Lake County commissioners say they will mediate dispute with Ski Cooper, pledge timely submission of master development plan

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners said July 1 it will seek a neutral mediator and provide more public information as it works to repair a strained relationship with Ski Cooper, the small ski area that operates on county land and federal permits.

Commissioners led the conversation during the board's regular meeting after public comments and internal updates. The board said it does not want to interrupt Ski Cooper's day-to-day operations and that limited requests from the county have nonetheless generated strong public reactions.

The dispute centers on the county's role as the holder of the county's lease and the base-area land on which Ski Cooper's facilities sit and the timing and content of a Forest Service master development plan (MDP). "The MDP will be turned in on time. There's no way, shape, or form the master development plan for Ski Cooper will not make it into the hands of the Forest Service by the deadline," Candace Bryant, Lake County manager, said during the meeting. County officials also said they reserve the right to review and amend the MDP to reflect county concerns because the county holds the lease from the Forest Service for the base-area land.

Resident Dean Irie asked the board to lead calmly and to make clear communications to the community. "I really would like our elected officials to be leaders and not agitators of the situation," Irie said during public comment, calling for the county to balance praise for Ski Cooper's benefits with requests for changes.

County speakers described several specific points of friction that emerged in recent weeks: a dispute over a county-requested "port of entry" scanning procedure and differences about a county-run bus service that served Ski Cooper. Commissioners said ridership on that pilot bus was rising but that Ski Cooper leadership chose to discontinue it; the county said it will pursue other transportation partnerships. Commissioners also said some small operational requests from the county have created outsized public controversy on social media, and they pledged to publish fact-based information explaining county actions and rationale.

Because direct conversations between the county-appointed board members and the Ski Cooper board have broken down, county officials said they will pursue a third-party mediator to facilitate the next meeting between the parties. "Since we all don't get along, we're gonna hire a mediator, a neutral third party to facilitate the next get together," a county official said.

County staff and the board repeatedly emphasized that their stated goal is to preserve Ski Cooper and its operations. "In no way, shape, or form is the BOCC looking to create harm to the Ski Cooper situation that we have," a county speaker said, adding that the county wants cooperation rather than operational disruption.

The county also addressed public concern that it was "holding" the MDP hostage. Officials said the county's review role stems from the lease with the Forest Service; the MDP is a planning document that guides what the Forest Service may approve, and a late submission could complicate review. The county reiterated it will meet the Forest Service deadline and urged the public to await the county's forthcoming information packet explaining the timeline, the county's review role and the specific small requests that catalyzed the controversy.

Ending: County officials said they will follow up with outreach, attempt to negotiate through a mediator and publish documentation on the county website and social channels. Public comment on Ski Cooper will continue to be accepted at future meetings and through county staff contact channels.