Financing and permitting are still needed to move the project forward.
Saturday, July 9, 2016, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
The long awaited Balsams redevelopment has been postponed again, reportedly due to financing and permitting issues.
According to the Berlin Daily Sun, Dixville Capital spokesperson Scott Tranchemontagne said, "We're now aiming for early fall - certainly starting work this year."
The project was originally slated to start on June 1, 2015, however developers cited the legislative bond process as reason for delaying construction until late summer 2015. The project was delayed again during that summer with a new groundbreaking date set for fall 2015. More recently, a June 1, 2016 groundbreaking date had been suggested.
In order to obtain some $28 million in state financing, Dixville Capital will need the approval of the Business Finance Authority and Governor and Council.
In addition, there are rumors suggesting the Northern Pass transmission line project will need to move forward in order to unlock significant private funding for the project. Dixville Capital's Les Otten has come under fire recently for accepting funding from Northern Pass's Forward New Hampshire fund and reportedly pressuring local elected officials to drop their opposition to the transmission line.
Meanwhile, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation is in the process of constructing an $850,000 tunnel under Route 26 at the resort to allow snowmobiles and grooming vehicles to pass under the highway. The Department of Transportation also plans to conduct multi-million dollar road reconstruction projects inside the resort, prior to transferring ownership of the roads to the developers.
The northernmost chairlift served ski area in New Hampshire, the Balsams Wilderness operated from 1966 until 2011, when the Dixville Notch Balsams Grand Resort was shuttered. While equipment has been sold and some hotel related structures demolished, the ski lodge and triple chairlifts remain in place.
The previously released Balsams Phase 1 Expansion Map from Summer 2015
