As of August 25, 2006
Urban Gondola
1. Will property values along the route of the urban gondola suffer? And will Ogden city suffer liability lawsuits from homeowners whose homes are devalued because of the unfavorable obstruction of their view and the loss of privacy resulting from the gondola system?
2. Will Ogden City replace existing street lighting along the gondola route with taxpayer funds?
3. Will Ogden City have additional snow removal costs for accommodation of gondola towers in the path of snowplows?
4. What is a realistic estimate of utilization of the urban leg of the gondola [break out by season of the year as well as by local vs. tourist traffic]?
5. Could the project be phased to where the urban gondola would be delayed [until] utilization data justified its construction? Using buses from the Intermodal Hub and Ogden motels to the mountain gondola as an interim usage?
6. Who will ride the gondola if they don’t ski?
7. What would be the usage of the gondola (broken out by season and by type of use)? Based on this usage, what would be the operational costs of the gondolas as derived from other comparable gondola users?
8. What impact will the gondola have on those property owners on both 23rd Street and Harrison Boulevard? Have they been personally contacted? Would it depreciate home owner’s property/loss of privacy?
9. What impacts could result from lawsuits?
10. Ogden doesn’t have enough tourism to sustain the system. Who will benefit from it?
11. [Liquefaction potential] Can you envision a row of gondola pylons sliding down 23rd Street one of these days? Would the City be responsible for damage caused by toppling pylons or would the developer? What amount of hazard insurance
would be sufficient to cover that cost? Who would be picking up the tab?
12. As to availability of resources, can we be assured that Utah Power has or will have the capability to provide sufficient power to operate the gondola system as well as the proposed new development’s structures?
13. How necessary is the urban gondola to the development proposal for the hillside homes or the Malan’s Basin resort?
14. Who insures the urban gondola?
15. Are you still considering the option of lighting, heating, and/or air conditioning the urban gondola cabins? If so, please provide details. If not, please provide any reports or correspondence to document the conclusion that heating and air conditioning will not be necessary. Please also identify any comparable gondola systems in similar climates for which heating and air conditioning have been found to be unnecessary.
16. Do you have a specific plan for the design of the gondola stations and bends along Harrison Blvd.? Would they be at-grade or elevated? Please describe the rightof- way impacts and how these would be mitigated.
17. How tall will the proposed 23rd Street stop be? Will it include a parking lot? What will have to be torn down in order to make room for it?
18. How many towers will be placed down the middle of Harrison Boulevard? How will they affect traffic?
19. Is a transportation system linking the downtown area with the base site at Weber State University necessary and, if so, are there other, less-intrusive and lower-cost alternatives to the gondola?
20. Will the gondola run 24 hours a day, since people will be coming and going to the village and there will be no automobile access?
21. Who will write the check for the 23rd Street to Weber State portion of the line, whether or not it comes from the sale of Mount Ogden Golf Course? We hear over and over, “It is not coming from taxes,” but where is the money coming from?
22. How long would the operational contract to operate the gondola be? Are we talking a 20- or 25-year contract?
23. Do we have a study of the ridership—where we would have to reach to break even on this?
24. Do we have any knowledge about how this compares to the Portland system?
25. Do you have any knowledge of how come that Portland gondola went up so much in price?
26. How does the 23rd Street to Harrison segment make that turn?
27. Does this gondola go over anybody’s home?
28. Does the urban gondola go to the hospital?
29. What are the proposed station locations?
30. I understand the Planning Commission thought that 25th Street would be the primary corridor for the downtown leg—what is happening with that? Why is or isn’t this a good idea?
31. Does the gondola need to get a right-of-way permit?
32. What right-of-way impacts would occur and how would they be mitigated?
33. Will there be enough paying passengers to make the urban gondola financiallyfeasible?
34. What will the cost of a single ride be? [gondolas]
35. What would be a good estimate of the cost of the urban leg of the gondola [include equipment, construction, engineering, design, right of ways, relocation of any electrical, traffic control, landscaping costs; also heating and air conditioning in case it becomes necessary]?
36. What would be the economic, quality of life, and traffic impact of the urban leg of the gondola on property owners along the four miles of the urban leg of the gondola? Could this impact have a bearing on the cost of the system?
37. Assuming that the urban leg of the gondola would be publicly financed, where would these funds come from? What would be the impact of this funding? Do the costs offset the benefits [feasibility study]?
