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Proposals in

The deadline to file expressions of interest in the former Big Thunder site has arrived, with at least two local groups filing ahead of Monday’s 5 p.m. cutoff.
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Paul DeGiacomo, co-chair of Friends of Big Thunder. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

The deadline to file expressions of interest in the former Big Thunder site has arrived, with at least two local groups filing ahead of Monday’s 5 p.m. cutoff.

Friends of Big Thunder and Loch Lomond Ski Area owner Ward Bond have submitted separate proposals to the province, which owns the property, but closed it in 1996, a year after the site hosted the World Nordic Championships.

Paul DeGiacomo, co-chair of Friends of Big Thunder, on Monday said his organization’s goal all along has been to see the locks taken off the gates and the site opened in one form or another.

DeGiacomo said under their proposal the site would potentially reopen as a year-round facility, with less emphasis on the 90- and 120-metre man-made ski jumps and more emphasis on other activities, like cross-country skiing, the natural ski jumps and summer uses like mountain bike races and hiking.

"It would be more than just a Nordic site. It would allow other venues or other groups to show up, to let the site be used as it should be, 12 months of the year," DeGiacomo said, adding Friends of Big Thunder would be open to discussions with the Townwhip of Neebing and Lakehead University, which owns the media centre building on the property, as potential partners.

"We’re hopefully going to outreach to as many people as we can, to have them show their interest and to get them on board to re-use the site as a training centre," DeGiacomo said, noting Lakehead’s ski team would be a natural fit at the site.

Friends of Big Thunder are under no illusion that the facility can re-open as it was a decade-and-a-half ago, estimating it would take as much as $23 million to do so. DeGiacomo said he’d rather start small and build from there as demand requires.

Ultimately he’d like to see a world-class cross country event make its way to the Thunder Bay area, a real possibility given interest shown by the sport’s governing body, which is looking for alternative venues with more consistent conditions.

"They’ve identified that with the issues that are occurring in Europe, with the lack of snow and so forth, and venues that can guarantee snow, that they’re looking to North America basically for events to be on their World Cup calendar," DeGiacomo said.

Bond was a little less concrete about his plans for Big Thunder, a dozen years after he first signed a deal with the province to purchase the property. However the province reneged on the deal, at the time citing long-standing land claims with Fort William First Nation.

Bond said he’s not sure why the province has changed its tune in 2010, but despite what happened in 1998, he’d still like the opportunity to buy neighbouring Big Thunder.

Just what he’d do with it remains to be seen.

"First of all it would take a lot of work to figure out what the equipment is like. Anything that’s been sitting around for 12 years not being used is going to be in pretty rough shape," Bond said. "I’m not sure if things like the (ski) jump, if it’s even possible to get that going again. We’d have to look at it, same as the chair lift, it hasn’t been running."

He did suggest it might be an ideal venue for a professional snowmobile race and summer training for a variety of sports.

MP Bill Mauro (Lib.- Thunder Bay-Atikokan), has been pushing the province to get Big Thunder up and running for the past six years, said the four-week process was long enough for potential buyers to show the Ontario Realty Corporation and the province that they’re serious.

However, if nothing piques the province’s interest, Mauro said it’s not necessarily the end for Big Thunder.

"It certainly won’t be the end of my efforts," Mauro said, reached by phone at Queen’s Park. "I do have at least one other idea on perhaps what we can do to try to get this asset out there and available."

Mauro declined to expand on his back-up plan, saying he’d prefer to see how the expressions of interest unfold before determining another course of action is needed. He did say he’s kept Fort William First Nations officials in the loop along the way and has yet to hear any objections from them.


Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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