Powder Ridge is Middlefield! In this small town of about 4,500 people, the Ski Area has always been the heart of our community, just as we have embraced the Lyman expansions from farming to golfing. The area needs these businesses to be successful now more than ever.

We have evaluated the agreement between Sean Hayes and the Town of Portland for the Brownstone recreation area. In that agreement, First Selectwoman Susan Bransfield told us that she really felt the Quarry was a vital part of Portland's history. Portland had paid $1,050,000 for the area in the early 1990's and Susan was convinced that the Town should hold onto the landmark.

In one of the smartest municipal business deals ever, Brownstone agreed to rent the Quarry from the Town of Portland in exchange for a percentage of their gate fees. The first year, they paid nothing, zero, nada! This allowed the company to get off the ground, and is very similar to the odds facing Brownstone's management team if they were to clean up Powder Ridge.

In the second year of their agreement, Brownstone paid Portland 5% of the gate fees, in the third year they paid 10%, and in the fourth and all successive years, they pay 15%. Just in the past 4 years, Susan said, the Town of Portland has been paid $524,000!

This is a model for cooperation! Sean Hayes said as much at our Town Meeting! Cooperation is what we are seeking with this petition, we want to be sure this is a successful business venture for the Ski Area to flourish, and for our Town to recoup some of the $4,000,000 we have spent to date.

Please help us change this agreement from a sale to a lease. This land is so important to our community, and we all want to see skiers up on that hill as soon as possible. We believe that eliminating up front costs of a sale will allow that to happen quicker, and easier, because Sean Hayes will not have to outlay precious dollars to buy the land. Thank you.