38. What would be the annual operation and maintenance costs [urban gondola]?
39. Only about 20% of Ogden residents are skiers (if that many). Who is going to pay to keep the gondola running?
40. What will be the “real cost” of construction of the gondola [today’s cost]? Would it be publicly financed? Where would the funds come from for the financing? What obstacles and actions will be needed to obtain this financing? At what cost to the City?
41. What are the economic benefits of the gondola?
42. If publicly financed and owned but operated by the developer, would the developer be willing to provide a performance bond for a period of twenty years?
43. Who pays to build the urban gondola?
44. Who will operate the urban gondola?
45. Who pays the annual operating budget of the urban gondola?
46. Who bears the risk of low operating revenue?
47. When do you expect to have an accurate estimate of the cost of the urban
gondola?
48. Has the economic feasibility of the downtown City-owned portion of the gondola
been studied? Are we giving up open space for a negative return investment?
49. Who will pay for the operational costs if rider fees don’t?
50. Peterson will charge Ogden City a user fee to run the urban gondola. So, could these fees continue to increase each year just like all fees do?
51. If the citizens own the gondola, would we be subsidizing this per year then?
52. Is Chris Peterson going to be paying for the operational expenses, all the operational expenses? Including equipment?
53. If revenue doesn’t meet expenses, are the citizens on the hook for this or is Chris Peterson going to subsidize it out of his own pockets?
Resort
54. How will Ogden City ambulance, police and fire services be provided to a ski area in Malan’s Basin if no all-weather road is maintained? Is a rapid emergency evacuation even possible for the entire population of the proposed resort in the event of wildfires or earthquake?
55. Would the developer want the resort annexed into Ogden City? If so, what would be the impact on the City with regard to support services?
56. Does the developer envision any access road to the resort in the present or future? If so, where and what would be its impact?
57. Does the developer envision a tie-in to the Snowbasin Resort? If so, when? If not, how will this impact gondola utilization?
58. A “roadless” resort in Malan’s Basin - just how would materials for the building of the resort be transported to the hotel site? In a gondola seating eight people at a time [plus daily supplies, employee access, emergency vehicle access]?
59. Who will fund the millions of dollars required to build this road [to Malan’s Basin]? Will it be privately funded or paid for by the taxpayers?
60. There undoubtedly will be major economic advantages to such a unique facility, but do the initial costs offset the economic advantages?
61. How much would Ogden City and its businesses benefit from the resort at Malan’s Basin?
62. Which plants and animals would be affected—Threatened Endangered Species?
63. What will people do when they get there [top of Mt. Ogden]?
64. How will people be managed in winter months to provide for their safety?
65. Could people associated with the gondola increase the risk of avalanches to Snowbasin?
66. What assumptions are factored into making the operation technically and financially feasible? [mountain gondola]
67. Avalanche control would be very complex—who would do it? What study has there been to the risk of avalanches to the Malan’s resort?
68. Does Snowbasin want a gondola lift within their ski area?
69. Without a connection to Snowbasin would a gondola really attract tourists?
70. How necessary is annexation for the resort?
71. What design guidelines will there be at the resort? Who designs? Who approves?
72. What needs will there be for the development’s impacts? Sewer system? Who pays? Who designs? Who approves?
73. What needs will there be for the development’s stormwater sewer system? Who pays? Who designs? Who approves?
74. What needs will there be for the development’s drinking water system? Who pays? Who designs? Who approves?
75. Has a qualified professional indicated that the proposed technology, alignment, and station locations of the mountain gondola are technically feasible? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports and correspondence.
76. Is there a site plan for the proposed construction site in Malan’s Basin? If so, please provide a copy or at least basic information such as the map location and dimensions of the construction site.
77. Has a civil or geotechnical engineer been consulted regarding the feasibility of the planned construction in Malan’s Basin? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports and correspondence.
78. Has a qualified professional with expertise in designing ski areas reviewed the plan for the proposed ski area in Malan’s Basin? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports and correspondence.
79. Mr. Peterson has described a plan to encourage skiing down from Malan’s Basin to the foothills, snow conditions permitting. Please describe the route(s) that would be used for this descent, and provide a map if possible.
80. If an access road were to be constructed to Malan’s Basin, what alignments are being considered? (Please provide a map if possible.)
