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The headline reads Smith pulls Sugar Loaf bid: Sugar Loaf owner calls would-be developer 'a joke', and in it, Bill O'Brien of the Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that Liko Smith has withdrawn his bid for the long-shuttered Leelanau ski resort.

"I wanted to believe this was going to happen," Wickstrom said. "But he's obviously without the means to do anything."

Smith's website stated, "Unfortunately, at some point it is not healthy to (pursue) a deal," and he was pulling out of the project.

"I'm like the sixth buyer here, and I've got the farthest," he said.

Really? I wasn't aware that there were varying degrees of "nowhere" you could get to. Now we're left at the point where we were when Liko crashed into the scene this spring with one very important difference: a bunch of people are paying attention to Sugar Loaf.

We've decided to close our massive Sugar Loaf thread to new posts, add a link to the hibernating Friends of Sugar Loaf group on Facebook and start anew here with the simple question, What now for Sugar Loaf?

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Here's a preface to the preface. This comes via our Absolute Michigan web site. You probably know some of the background info we offer but there is some interesting reading, especially if you follow the link to Liko's web site and (under Friends of Sugar Loaf) read the letter from Skip Telgard of the Bluebird.

Today we're bringing you a whole lot of information about a Michigan landmark that is very near and dear to my heart: Sugar Loaf Mountain in Leelanau County. I am indeed a Sugar Loafer. I grew up skiing there, worked as a lift operator and was taken for thousands of dollars in services rendered but never paid for by the last management company to run the resort and was one of the leaders of a movement to try and acquire the resort as a community ski area. That effort was halted when the current owner, Kate Wickstrom purchased Sugar Loaf.

Since then, the resort has lain dormant. Then, about a month ago, Liko Smith emerged on the scene as a potential savior for the resort. Close on his heels were a slew of stories and accusations that have made many question whether we're climbing back on the merry-go-round of disappointment that has become synonymous with the name of Sugar Loaf. Today I'd like to present for your consideration a wide range of information including an interview with Mr. Smith on Absolute Michigan Radio co-sponsored by Traverse Legal, so that you can come to your own conclusions.

Jacob Wheeler of the Glen Arbor Sun has a feature looking at Liko Smith, his business connections and what it would take to resurrect the long-beleaguered ski resort:

Michael Berry, President of the Denver-based National Ski Areas Association, thought that reopening Sugar Loaf was entirely possible. Berry guessed that one could acquire new ski lifts and snowmaking equipment at Sugar Loaf for $4-5 million, and satisfy insurance company standards within two or three months (there are only two or three players in the industry).

…But one ski expert at a Midwestern resort, who asked to remain anonymous, doubted Berry’s optimistic prognosis for Sugar Loaf, and estimated that it would cost at least $10-15 million to buy equipment, make snow, and open the hills. He added that Smith would have to order lifts by next month, or there would be no way to get them in time for next winter.

…“Sugar Loaf would have to pull skiers away from (nearby resorts) Crystal Mountain, Nubs Nob and Boyne. … The market isn’t getting any bigger. Sugar Loaf would have to draw from the existing players.”

Click through to read more and other coverage from the Glen Arbor Sun.

If you'd like to meet Liko and hear more about his plans, there's a $100 Quad Fund mixer at Red Ginger in Traverse City. More about that and more from Liko at likosmith.com. (hint: click the "Friends of Sugar Loaf" for some interesting reading and insight into Liko Smith and the feeling in the community).

By far the most active discussion has taken place in the Friends of Sugar Loaf group on Facebook.

UPDATE 4/10: A reader sent a collection of annotated links that offers some interesting reading.

UPDATE 4/8: TV 7&4 has a report that includes an interview with Liko Smith that addresses tax issues. Definitely worth watching!

Yesterday the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported that Liko Smith, a Las Vegas-based entrepreneur is working to purchase Sugar Loaf Resort in Leelanau County:

The Las Vegas-based entrepreneur has big plans for Leelanau County's long-shuttered Sugar Loaf Resort, and he wants it open in a hurry. If all goes according to plans, he'll plunk down millions and have 100 rooms open at the resort's hotel by July 4.

"The key to this is speed and pragmatism," he said Friday.

The once-popular resort that covers several hundred acres in Cleveland and Centerville townships closed in 2000 amid a sea of financial troubles and back-to-back poor snow seasons. Multiple attempts to reopen never materialized.

Smith, 39, said he'd spend about $10 million to purchase the entire resort, an attached golf course and a supporting water treatment plant, parcels now owned by separate parties. He's been in contact with owners and hopes to finalize the purchase soon.

"All the contracts are being drafted; we expect to close by the end of the month," he said.

Then yesterday, in response to a slew of internet postings, the Record-Eagle followed up with news that he faces felony grand theft and embezzlement charges in California's El Dorado County, and is the subject of numerous derisive Internet postings about past business endeavors.

On Monday, Smith said "everybody makes mistakes," and said he remains committed to the Sugar Loaf purchase.

"If the citizens of Leelanau County and Traverse City want that place open; I'm the guy to do it," he said.

