New chairlift this Spring and a price freeze for next season!

Dear Member,

At the annual general meeting in October 2010, the membership approved the financing for a new quad chairlift to replace the existing 38 year old triple chair on the North Run. We are pleased to inform you that the chair has been ordered. The installation of the chair will begin in May 2011 for use in winter December 2011.

The chair comes at a cost of $1.5 million of which we were able to secure financing for $1m from a financial institution. The balance will come from a $450,000 reserve which we have been building over the last two years and our operating budgets. The ability of securing financing was reflective to the Club building these reserves.

We are also excited to announce that we are in the process of planning our ongoing fund raising activities to assist in financing this lift (as well as other required infrastructure enhancements in our 10-year strategic plan).  In the near future, we will be addressing the second lift replacement as announced at the AGM - the Sugar Bowl chairlift that will be discussed once financing is secured.

We do want to acknowledge our thanks to the membership and to the outstanding support from the many visitors who purchase lift tickets, rent our equipment, register in programs or make use of our food & beverage operation year round to make this happen.

We are also pleased to advise you as part of our loyalty program we will not be increasing our prices of memberships or lift tickets for 2011/12 winter season.

Moving forward, the Board and the Management Team have been working on the execution of a strategic plan that will continue enhancing our aging infrastructure while also building for the future. The importance of the plan is to ensure the financial implication of these changes can be addressed by raising new sources of funding. This will be accomplished through a comprehensive capital campaign consisting of sponsorships, personal donations, fund raising events through to a corporate campaign. It is our goal to have this implemented within the next four to six months as additional infrastructure enhancements need to be addressed.

In closing, we are all proud of our facility here at Chicopee. By working together, we will enhance our infrastructure and ensure our future viability for many more generations to enjoy and appreciate.

Yours truly,

Richard Parent
President, Chicopee Ski Club