81. Would the resort ultimately require an access road across national forest land? If so, is such a road feasible?
82. The Mayor and Mr. Peterson have discussed the possibility of using a freight gondola instead of an access road for transporting construction equipment and materials to Malan’s Basin. Has a qualified professional indicated that this is feasible? Please provide us with copies of any relevant reports or correspondence. Also, please provide us with the names and locations of any comparable facilities elsewhere, and provide us with a detailed description of this freight gondola and how it would relate to the passenger gondola.
83. The Mayor has described the possibility of using a “package plant” for waste treatment in Malan’s Basin. Has a qualified professional indicated that this is feasible? Please provide copies of any relevant reports or correspondence. Also, please name any comparable facilities elsewhere that you may be aware of.
84. The City has produced a map showing numerous proposed new trails in and around the Malan’s Basin property. What are the proposed widths and modes of use of these trails (e.g. hiking, mountain biking, skiing, off-road vehicles, golfcarts)?
85. It has been said that the project will create 1,200 full-time, permanent jobs. What data supports this claim? Most ski-related jobs are seasonal. How many people does Snowbasin employ, for example, in June compared to January?
86. How many of the 1,200 jobs will be part-time? Or only seasonal? How many of those that will be full-time and year-round will be at the lowest end of the wage scale—that is, minimum wage or close?
87. What will these vacation villas (however many he can squeeze in) sell for? Will the market support 400 units selling for what Mr. Peterson will ask?
88. Is a ski operation feasible in Malan’s Basin at all?
89. How many trips will a person have to make using the gondola taking supplies, groceries, etc. for their stay?
90. What would happen if someone had a heart attach or accident in the middle of the night? [Life Flight] But what if it is in the winter and the wind is blowing and it is snowing heavily? How does the helicopter get a person down the mountain when minutes count?
91. What does a person do who buys a new piece of furniture or any large item? How do they get a cargo train put on the line and how much would it cost?
92. Couldn’t wind up at the mountain shut it [gondola] down for a long time because winds up there are obviously more severe?
93. Suppose we are in the summer, fall, and spring seasons, how will off seasons effect the ridership of the gondola?
94. I’ve heard the term “roadless resort.” How does the developer plan to get all hisequipment and machinery [up there] to construct the Malan’s Basin end of this?
95. How far up the west face of Mt. Ogden does the gondola go?
96. Is there going to be a housing development up there with the resort?
97. When the infrastructure (like the sewer, electricity, etc.) would be connected to this, wouldn’t that in and of itself create a quasi road? Whatever infrastructure they need, wouldn’t that in and of itself create a quasi road that would then become a defacto road that would be paved in 20 years?
98. Can the water come from above the resort somehow?
99. How will he get electricity up there?
100. What evidence can be produced to prove that the overall size of the developable area is large enough to meet today’s ski industry requirements for a quality ski resort offering?
101. Besides the public investment of park land and an urban gondola what other public subsidies would eventually be needed to build and maintain the resort?
102. If the resort fails as a business, what could the public possibly recover from its investment?
103. What limitations does the base area in Malan’s Basin impose for an extensive condominium development and essential base-located facilities?
104. How will the skiing terrain accommodate “good skiing” with an average slope gradient of 50% for the whole area – which means the skiing will be in the “upper intermediate” and “expert” categories. Most recreational skiers have intermediate skiing capabilities.
Golf Course / Housing Development / Trails
105. How much mountain will need to be moved [to redesign the golf course]? How much money will be spent to move it?
106. What is the current appraised value of the city property to be sold to Mr. Peterson? Is he willing to pay the appraised value?
107. In development of both the proposed housing as well as the tourist facilities of this project, would the developer be required to meet the existing codes of the city, including sensitive area overlay zone and fire and safety ordinances? If not, what modifications would be requested?
108. If Mr. Peterson purchased the Mt. Ogden Golf Course, would he be willing to guarantee in writing that golf course fees would remain comparable to other local golf courses?
109. What would be the economic benefits to Ogden? What would these benefits be without the sale of Ogden property, or if the money from sale of property were used for another City purpose such as infrastructure needs?
