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Duluth mayor proposes $24 million investment in Spirit Mountain City would request $12M in state bonding money. May 6, 2021 10:28pm Text size Copy shortlink:
DULUTH – Mayor Emily Larson wants to invest $24 million into Spirit Mountain, a significant public lift for the financially struggling city-owned ski hill. It has felt like our entire financial strategy for this incredible regional asset has been based on Band-Aids of emergency cash infusion, Larson said at a news conference Thursday. Spirit Mountain is caught in a continual lose-lose loop of financial calamity, facility maintenance crisis and continual operational challenges.
Larson is seeking $12 million from next year s state bonding bill and another $12 million city-issued bond. Spirit Mountain would be asked to cover half of the city s debt, and tourism taxes would cover the other half.
Duluth would ask the state of Minnesota to pay half the cost with bonding funds. Written By: Peter Passi | ×
Skiers and snowboarders ride the Big Air Chairlift at Spirit Mountain on Sunday March 21, 2021. Installing a new lift is one of the recommendations made by a consultant looking at the recreation area’s future. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson unveiled an ambitious plan for improvements to the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area at a Thursday afternoon news conference below the Skyline Chalet. For years, the main community narrative of Spirit Mountain has really been one of exhaustion and frustration. To be honest, I really get that. It has felt like our entire financial strategy for this incredible regional asset has been based on Band-Aids of emergency cash infusion, she said.
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson addressed the media Thursday afternoon to offer recommendations for making the Spirit Mountain Recreational Area a more financially viable entity in the years ahead.
The press event, held at Spirit Mountain at 2 pm on Thursday afternoon, offered recommendations based on a report from the Spirit Mountain Task Force and consulting firm SE Group. The report explored how to bring better financial footing and improvements to the recreation area, which has amassed a sizable debt in recent years.
While Spirit Mountain did post a profit last year, despite the pandemic, the recreation area has received a series of loans from the City of Duluth as it has dealt with financial challenges in recent years. Those loans were actually one of the subject of Mayor Larson s recommendations in Thursday s presentation. As she explained, she felt a number of Band-Aids have been placed on the Spirit Mountain issue, and she feels this plan will create a permanent fix for the ve
From the editorial: "15 years of decreasing golf participation (down 44% since the early 2000s in Duluth) following 20 years of booming golf-course construction (including the expansion of both Enger and Lester from 18 holes to 27 holes) makes necessary the right-sizing of public-golf offerings in Duluth as elsewhere."