PADRE PULLS PLUG, CANCELS CABLE SKI PARK FOR SANTEE LAKES

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By Miriam Raftery
 

March 24, 2011 (Santee) – Padre Dam Municipal Water District announced today that its Board of Directors voted on March 22 to end its agreement with Sudweeks Development LLC to construct and operate a cable ski park at Santee Lakes. Sudweeks “was unable to proceed with the project and requested a settlement. The lack of available financing in the current economy played a major role in Sudweeks’ request,” a press release issued by the district revealed.
 

“We saw the cable ski park as a new and exciting family recreation opportunity, and as an innovative use of recycled water for recreation, which is what Santee Lakes is all about,” said Padre Dam’s General Manager, Allen Carlisle. The project, which would have been built on Lake 1, also included a restaurant, pro shop and recreational beach area.
 

But Julie Naggar, who has led opposition to the project, said she is relieved by the cancellation. “I just think it’s a win for the neighborhood… The people who love this park come here for the beauty of it. A daily ski park would have been unbearable, with the noise and the crowds.”

 

Guadalupe “Lupe” Gillenberg, a Santee resident who has been vocal in her opposition to the project, learned of its cancellation in a phone call from this reporter requesting comment. Upon hearing the news, she shrieked with delight. “Oh my God! Are you kidding?” She added, “I thought this was going to be a done deal. I thought they had the money and everything.”
 

Like a chair-lift at a mountain ski area, a cable ski park uses a horizontal cable suspended on towers and propelled by solar powered electric motors to pull water skiers and wakeboarders around a lake. While hundreds of cable ski parks operate in Europe and Asia, there are only five in the United States and none west of Texas.

The project was also forecast to bring in revenues for the water district. The decision was made by a unanimous vote in closed session, Padre Dam spokesman Mike Uhrhammer confirmed.
 

Although settlement terms are confidential, Carlisle told East County Magazine, “I can tell you there is no ratepayer impact. There was no monetary exchange.” He added, “We will work hard to offset any impacts that this change would have. The good news is that we never counted on the revenue; we took a very conservative approach with budgeting for the park.”
 

Asked if the project is considered dead, or whether efforts may be made to find a different developer/operator, Carlisle said, “The official response right now is that we do not have plans to pursue the cable ski park.”
 

He added that the management team and Board have not yet had time to fully analyze all options. But he added that there are some improvements the District would like to make to Lake 1, even without the ski park. “We would like some playground improvements, shelter improvements, and rental boats, perhaps even sail boats.” Boat rental could generate significant revenue, he added. A food service operation would also be desirable, he indicated, but noted, “What that looks like and if it would be at the same scale…we’re too new into this to have definitive answers.”
 

Padre Dam has taken steps to create additional new revenue sources, notably by adding cabins, including several floating cabins, for overnight visitors at Lake 7. Reservations are now being accepted and response has been “overwhelming,” Carlisle said. For the first month, occupancy is already 90%, he said. The district also recently added solar panels, which generate half the power for the park and also provided shaded parking and RV storage.
 

The cable ski project drew mixed reactions from ratepayers, with some favoring the development of new recreational opportunities, while a vocal contingent of neighbors objected. Those opposed cited fears that the project would bring noise, traffic, and crowds to the preserve. Others cited concerns over the impact on wildlife, particularly birds. Some, such as Gillenberg, objected to a bar in the restaurant that area residents feared would create noise and safety concerns.
 

“It was going to be open to 11 o’clock every night,” Gillenberg said. “I had made it very clear to them that I’m not going away.” Had the project moved forward, she said, “I’d be out there every day with signs and everything.”
 

Carlisle said the cable ski park concept actually was born out of “a request we received from our ratepayers for more active recreation in the park.”
 

Public input will be sought to obtain stakeholder opinions “Before we head down the design path” for any future projects, he assured. Although public input was obtained for the cable ski project, he adds that the District may gain knowledge from the experience, “There are always opportunities to learn and grow, and we will certainly take what we can learn from the cable ski park process.”

 

Santee Lakes is a 191 acre regional park and campground owned and operated by Padre Dam Municipal Water District. For 50 years – Santee Lakes is celebrating its 50th Anniversary throughout 2011 – the park has been a model for communities worldwide, demonstrating how to use recycled water to develop tax-free, financially self sufficient park and recreation programs. The park hosted over 650,000 visitors in 2010.
 

Padre Dam Municipal Water District provides water, sewer, recycled water and recreation services in the communities of Santee, El Cajon, Blossom Valley, Crest, Harbison Canyon and Alpine, located east of San Diego.
 


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