Dear editor:
I am Allen Shiner, a full-time resident of Big Indian.
I have no investments in the area.
I don’t own a business.
I do not work in the area.
I do not work for Windham Mt.
I am not a paid lobbyist.
I am a skier at Belleayre. My entire family skis at Belleayre. My daughter had her wedding reception at Belleayre lodge. My wife’s birthday party was at the lodge.
In a recent interview, Odelle Reynolds, an 86 year old from Kingston who worked on the original ski center remarked;
“WE NEED THE BEST BELLEAYRE WE CAN GET”
We need improvements to the ski center and lodging near the base. They go together.
We can not compete with other ski areas.
When my children come with our grandchildren they all stay in our house. But when they want to ski with their friends with families, they have to go to other mountains that have slope-side lodging.
Belleayre's elevation is 1400 feet.
Let me present two examples of other mountains with 750 foot elevations. Half the elevation of Belleayre.
Holiday Valley Ski Resort, Ellicotville, NY www.holidayvalley.com
Seven Springs resort in Seven Springs PA www.7springs.com
Check out their websites to see the possibilities for Belleayre.
WE NEED THE BEST BELLEAYRE WE CAN GET
Where are we today?
The DEC has spent 8 years and countless man hours, with experts in every field, coming up with their Unit Management Plan.
Crossroads has spent 15 years and countless dollars coming with with their plans.
During this time the Catskill Heritage Alliance has spent around $400,000 trying to kill all progress.
They are not trying to improve the plan as they claim,
but do everything to scare the public with doomsday scenarios, massive gas explosions, earthquakes, runoff water that will swamp the towns, too much traffic, too little traffic, move it to the east, move it to the west, and as we heard at the last meeting ozone and climate change. The rhetoric goes on and on.
I am not an expert.
I DO NOT PROFESS TO KNOW how many rooms to build
I DO NOT PROFESS TO KNOW where to put new slopes
I DO NOT PROFESS TO KNOW what chairs need rebuilding
But the representatives of the Catskill Heritage Alliance
PROFESS TO KNOW EVERYTHING.
Its amazing to see their ads with all their objections to the plans of DEC and Crossroads that have been worked on for so many years, but instantly Catskill Heritage has come up with alternate plans.
I encourage the DEC to proceed with ALL their plans for Belleayre and ignore the delaying tactics of paid political lobbyist, like the Catskill Heritage Alliance.
WE NEED THE BEST BELLEAYRE WE CAN GET
Allen Shiner
Big Indian
