(Photo by Dion Ogust)
Construction of a gondola lift at Belleayre Ski Center is already in the works after last month’s state approval of $8 million in investments for the center, Shandaken supervisor Rob Stanley reported at the March 6 town board meeting. A request for proposals for the lift has already gone out, and construction is expected to take place this summer.
Stanley said the base-to-summit lift will not only upgrade the downhill skiing but also deliver cross-country skiers to new ridgeline trails, offering the highest lift-accessible Nordic area in the Northeast. In warm weather, the gondola will facilitate high-altitude mountain biking. Funding will cover updates to Belleayre’s two base lodges to improve the off-slope experience.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s initial state budget announcement in January did not include funds for Belleayre, but the town board and other local officials objected to the omission, resulting in the release of funding in February.
If this development for Belleayre is now included in the Governor’s budget proposal, how can construction begin before the state Legislature has approved the state budget? It’s my undertsanding that governors do not always get what they want once the Legislature has had a chance to review and amend such budget proposals.