Gunstock is the Pride of Belknap County

I fully understand the reason folks want to look closely at the bonding issue Gunstock is requesting and it should be closely examined to protect the county taxpayers. I urge all who are able to attend the hearing this Thursday 7/24/08 at Gunstock Main Lodge at 7 PM to do so. If I can change my work schedule, I'll be there as well.

I'll want to point out that Gunstock in recent years has, to my understanding, been self sustaining. Most recently, they have achieved parity between ski season and off season revenues. The current management has done a wonderful job. If my facts are not correct, correct me please. I've never looked over the books & my knowledge is from conversations with the folks in the office so I welcome any corrections.

In years past (15-20??) Gunstock was a drag on County finances falling short regularly on bond payments that had to be paid by the county taxpayers. Aggressive management added night skiing, a high speed lift, and greatly improved snow making. Gunstock is now a competitive player in the NH ski industry. Gunstock is not just a ski area. If you have never seen the beautiful campground or gone horseback riding on their trails, you are missing out.

Many families rely on the part time and full time jobs there. The facility is also an attraction that benefits local motels, restaurants etc. Major events are held there almost every summer weekend and last year they wrestled the lucrative Soul Fest away from Loon mountain. I recently booked my daughter's wedding there and finding an open date was a challenge a full 18 months ahead.

The Gunstock facility is what I consider to be the pride of the Belknap County. It was for this reason I pushed so heavily for our Democratic Party fund raiser to be held there last year. It was a huge success partially due to the excellent services provided by the competent Gunstock staff.

Improvements are always necessary in the competitive ski industry. In these days when the skiing is often secondary to real estate development, Gunstock is like a breath of fresh air with its emphasis on family skiing instead of shopping etc. If necessary improvements are not made to stay competitive we probably run a bigger risk of the facility falling short and looking to the county to cover the shortfall. This is what happened for many years under short sighted policies and poor management.

Having sung the praises let me say it still requires a good look at their plan. I would never support a return to the days of red ink at Gunstock, but we need to be sure that they have the financial resources to continue the successes. Arbitrarily denying the bonding could result in just the shortfalls and higher taxes we would be seeking to avoid. I never want to see Gunstock return to the days when it was a second rate ski hill everybody laughed at & tax payers paid for.

Sincerely
Kenny Bourbeau
Avid skiier and county resident.