What Will Burke Look Like?

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Created on Friday, 28 September 2012 20:18

Written by Joseph Peters

BURKE - After an avalanche of information Thursday traveled from Jay Peak all the way down to Burke Mountain, Friday was spent digesting Thursday's big news. Four new lodges at Burke! 150,000 people per year! But what do these numbers - and the grand plans that accompany them - mean for residents of the Northeast Kingdom?

Under new ownership, Burke Mountain announced yesterday the $108 million project that will be completed within the next three years.

"You either progress, or you stagnate," said Tim McGuire, general manager of Burke Mountain. "And if you stagnate, you probably go out of business."

The current plan calls for four rustic lodges, to be built on various points on the mountain. McGuire said the plan is to build a lodge at mid-Burke first, to replace the lodge there that is currently a bit outdated.

"It's been added to many, many times over it's lifetime," McGuire said. "Structurally, it's tired."

Three other lodges closer to the base of the mountain would follow. McGuire says that the four lodges - which would collectively sleep 1,250 people - will help the mountain reach its goal of 150,000 ski visits per year. That number has some residents worried.

"Burke can't stay the way that it currently is," said Tim Flynn, a St. Johnsbury resident. "It doesn't have the skiers to make the finances work. I think they're committed to bringing in more skiers but, I hope, not too many."

"But," Flynn added, "I have a lot of faith in the plan they're putting together."

In his press conference yesterday, Bill Stenger, the president and co-owner of Jay Peak and Burke Mountain, attempted to reassure the local population - not only that overcrowding would be avoided, but that he had only the best intentions for the region.

"Our goal, our commitment, is to bring stability, confidence and consistency," Stenger said. "And we will be here come hell or high water to make sure that the things that we agree on as a community as the things that we want to see happen do, indeed, happen."

McGuire echoed those statements in his interview today.

"When [Stenger] decided to buy Burke Mountain, he bought it with the thought that he would keep the small feel and character of Burke intact," McGuire said. "If you look at that number [150,000 ski visits] versus what average numbers throughout the industry are, it's still miniscule. We'd still be one of the least-populated ski areas in the state, and you'd have the most open and uncrowded trails in the state as well."