House Veterans Committee to Review Cannon Mountain Lease Bill on May 3

The House State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on SB217, the Cannon Mountain lease bill, at 9:30 a.m. on May 3 in Room 203 of the Legislative Office Building in Concord.

If you'd like to let the committee know your feelings about the veterans aspects of the bill, you can attend or email them at HouseState-FederalRelationsandVeteransAffairs@leg.state.nh.us

The bill calls for the creation of a privately funded veterans memorial to the south of the Aerial Tramway building and relocation of the Kinsman Ridge Trail trailhead.

When it was created in 1928, Franconia Notch State Park was dedicated as a war memorial.

House Committee Passes Cannon Mountain Lease Bill

The House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee this week passed SB217, the Cannon Mountain lease bill. The full House is expected to take up the bill on April 25.

The committee passed the bill as is, meaning that it still calls on the agency that manages state parks to develop a master plan for Cannon Mountain and Franconia Notch State Park. The Department of Resources and Economic Development worked with the Senate to include the master plan provision in the bill.

At the Resources, Recreation and Development Committee hearing earlier this month, the bill's prime sponsor, Sen. Jeb Bradley, said he wanted the master plan provision removed from the bill, citing its cost.

Cannon Lease Bill Sponsor's Amendment Request Surprises House Committee and State Park Officials

Here’s a recap of yesterday’s House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee hearing on SB217, the Cannon Mountain lease bill. The bill calls for the state Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED) to develop a master plan for Franconia Notch State Park and Cannon Mountain, including determining whether leasing Cannon to the private sector is in the public interest. It also would create a hiking trail up Mittersill and over to the summit of Cannon and develop a veterans memorial near the base of the Aerial Tramway.

Sen. Jeb Bradley, the bill’s prime sponsor, was not pleased that DRED estimated the master plan would cost $325,000. He claimed the agency could do an “internal” master plan within the confines of its existing budget. Bradley asked the committee to amend the bill by removing the master plan section and to move forward with just the hiking trail and veterans aspects of the bill. He also criticized the way Cannon is run and said it was clear that the leasing component of the bill was dead for this year.

Bradley’s amendment request seemed to surprise both the committee and DRED officials, who had worked with the Senate to craft a compromise bill that was acceptable to both sides.

Legislative Mischief Raises Its Head in House

The House committee hearing on the Cannon Mountain lease bill was interesting today, to say the least, as SB217's prime sponsor proposed major revisions to the amended bill.

The Department of Resources and Economic Development worked in good faith with the Senate to craft an amended bill it could support. The bill called on DRED to develop a master plan for Franconia Notch State Park and Cannon Mountain, including whether leasing the mountain to the private sector was in the public interest.

At the hearing today, prime sponsor Sen. Jeb Bradley urged the House committee to remove the master plan section of the bill, citing its cost, and once again criticized Cannon's management and business model.

Cannon supporters want the bill killed. Sen. Bradley wants it amended. And DRED, Cannon and the State Park System Advisory Council all argued that the master plan should remain a part of the bill.

Now it's up to the House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee to determine whether the bill should be amended, killed or sent along to a House-Senate conference committee. Stay tuned!

Parks Agency to Support SB217

The agency that oversees state parks and Cannon Mountain will testify in support of SB217, the amended Cannon lease bill, during tomorrow's House committee hearing.

The Department of Resources and Economic Development (DRED) worked with the Senate to amend SB217 into something it can support.

While we still have concerns about the bill and its potential impact on Cannon and Franconia Notch State Park, it at least pushes off lease discussions until the middle of 2013.


Specifically, the amended bill:

• Calls on DRED to develop a master plan for Cannon Mountain and Franconia Notch State Park, including an analysis of whether it is in the public interest to lease the ski area to a private operator.
• The master plan would be submitted to the State Park System Advisory Council before being submitted to the governor and Executive Council by July 1, 2013.
• Calls on DRED to develop a plan to ensure that ski operations of Cannon Mountain will become "self-funded" and "self-sufficient." This plan must be completed by Nov. 1, 2012.

The bill also would establish a veterans memorial and create hiking trails over Mittersill and on to the summit of Cannon.


In the past, DRED and the State Park System Advisory Council have opposed bills that called for leasing Cannon to a private operator.

House Panel Schedules Hearing on Cannon Lease Bill

The House Resources, Recreation and Development Committee will hold a hearing on the Cannon lease bill, SB217, at 1:45 p.m. on April 10. The hearing will be held in Room 305 of the Legislative Office Building, 33 North State St., in Concord. This will be your opportunity to tell state representatives that you oppose leasing the mountain to a private operator.

You also can email the committee, which is headed by Rep. Andrew Renzullo. The committee's email address is HouseResourcesRecreationandDevelopment@leg.state.nh.us

Please consider sending along a copy of your email to Department of Resources and Economic Development Commissioner George Bald and State Parks Director Phil Bryce: george.bald@dred.state.nh.us
phil.bryce@dred.state.nh.us

For more information on the committee, you can check out its web page by clicking here.

If you prefer mail to email, committee member addresses are available here.