Sugar Loaf Mountain once served as a popular ski resort in Leelanau county.
“At one time it was the largest employer in Leelanau County,” says Jacob Wheeler, reporter for the Glen Arbor Sun. “But obviously those jobs have been gone for 21 years.”
The ski resort closed in 2000. For a time, the aging, abandoned buildings and graffiti covered walls invited vandalism. But last week, demolition began on the former ski resort. The company Envirologic is completing the demolition.
There are a lot of questions about the owner of the property and their future plans.
“The ownership question, climate change, varying winters, and the millions and millions of dollars it would take to rebuild a chairlift suggest that a ski resort may be unlikely,” says Wheeler.
But no matter what replaces the defunct ski resort, Wheeler says the demolition is a good start.
“It’s good news, because the old lodge was an eyesore, it was potentially dangerous, and it had to come down.”
