Show Standard-Examine- From Page One r Sunday March Plan Court will have to sort out developers’ dispute From 1A It says the area won’t even be called Nordic Valley any more Since Nordic skiing is cross-countr- y not downhill Burnett proposes to rename it “Lamplight Valley” Some of the claims on the Web site might make locals wonder such as the one that says it takes just 15 minutes to get there from Ogden and requires “no mountain driving” The trip is closer to 40 minutes up Ogden Canyon By CATHY McKITRICK Standard Examiner staff NORDIC VALLEY pansion did Monahan said Snowbasin’s process took 15 years and it had the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and a special act of Congress pushing it Miniature Snowbasin n the resort’s other suitor Nordic Valley would be a miniature of Snowbasin with a day lodge and a 15 mountain lodge It would have more than a dozen new ski runs snowmaking equipfaciliment and ties for hiking and biking and maybe even a little fishing The plans he gave to the Weber County Planning office earlier this year show all those things and more He has since told that office he is changing engineers and will file new plans shortly County Planner Jim Gentry said that until who owns AUGUST the resort is settled he can’t give serious consideration to This is a shot of Nordic Valley Ski Resort looking east from the Powder Mountain area Nordic was anyone’s proposals (See ac- sold and an expansion of the resort is part of the plan companying story) will be answered “In that we need to be all factors on the land that Many questions didn’t have can affect construction and sure we protect the roadless If Gentry withWhetton before Even Monahan questions of his own operation including biophysi- characteristics” drew his plans Gentry had enough he got a lot more from Mona- cal and physiographic charac- said many unanswered questions han teristics That is a concern even if about them Along with ownA detailed plan for how Nordic SerBecause the Forest Valley never expands concerns were there ership lot of experience the resort will fit in with the on to land she said beabout how high the new lodge vice has a public with ski resorts both in Utah surrounding community cause people using the rewould be where he would get CounA detailed look at skier sort’s water for snowmaking and and around the nation private land tend to Planner Barker mountain design densities ” Craig ty onto the public land how he would move people Monahan to take a look slope analysis terrain capaciviolating restrictions on moaround on the mountain Gen- asked at Whetton’s proposed Nordic ty and a detailed plan for all torized vehicles try said expansion plans and lifts trails and lodges in all The proposed lifts have Valleyhim any thoughts she phases of construction give Proposal on Net the potential of carrying up had Detailed analysis of the the hill twice the number of Monahan also said she has The question came at a proposed snowmaking sysSkiers the trails can comfortbeconcerns waabout the proposal time for Monahan tem the where good including ably accommodate he said put up on the Internet by There were also a lot of ques- cause she happened to have a ter for it will come from Burnett tions about erosion and re- lot of the Forest Service’s na- Other concerns exist tional experts on ski resorts It talks in several places vegetation There are many other con- about extending ski runs and Whetton said last week he visiting Utah for the Olympic cerns looking at environmen- trails from the resort up onto is going to bring Gentry a Games tal rehabilitation fire control public lands One mentions new proposal although he is A five-palist road access and other things 2000 acres “to be used” for still uncertain if he will use e The result is a Monahan said this isn’t the skiing the same engineering firm “We’re totally looking at a list While the Forest Service first time the Forest Service Monahan said she called has looked at a potential Nor- Burnett about that total revamp of our mountain so far has no direct involvefeeling it design” a need he said he dis- ment Monahan said it isre-a dic Valley expansion made it sound too much like a of the proposed “There’s a long history deal had already been struck covered after walking the neighbor runs and discovering that sort and these are the sorts of There’s been proposals dating “I was concerned about the things it would be asking if back into the 70s” None of some had problems 2000 acres and just wanted Whetton said he is still se- the resort were proposed on them were approved rious about buying the resort its land The Forest Service pro- them to be clear if people ask The bankruptcy was