Editor’s note: This article is by Amy Ash Nixon of The Caledonian Record, in which it was first published Oct. 23, 2013.
BURKE — Burke Mountain resort’s new owners and Kingdom Trails, who have worked together cooperatively on a mountain biking park at Burke Mountain and in other ventures, are hammering out a new operating agreement, both parties said in recent days.
“We are just working on the Burke Bike Partnership and informing the new owners how the trails operate, our organization and how we can work together in the future,” explained Tim Tierney, executive director of Kingdom Trails. The private non-profit organization, based in East Burke, draws visitors year-round for its trails for mountain biking and Nordic skiing.
Tierney reported, “No changes thus far. I believe we had some challenges with communication during the transition after the layoffs of personnel at Burke,” he said in recent days. A new management team is now in place and has been in communication with Kingdom Trails and had a recent meeting, said Tierney and Bill Stenger, one of the resort’s new owners. Said Tierney, “The past few years Kingdom Trails has built and maintained downhill trails that are lift accessible. Burke operates the lift. Our contractual agreement runs through 2014. Currently we are negotiating terms and working on the future of the Burke bike park.”
Stenger, contacted by the newspaper, said he met late last week with the Kingdom Trails Board of Directors “to discuss our cooperation going forward on physical improvements for Kingdom Trails programs and to do a three year and five year developmental and financial plan for the organization and Burke Mountain.”
Of that meeting, Stenger reported, it was a “very positive meeting and we will meet again next week to move these joint concepts along,” he said. “Our agreement with Kingdom Trails goes through next year and we want to extend it and once we agree on facilities and programs we will forge a new agreement for 2015 and beyond,” he said.
