Bogley

[stefan]

Air Force plans to lease land for ski resort
By Michael Hoffman
Air Force Times

Airmen who like the mountains might want to pencil in Utah on their vacation calendar in a couple of years.

The Air Force is negotiating a deal with Wardman Corp., a private developer, to build a resort for military members and the public on federal land near Park City, the ski town that hosts the annual Sundance Film Festival.

Plans for the resort, which would be open year-round, include a 200- to 250-room hotel, a conference center, retail shops and a movie production studio, said Bruce C. Evans, program manager of the Enhanced Use Lease Office at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, which is about 40 miles from Park City. The service doesn’t intend to use the studio.

The resort would be similar to the Hale Koa hotel in Hawaii or the Shades of Green resort inside Walt Disney World in Florida, other resorts for military members, but would be open to the public as well since it would be privately financed, Hill spokesman Richard Essary said. Wardman would offer a military discount but hasn’t determined how much, according to a company spokesman.

A ski resort on Air Force land near Park City isn’t a new idea. The service has wanted to build the resort since “Hill House,” a military hotel that stood east of Hill Air Force Base, was closed as part of an expansion to a nearby ski mountain leading up to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Air Force and Park City officials have worked to pick a site since Congress approved the plan in 2002, Evans said. However, finding just the right spot is what has delayed the project.

Park City lawmakers designated a hotel on Main Street for the project, but Air Force officials decided they wanted to have a larger resort. The site now being considered is just outside Park City off State Road 248 in Summit County, Essary said.

“While the area at Quinn’s Junction near Park City appears to be a viable, economically sensible option for building such a resort, the Air Force has not made any final commitments,” he said.

Wardman’s Keith Buswell, vice president of business development, said he doesn’t expect airmen will have to wait much longer for the resort, though. Although the resort wouldn’t be ready next year, Buswell predicted the opening wouldn’t be far off if an agreement is reached soon.