just a reGentry said he intends to duced its own forest plan in the question” she said “They have some long range sponse by his attorney to the incorporate much of Mona- the 1980s That plan is cur- may but plans nothing’s been proand lawsuit filed against him by han’s ideas They include: revision under rently and posed nothing’s been auA more detailed for said and now he has shows the public land the Burnetts plan thorized” been withdrawn He expects the resort’s future including east of Nordic as inventoried You can reach reporter to close the purchase deal in a schedule of building phases roadless area a designation and details of all infrastruc- that puts its use right in the Charles Trentelman at early April or by middle of a raging national He also said all of Gentry’s ture A detailed inventory of controversy questions about the resort 38000-square-fo- rightfully mine” “We’re in a situation where we’ve had to file bankruptcy to protect ourselves We’ve nearly lost everything” Burnett said The golf course was foreclosed on and went up for In 1998 Ayla White Bur- public auction in early March but Burnett said the e nett purchased the was later called off auction Nordic Valley Golf Course “The note holder and I and some surrounding acreage She had dreams of ex- are talking and I hope to panding the course to 18 discharge the bankruptcy holes and building 240 con- and pay the note off” she dominiums Her plans also said Whetton’s home in Eden included underground parking retail shops a large was also foreclosed on and restaurant snack bar and went to public auction March 26 pro shop “In November we had seBurnett also intended to Nordic rious the Valley problems with floodpurchase ski area to expand her proj- ing and the insurance comect further pany said they wouldn’t Stymied by a Weber cover it So I told the mortCounty Commission denial gage company they could for rezoning coupled with have it back” Whetton said Grass Plus Inc has also dry water years that impacted the golf course Burnett’s taken Whetton to court for development dreams moved nonpayment of $18000 in slower than anticipated landscaping services Still by October 2000 she Others also claimed rehad contracted with Ski As- cent financial s with sociates to purchase the ski Whetton area and paid them $25000 Tom Hayes said Whetton in nonrefundable earnest contracted with him to purmoney chase 280 acres of land and By March 2001 however paid him $10000 in earnest Burnett had been bumped money but the check by another buyer Randy bounced Hayes said WhetWhetton Burnett claims Ski ton has until April 10 to Associates breached its con- make it good tract with her while Ski AsMarilyn Reese owner of sociates claims Burnett Sunrise Marketing said missed two scheduled pay- Whetton gave her a $15000 ments of $50000 each check for several embroiBy March 27 2001 Bur- dered jackets which also nett filed a $700 million law- bounced suit against Ski Associates “I’m a small business Inc and Ray McNeely pres- owner so it takes me six to ident of the shareholders eight months to make that The response was a $5 mil- amount of profit” Reese nine-hol- land Any use of that land for-sk- i runs motorized trail use or a tram would have to go through a harsher approval process than Snowbasin’s ex- Whet-to- - In reference to the pending lawsuit Burnett said she Two is “trying to keep what’s Ogden Valley developers each with ambitious dreams involving the same parcels of land are at war Each is hoping to acquire the other’s property Second District Court in April will have to sort it out That vision also clashes sharply with the US Forest Service’s plan for the public In the vision of Jack 11A 31 2002 ot ot year-roun- d MILLERStandard-Examine- r run-in- five-pag- 625-423- Course From 1A feet deep and the width of a backhoe were dug March 11 by Jack Johnson & Co under the supervision of the state Di- vision of Water Quality The work seemed to be routine soil percolation and exploration tests needed to determine runoff flows and whether an area can sustain a septic tank sewer system At that time Jack Johnson & Co was the engineer for a project proposed by developer Randy Whetton who now operates the Nordic Valley ski area and hopes to purchase it in the near future In a letter to Burnett from Jack Johnson & Co dated March 20 2002 Andrew Cusimano said Whetton informed him March 5 that “he had closed on the golf course and that any testing on this land would be OK” The letter further states that in a March 7 meeting Whetton assured the engineering firm again that “the golf course was under his control” But Whetton recalls things differently “Andy (Cusimano) asked when they should start the