Brian Head hails its new ski bridge

Intermittent sunshine, flakes of snow and a brisk, cold wind greeted skiers and other people attending the much-anticipated inauguration Friday of a ski bridge at Brian Head Resort in Iron County.

The $6.5 million interconnect system allows skiers to schuss their way over state Route 143 without ever having to remove their boots or stop for traffic. Two new triple chair lifts are easily accessed on either side of the ski bridge that divides Navajo and Giant Steps Mountains, the resort's two main ski mountains. The resort has also added 35 percent more terrain to play on.

"This has been a long time coming. We've talked about adding these new lifts for a few years, and the bridge has been talked about for even longer than that," said Ron Burgess of Brian Head Resort. "We won't have a sense of separation any longer."

The town of Brian Head contributed $900,000 to the project. Brian Head Town Manager Bryce Haderlie said residents voted years ago to approve a $900,000 general obligation bond that could be used to help build the ski bridge, but the bond may not be necessary. The town has created a Community Development Area that allows the town to take future property tax money from new growth and funnel it into recreation and tourism, Haderlie said.

Brian Head Resort officials agreed to take over construction of the bridge, a project town leaders had always wanted, if Brian Head would kick in the $900,000, he added.

"Everyone came to the table and made this happen," Haderlie said. "The resort committed to be in charge of the construction of the bridge, which was a huge benefit to the town."

Brian Head Mayor "Dutch" Deutschlander said the private/public partnership is "one of the better deals the town has ever made."

The town's payments on its investment have, so far, been made out of its general fund, although the mayor said he is hopeful that sales and property taxes generated by new growth will repay the town

coffers

"We may have to increase property taxes to help pay for it. That's always out in the wings," Deutschlander said. "But we're hoping we don't have to deal with that."

Proposed and approved developments already in the works could potentially double the town's assessed tax value, said the mayor, who has held an elected office in Brian Head since 1977.

"One of the challenges here for the town and staff is we go along catering to 100 residents or so, and then all of a sudden, boom, we grow to 6,000 people," the mayor said.