Albany, NY – A report issued by a group charged with finding operational efficiencies in New York State government suggests that the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), a state authority which already operates Whiteface and Gore Mountains in the Adirondacks, may be a good fit for running things at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in the Catskill Mountains town of Highmount as well.

At the moment, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) operates Belleayre at an estimated annual loss of $4 million. But a presentation last week by the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission (SAGE) has provided momentum for those who suggest that ORDA could run Belleayre more efficiently.

But Roger Wall, chairman of the Catskill Heritage Alliance (CHA), which opposes an ORDA takeover of Belleayre, countered the suppositions contained within the SAGE report that operation of Belleayre by the DEC restricts its flexibility and responsiveness to market needs and that with its ski operations experience, a future Belleayre Mountain under ORDA operation could become self-sustaining over time.

“The SAGE Commission’s rationale for moving the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center to ORDA, outlined in its December 15 presentation, makes no sense,” argues Wall. “ORDA historically requires state and local subsidies each year to continue operation. The Catskill Heritage Alliance, therefore, calls on the SAGE Commission to make public its financial analysis of how ORDA will make Belleayre self-sustaining and not require government subsidy, as ORDA historically does.

“We fear that switching to ORDA management may be less about efficiency, and more of a gambit to channel public money and bonding authority to enable construction of the Belleayre Resort, which CHA opposes as environmentally and economically destructive,” Wall adds,  referring to a luxury resort adjacent to the ski area long sought by private developer Crossroads Ventures.

A DEC spokesperson has been quoted as saying that the agency is reviewing the SAGE proposal.

The SAGE Commission’s rationale for moving the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center to ORDA, outlined in its December 15 presentation, makes no sense. ORDA historically requires state and local subsidies each year to continue operation. The Catskill Heritage Alliance, therefore, calls on the SAGE Commission to make public its financial analysis of how ORDA will make Belleayre self-sustaining and not require government subsidy, as ORDA historically does.