HIGHMOUNT – The $8 million
Catskill Thunder gondola has opened at Belleayre Mountain and State Assemblyman
Kevin Cahill (D, Kingston) Wednesday celebrated its completion and start
up.
The state-owned Belleayre is operated by the Olympic Regional Development
Authority. Cahill noted Belleayre was omitted from Governor Cuomo’s
initial 2017 budget proposal, which did include additional funding for
Gore and Whiteface Mountain, sister ski centers.
At the time, Cahill joined forces with State Senator James Seward, Shandaken
Town Supervisor Robert Stanley and local advocates to have the funding
placed in the governor’s 30-day amendment to his executive budget.
Several years ago, the state transferred Belleayre from the Department
of Environmental Conservation to ORDA, and Cahill wants the facility in
the Catskills treated equally.
“I appreciate the fact that ORDA has more skill in this area, but
if we have to scrap and fight every time to get recognition, then that
is not acceptable to me. So, when the governor came out with this, I found
it ironic that the governor wanted to talk about a budget item that he
himself left out,” Cahill said.
The Democratic lawmaker said the governor, a fellow Democrat, chooses
“to ignore colleagues in the New York State Assembly on what seems
to be a routine basis.”
