In light of last year’s skyrocketing attendance numbers, city staff have recommended that the Lively Ski Hill remain municipally operated.
City council members will vote on whether to greenlight the recommendation during their June 10 meeting.
At least one of 13 votes around council chambers is a guaranteed affirmative, with the report’s findings leaving Ward 2 Coun. Eric Benoit brimming with enthusiasm.
“It’s almost like a poster child for what happens when a community in the city works together on something,” Benoit said of last winter's success on the slopes.
“It’s probably the best year they ever had. It’s a testament to what happens when a community backs up an amenity and the city offers support.”
Benoit said that he’s confident city council will greenlight the Lively Ski Hill’s continued municipal operations, but that he won’t know for sure until their votes are cast on June 10.
Past seasons’ low-attendance and cost-recovery rates put the Lively Ski Hill on the chopping block last year.
A community push to keep the ski hill open followed, and in August 2023, city council members were unanimous in a resolution to keep it open for at least one more season, with subsequent years potentially overseen by a third-party operator.
During the 2024-25 winter season, community members followed through on their pledge to help boost ski hill attendance by promoting it, including a series of themed Friday Fun Night events which saw people from throughout Greater Sudbury pack the recreational site.
Where there were 715 total visits in the 2023-24 winter season, the 2024-25 winter season saw 4,052 people hit the slopes, according to a report by city Leisure Services director Jeff Pafford, which was publicly released this week for the June 10 city council meeting.
These numbers have successfully demonstrated “that the community values the Lively Ski Hill,” according to Pafford’s report, which recommends that the city maintain its operations.
These numbers only capture the people who bought lift tickets, Benoit said, adding that the number of people who visited the Lively Ski Hill to watch their kids and enjoy such things as campfires was “significantly higher.”
Also classifying last season’s efforts as a success, organizer David Kurt told Sudbury.com that he’s proud of what the community was able to accomplish.
“We’re thrilled at how many people came — 4,000 people out? That’s amazing,” he said.
Kurt said he’d need to meet with fellow community organizers before offering further comment, but that the numbers within Pafford’s report were promising, and he’s enthused by the prospect of the ski hill’s continued municipal operations.
Although the cost-recovery goal was 65 per cent, Benoit noted that last season’s 39.6-per-cent cost recovery was a significant jump from the 6.7-per-cent cost recovery recorded in 2023.
The Lively Ski Hill’s 2024-25 season carried a net tax levy impact of $143,234.
“We didn’t get exactly what we wanted with the goal, but we did show that when the city and community work together, there are these amazing things we can do,” he said.
Given last season’s spike in attendance, he said the cost-recovery shortfall has more to do with equipment inefficiencies than anything else, with high energy and water costs factored in.
Meanwhile, Benoit said work has begun to replace the Lively Ski Hill’s end-of-life mid-1960s-era t-bar lift system with a tow ropeway which was previously located at the closed Capreol Ski Hill. This $387,400 expense was approved during city council’s 2024-25 budget deliberations.
During 2023 budget talks, city council members also approved $396,000 toward chalet repairs, but this work remains on pause until city council decides what to do with Meatbird Lake Park funds.
On this front, the Lively Recreation Advisory Panel is still working with the city to develop recommendations on where to spend the $4 million the city received through the sale of Meatbird Lake Park, which have been earmarked toward a new recreational amenity.
Three locations have been shortlisted to receive this unspecified recreational amenity, including the Lively Ski Hill site, Anderson Farm and greenspace adjacent to the Lively Citizen Service Centre/Library. However, the Anderson Farm Museum Heritage Society has come out “strongly” against the utilization of a portion of their 14-acre property.
City council is anticipated to receive a report later this year which will include recommendations regarding the recreational amenity before proceeding to detailed design work.
Earlier this year, the city filed a request for expression of interest to determine whether there was any interest by a third party to operate the Lively Ski Hill to aid in city council’s decision making. There were no plan takers for the bid, nor were there any submissions received.
The public portion of Tuesday’s city council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. It can be viewed in-person at Tom Davies Square or livestreamed by clicking here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.