Significant upgrades could be coming soon to the 45-acre campus of Mt. Holiday in East Bay Township. Grand Traverse County commissioners will approve a funding agreement Wednesday for $604,700 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to go to the nonprofit ski resort for infrastructure upgrades – including a new water system – that will allow for expanded snowmaking capabilities and stormwater remediation. Mt. Holiday also held a community visioning session this month to explore more year-round uses for the property, including expanded cycling trails and programs.

County commissioners voted in December to allocate ARPA funds to Mt. Holiday and will approve a funding agreement this week outlining specific terms for the release of the $604,700, including an upfront award of $151,175. The funding will cover a “three-part critical infrastructure plan” for the resort property, according to Mt. Holiday’s application. One project will transition Mt. Holiday from its current costly well system – which does not generate enough water pressure for its snowmaking needs – to East Bay Township’s municipal water supply. Work will include a pipe connection at Ridge Run Road, upgrades to allow for a fire suppression system in the lodge, a new water main with enough pressure and quantity of water to support expanded snowmaking, and sewer/sanitary line upgrades.

Other work calls for mitigating “nine years of stormwater runoff challenges stemming from a 2013 re-engineering of Holiday Road on the eastern edge of the campus,” according to Mt. Holiday. The Holiday Road project including the installation of two culverts on the resort’s property, one of which has “discharged runoff and accompanying silt, road salt, gasoline, and effluent into the resort’s retention pond used exclusively for snowmaking,” according to the application. The other culvert has diverted water next to Mt. Holiday’s blue chair lift.

The result has been that Mt. Holiday’s snowmaking system has degraded due to contaminants in the retention pond, while standing water collects near the electrical system of the blue chairlift, according to the resort. Project funds will help eliminate those contaminants and expand the retention pond. Once the infrastructure upgrades are made, Mt. Holiday plans to significantly expand its snowmaking operations, with the resort stating it plans to purchase 20-plus new snowmakers.

“For five consecutive years, unpredictable weather patterns, a lack of a consistently available water supply, and an underperforming snowmaking system have prevented Mt. Holiday from capitalizing on the higher potential business levels associated with this peak time frame,” the resort wrote in its application. “With the removal of harmful stormwater runoff, expansion of the existing retaining pond, and municipal water connectivity, Mt. Holiday will be one step closer to its internal goal of never again being closed during the peak revenue window between Christmas and New Year.”

Mt. Holiday added that the new infrastructure will allow the resort to open within 72 hours of optimal snowmaking conditions; with its current equipment, opening can take up to three weeks. The project will “empower Mt. Holiday to open earlier in the season, meet critical revenue milestones in December, and offer more community programming opportunities for snowsport enthusiasts,” the resort wrote. Mt. Holiday Executive Director Jim Pearson tells The Ticker that some improvements could begin this year, but the majority of construction will likely take place next spring to avoid the risk of work disrupting the upcoming ski season.

Expanded, more efficient snowmaking is one crucial piece to ensuring Mt. Holiday has a sustainable future. Another is more year-round use of the property, Pearson says. Approximately 60-70 people attended a June 7 visioning session led by consulting firm Inhabitect focused on how Mt. Holiday can “meet the needs of the region’s cycling enthusiasts,” according to the event description. “We have this beautiful piece of land,” Pearson says. “It’s our biggest resource. We’re trying to offer new things for people to do here, and biking seems to be a natural fit.”

Mt. Holiday already hosts Mud, Sweat, and Beers – a fat tire fest and mountain bike race held annually in May – and Base Camp, an action sports training program that includes bike jumping clinics. Attendees showed a strong interest at the visioning session in offering more “progressive training” for cyclists, Pearson says, that would start with basics for beginners and progress into intermediate and advanced skills training, programs, and trails.

“In the ski industry, we have the bunny hill and then steeper intermediate hills and then the difficult hills,” Pearson says. “We’re trying to figure out the same thing for biking.” Inhabitect will compile feedback from the visioning session and return with recommended improvements, with Mt. Holiday then focusing on funding and implementation. “Maybe it’s cutting more trails and adding an obstacle course,” Pearson says. “We want to take this information and start to try and implement it as quickly as we can.”

Other work could include future trail connections to the adjacent nature preserve and Five Mile Road, allowing bike access to the resort without having to go up Holiday Road. Year-round options could also include more special events – like concerts, weddings, and film screenings, capitalizing on the resort’s full-service restaurant – and potentially partnering with a local bike shop to offer on-site rentals or equipment demos. Pearsons says he’s also researching options like a treetop adventure course (adding to Mt. Holiday’s existing zip line course) and a summer tube run.

“We’re exploring as many possibilities as we can,” he says. “We have to balance it out, because if we put in something permanent, we’d rather it not affect our ski season. We’re first and foremost a ski resort. But we’ve got three more seasons to work with, so we’re trying to branch out.”