110. How necessary is annexation for the housing development?
111. What housing design guidelines will there be at the housing development? Who designs? Who approves?
112. What zoning changes are required for the development’s homes or properties?
113. What needs will there be for the development’s roads? Who pays? Who designs? Who approves?
114. What zoning changes are required for the properties in the existing homes or properties? Who pays? Who does designs? Who approves?
115. What impacts will there be on the existing Mt. Ogden Golf Course (accessibility, green fees, course quality)?
116. What is the budget/balance sheet status of the Mt. Ogden Golf Course?
117. Exactly what property is Mr. Peterson seeking to purchase from the City and from WSU? (Please provide accurate maps or legal descriptions as well as approximate acreages.)
118. What is the process for determining the price that Mr. Peterson would pay for the City-owned property?
119. When will a price for the City-owned property be determined and disclosed to the public?
120. Can you promise that in developing this property all requirements of the City’s currently applicable Sensitive Area Overlay Zone ordinance would be respected? If not, how would these requirements be modified?
121. Has a civil or geotechnical engineer been consulted regarding the feasibility of the planned residential and commercial construction in the foothills? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports or correspondence.
122. Has a professional golf course architect been consulted regarding the feasibility of the proposal to relocate approximately half of the golf course onto much steeper terrain? If so, please provide copies of any relevant reports and correspondence. Also, please name any comparable developments that you may be aware of, in which a golf course has been constructed on similar terrain.
123. Are the proposed new trails so high that users will have to take a “paid” gondola ride to get there?
124. Are the trails too prohibitive for most people to start from Ogden?
125. Are the trails through the proposed gated community paved trails?
126. Would any trails be eliminated? If so, please identify which trails?
127. Why have a gated community if all kinds of pedestrian and bike traffic are allowed? Would the homeowners really allow this?
128. Where are all the corporate tournaments they play here [Mt. Ogden Golf Course] every year going to go?
129. Will the land east of WSU be sold to Chris Peterson?
130. Why is the golf course land not being put up for bid like all other sales from Ogden City must be?
131. If I understand the services aspect, then, aside from fire, police, and City required services such as sewer and water, HOA would cover the rest?
132. Will Mr. Peterson put in the streets and the water systems and everything?
133. Under this proposal, how much of the 175 acres of open space would we actuallyown as public property?
134. Will Peterson own the land, pay taxes on it, and keep it open for public use in perpetuity?
135. How accessible would the golf course space be during the wintertime, say when non-golf-course things would be going on or people would want to use it for things other than golf?
General
136. Are we going to have the opportunity to vote on this heated project?
137. What will the whole project cost us? [the City, taxpayers, services for resort, loss of open space on mountainside]
138. How does/not the Gondola/Housing Development/Resort proposal fit within the following General Plan Goals (Community Facilities and Services, Community Identity, Economic Development, Environmental Resources, Housing, Land Use, Neighborhoods, Parks and Recreation, Transportation)?
139. What tax increment needs are you requiring from the City in this development, if any?
140. What plans for the property are there if the necessary allowances are not given to build a resort, provide the residential development, etc…?
141. If the gondola development is needed to attract ski manufacturing companies, why are they coming here not knowing, if, in fact, the gondola development is going to be completed?
142. What impacts will there be on the existing roads in Ogden? Who pays? Who does engineering designs? Who approves?
143. What impacts will there be on the existing sewer system? Who pays? Who does
engineering designs? Who approves?
144. What impacts will there be on the existing stormwater sewer system? Who pays? Who does engineering designs? Who approves?
145. What impacts will there be on the existing drinking water system? Who pays? Who does engineering designs? Who approves?
146. What impacts will there be on the existing trails and trailheads (trailheads, trail accessibility, trail quality)?
147. What documentation is there for projected City expenses and tax revenues for the overall development?
148. What budgetary impact will this overall development have on the City?
149. How will the Mt. Ogden Community Plan interact with an overall community discussion of the gondola, housing development, and resort proposal? How do we avoid going through all the issues redundantly? How [do we] make sure the mundane, existing concerns and needs within the community plan are not overwhelmed by the discussion surrounding the proposal?
150. What Federal approvals are necessary (gondola, resort, housing development)?
151. What State approvals are necessary (gondola, resort, housing development)?
152. What County approvals are necessary (gondola, resort, housing development)?
153. Will landslides be a concern?
154. What economic analyses of this project have been performed? Please provide copies of any reports or correspondence with professionals.
