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Ski Ashland looks at fund raising Part of expansion already covered By BILL KETTLER Ski Ashland may have to ask skiers and snowboarders for money to finish its planned expansion. Area manager Jeff Hanson said Wednesday a fund-raising campaign may be necessary, but it's impossible to say how much money might be required while the U.S. Forest Service reviews the proposal's environmental impacts. Ski area managers have the money to build a proposed new chairlift and ski runs, but the publicly-owned, nonprofit ski area could seek financial support to finish other improvements, including a new skier services building near the area known as "the Bowl." Questions about the ski area's plans for funding the proposed expansion surfaced Tuesday during a meeting of the Mount Ashland Association's development committee. Jim Moore of Ashland questioned ski area managers about how they planned to pay for late phases of the expansion. Ski area managers have $1.7 million in hand to build the project. Forest Service estimates suggest a fully developed expansion could cost $3.7 to $4 million. Ski area managers have said they planned to expand in phases and pay for the expansion as they accumulate additional reserves. The ski area has earned a surplus every winter since it became publicly-owned in 1992. Earnings varied from slightly less than $60,000 to slightly less than $600,000. The Forest Service environmental review, scheduled for completion during the summer, will determine whether the project gains final approval and what shape it would finally take. Moore said a fund-raising campaign seems likely. "You can do the arithmetic." Ski area backers raised more than $1 million to keep the ski area alive in 1992 when its owner planned to dismantle it. A $500,000 state economic development grant provided additional money to buy the ski area. Moore, a former board chairman of Headwaters, said raising money for an expansion would be fundamentally different from raising money to preserve the ski area. "I'm not saying they can't do it," Moore said, "but I think they need to come forward and talk to the public about it." The ski area could ask for contributions to complete the project to avoid borrowing money, said Tom Reid, president of the Mount Ashland Association. "It goes without saying a some point that there's a fair chance we might want to try to raise some money," Reid said. "That's commonly what nonprofits do," he said, noting that other nonprofits, such as the Ashland YMCA and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, seek public support. Reid said decisions about a fund-raising campaign depend on what kind of plan emerges from the Forest Service's environmental review. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA