The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club will be the group to run the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority’s 16 kilometres of cross country ski trails this winter.
The not-for-profit Club got the nod to operate the trails over the for-profit Heyden Adventure Base Club in a 3-1 vote by the Conservation Authority Board Tuesday.
The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club was awarded the job pending City Council’s approval of a resolution of a 7500 dollar annual grant, subject to annual review, to be discussed at City Council’s next regular meeting scheduled for Monday.
That resolution is moved by Councillor Neil del Bianco and seconded by Councillor Debbie Amaroso.
Del Bianco, along with Mayor John Rowswell and Councillor Frank Manzo, is also a member of the Conservation Authority Board, and was one of the three Board members who gave the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club approval Tuesday.
Del Bianco, speaking to SooNews Tuesday evening, said he was confident Council would approve the resolution.
“We’ve supported Searchmont and downhill skiing in the past, 7500 dollars is a fair price to keep the cross country ski trails intact,” del Bianco said.
Councillor Frank Manzo cast the one vote against at Tuesday’s Board meeting, having objected to City help for Searchmont in the past.
“The Finnish Ski Club has a history behind them, a vast volunteer group” del Bianco said, referring to the Club’s 50-year history of dedicated involvement with the trails.
Being not-for-profit, the Club is also eligible for government grants to maintain the trails.
The Club was part of a now-disbanded ski trail operation partnership known as STAR (Sault Trails and Recreation), consisting of itself, the City, Kinsmen Club and the Conservation Authority.
The Soo Finnish Ski Club was also recently awarded the Michigan Cup Series Race this year, the first time that event will be held outside Michigan.
The for-profit Heyden Adventure Base Camp’s bid for maintenance of the trails included special ski programs.
Del Bianco told SooNews the Heyden group, which has been in operation for three years, “made a fantastic presentation” in its bid to run the trails and said he urged the group to “get involved” with the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club.
Del Bianco praised Heyden Adventure Base Camp for “ideas that show ‘outside-of-the-box thinking,’ such as childrens’ programmes, scavenger hunts…Tourism Sault Ste. Marie will help them any way they can. We want to work with them.”
When asked if some sort of cooperation between Heyden and Soo Finnish was still possible, del Bianco replied “definitely so…no one’s a loser here.”
The other 19 kilometres of cross country ski trails locally is owned and operated by private landowners, the Kinsmen Club and the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Del Bianco said he agrees with comments made at a public meeting last week that the Conservation Authority needs to revamp its recreational mandate.
“Recreational land use by the Conservation Authority has been taking second place, recreational land use is currently practically nil, we need a vision..”
But del Bianco added “vision without funding doesn’t go too far,” saying he would welcome funding from the upper levels of government to help with trail upkeep and development.
Of tourism overall, del Bianco added “this City Council is stepping in the right direction,” referring to Council’s granting of 100,000 dollars annually for development and maintenance of a non-motorized trail system running throughout the city (subject to annual review), of which cross country skiing would be a part.
The City Councillor said he has learned through the cross country ski trail process that “a lot of people locally have proved themselves pretty passionate about their recreation, and the City should be involved.”
