Community Corner

Brayshaw: Town Aiming for Multi Use of Powder Ridge

First Selectman says town faces uphill battle in selling abandoned ski area.

 

"Here's my favorite spot," Middlefield First Selectman Jon Brayshaw says gazing out over Middlefield trail, a wide ski slope that cuts down the middle of Powder Ridge Ski Area.

On Sunday, the trail was covered with snow but there were no skiers in sight.

Find out what's happening in Durham-Middlefieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Look at that view," Brayshaw says, now standing next to a shattered window inside what was once The Keg Restaurant. He spends a few seconds reminiscing of the days when skis would be lined up along a wooden fence at the end of the trail.

But the harsh reality is that by the end of the week Brayshaw and the town could reach the end of yet another unsuccessful attempt to sell the ski area.

Find out what's happening in Durham-Middlefieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We gave [Rick Sabatino] until the end of January, that's what we've kind of agreed to," Brayshaw says about the in purchasing the 250 acre property after the town's deal with Alpine Ridge fell through in October. "If I don't hear anything from him we're going to go full steam ahead with the next in line."

The next in line, according to Brayshaw, are the owners of in Portland and Gouveia Vinyards in Wallingford.

While Brayshaw is cautious to reveal any details of negotiations because both groups have asked that their interests remain private for now, he envisions the property becoming more than just a ski hill.

"We're definitely aiming toward multi-use of the property," he says.

Brayshaw makes clear that any buyer interested in developing the property beyond what's already there - which isn't much these days due to the vandalism and neglect of the property - would be required to get approval by various town boards and commissions as well as taxpayers.

"The only thing [a buyer] can say in front of a crowd of 250 people is 'ladies and gentleman I'm going to buy the 250 acres. I'm going to pay you your million bucks. I'm going to restore skiing within three years. That's what I'm promising to do. If I don't do it you can have the property back.'"

Brayshaw takes exception to recent criticism that he hasn't kept the process of selling the property open enough. He says most residents have put their confidence in the Board of Selectman to do the "heavy lifting." 

Any serious offers, he says, will be and always have been shared with the public.

"For five years, every two weeks we've had Powder Ridge on the [Board of Selectmen] agenda. We talk about it openly. We've never hidden from that."

Unloading sheets of plywood in front of the abandoned former restaurant, Brayshaw seems hesitant to board up what still stands at Powder Ridge, as if he knows he's closing the book on part of the town's history.

"Should we have secured it when we bought it? Sure. But we thought we were going to sell the place," he says.

Since buying the property in 2008 for $2.55 million, the town has negotiated with four ski developers.

Each deal has fallen apart.

"It's not just going to be a ski area ever again," Brayshaw says. "The marketplace has spoken several times."

For now, the future of Powder Ridge remains as explainable as the weather around here, but Brayshaw isn't ready to give up.

"Every single day I work on Powder Ridge, every day."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here