I did a lot of reading on Smith, both through articles about his endeavors linked from the Sugar Loaf Facebook group and other places as well as what he has to say on his web site. Sugar Loaf does need someone to come in and hit it very hard and very fast with a lot of money, something that Smith appears to bring to the table. Not having met or spoken with him, I find it hard to gauge whether or not he's a person who can be trusted to get the job done. Here's hoping…

The photos for this article were provided by Glen Arbor photographer Jeff Rabidoux. See these and a lot more beautiful landscape photos at lifeonthe45th.com.

The Leelanau Enterprise reports that convicted felon Remo Polselii and his wife Hanna are still in control of Sugar Loaf Resort:

Shortly after she purchased Sugar Loaf resort in March 2005, Wickstrom declared publicly that Polselli was “definitely out of the picture” – an assertion she has repeated several times since then.

But facts to the contrary emerged during a hearing Monday in a suit filed by waste treatment plant operator Sugar Loaf Service Company over an unpaid $500,000-plus sewer bill the company claimed Wickstrom owed. Named as co-defendant in the case was the holder of Wickstrom’s mortgage on the resort, Transcapital Bank of Florida, represented locally by Traverse City attorney Roy Jay Montney Jr.

Montney informed Judge Thomas G. Power during this week’s hearing that Transcapital no longer holds the mortgage on Sugar Loaf Resort – a fact that Sugar Loaf Service Company attorney Tom Pezetti, on the other side of the aisle, said he’d learned only Friday. Montney said that a corporation apparently controlled by Hanna Karcho Polselli had acquired the mortgage from Transcapital, and had subsequently assigned the mortgage to yet another bank.

To read more check out the the article at the Leelanau Enterprise.
Check out more Sugar Loaf news at Leelanau.com.

Photo credit:  Leelanau Enterprise

Jeff Rabidoux of Life on the 45th Parallel brings back many memories of skiing and good times, in his gallery Sugarloaf…..Photographic Study. Be sure to check out the rest of his site of amazing photos. If you are looking for last minute Christmas gifts, his prints are 20% off through the end of the year.

The Leelanau Enterprise reports:

A “Phase II” environmental assessment of Sugar Loaf Resort completed last month found no more in the way of contamination at the long-shuttered ski resort than a “Phase I” assessment conducted in October.

At their regular monthly meeting last week, members of the Leelanau County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (LCBRA) heard from representatives of AKT Peerless Environmental Services which is conducting the assessments using part of the $100,000 in grant funding the county acquired through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

County Planning and Community Development department head Trudy Galla, who also serves as director of the LCBRA, said that during the “Phase II” assessment, engineers were able to locate one of the underground storage tanks on the resort property which not even its current owner, Kate Wickstrom, was aware of.

“There are a number of underground storage tanks on the property,” Galla explained, “and the assessment showed that none of them are leaking.”

Read more of the Leelanau Enterprise article.

Photo: Down by farlane

The Sugar Loaf Vision Session Report is now available and the Traverse City Record-Eagle has a report on the results that says most residents:

…want to see it either returned to a popular tourist destination or converted to a community recreational center.

Those options were the clear favorites gleaned from June meetings designed to help township officials determine zoning and land use for the Sugar Loaf area, said Leelanau County Planner Trudy Galla.

The two most popular concepts aren't mutually exclusive, nor do they rule out other ideas that may still be incorporated into preliminary drafts, she said.

"This is just the beginning, so whatever ends up being developed for there could be quite different," Galla said.

…Some activities mentioned in the report ranged from extreme sports and water slides to bungee-jumping and golf.

A community recreational center scenario came from those who prefer a more family oriented, quieter use geared mostly toward locals. That conceptual plan includes an athletic and spa center, restaurant, sports fields and skiing interspersed with residential housing.

What do you think should be done with Sugar Loaf? Post your comments below!

On June 24 and June 25, 250 participants attended a series of sessions to discuss the future vision of Sugar Loaf. Representatives from Kansas State University TAB program, and from MSU will present these results and a short video clip from the final visioning session on Tuesday, August 18 in the Lower Level of the Leelanau County Government Center at 6pm.

Prior to this unveiling,  all Leelanau County elected and appointed officials, business owners, property owners, consultants, developers, and residents are invited to a workshop focused on Leelanau County brownfield initiatives at 3:00pm in the Leelanau County Government Center.

This is YOUR opportunity to speak to EPA officials about proposed projects, ideas, questions you have on current projects or funding possibilities, etc. Bring your questions and be ready to learn!

There will be a brief introduction followed by an update on the EPA grants Leelanau County has received for site assessment work.

Mr. Jim Van der Kloot from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) office in Chicago, will give an overview of Sustainable development techniques that have been applied in the Midwest, with a focus on practical steps that can be taken which yield long-term benefits in terms of affordability, re-use of brownfield sites, and enhancement of the ecological setting of a site.

Mr. Mike Gifford, EPA Region V Brownfields Project manager from Chicago, will present the nuts and bolts of EPA’s Revolving Loan Fund Grants that can be used to cleanup contamination on brownfield sites. Find out what works, what doesn’t work and what your commitment is, if you apply for and receive one of these grants. This Workshop was coordinated with assistance from the Michigan Association of Counties (MAC).

Please RSVP by calling the Leelanau County Planning office at 231-256-9812. FREE – for Leelanau County Residents.

Photo: Sugar Loaf January 2003 by farlane