the past few weeks.  Yes, his office was flooded.  I'm not sure what the plan is for the log home, but my guess is that the owners may make it their home away from home, unless they realize that living that close to the road does not make sense.

I also believe that the deck from Orion's will be put on hold.  BTW, the new bar will be getting a new name.

Big D wrote

I know that a few of you know Alexis Kenney. She was injured in a skiing accident in Colorado last season. A few years ago I saw her ripping up the slopes at Greek on her twin tips and she definately is one heck of an all mountain freerider type skier. Anyways I stumbled across this vid she has recently made:

NetikSnow Ep. 5: Alexis Keeney - The Neckbreaker Edit from Netik Clothing on Vimeo.

I am so glad she's ok, that video was hard to watch.

ml242 wrote

Big D wrote

I know that a few of you know Alexis Kenney. She was injured in a skiing accident in Colorado last season. A few years ago I saw her ripping up the slopes at Greek on her twin tips and she definately is one heck of an all mountain freerider type skier. Anyways I stumbled across this vid she has recently made:

NetikSnow Ep. 5: Alexis Keeney - The Neckbreaker Edit from Netik Clothing on Vimeo.

I am so glad she's ok, that video was hard to watch.

Me too

I don't know Alexis, but I do know her dad and knew her grandparents

great people

Rj1972 wrote

Interesting info, Snowshoe.

In case any of you are not aware, the base area is a mess, as the creek flooded most of the base area facilities.  Crews have been in for the last several days removing the carpeting from all of the buildings and trying to dry the place out.  The asphalt in front of the first footbridge also sunk by a couple of feet.  The snowmaking pond blew out.  There was a dumpster full of rental boots, helmets, and bindings that were all damaged.  There were also dumpsters full of drywall.  

Ironically, the log home offices were cleared out, and Wes moved his office to the lower level of the Acropolis within the past few weeks.  Yes, his office was flooded.  I'm not sure what the plan is for the log home, but my guess is that the owners may make it their home away from home, unless they realize that living that close to the road does not make sense.

I also believe that the deck from Orion's will be put on hold.  BTW, the new bar will be getting a new name.

That was some of the worst flooding Virgil has EVER seen. Five inches of rain in 3 hrs was INSANE!!!

Roads totally blown apart, bridges tore out, people evacuated from their homes etc, etc

In Cortlandville they evacuated peeps from Walmart in a airboat

I drove thru a foot of water that night getting up to my house

From local WXHC radio:

"The Cortland County Industrial Development Agency is set to vote today on a $330 thousand dollars tax break for the Greek Peak Resort in Virgil. The incentive is intended to offset a nearly $4 million dollar upgrade to the ski facilities.
 
Greek Peak owners Mark Stemerman and John Meier are investing $3.8 million in the resort including construction of a new high speed chair lift along with other improvements.
 
Other planned upgrades at the main lodge; include new restrooms, a makeover of Orion’s Pub, new rental gear, a new ski shop, and a state of the art groomer.
 
In exchange for the $330 thousand dollar taxpayer funded incentive Meier and Stemerman expect to see 30 thousand new visitors to the mountain. Those new visitors will generate sales and occupancy tax for the County.
 
Earlier this summer the owners approached the I-D-A Board with a more generous tax incentive, they had asked for a 15 year tax break worth $4.2 million dollar. The I-D-A board rejected the initial proposal, the reduced tax break means the company won’t pay sales taxes on construction materials for the new updates and will not have to pay the County imposed mortgage recording fees.
 
In exchange for the tax package Stemerman and Meier must maintain at least 75 jobs at the mountain for the next five years; they employ around 800 people during the prime season.
 
Prior to the final I-D-A board vote a public hearing will held at 10:30 this morning in the Virgil Town hall to offer public comments on the proposed tax abatement."

New bathrooms!!! ??? Be still my heart!

Notice that they are not mentioning the deck project anymore, as I heard it was put on hold for now due to stability issues around the creek.

30K additional skier visits???

I have mixed emotions over the tax breaks.  On one hand, they are investing almost $4M this year.  On the other hand, they only paid $7.5M for the place.  Wasn't that a big of enough break for them?

I hear you.

Thought it a good idea to limit the tax break, at least for now. If things pan out, the tax breaks can be revisited.

Thought it was a wise idea to insist on 75 jobs for 5 years. Don't know if I've ever seen that before with one of these deals, but it's a great idea! Protects the people's investment. Very good idea, IDA!

Glad that mtn/s getting some new life.

