NY State Senate supports ORDA managing Belleayre

Looks like the Senate has a different take, with conditions...

The New York State Senate has staked out a position on the Belleayre Ski Center in their budget proposal: They're willing to let ORDA have Belleayre, if the authority adds a few Catskills representatives to their board and advisory council.

The state senate passed its 2012-2013 budget resolution earlier this week. All three budget proposals -- the Senate's, the Assembly's, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's -- are now on the table. Cuomo and state legislators will have from now until April 1 -- and possibly beyond -- to agree on one final budget, a process that is likely to involve plenty of backroom deals and public chest-beating over the next several weeks.

http://www.watershedpost.com/2012/state-senate-supports-moving-belleayre-orda-budget-battle-looms

I note that there was no mention in the senate's version that Delware and Ulster counties have to pay into Orda as North Elba and Essex county does.  How can this be fair?  If the Cats residents have no skin in the game this makes absolutely no sense.  If locally they don't care enough to support it with local tax $'s how does it make sense to have the rest of the state support it.  Not to mention that local tax payers in Essex county will be paying to support an little know and non profitable ski hill 150 miles to the south.  If put to a vote down there in the Cats I doubt that the locals would vote to support Bell with local tax dollars.

The Cats get representation but without taxation - clearly this is not the american way.

ausable skier wrote

I note that there was no mention in the senate's version that Delware and Ulster counties have to pay into Orda as North Elba and Essex county does.  How can this be fair?  If the Cats residents have no skin in the game this makes absolutely no sense.  If locally they don't care enough to support it with local tax $'s how does it make sense to have the rest of the state support it.  Not to mention that local tax payers in Essex county will be paying to support an little know and non profitable ski hill 150 miles to the south.  If put to a vote down there in the Cats I doubt that the locals would vote to support Bell with local tax dollars.

The Cats get representation but without taxation - clearly this is not the american way.

You continue to ignore the reason for North Elba's contribution. All the venues and 99% of the events are in and around Lake Placid and North Elba owns or owned the Speed Skating Oval , The Olympic Center and the Jumping Complex. This is why there are local contributions from North Elba. Other contributions come from NYS and the Federal Govt. North Creek does not contribute funds and neither should the towns around Bellayre. There are no town owned venues to add to ORDA's management. As we all know, the ski areas are owned by NYS not the towns.

If ORDA runs Belleayre it will not take much to make it profitable and suck that profit into Lake Placid to supoort all the money sucking venues in Lake Placid.

Clearly none of this is a done deal yet.  Sounds like the Gov, Senate and Assembly all submit budgets and then a compromise gets hammered out.

x10003q wrote

If ORDA runs Belleayre it will not take much to make it profitable and suck that profit into Lake Placid to supoort all the money sucking venues in Lake Placid.

Bell is not ever going to be profitable.  Its a hill with only half of it good terrain surrounded by bigger and better ski Mountains.  Its farther from the Thruway.  It does not have as good facilities compared to its private competitors and Orda will now have less money to improve things at all three if its saddled with this loser.  Bell would be losing even more money if it was not giving away so many freebees and below market priced tickets.  What scares you was my idea of having locals vote to have to pay to support Bell because that local population down there understand that this dog won't hunt.

The ice rinks make enough profit to cover the losses for the other LP venues.  Mt Vanho is another matter that loses money and like Bell should be potentially sold or shut down. Darn NYS constitution