Friday, June 13, 2008

County gives green light to Rotarun

Ski club anticipates beginning some construction this year


By JASON KAUFFMAN
Express Staff Writer

Proposed expansion plans at the community-managed Rotarun ski area west of Hailey in Croy Canyon that include a snowmaking system and a larger day lodge were given approval to proceed last week by the Blaine County Commission.

The low-cost alternative to skiing on nearby Bald Mountain is 2.5 miles west of Hailey and is located on land owned by Blaine County.

County commissioners approved the plan for the ski area after hearing a number of local residents speak out about the proposal on Tuesday, June 3.

Under the expansions planned by the Rotarun Ski Club, the recreational site will sport a new a seven-tower two-person chairlift, brand new snowmaking equipment and a 3,200-square-foot day lodge donated to the group by a Ketchum developer. In its former life, the lodge served as the Ketchum headquarters for the Sun Valley Helicopter Ski Guides.

Sun Valley Co. donated the new ski lift to the ski club, which is a community owned nonprofit organization run by volunteers and paid staff.

Under their proposal, the new day lodge building will be remodeled and expanded by 500 square feet to include a rental shop, a ticket and race desk, restroom facilities, a food service area, room for dining, an office for the Rotarun Ski Club and a multi-purpose room. The ski area's existing building will be reserved for use by local ski teams.

The proposed snowmaking system would include 12 snowmaking guns, a lined holding pond, a pumping station and in-ground transfer pipes.

The existing Rotarun facilities consist of a rope tow, a seven-tower Poma surface lift, a 1,600-square-foot day lodge that contains restrooms and a limited food service area and a 40-car dirt parking lot. The ski area provides night and weekend skiing to the public on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Under Blaine County zoning, the approximately 30-acre Rotarun ski area falls into the Recreational Development zoning district, with portions of the property also falling into the county's Mountain Overlay district.

McNees said everyone who commented on the project seemed to agree on one point.

"Everyone wants them to be successful," he said.

Perhaps most concerning for some is the ski area's location next to the Sage Springs subdivision. Throughout the public hearing process, neighbors in the subdivision have shown up to voice concerns about certain aspects of the plan.

Whether the ski area has the necessary water rights to operate the new snowmaking system has been at the center of the debate throughout the public hearing process.

Blaine County planner Shana Sweitzer said neighbors of the project recently appealed a preliminary permit given to the ski club by the Idaho Department of Water Resources to drill a well to supply the project's water needs. She said the development of the snowmaking system will be on hold until IDWR officials decide on the appeal.

Sweitzer said the county commissioners also placed stipulations in their approval that requires whatever snow guns are used in the snowmaking system to be kept a certain audible level so as not to disturb neighbors of the ski area.




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.