N.L. still putting millions into Marble Mountain while seeking buyer
Cabinet minister says hill remains crucial to tourism economy on Newfoundland's west coast
The ski lodge lights are off and the kitchen is closed. The hill is mostly bare, with small patches of snow shrinking in the sunlight. The last skier of the season swooshed down the mountain a month ago.
Marble Mountain Ski Resort, on Newfoundland's west coast, saw fewer visitors this past season, due to milder weather and a major mudslide in February, caused by heavy rainfall.
But the provincial government allotted another $1 million in this year's budget for capital works at the mountain on top of the $306,000 the hill gets for operational costs each year. The province has also provided the resort with an additional $1 million for the past five years.
Steve Crocker, minister of tourism, culture, arts and recreation, said the government will continue to spend money on the resort.
"We will keep supporting Marble because Marble is a very important part of the tourism product on the west coast and we are continuing to look for opportunities in the shoulder seasons, and quite honestly we have found some successes there," Crocker told CBC News in a recent interview.
Summer destination
Last year, some of that capital investment went to fixing the chair lift, improving the Marble Villa accommodations and building a viewing platform at the top of the hill for summer tourists, who can take a lift up and down the mountain.
To generate revenue, Crocker said, Marble Mountain will target the thousands of cruise ship tourists who visit Corner Brook each summer and fall.
The provincial government is also working with the West Coast Cycling Association to tie Marble Mountain into its trail networks, efforts Crocker says will help make the place more alluring to an outside buyer.
In June 2018, the provincial government issued a request for proposals in its efforts to privatize the hill. But three years later, it cancelled the RFP, saying it received only three submissions, and aspects of the proposals had changed due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crocker says a new request for proposals is coming in a few months, because the province should not own and operate a ski resort.
"We have substantial work done that we can provide to proponents now so that anybody who is interested in Marble Mountain can go in there, eyes wide open, and not only see what the challenges are but certainly see what the opportunities are," Crocker said.
Aging infrastructure
Bruce Hollett, executive chairperson of the Marble Mountain Development Corporation, says it's important that the government continues to spend money on the resort while looking for a buyer because the ski resort is a major tourism attraction in the area, one the local economy depends on.
The board, which is responsible for operating the hill on behalf of the government, says some of this year's funds will go toward the summer observation deck but most of it will be used for maintenance and repair of the groomers, equipment and aging infrastructure. The resort's wooden buildings are close to 30 years old, said Hollett.
"Like anything else, you have to maintain that." said Hollett.
In the winter, Marble Mountain employs close to 150 people, and even during the slow season, there are dozens of workers. Hollett says hotels, restaurants and gas stations in the Corner Brook area do well when Marble is open.
"And when Marble has to close, everybody suffers. So it's a significant investment, yes, but it is a really important investment," he said.
Hollett says staff are currently preparing for 14 summer weddings while repairing and improving parts of the ski trails.
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