Huerfano County to seek public comment on long-term agreement for Cuchara Mountain Park as Panadero pursues DOLA funding for chairlift

Huerfano County commissioners on the agenda authorized staff to post a proposed long-term agreement with Panadero Ski Corp (PSC) for 30 days of public comment and discussed state grant funding the nonprofit and the county have pursued to rehabilitate Chair 4 and other infrastructure at Cuchara Mountain Park.

The item drew extended public comment from residents and stakeholders, including Panadero Ski Corp board members, a representative of Buckhorn Ridge Outfitters and members of the Cuchara community, who urged the county to protect the park’s recreational character and to ensure any private partner returns revenue to the park.

Nut graf: The county and PSC are negotiating a stewardship arrangement for the county-owned Cuchara Mountain Park while PSC seeks state grants to fund capital work including a chairlift rehabilitation; commissioners said they will gather broader public comment before finalizing any long-term conveyance or lease and approved a resolution confirming the park’s public importance.

Panadero presenters said the most urgent capital need is Chair 4 and related snowmaking infrastructure. John Hotaling, a Panadero Ski Corp board member, told the board the project has been packaged as part of several Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) grant applications and that cost estimates have risen since the application was drafted. Hotaling said vendors are now requesting substantial deposits and that Panadero expects to raise private donations to cover a remaining shortfall once a long-term agreement is in place. “The price of the whole rehab has gone up,” Hotaling said, adding the group anticipates covering an additional $50,000–$60,000 through fundraising.

County staff and commissioners discussed how to apportion any county match for the DOLA package and whether to prioritize the lift over other items in the same DOLA application (garage roof, deck and related work). Carl Young, county staff, said the county can reallocate items within the DOLA award if needed and that the board had requested workshops and town-hall meetings in multiple communities to solicit wider input before making a final decision.

Residents who spoke at length urged the board to preserve the park’s community character. Jessica Loveless, speaking on behalf of the Cuchara Foundation, said the foundation supports PSC’s volunteer-driven operations and opposed “commercialization” such as tiny homes or other lodging that would reduce public use. Several speakers, including Jim Littlefield and Bruce Johnson, asked the county to ensure private proposals return meaningful revenue to the park and do not substitute commercial enterprise for community-focused recreation.

Buckhorn Ridge Outfitters’ founder, Brett McGraw, joined remotely and said his past projects reinvested operations revenue into park operations at other sites; he asked that any proposal be judged on its detailed offer back to the park rather than dismissed wholesale. Panadero leaders said they are not categorically opposed to a private partner but oppose proposals that provide no revenue back to the park or that conflict logistically with ski operations on the mountain. “We oppose Buckhorn’s most recent proposal because it does not reflect community value and it has nothing coming back to the park itself,” John Hotaling said.

Commission action and next steps: The board adopted Resolution 25-16 confirming the importance of Cuchara Mountain Park to the county’s parks and recreation program (vote recorded as yes by the commissioners present). Staff said it will post the PSC proposed long-term agreement, the PSC proposal and a secondary concessionaire proposal from Buckhorn Ridge Outfitters for a 30-day public comment period and hold workshops in Walsenburg, Cuchara and surrounding communities before the board takes a final vote.

Ending: County staff said they will coordinate posting documents and scheduling public workshops; Panadero representatives and community members said they plan to continue fundraising and community outreach while public comment is open.