Ski Marmot Basin put the details of its long range plan on display June 24, in an open house at the Lobstick Lodge in Jasper.
The open house was the second held in two days (the first one was in Edmonton), and provided a way for Ski Marmot Basin to push out information about changes to the ski hill the company is proposing in its Long Range Plan.
Key aspects of the plan include a proposal for more snowmaking on the upper mountain, which will require expanding a reservoir on the hill and building an additional one; clearing about 600 trees to expand parking lot capacity by about 630 cars; renovating the Caribou Chalet and minor glading in the mid-mountain area.
The changes were first deemed acceptable by Parks Canada in the 2008 Marmot Basin site guidelines, and now the ski company is required to seek public feedback on the LRP and Detailed Impact Analysis.
The public consultation began June 9, and will last for 30 days. Once it ends, the feedback will be given to Parks, and Supt. Greg Fenton will decide if any changes need to be made.
If he gives the go-ahead, the whole plan will need to be signed off on by federal Minister of Environment, Leona Aglukkaq. Marmot will then need to get the appropriate permits from Parks Canada to begin the changes.
At the June 24 open house, President and CEO Dave Gibson said if everything gets approved, Marmot will begin by upgrading its snowmaking abilities - hopefully by 2016.
“Snowmaking on the lower part of the mountain is the number one thing that has changed Marmot Basin, and tourism in Jasper,” he said, adding that the company wants to be able to start its seasons with both the upper and lower mountains open. The increased snowmaking will mean Marmot can open four of the key runs on the upper mountain right off the bat.
The June 24 open house lasted for four hours and about 30 Jasperites showed up. Upwards of seven or eight Marmot representatives wandered the room for most of the night, significantly outnumbering curious visitors at all times.
“We’re ready to answer any questions, I just need to have them asked,” Jason Patterson said, adding that attendance at the Edmonton open house was similarly sparse.
And while attendance was limited, some did show up ready with questions. Jill Seaton was one of them.
Seaton is a member of the Jasper Environmental Association. In a conversation with former park superintendent Ron Hooper, Seaton raised her concerns that the proposed changes at Marmot could hurt surrounding wildlife.
“The strategic environmental assessment said the whole trend would be to mass transit. Now, they’re putting in more parking lots and taking out 600 trees, but I don’t hear a lot of talk about mass transit,” Seaton told him, referring to the promise in the long-range plan that Marmot will work with other organizations in Jasper to assess the viability of an integrated bus system.
Hooper - who now works as a consultant on the project - told Seaton her concerns were valid, but said the company faces several challenges to making that viable.
He pointed out that Marmot runs busses to the hill all season, and their use has been decreasing, adding that it’s hard to get visitors to the hill to leave their cars.
“People drive from Grande Prairie in their one-ton pickup trucks, and it’s really hard to get them out of their trucks,” he said. Marmot’s parking lot is too close to the runs, making it a convenient alternative to lockers in a ski lodge.
Later, Seaton said she is concerned that extra traffic on the road will pose significant danger to the fragile species that live near it, and Hooper replied that the expansion to parking lots and the road is the first step in a process that he hopes will eventually see less cars visiting the ski hill.
“They’ll be putting a Wal-Mart up next,” Seaton retorted with a wry smile.
Across the room, Todd Noble filled out a questionnaire about his experience at the open house.
He said the event “gives everybody an opportunity to participate,” in the process.
“Myself, I feel like I’m in the know. I think people who are coming here it’s just to make sure what they know is actually what they know,” he said. “I don’t want to be spewing the wrong info.”
To read the 2014 Long Range Plan and detailed environmental impact analysis, visit www.skimarmot.com.
Trevor Nichols
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