155. What assumptions underlie the predictions for the number of jobs that would be created and the amount of tax revenue that would be generated by this project? Please provide full details regarding these calculations including the number, type, and value of new residential units, amount of commercial space, types and locations of jobs, etc.
156. What timeline for approval and construction of this project would you propose? Please provide suggested dates for further feasibility studies, approval by the City Council, transfer of property, completion of engineering studies, beginning of construction, and opening for business, with separate dates (where applicable) for the urban gondola, mountain gondola, redesigned golf course, Malan’s Basin ski area, and commercial facilities in the foothills and in Malan’s Basin.
157. What if the gondola goes in and then goes bust? Will the residents of Weber County, or even the state, be expected to pay off the debts and other expenses?
158. What guarantee do we have that this project will be successful?
159. What happens if the whole project goes bankrupt? Who then takes over all the costs of the gondola?
160. Could the whole project be privatized and take Ogden City completely out of the equation?
161. Where are the people who come off of the freeway going to park?
162. Is there a sequence in the build job like the downtown leg first or are you going to do both at the same time?
163. Excluding Malan’s Basin and excluding the intermodal Hub, where can one get
off or get on both the gondolas?
164. The funding source is the sale of the golf course, is that right? And will that cover it?
165. What is the real value of Ogden’s park lands, if the City were to sell?
166. If public land is sold wouldn’t it be more fair to conduct an open bidding process?
167. What restrictions would be placed on public use of trails that pass through private housing developments?
168. Is there a new hotel proposed at the mall site designed around this gondola?
169. What is the $5 million per year revenue based on?
170. [$5M in property tax] But doesn’t property tax, the bulk of that go to the County and then it’s divvied up from there with the schools?
171. Have we looked at the cost of the new proposed development, in terms of infrastructure and maintaining those services and how it relates to the increase in revenue?
172. Have you netted it out to determine whether or not we will actually be able to pay for the services?
173. Is the mountain gondola and resort reliant upon the downtown gondola?
174. Is the downtown gondola reliant upon the sale of the golf course and the proceeds from that?
175. What if tourists are unwilling to park downtown and pay for a 35-minute ride, on two gondolas, just to access the resort?
Weber State University
176. What will come to the transit hub at Weber State?
177. As the only university in the world linked to skiing, snowboarding, backpacking, dirt road bicycling, natural rock climbing, ice climbing, artificial wall climbing, cross country skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, telemark skiing, trail running, an urban center, an international airport, and major population centers via gondola and commuter rail, can WSU attract an additional 1,000 out-of-state students and the associated $9,000,000 in additional out-of-state tuition?
178. As the only university in the world linked to skiing, snowboarding, backpacking, dirt road bicycling, natural rock climbing, ice climbing, artificial wall climbing, cross country skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, telemark skiing, trail running, an urban center, an international airport, and major population centers via gondola and commuter rail, can WSU attract an additional 0.11% of Data Set #1 (500 out-ofstate students from Alpine Skier and Snowboarder, population age 18-24, enrolled in college) and 0.056% of Data Set #2 (500 out-of-state students from select outdoor activity participant, population age 18-24, enrolled in college)?
179. Is there a model for using proximity to outdoor and mountain recreation and unique “American” feel as a primary selling point for attracting out-of-state students? Does the model indicate that Weber State University could attract 1,000 additional out-of-state students by becoming the only university in the world linked to skiing, snowboarding, backpacking, dir road bicycling, natural rock climbing, ice climbing, artificial wall climbing, cross country skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, telemark skiing, trail running, an urban center, an international airport, and major population centers via gondola and commuter rail?
180. Is it the assessment of the [National Sporting Goods Association] NSGA that college enrollment for skiers and snowboarders age 18-24 is higher than the national average?
181. [Demographic study to encourage WSU to pursue attracting outdoor activities student segment] Is the demographic data cited valid? Is there a viable target market worth pursuing by Weber State University? Is the gondola a critical element in the “product” offering?
182. Is the gondola a necessary “product” component? [attracting outdoor activities students to WSU]
183. Why don’t more skier/outdoor sport students come to WSU from out of state already?
184. Why, after all, do so many skier/outdoor sport students go to places like CSU, when Fort Collins pales in comparison to Ogden in terms of access to skiing and other outdoor sports activities?
