LAKE PLACID — The Snow Factory snowmaking machine that began operating this month at the Olympic Sports Complex cross-country ski center at Mount Van Hoevenberg is a lease with an option to buy agreement, state Olympic Regional Development Authority President Ted Blazer said at Tuesday’s ORDA Board of Directors meeting.

Blazer said ORDA leased the machine — manufactured by TechnoAlpin — for $90,000 for the season. He said the machine would remain with the authority at least through June.

“As you all know, last year was tough, we don’t want to talk about last year too much, but it was tough and Mount Van Hoevenberg was open 20 days,” Blazer said during his President’s Report at the meeting. “So what this is going to be able to do is, you can see the snow coming out of that orange hose, that produces the same amount of snow, whether it’s 80 degrees outside, or if it’s 20-below.

Blazer said ORDA plans to make enough snow for a “guaranteed loop” for the holiday period “just in case anything bad happens,” Blazer said.

But it’s also going to add to our base,” he continued. “It’s one of those things we are guaranteeing what we are talking about, which is the snow surface for our guests to be able to come and enjoy.

After the meeting, Blazer said ORDA intends to keep Snow Factory at least through June as several alpine, cross-country and adaptive sports federations have expressed interest in the Mount Van Hoevenberg facility as a result of the machine.

“We are going to see how it does (over one season),” he said. “…We want to see what it’s going to be like as we get into warmer months maybe to provide some opportunities for (these federations) as well.”

Blazer said the idea to rent Snow Factory came from Olympic Sports Complex General Manager Tony Carlino, Assistant General Manager Rebecca Dayton and the ski center’s Nordic Program Manager, Kris Cheney Seymour. ORDA is touting that it’s the only machine of its kind in North America.

“I asked the venues for some move-the-needle ideas,” Blazer said, “and I think they researched it, found out it was out there. There are 19 of them in Europe, so they researched it and kept at me and I bought into it and we got it.”

The machine was delivered to the cross-country ski lodge at Mount Van Hoevenberg late last month.

According to the TechnoAlpin website, the Snow Factory offers “a snow-making system for use at above-zero temperatures.” Traditional snowguns need temperatures of 28 degrees or below to work.