Mountain’s Four-Season Committee delivers ideas for pumping up income

Wed, 09/07/2016 - 5:00pm

Lynda Clancy

CAMDEN — After considerable discussion, the Camden Select Board approved increases in day ticket and season pass prices at the Camden Snow Bowl. The increases are variable, with some not increasing at all (provided tickets are purchased prior to Oct. 31), and others going up 10 to 50 percent.

Snow Bowl General Manager Landon Fake delivered the price schedule to the board Sept. 6, just prior to the regularly scheduled meeting at 6:30 p.m. The same-day arrival of the prices prompted Select Board Chairman John French to initially opposed approving the package, declaring he wanted more review time.

But by conversation’s end, the board approved the new prices, albeit with one exception. Select Board member Marc Ratner said he was uncomfortable with laying more costs on Camden residents, who had already absorbed, via a June Town Meeting vote, $300,000 in mountain deficit.

Consequently, the Select Board ultimately voted Sept. 6 to approve the ticket prices, but reduced the pricing on the line that concerned season passes purchased by Camden residents after the Early Bird purchase special ends Oct. 31.

The Snow Bowl is hoping to generate $303,000 in day ticket sales this year, and $200,000 from season passes.

How much?

Fake stood before the Select Board in the Washington Street Conference Room Tuesday evening, after the Camden Snow Bowl Four Season Committee delivered a brief summary of ideas to date on how the financially beleaguered ski area might generate more revenue.

The Snow Bowl has been a topic on the Select Board’s agenda since the spring, when the town began contending with the deficit at the municipally-owned ski mountain. On Aug. 4, town leaders approved a $920,000 Snow Bowl budget, but pledged that it would be watching mountain finances more closely, with the help of the newly formed Camden Snow Bowl Four Season Committee.

In turn, the Four Season Committee is to produce ideas on how to open up new revenue streams at the Snow Bowl.

Fake presented a revised ticket schedule for the 2016-2017 season that increases adult day tickets from $29 to $33, and weekend tickets $39 to $43; likewise the half-day and group ticket prices will all hike upward.

Season passes, whose pricing relies on an anticipated 60-day season, will increase overall for adults, students, military and seniors, but only if they are purchased after Oct. 31, the end of the annual Early Bird purchase special.

Family passes and individual children’s passes, however, will see an increase: Camden family passes will increase from $719 to $799 and nonresident family passes will go up from $999 to $1,099. Children’s passes age 5 and younger will increase from $10 to $50.

The new ticket and pass prices are attached as PDFs, and posted as graphics here. Note: the pricing on the Camden family season pass purchased after Oct. 31 will increase 15 to 25 percent, not 43 percent, per the Sept. 6 Select Board vote.

Fake wanted the board to vote on the ticket prices so that the Snow Bowl could begin marketing them. The season is to begin near holiday vacation, the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

His goal for introducing the hefty price hike after the Early Bird special ends is to encourage skiers to commit to a season’s pass at the front end of the season.

Ratner questioned that approach.

“Why do Camden people have to take biggest hit, when they took the biggest hit last year,” he asked, referencing the June Town Meeting vote that resulted in Camden taxpayers absorbing the Snow Bowl’s $300,000 deficit. “It looks like you’re picking on the local people, who just paid for the shortfall.”

Select Board member Leonard Lookner then asked Fake whether the Snow Bowl had produced a policy governing courtesy passes for mountain stewards, coaches, staff and ski patrollers. The practice of extending courtesy passes to families of volunteers at the mountain fell under scrutiny as the budget was being shaped.

“We haven’t defined anything specifically, yet,” said Fake.

He said the procedure for earning free passes would be further refined; for example, he said, any courtesy passes would be earned only by accruing volunteer hours in a preceding season. New volunteers this winter would have to work toward a free family pass for next year, he said.

There are approximately 80 volunteers at the Snow Bowl, he said. They all enter their hours in the mountain’s point-of-sale computer software for record-keeping purposes.

“Is it possible to get written statement about this,” asked Lookner. “I think it is responsible for the Select Board to see a policy for who pays and who doesn’t pay.”

Lookner then asked if the town need to pay taxes on the barter for the in-kind arrangements.

“The ski industry in Maine has looked at it hard,” said Fake. “We are fine in doing it as a municipality.”

It is important that we have the volunteer base,” said Select Board member Don White, cautioning the Snow Bowl not to change it courtesy pass practice too drastically. “Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.”

Other revenue

Morgan Laidlaw, who is chairman of the Camden Snow Bowl Four Season Committee, said the committee’s work is to focus on the Snow Bowl.

“The committee meets every two weeks, for 90 minutes or so, at 4:30 p.m., at the Snow Bowl,” said Laidlaw.

