Next month, neighbors, skiers and other residents are about to hear more about Granite Peak’s expansion plans, which have been kept largely under wraps since they were first announced in December 2014.
Granite Peak in January hired Peter Biermeier, CEO of Madison-based consulting firm Circ360 and former Section Chief of Recreation, Planning and Development for the state, to help kick the project into high gear.
The ski area held meetings last month to get feedback from neighbors and will hold a public meeting near the end of October, says Granite Peak Operations Manager Vicki Baumann.
Expansion plans to add 155 acres of beginner and intermediate runs slowed as they reached early DNR processes, but hiring Biermeier is meant to help spark the development. Biermeier, who retired last year from the DNR, is familiar with how the agency works and can help do the work on the front end to make sure the DNR approval process goes smoothly.
Granite Peak is still finalizing the ski expansion plans and expects to submit them to the DNR Board by the first quarter of 2017. That could mean the project would see DNR approval by the end of 2017, Biermeier says.
