Friends of

Mount Sunapee

Friends of Mount Sunapee have felt great relief since the denial of the proposed expansion of the ski area at Mount Sunapee State Park by Governor Lynch almost three years ago. Lynch’s action in May 2005 culminated nearly five years of public discussion and organizing by FOMS and many of you.

While this matter is temporarily “off the table,” it has not gone away, and continues to deserve our attention and engagement, as well as other important issues. Here’s a brief roundup of news affecting Mount Sunapee State Park.

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Okemo Sues Lynch for Breach of Contract

Some remember Okemo publicly threatening a lawsuit against the state in the summer of 2005 over their failure to gain access to an additional 175 acres of public land to expand the ski area and facilitate their private development on the western flank of the mountain in Goshen. Then the matter seemed to quiet down, at least, until October 11, 2007, when Okemo filed a suit against the State of New Hampshire alleging breach of contract because Governor Lynch refused to let the expansion move forward and refused to submit the plan to Executive Council for review.

The Governor repeatedly said that he does not support expanding the ski area lease for the purpose of condo development on private land. And, in a recent AP report, the Attorney General’s office said Governor Lynch cannot “be ordered by a court to change his mind” and the Governor and Executive Council “cannot be ordered to approve the expansion plan.”

On February 25, attorneys for both the state and Okemo met with Judge Mangones of the Merrimack County Superior Court to set a schedule for the lawsuit. Discovery is expected to stretch throughout 2008, unless the state is successful in having the case dismissed. Trial is set for early November.

FOMS continues to actively monitor the matter. To read the suit and other information, see our "Okemo Lawsuit" resources page. 

Mountain Reach Gains Approval, Scales Back Plan

After two years before the Goshen Planning Board, the Mountain Reach Development Group (MRDG) gained approval in November for its real estate development abutting the park. (See our Spring 2007 newsletter (PDF, ~600kb) for a full report of this project.)

Throughout 2005, 2006 and 2007, FOMS representatives spent many hours before the planning board advocating for limited access to the state park by condo owners and for minimizing the environmental and visual impacts of the development.

While greatly disappointed to see residential sprawl encroaching upon our beloved park and cutting into the beautiful western landscape of Mount Sunapee, FOMS is pleased that the planning board required MRDG to create a permanent deeded, open space buffer between the condos and the state park. This easement is owned by the town of Goshen and prohibits any mechanized or commercial activity from occurring in the buffer. If strictly enforced, this easement will forever preclude “ski across” trail and lift development, and limits access to the park to human-powered pedestrian access only.

NEHSA Looks to Build New Facility in Province Area

In the Province Area of the park, along the historic Province Road and just above the original beginner rope tow, the New England Handicapped Sports Association (NEHSA) is seeking approval to build a new 12,000 square foot facility. In December, NEHSA went before the Goshen Zoning Board seeking a Special Exception to allow the new lodge in the town’s rural zone, and succeeded in gaining conditional approval.

FOMS attended the Goshen Planning Board hearing and asked about use and ownership of the proposed new facility. The building’s uses will be limited to the activities of NEHSA’s core mission, and will not include commercial rentals or activities. NEHSA also clarified to the board that should their programs ever end at Mount Sunapee, the State of NH would become the owner of the new facility.

NEHSA’s next step in the permitting process is to present an application to the planning board for Site Plan Review. Since the plan includes a significant amount of parking and road development in Newbury, the Newbury Planning Board will also review the proposal. In December, the Goshen Planning Board identified the project as one with Regional Impact, which requires NEHSA to notify affected area towns and organizations, including FOMS, of future hearings.

FOMS continues to learn about NEHSA’s proposal.  Download a scanned copy of NEHSA's proposal to the Goshen Planning Board. (PDF ~1mb)

Read about the proposal, as discussed before Newbury Planning Board in December, 2007.

What Happened to the Ski Area Advisory Committee?

When the ski area within Mount Sunapee State Park was first approved for leasing ten years ago this spring, a mitigating concession made by Governor Shaheen and the Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED) was the creation of an advisory committee comprised of state and local representatives to review all activities related to the ski area. Since its first meeting in the fall of 1998, the Mount Sunapee Ski Area Advisory Committee, or MSSAAC, has provided the only consistent opportunity for the public to gain insight and information about planning and decisions about our state park.

While the committee has no veto power over decisions or actions, the mere presentation of information to the committee offered a glimpse inside the management and policy-making that control the public’s park. However, in the past three years, the MSSAAC has met only three times, to review Okemo’s Annual Operating Plan.

FOMS believes that the advisory committee has played a central role in bringing to light important public information about the future of Mount Sunapee State Park and has helped air critical public policy questions. We believe the public and the park will benefit, if the committee convenes regularly and more often, with meetings posted well in advance and made handicapped accessible.

The commissioner of DRED heads the MSSAAC, which includes the Director of the NH Division of Parks and Recreation and representatives from the Natural Heritage Bureau of the NH Division of Forests and Lands, NH Department of Environmental Services, towns of Newbury and Goshen, Lake Sunapee Protective Association, Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce, Society for the Protection of NH Forests, and Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission.

The on-line link to the MSSAAC is: www.nhstateparks.org/about-us/commissions- and-committees/mountsunapee- advisory-committee.aspx

Mount Sunapee a State Park Again

For much of the last decade, visitors to Mount Sunapee State Park had a hard time recognizing Mount Sunapee as, well, a state park. Official state websites had dropped the words “Mount” from online listings. Also, the traditional state park sign at the traffic circle welcoming visitors was gone.

Campers coming to stay at the campground (sited near the Sun Bowl lift base on the historic Johnson farm) wondered how to get to their camp spot. To many new visitors, Mount Sunapee was just a “resort” with winter downhill skiing. More than fifty years of public access and involvement in our treasured park became hard to see or find.

However, with some encouragement by FOMS, the Division of Parks and Recreation recently restored the full name of the park online, and placed new signs at the traffic circle proudly pronouncing Mount Sunapee State Park ahead.

Our thanks to NH State Parks Director Allison McLean, a Sunapee native, and her staff for making Mount Sunapee a state park again in the public’s eye.

State Park System Advisory Council to Meet March 28

The next meeting of the NH State Park System Advisory Council is March 28 at 9 a.m. at the Department of Resources & Economic Development, 172 Pembroke Road in Concord. Council meetings are chaired by Senator Bob Odell and are open to the public.

The Council, created as a result of the State Park Study Committee (reported in our spring 2007 newsletter), advises the director of the Division of Parks and Recreation on issues relating to the operation and development of the state park system.

For more information and to receive an agenda for coming meetings, contact Program Specialist Torene Tango-Lowy, by email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (603) 271-3556.

If you have questions or comments for FOMS about these and other Public Policy & Public Lands matters, please contact us or call (603) 863-0045.