Its mission is to maximize the “value and offerings of the Ragged Mountain Recreation Area to the community by advising the Select Board and management on policy, pricing, use, development, income sources and other relevant issues that support its financially sustainable year-round operation.”

The committee’s intent is to explore revenue sources other than season passes and lift tickets.

Currently, the Snow Bowl budget has $5,000 in its “alternative revenue” line. The committee wants to increase that to $15,000, said Laidlaw.

One idea includes the better use of advertising, and perhaps establishing a Friends of the Snow Bowl nonprofit, whose members would donate to using the community facility.

“I’m not one of these guys that can put $10,000 on a chair,” said Laidlaw, referencing the Snow Bowl fundraising campaign that includes purchasing a placard that is attached to one of the chairs on the mountain ski lifts. “But as a person who uses [the mountain], I would pay a certain amount of money to pay for parking my car at Snow Bowl. What if there’s a Friends of the Snow Bowl organization, with $50 or $100 [being donated by individuals] that can go in alternative fund?”

Other ideas include mountain biking events and a Friday night pop-up, drive-in movie.

“Has the Ragged Mountain Foundation [the nonprofit that is raising money to build a new lodge at the Snow Bowl] shared with you where they are with fundraising for the lodge,” asked Select Board member Jim Heard.

Laidlaw replied that he thought the Friends had so far raised $1.5 million of the $2million-plus goal.

“I haven’t heard a recent update,” he said.

Board Chairman John French said he believed that the other Ragged Mountain amenities needed work, and revenue. He said the tennis courts now require maintenance, and the playing field, which is used for football, lacrosse, softball and other sports, needs aerating.

The larger Ragged Mountain Recreation Area includes tennis courts, playing fields, trails and the fishing and swimming dock and beach at Hosmer Pond.

“Those things need taking care,” said French. “Is that part of the goal or is it just to shore up the Snow Bowl in a bad year?”

“This could be a little buffer to contribute to operations at Snow Bowl,” said Laidlaw.

“It’s a lot more than the alpine skiing,” said French. “Fishing, walking dogs, swimming, playing tennis; there’s someone there all the time. That’s why I looked at it as the Ragged Mountain [committee]. There are a lot of little things that could be done.”

Lookner asked: “Are we creating these events as a way to raise more money or are we marketing the Snow Bowl to make money? Are we exploiting the Snow Bowl, or getting activities out there that make our commuity a better place to live?”

White replied: “Both of you are addressing what we have been addressing for the past six weeks — the idea is to make it four-season. A few years ago, the community started Friends of the Opera House. Now, once a year, the Opera House sends out form to ask if you’d like to be a friend, and makes a few thousand dollars.”

As for the groups that use the Ragged Mountain fields and amenities, he said: “Maybe somewhere along the line, those groups have to pony up. It is premature to decide exactly what we are doing, but the committee does not want to get involved with exploiting or putting signs out there, but it is a way to raise funds.”

Committee member Ray Andresen, who is also chairman of the Camden Parks and Rec Committee, said: “Any improvementss to the tennis courts goes on the parks and rec budget. If we start charging fees, we have to decide, does it benefit the Snow Bowl or parks and rec.”

“That’s a good point,” said Lookner. “Currently, the Snow Bowl is broken down to specific period. Does that mean the revenue stream outside those months goes to Snow Bowl or parks and rec?

“It’s any way you construct it,” said Andresen.

“Perhaps part of this four-season mandate is to define what is winter Snow Bowl and Parks and Rec Snow Bowl,” said Lookner.

“Bottom line, it’s important that we need to increase the vitality,” said Laidlaw.

“Where does the revenue go, then?” said Lookner.

“The four season is to help reduce operational costs of the Snow Bowl,” said Laidlaw. “So the kind of things that John is talking about is not part of the four season. The primary goal is to help supplement the winter operation.”

“I thought it was revenue to support the whole facility,” said French.

Laidlaw said the committee is also to improve communication with the Select Board about operation and finances at the Snow Bowl.

“I want everyone to enjoy it out there,” said French. “I want those folks to go out and enjoy it, not just the skiers.”

Shaping the Camden Snow Bowl budget: Spend more to make more, or rein it in? (August 4 2016)

Camden voters approve dipping into surplus to cover Snow Bowl's $297,303 deficit

•Camden Select Board forms new Ragged Mountain committee to advise the Snow Bowl (June 7, 2016)

• Camden Select Board chastises itself for Snow Bowl deficit, forms new committees to help

• Camden leaders make plan to reduce Snow Bowl's two-year deficit

• What to do about the Camden Snow Bowl’s $260,000 deficit

• Sales, revenue up for season ski passes up at Camden Snow Bowl

• Camden readies Snow Bowl for new season; ticket, season pass price increases included (July 20, 2015)

• Camden approves Ledgewood contract for phase 2 of mountain work (May 20, 2015)