Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 J U N E 1 , 2 0 2 0 F O C U S L E W I S T O N / A U B U R N / W E S T E R N M A I N E Elbow grease Mt. Abram in Greenwood closed a few days earlier than Sunday River and Sugarloaf and typically closes by early April, says the resort's business man- ager, Greg Luetje. "We would have only stayed open for another two weeks anyhow, so we decided it wasn't worth the risk," he says. "Revenue-wise, this was a setback on how freely we can expect to spend our money. But we're trying not to let that get us down. ere's still a lot of things we can do that's elbow grease." at includes work on phase two of its new chairlift-accessible mountain bike park. "We're spreading ourselves out to build bike trails," says Luetje. Phase one was completed last October. e park expands Mt. Abram from seasonal to year-round operation, and remains on track to open June 20 — with new health modifications. "We won't be able to queue people up like we would in a normal year," he says. "We can't have someone hop off a chair and then someone else hops on. We need a plan for disinfection and spacing. We're thinking through the scenarios." Trickle-down Uncertainties at the resorts are expected to have an impact on surrounding communities, affecting hotels and inns, restaurants and other attractions. "Sunday River is a huge economic driver for us, summer and winter," says Brad Jerome, director of sales and mar- keting at the Bethel Inn & Resort. e inn lost some revenue from overnight business when the resort closed early. "But it wasn't that impactful," he says. "e hardest thing is the uncertainty." For the most part, weddings sched- uled at the inn for this spring and sum- mer have shifted dates to the fall or even 2021, he says. Some golf groups are look- ing at rescheduling their visits. "We're working one-on-one with them," he says. "ey're going to come at some point. Just maybe not their original dates." On the wedding front, Jerome sees an interesting phenomenon. "I'm seeing an uptick in wed- ding interest for 2021," he says. "If they wanted to get married in 2021, they're seeing that people in 2020 are shifting their dates. So they're saying, 'If we want to get married, we'd better reserve our spot right now.'" Businesses are closely monitoring the activity. "ose events fill up our hotels and rental homes," says Jessie Perkins, executive director of the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce. When Sunday River closed, "Our cash flow stopped immediately," says Wade Kavanaugh, co-owner of the Gem eater in Bethel. e theater closed the same weekend. "We knew there would be financial risks, but we knew our employees didn't feel safe being there with the public coming from Boston, which was having an outbreak," he says. "Within 48 hours, pretty much the entire state, including Sunday River, shut down. When the mountain closed, that set the tenor for the entire community." Angela LeClair, president of the Franklin County Chamber of Com- merce's board of directors, could see the effects of Sugarloaf 's shutdown when traffic dropped off along the byway lead- ing from Farmington to the mountain. "ere are so many stores along the way where people normally stop to get supplies or something to eat," she says. "at was a huge impact on our local economy." Reopening e resorts used down time to plan for reopening aspects of their operations. Sunday River and Sugarloaf expected to open golf courses by early June, with extensive safety protocols. Select services and activities are expected to follow. But some, like Sugarloaf 's zipline tours, won't be offered. Various customer enticements, such as sales on next win- ter's passes, are in play. "Ski areas are moving forward in their planning," says Luetje. "But there are still unknowns." "Other ski areas in the U.S. are working on different models on how to reopen in this new world," says Gouwens. "at will help us set the standard for what we do when we get to next November." Says Perkins, "e question really is, how quickly do we bounce back? We're geared toward consistent ups and downs. But this is a big up and down." Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber @ mainebiz.biz P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Saddleback update U pgrades at Saddleback in Rangeley remain underway, despite the pandemic, says General Manager Andy Shepard. The resort, which had been closed for five years, was acquired in January by Boston-based Arctaris Impact Fund, which plans to invest $38 million on upgrades. It replaced Saddleback's old chair lift with a high-speed quad chairlift, which cuts the ride up the mountain from 11 minutes to four minutes. It can carry 2,400 skiers per hour, about three times the capacity of the old lift. Lodge redesign is underway, with expanded seating, kitchen, bar and bath- rooms. The plan is to open late this year. As an impact fund, Arctaris is working with community interests to create year-round affordable housing, health benefits and employment opportunities to address the region's workforce and community development issues. "I've put together a task force to work on challenges and identify solutions," says Shepard. "Rangeley is a remarkable community with a strong sense of identity. They took a significant hit in retail sales the year the mountain closed, but they've worked their way back again and business in the summer and fall is solid. The challenge is finding employees. If businesses can't find employees to sustain their investment in growth, then that growth becomes far harder." P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F S A D D L E B A C K M A I N E The new Saddleback Mountain Ski Resort quad lift is being manufactured for installation this summer and fall. At the Bethel Inn & Resort, sales director Brad Jerome saw a loss of revenue from overnight business after Sunday River ended its season early. Everyone is concerned about the summer and how this carries forward. — Dirk Gouwens

• Cover