LAST TANGO ON DONNER SUMMIT?

In my April 27 Save the Summit posting, I referred to Serene Lakes' Property Owner's Association's (SLCWD) "tawdry tango with Royal Gorge LLC." This refers to the actions of the SLPOA president (and SLCWD water board member!), who contacted Todd Foster and initiated negotiations on the heels of Chris Rust's December email. That email, which was widely circulated, threatened that Royal Gorge Cross Country would be fenced off and shut down at the end of the season, in essence to punish those who at least one of Royal Gorge LLC's owners felt had blocked their proposed development on Donner Summit.*

So far this year, the snow being persistent, there are no fences up. However, in a very lengthy and strangely worded letter on their website, Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort's manager has indicated that all the resort's lands will be indeed be off limits to hikers in the summer, with the veiled threat, "of necessity, we will be conducting enforcement of the policy consistent with the laws prohibiting trespass."

What's odd about this letter, aside from the fact it goes to great lengths to detail exactly where people would like to go, but "nyah, nyah, nyah", can't anymore, including Royal Gorge LLC blocking access to public lands that just might have established rights of way to them (easements of various varieties, other agreements, etc.), is the description of ownership interests, and the reasons behind slamming figural gates shut on trails.

References to Kirk Syme, Woodstock Development, Todd Foster and Mark Foster, Foster Enterprises, the putative owners of Royal Gorge LLC are nowhere to be found-- it's now "the current ownership group"  And here's an interesting turn of words:

"Recent changes occurring in the financial, banking, and insurance industries prompt our return to the longstanding policy prohibiting Royal Gorge trail use except during winter, when users carry a valid trail pass.  Bankers and insurance companies are more concerned about risk than ever. These changes in the business environment are beyond our control."

Insurance companies worried about exposure, that's a no brainer. But Bankers? Banks of course require borrowers to maintain insurance to protect assets, but since when do bankers call the shots about trail use at a cross country resort? 

It's a real puzzle. I do have a few pieces that might possibly fit the puzzle, though, helping us understand what might be going on at Royal Gorge Cross Country, and Donner Summit.**

According to Placer County records, Bank Midwest, aka Dickinson Financial, of Kansas City provided the original 17 million dollar loan for the $34M purchase of Royal Gorge Cross Country Business, and various land parcels, from John Slouber, and Rancho Monterey. Bank Midwest, interestingly enough, has taken quite a bit of TARP money from the federal government.

Let's say that Bank Midwest, after the potential $70 million sale of Royal Gorge LLC that Chris Rust described in his December email fell through, became worried about their loan.

Might they not have decided to keep a closer eye on their investment way out in the Sierra Nevada, perhaps with the help of a local firm well versed in the pitfalls accompanying large scale development, like, for example, this group? ***

Keep those two pieces in mind, while I get back to my silly dance theme. I'm wondering if there's a possibility that Tango Music isn't so popular on Donner Summit anymore and, that, perhaps the piper, in anticipation of being paid, is tuning up for a rousing Highland Fling? Or might some of the would-be dancers actually be dancing another Scottish classic, the Seann Truibas?**** It's enough to put a Lilt in one's heart... that maybe the Jig's up.  

Perhaps this all is just Flora Macdonald's Fancy. The important thing for all of us to remember here at Donner Summit is that there are laws that control development. Any large development will have to go through a CEQA process, and we as citizens must be ready to be involved in the process in a thoughtful way. No homeowner's group can make agreements for us that X number of houses are acceptable, and no group, or bank, or highly paid consultant can conjure water, or make sewage effluent mysteriously vanish.

It's important for us all to remain vigilant, and ready to work with Placer County to ensure that whoever owns Royal Gorge LLC won't be dancing the, er, Cakewalk.

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*Royal Gorge LLC has never filed , as necessary for development, an official project application with Placer County, so it's a bit thick to accuse locals of preventing development.

**Disclaimer-- this is all, like investments in Sierra Resorts, highly speculative-- or at least conjectural

***This is purely exemplar. I'm not saying this group has any business relationship with any parties concerned with Donner Summit

**** Literally, "old trousers", and depicts the shedding of trousers in favor of the kilt. The more appropriate reference for us would perhaps involve losing of shirts.....