Yes, the place certainly does need some new life in just about every aspect.  

The water damage was an absolute shame, but then again, it will ultimately result in renovating just about every base area building.

I was hiking the mountain a week ago, and TLC is needed all over the place.  Hopefully, baby steps will get them to where they need to ultimately be.

They finally repaved the road at the Lodge, which was an absolute necessity, as it was like driving through a mine field.

I wonder when they will begin the snowmaking upgrades on the Iliad?  

This is what they said they are going to do on Illiad:

"Replacing all the sections of pipe on Illiad this year, with the latest ductile iron pipe, and larger 8" line"

(a larger diameter main line will boost capacity)

Why should what they paid for GP have anything to do w/ tax breaks. I don't understand that.

At least the IDA now knows how many people GP employs, this should make for smoother interactions between them. Previous owners had them believing there were 500---that's where the issue was/is.

Big D, I know nothing about laying pipe, but I hope they get to it this year.  I haven't a clue how long it would take. I am just nervous they may get sidetracked due to the flood damage.  They also weren't expecting to have to repair the snowmaking pond, which was not covered on their insurance rider.

Is there really a need for a tax break?  What's truly in it for the county or state?  Would such a tax break really generate any more jobs, or increase tax revenue in other ways, such as increased tourism.  The owners cited that they are expecting 30K more skier visits this year.  The owners should have asked for the tax break before spending the money on improvements.  

Rj1972 wrote

 

Is there really a need for a tax break?  What's truly in it for the county or state?  Would such a tax break really generate any more jobs, or increase tax revenue in other ways, such as increased tourism.  The owners cited that they are expecting 30K more skier visits this year.

Agree, we pay our taxes and I feel biz should too. I just didn't understand why you felt what they paid for the resort had anything to do w/ tax breaks.

Rj1972 wrote

 

 .  The owners should have asked for the tax break before spending the money on improvements.

They did. It was rejected due to the previous owners grossly overstating the amount of employees they had.

Camp, I thought they asked for the tax break after the $3M upgrade announcement was made.  My appologies for the misunderstanding.  

Yes, the Kryger's certainly did have very creative employment figures.  They were all over the spectrum.

fonctionnent particulièrement bien pour des réceptions en plein air. Commencer à fumer la viande de porc, de bœuf ou de poulet la veille, puis couper le matin de la robe habillée réception. Créer une ligne de buffet qui comprend la viande, pains, sauce barbecue, oignons émincés et les condiments pour les sandwichs. Assurez-côtés simples comme la salade robe habillée de pommes de terre, salade de chou, salade de pâtes et des frites de pommes de terre. robe de coktail Ajouter un couple de choix de laitue avec des vinaigrettes ainsi. Offrent des choix de boissons simples, telles que le thé et l'eau. Location Thème

Si votre mariage est proche d'une grande fête, l'incorporer dans le menu. Faire cuire la dinde (environ 1/2 lb par personne), sauce aux canneberges (fraîches ou en conserve), patates douces, haricots verts (ou vert-bean casserole) et dressing pour Thanksgiving. Pour Noël, pensez à une station de jambon avec des choix de pain et condiments robe de coktail avec de la purée, salade, salade de fruits et fudge gélatine. Gardez la réception du Nouvel An festif et chanceux en incorporant chou vert avec du bacon, des doliques à œil noir et pain de maïs dans votre menu. Sandwich Buffet

Au lieu de prendre le temps de faire de la nourriture pour vos invités, créez un buffet sandwich et laissez-les se prendre en main. Inclure plusieurs pain et les choix de la viande, puis ajouter quelques fromages à choisir, avec condiments sandwich standard. Créez un plateau de fruits et de légumes, et d'offrir des frites et trempette. Inclure les cookies ou brownies comme une friandise sucrée pendant que les clients attendent le gâteau de mariage. Offrir des boissons non alcoolisées et de l'eau Pâtes Buffet

cuire deux ou trois types de pâtes, comme spirale et les spaghettis -. Assumer environ 1 lb de pâtes par 12 personnes. Présentez-les dans des bols séparés. Cuire le même nombre de sauces, comme un marinara, sauce à spaghetti traditionnel avec de la viande et une sauce Alfredo. Ajouter le pain à l'ail grillé et un bol de salade. Pour un repas plus intéressant, comprendre modules distincts tels que les olives noires coupées en tranches, champignons sautés ou des coeurs d'artichaut.

Now that's some quality spam right there.

Maybe that's what Greek Peak needs, some cute girls in strappy sandals?