By ELAINE JACOBSI am writing concerning the upcoming potential transfer of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area to Pajarito Recreation LLC, which will be discussed at a special County Council meeting at noon Friday, Dec. 15. (Link to the agenda is here.
It is the current intention of the Los Alamos Ski Club (LASC) to transfer 100 percent of their property to Pajarito Recreation LLC due to the need for the ski club to get out from under a large debt of $1.25 million (based on ski club memo posted here.
Based on the LA County GIS system, the 534 acres of the Pajarito Mountain Ski Area within Los Alamos County (~300 acres are in Sandoval County) are largely zoned as W-2, Wilderness, and valued at $4.4 million ($3 million attributed to buildings). Of note, the Camp May parcel of 27 acres is valued at $3.4 million and is zoned P-L, parks. This discrepancy suggests that the ski area land is undervalued if its zoning were changed and suggests that a new appraisal may be warranted.
The ski hill land was largely acquired from the Atomic Energy Commission ~60 years ago as a ski area for the benefit of the whole town. The LASC held a vote this past summer that approved the transfer of the land to Pajarito Recreation LLC. However, in my opinion, a club vote seems insufficient to determine the sale of such an important parcel of recreational land outside the community. I feel there is a need for more community involvement in this decision.
While LASC should be commended for working with their attorneys to create a contract that includes covenants for land protection, final language is still under review. Without the final contract in hand there is ongoing concern about loopholes the final contract may contain and a possibility that any protective covenants could be lost in a future unanticipated sale by Pajarito Recreation LLC.
Therefore I suggest that the County Council withhold its support of this land transfer until proper protection of this vital recreational land can be guaranteed. I propose the following ideas:
- The County Council convene a citizen committee to review the information and provide a recommendation that represents the best interests of the County government and its citizens; and
- A conservation easement be explored as a way to protect the Pajarito Mountain Ski Area land for public use in perpetuity. (Information on conservation easements can be found here.
I urge anyone interested in this issue to attend the special council meeting Friday in Council Chambers at the Los Alamos County Municipal Building.
