Gunstock looking for public reaction Saturday to ideas for expansion

GILFORD — Saturday’s meeting on future plans for Gunstock is as much an opportunity for the public to say what they think the future of the recreation area should be, as it is for the facility’s top management to share their ideas for expansion, according to one key official.

“Gunstock belongs to the people of Belknap County,” Brian Gallagher, chair of the Gunstock Area Commission said. “What the people of the county want is the direction we will go in. This is an open process. It’s not a done deal,” he added.

The commission plans to use the meeting to outline ​elements of a multimillion-dollar, multi-year plan to expand the ski area and add new amenities, including a hotel.

The proposal has encountered strong opposition from some members of the Belknap County Delegation, which appoints members to the five-person commission

Saturday’s gathering is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. in Gunstock Base Lodge. It comes 2½ weeks after about 130 people turned out to a County Delegation meeting in a show of support for Gunstock in reaction to an effort to remove three of the Gunstock commissioners who all strongly support expansion of the facility.

Gallagher said Saturday’s open session will consist of a description of the expansion plan, followed by an open forum when members of the public can offer their support or criticism of what has been presented, or to ask questions.

He said the turnout for Saturday’s session might number in the hundreds.

Commission Vice Chair Gary Kiedaisch will briefly outline how the elements of the plan are designed to protect Gunstock’s share of the New England ski market, protect the facility as a county asset, provide enhanced experiences intended to attract new skiers, and enhance gross revenues in the future, Gallagher said.

Gunstock President and General Manager Tom Day will discuss the elements of the plan in greater detail. Joining him in that presentation will be Claire Humber, director of resort planning and design for SE Group, a consulting firm which has been involved in the design of other New Hampshire ski areas, including Waterville Valley and Loon Mountain.

Day will explain the planning process that has taken place so far, and will also speak about the expansion’s projected impact on the community. Humber is expected to focus on ideas for enhancement and potential addition to ski terrain, improvements to guest services, and creation of on-site accommodations which include a slopeside hotel, Gallagher said.

About 45 minutes are being set aside for the presentations. Following that there will be time for public input, which Gallagher estimated will run about 15 minutes. Afterward the public will still have an opportunity to speak individually with the Gunstock commissioners or any of the presenters, he noted. There will also be opportunities to submit comments on Gunstock’s website.

Ideas for upgraded guest services include expanded parking near the base of the mountain, a mountaintop restaurant, more room for recreational vehicles as well as the addition of cabins in the campground, Gallagher said.

All 18 members of the County Delegation have been invited to attend, as have the three members of the County Commission, Gallagher said.

State Rep. Mike Bordes, who is planning to attend, said he had been impressed with what he heard about the expansion plans so far.

“Gunstock is an asset. It’s exciting to see what they will be proposing,” said Bordes, who represents Laconia. He said he is in favor of ideas that will attract more tourists to the county-owned facility.

State Rep. Travis O’Hara said he too is open to the overall approach that Gunstock’s leadership is taking regarding future development. He added that he hoped that enhancements to the facility would result in Gunstock making larger financial contributions to Belknap County, as well as making larger payments in lieu of taxes to the town of Gilford.

But some delegation members are strenuously opposed.

State Rep. Mike Sylivia, the delegation chair, did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday’s meeting. But at the last delegation meeting on Nov. 16 he faulted Gunstock commissioners for carrying out the planning process in secret without any public input.

Gallagher said afterward that Sylvia had misrepresented the work of Gunstock management and the involvement of the Gunstock Commission in the planning process. He said that ideas for future development were still tentative, and the commission had as yet made no decision as to which expansion projects would actually be pursued. He added that the public input session had already been scheduled, though it had not yet taken place.

Gallagher said that even once a master plan is approved, the decisions to start work on the various elements would be decided one at a time.

“This is all going to be driven by metrics,” he said. “It’s going to be based on fiscal reality.”

No phase of the plan will be undertaken unless the economic and market conditions at the time are “fiscally sound,” Gallagher said.

State Rep. Norm Silber has said he is opposed to the idea of the Gunstock resort being operated directly by the county, and instead has suggested in a letter to the editor that it be leased out to a private operator which would then make payments to the county and the town of Gilford.

He has introduced legislation that would give the delegation control of Gunstock’s budget, which is now controlled by the commission. However, the commission would need approval from the delegation before it could borrow money to pay for any expansion.