The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club will operate Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority ski trails at Hiawatha Highlands.
City solicitor Lorie Bottos said an agreement under preparation will follow the principles laid out in the Conservation Authority's request for proposal.
The draft will be examined by both parties and a final agreement is expected to be signed by the Sept. 19 conservation authority meeting.
Bottos said the agreement isn't a "lease" but a "licence of occupation" that will allow the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club the right to use the ski trails for that purpose. The five-year contract will be reviewed annually.
It shelves the request for proposal the authority had embarked upon earlier this summer and paves the way for the 50-year-old not-for-profit group to operate the entire 35-kilometre premiere trail system.
On Monday, city council is expected to pass a resolution by Ward 4 Coun. Neil DelBianco, seconded by Ward 5 Coun. Debbie Amaroso, that will see the $7,500 fee the conservation authority wants for its land use to be paid by the city.
DelBianco said it's time for the city to aid cross-country skiing as it did downhill skiing in previous years.
"You can never predict what council will do but I think there is support there and I think it will pass," DelBianco said.
Soo Finnish president Kevin Hogan said he'll be at city council Monday to answer any questions. His organization will update its bylaws to accommodate the "internal workings" needed to operate the ski trails and will seek government grants and assistance from other local organizations.
"It's coming together but everything takes time," Hogan said.
He expects trail maintenance to begin in September after all the needed agreements are finalized.
The conservation authority has already dropped a $3,000 charge for parking, if the operator plows the lot and allows it to be utilized by other users.
Conservation authority spokesperson Christine Aasen said the authority awaits the draft. After that, the parties will meet to review the agreement terms. A meeting date has not been set.
Earlier this month, cross-country skiers raised concerns that the authority's RFP would split the trail system if anyone other than the ski club won the right to operate the 16-kilometres of conservation authority trails.
The authority had received two proposals to its RFPs, one from the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club and the other from Heyden Adventure Base Camp.
While the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club has been involved in the ski trail operation for more than 50 years as a not-for-profit organization, the Heyden Adventure Base Camp is a three-year-old, for-profit business that wanted to focus on developing "breeder" operations to get more people involved in skiing and winter activities.
The company's plan was to create an "experimental ski park" that included developing jumps, jibs, interactive signs and family fun events.
The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club has recently been awarded the Michigan Cup Series Race in February. It's the first time the event will be held outside of Michigan.
The organization said it wants to regain the reputation for Sault Ste. Marie's cross-country ski system and wants to ensure all net revenues are reinvested into the facility.