hole digging and Ray (McNeely) and I discussed it and told them to wait until we acquired the golf course” Whetton said “I’m not real happy with where the holes were dug and once we do acquire it we’ll have to fix a lot of damage” Ray McNeely is president of Ski Associates a group of shareholders who currently own the Nordic Valley ski area In early March the golf course had been foreclosed on and went up for public auction Burnett however said the auction was called off and she is now negotiating with the note holder Mary Hazard wastewater program Health manager for the Department said the whole incident has her confused “About two months ago Jack Johnson & Co contacted us and said the developer had plans to expand the Nordic Valley ski lodge and it needed to be operational by Thanksgiving” Hazard said Since it would require a large sewer system it falls under the jurisdiction of the state she said Hazard said monitoring groundwater levels which would be her job has to be done in the early spring John Kennington an environmental engineer with the State Division of Water Quality said his involvement was to review the site to determine the placement of drain fields for the first phase of the proposed new lodge “The week of March 8th we were told they would acquire the land and would start digging on the 8th or 11th” Ken Weber-Morga- n 2 nington said “So we arranged to show up on March 11th On the 11th I went to the site and witnessed them digging two of the holes At that time I assumed all the property and ownership issues had been taken care of” Burnett and her husband Mike said they discovered the holes March 20 when neighbors tipped them off “I told Mike to go look because I couldn’t take it I went out a couple of days later and realized we were in big trouble” Burnett said She said she counted 20 holes “They refilled some of them and there are big boulders sitting out What’s supposed to be a nice smooth green is now bumpy and the tee boxes are sunk in The sprinkler system was also damaged” Burnett said Sandra Corp of the Weber County attorney’s office said the incident is currently under investigation Whetton currently faces criminal trespass and criminal mischief charges for an incident at the beginning of the year His crews allegedly plowed one end of the golf course to use for parking without contacting the Burnetts County Attorney Mark DeCaria said the current charges against Whetton are class B and C misdemeanors carrying a maximum penalty of up to six months in jail and a $1000 fine said with his own massive expansion plans which also extend to the golf course and of her paychecks wouldn’t clear Jeff Whitehead quit his job as chief lift operator about a month ago saying “it wasn’t a good work environment” Whitehead said he knew of other employees who had paychecks bounce and were paid for fewer hours than’ they worked Roger Terry the manager at Valley Market said they did have a paycheck or two from Nordic Valley that didn’t clear “We no longer accept (any) payroll checks” Terry area has pressed ahead other property Like Burnett “yo-yo- ge lion counterclaim Since then Whetton although he has yet to close on the purchase of the ski Whetton said he also wants to expand ski runs up the mountain on public land managed by the Forest Service Whetton was scheduled to come before the Planning Commission to request a conditional use permit but he canceled saying he was switching engineers and plans were still beirtg revised Ray McNeely president of Ski Associates said he expects to close on the sale of the Ski Area to Whetton soon Whetton has been operating the resort since January “Burnett was not able to proLiber-tyNord- ic ski lift operator for A Nordic Valley Angela Hal-t- li filed in small claims court to get $150 after one said Whetton meanwhile remains optimistic about his development plans “There’s almost no doubt in my mind we’ll be able to duce funds to purchase it acquire the golf course and and we believe Randy will” I’m confident we can close on the Ski Area in the next McNeely said 10 to 14 days” he said Both developers howevBoth developers agree on' er have recently filed bankone thing - that they have ruptcy Whetton filed Chapter 13 no intention of becoming bankruptcy twice March 20 partners You can reach reporter and Nov 29 in 2001 Both cases were dismissed Bur- Cathy McKitrick at nett filed Chapter 13 bank- or ruptcy March 7 2002 625-425- r - 2 f - Y v- - i I - t"- - ‘ wy ' stake marks the area where a sprinkler line was broken at Nordic Valley A Golf Course According to Mike Burnett of the golf course the damage was caused by tests done at the course by the county ROBERT JOHNSON Standard-Exaitun- |