Middlefield, CT – Middlefield town officials earlier this month signed a tentative sales agreement for the former Powder Ridge ski area, closed since 2006.nThe deal worth $1 million, however, gives both the town and the buyer, Alpine Ridge LLC, 90 days to change their minds, which is precisely what happened with a ski area operator previously selected by the town.

Alpine Ridge, which paid a $25,000 deposit, plans to spend $2 million to repair and improve the ski area if the deal goes through and reopen for skiing in the winter of 2013-14. The town of Middlefield retains the development rights to the property. It’s now up to a public hearing later this spring and a town meeting this summer to finalize the sale.

The town of Middlefield acquired the ski area in 2008 after the former owner, Ken Leavitt, lost Powder Ridge in foreclosure. In August 2010, Leavitt filed a lawsuit against the town, alleging that it conspired to strong-arm the ski area from his control. An earlier agreement between the town and another potential operator, Snowtime and CDF & Associates, fell apart when those companies abruptly pulled out of the deal, citing the state’s high taxes and cost of electricity. Last December, the Connecticut State Bond Commission voted to fund $500,000 in utilities improvements necessary to ensure the viability of the ski area.