By Kate Bartlett
Holiday Valley is looking to invest over 5 million dollars in resort improvements with funding from the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency. This amount is significantly greater than years prior, but speaks to the resorts long-term commitment to invest in the area’s economy.
According to Corey Witkor, Executive Director for the CCIDA, the funding will go toward year-round improvements, including golf upgrades, third phase of upgrades to the Holiday Valley Inn, as well as snowmaking (snow guns, updating water lines, computer upgrades, and more). “Typically, Holiday Valley applies for around 2-3 million dollars in funding, so this is a significant increase,” says Corey. “This speaks to the continued investment of the resort in the long-term economy of our community.”
The CCIDA is a public benefit corporation that was created in 1971 to “retain, promote and assist private sector industrial and business developments, thereby advancing job opportunities and economic welfare to the people of Cattaraugus County.” The agency helps organizations take advantage of Industrial Revenue Bonding to obtain low-cost financing on eligible projects. In short, the CCIDA has helped Holiday Valley, among other organizations, reduce its development cost by receiving tax breaks and other forms of government funding for the applied for projects.
This past ski season, Holiday Valley attracted over 500,000 skiers to their resort from areas from areas both around the country and internationally. “This is huge for our areas economy,” says Corey. “These visitors spend time in our community and patron our establishments. The spin off economy the resort brings to our area is huge.”
with their golf course, sky-high ropes adventure course and swimming
at the resort. This funding will also support improvements at both the golf
course and the inn, therefore continuing to encourage tourism year-round.
Even when the weather is suboptimal, Holiday Valley is actively seeking ways to improve their snow making abilities. “The team does an incredible job researching snow making and maintenance in order to capitalize on our winter months,” explains Corey. “Regardless of what mother nature gives us, Holiday Valley is doing a great job at optimizing their conditions, and this funding helps support those endeavors.”
Not only does Holiday Valley attract visitors during the ski season, but year-round with their golf course, sky-high ropes adventure course and swimming at the resort. This funding will also support improvements at both the golf course and the inn, therefore continuing to encourage tourism year-round.
The majority of these projects will be completed by local tradespeople and suppliers. “We appreciate that Holiday Valley supports a local employment base. They hire locally and spend locally, keeping the money here. This is a large investment that will create a lot of jobs in the area.”
“We are happy to continue to support Holiday Valley. Their board and leadership have made an incredible impact on our community, and their continued investment in our long-term economy is invaluable. We are happy to help bring these projects to fruition.”
For more information, visit cattcoida.com and holidayvalley.com, and follow on social media.