After years of contentious talks, a plan is in place for the next life of a southern Colorado ski area.

Huerfano County commissioners recently approved a 40-year operating agreement with a nonprofit to run county-owned Cuchara Mountain Park, home to the old ski area that closed in 2000. The nonprofit, Panadero Ski Corp., for the past few years has hosted events and raised funds to restore a chairlift while hauling skiers uphill via snowcat and welcoming others who’ve hiked themselves.

Panadero had been operating on a temporary agreement.

“About time,” Karl Sporleder remarked after he and other county commissioners approved the 40-year deal. “A few bumps in the road there for sure.”

It’s been a bumpy road since 2017, when Cuchara Foundation acquired about 50 acres of the former ski area base and transferred the land to the county. A master plan followed, envisioning an arrangement whereby some entity would work to restore the chairlift and charge for some services to afford park upgrades and maintenance — saving the county on costs, including insurance.

A concessionaire’s proposal was rejected in 2022. Another proposal was rejected more recently, again inciting outcry over the commercialization of public land.

Among letters sent to county commissioners was one from Cuchara Foundation that referred to a proposal “to construct 20 tiny home lodging units and other commercial amenities within the park.” Another letter from a local resident echoed many others: “DO NOT SELL.”

The feedback was collected by the county ahead of commissioners’ decision on the operating agreement, backed by a survey that showed 90% of respondents in support of Panadero Ski Corp.

“It reaffirmed everything that we believed about our mission up there,” said the nonprofit’s Ken Clayton.

The mission has faced scrutiny over the years, including by past commissioners who questioned the volunteer group’s commitment to safety. Panadero claimed validation late last year, when Gov. Jared Polis’ office announced a $250,000 grant to the nonprofit.

County Administrator Carl Young has overseen debate amid turnover on the Board of County Commissioners. He, too, has questioned Panadero at times, but he sounded convinced at the recent commissioners’ meeting.

“It’s good for the community and good for the county, and I think the partnership up there is going to be amazing,” he said.

Clayton expressed relief.

“But we’re very aware that now the tough work begins,” he said. “Now we have to operate a ski area, where everyone else who tried before us has gone bankrupt.”

Panadero has emphasized its scope being much smaller than that of past, failed operators — limited to about 50 acres around the old base area. A 24-page business plan outlines ideas for several revenue streams, including events and grants. The largest income listed: lift rides in the winter and rides in the summer for sightseers and mountain bikers.

And so the revival of the old lift remains “central,” Clayton said. With the county’s long-term agreement, he said the nonprofit could now spend the state’s grant money toward repairs. To carry passengers, the lift needs approval from the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board.

“We have a pretty good grasp on the scope of the work and we expect it to go smooth,” Clayton said. “But that thing has not been hauling people for over two decades. Something can come up, and we will deal with that if it does.”

In the meantime, Panadero has sold tickets for what it calls a “snowbus,” a modified trailer ferried uphill by a snowcat. Clayton said close to 1,200 skier visits were counted this past winter.

That informs some numbers estimated in Panadero’s business plan, citing analysis by SE Group. The plan foresees Cuchara Mountain Park creating 22 jobs, $118,000 in annual tax revenue and $1.16 million in direct and indirect spending around one of Colorado’s poorest counties.

“We do it for the people that can’t afford to go ski up I-70,” Clayton said. “We feel like there’s a huge need for a place like this.”