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Update December 30, 2020

To the Massanutten Community (and especially MPOA members):

Thank you for your outreach and comments since my last post.  Much of the dialogue and analysis has proved helpful. In light of recent questions and comments, I’d like to offer some follow-up thoughts on the new relationship between MPOA and Massanutten Resort (and its related entities).

As you almost certainly know by now, the new agreement supersedes old ones between the Resort and MPOA; the most significant difference is that the Resort is responsible for all aspects of maintaining, insuring, and keeping the main roads (Massanutten, Peak, and Del Webb Drives, along with several smaller roads or sections of roads) in a condition as good or better than when MPOA bore operational responsibility for them.

Under the prior agreements, we were simply reimbursing MPOA about 50% of what it actually spent on maintaining the roads.  Thus, in exchange for the lease, we have taken on an important management responsibility benefitting both MPOA members and the Resort, while taking on the full expense of that operation – doubling, potentially tripling – our expenditure. Given that these roadways are critical to our attractions, we have a huge incentive to ensure that they’re kept in the best possible condition.

As we expected, the announcements – by both us and MPOA President Liz Walker – generated a lot of discussions. There was some intelligent analysis done and several good questions were raised. So, I’d like to address some of these.

First, as regards to benefits offered to MPOA owners: These aren’t functions of the new relationship, which is why they’re not spelled out in the Agreement (nor were they spelled out in previous Agreements). Rather, they’re a continuation of benefits we’ve long offered to MPOA owners in the spirit of community goodwill.

Echoing my communication to both President Liz Walker and the MPOA Board, which was also communicated in my last post, our intention is to do more than what is outlined in the document. We intend to focus on what is right and neighborly, not just what is contractually obligated. A return to the arboretum clean-up days and support of selected social events are key examples.

The decision to extend a discount structure similar to the one conveyed to our timeshare owners is an example of this intention.  After receiving feedback on the words “and privileges” from my last post – which caused some confusion – I’ve made a correction to the post.   For reference, a list of current MPOA discounts can be found here. Please note that there are some limitations on how tickets may be purchased due to Covid-19 protocols.

Next up, there were questions related to MPOA members’ rights to use the roads that we’re now leasing. Yes, the lease agreement contains some rather stiff legalese that could, I suppose, be misinterpreted as allowing us to restrict movement. But that’s not the intent. Suffice to say MPOA members may continue to use the main roads exactly as you always have.

There was some question related to the parking lots and, specifically, the elimination of the “owners’ lot” at the base of the ski area. This does in fact constitute a change; all parking is now first-come-first-served. That “owners’ lot” served both MPOA owners and our timeshare owners.  Its elimination was the same for both; nobody has privileged parking going forward.

Regarding road signage: the lease does permit us to install signage along the leased roadways. Our intent with this is simple: in the interest of driver convenience and road safety, we may (at some point) install some signs that provide clarity to visitors as to where things are, and which provide relevant information. The first you’ll see is some radar speed control signs on Massanutten Drive; these will be installed in the next few weeks, and we’ll provide more details shortly (for now, it is important to note that the radar signs are a joint project between MPOA and the Resort.)

Beyond those and, for example, informing visitors that a given feature (such as the Ski Area, Mountain Greens golf course, or Campfire Grill) is one mile ahead, there will be no promotional signage. Any signage we install will be designed to be appealing and in keeping with the peaceful nature of the roadways. We also plan to coordinate new any sign installations with the MPOA Administrator & MPOA President as a courtesy.

No agreement of this sort is likely to address every contingency that someone might think of. Suffice to say: now that there’s a fundamentally new structure between MPOA and the Resort, we both have a better ability to make decisions jointly, without rancor, and address minor operational questions on a case-by-case, cooperative basis.

Many area residents clearly recognize the upside of this agreement. But this marks a significant change, and skepticism is a natural reaction. I plan to make time on at least a yearly basis to meet with MPOA’s Board and residents to discuss their questions and concerns, and hope that you’ll watch and see how things progress as we start this new chapter. If you have comments or questions, feel free to drop us a line at community@massresort.com.

Wishing everyone a Healthy & Happy New Year.
Matthias Smith, VP and General Manager, Massanutten Resort

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