By HEATHER SACKETT

For the Enterprise

LAKE PLACID - The Olympic Regional Development Authority unanimously approved a resolution to move forward with the North Creek Ski Bowl Interconnect project at a special meeting Friday.

The project will connect the North Creek Ski Bowl and Gore Mountain and will be funded with a $5.5 million capital appropriation from the 2006-07 state budget. Operating the interconnect is estimated to cost $250,000, which ORDA expects can be offset with the additional revenue generated by the project.

The first phase of the project, approved Friday, will include installing a lift and cutting trails, with a cost not to exceed $2.2 million. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by the 2010-11 ski season.

About 30 people who were in support of the project, mostly members of the North Creek business community, packed the Hall of Fame Room Friday, erupting into applause when the resolution was passed. Town of Johnsburg Supervisor Sterling Goodspeed called the project the economic future of the community.

"There are businesses in our community that have hung on by their fingernails season in and season out, waiting for something to happen, and it just did," he said. "It's awesome."

Goodspeed said the interconnect will allow skiers at Gore to access downtown North Creek more easily. The project will also increase visibility of the mountain.

"Driving in, you don't see much of Gore," he said. "You will see the ski bowl from everyplace."

The board tabled the project at the April 21 meeting, amid concerns about a real estate development firm. Empire State Development designee Christopher Walsh and board members Serge Lussi and Ed Weibrecht all agreed that Front Street Mountain Development, developers of a large-scale project called Ski Bowl Village, should contribute to the costs of the interconnect, since they will be benefitting directly from it. With the new interconnect, guests and residents of the Ski Bowl Village would be able to ski in and out from their doorsteps.

In a memo to the board, ORDA chairman Joe Martens said the lift and trails are a stand alone project and are not dependent on construction of the Ski Bowl Village, which is still in the beginning stages. But Martens suggested that ORDA engage Front Street as corporate sponsors and discuss ways they can help the mountain and commnity grow and thrive.

Walsh read a statement Friday that said although he still believes this is a great opportunity for ORDA to negotiate with Front Street for financial help, he was in favor of the proposed resolution to move the project forward. Front Street did not return phone calls as of press time.

Goodspeed thanked the board for moving ahead with the interconnect.

"This brings the mountain to our Main Street," he said. "Together, we will profit."

Centerplate

The only other item on Friday's agenda was a resolution to enter into a two-year extension of the existing agreement between ORDA and its food and beverage company Centerplate. Centerplate's five-year contract will end on May 31.

ORDA also committed to investing $500,000 in concessions-related capital projects and upgrades, such as finishing the kitchens at Gore and Whiteface and making improvements to increase cooking capacity.

A consultant advised ORDA that self-operations of concessions would be the best option to maximize revenue, but suggested it not take on that project for at least one year.