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Getting rolling on the hill: Ski club has groundbreaking for Pine Mountain project

(Matt McCarthy/Daily News photo) THE KIWANIS SKI CLUB had a groundbreaking Monday for its major renovation of the Pine Mountain ski jump venue. From left are Rob Berg, Gundlach Champion; Stan Kaczmarek, Gundlach Champion; Tom Verette, Gundlach Champion; Brian Bousley, Dickinson County controller; Marty Fittante, Invest UP; state Sen. Ed McBroom; Butch Hyatt, Kiwanis Ski Club; Butch Wedin, Kiwanis Ski Club; Russ Kassin, First National Bank & Trust; Paul Bujold, Kiwanis Ski Club treasurer; and Nick Blagec, Kiwanis Ski Club president.

BREITUNG TOWNSHIP — A $3 million major renovation of the historic Pine Mountain Ski Jump, a project at least five years in the making, is set to begin today.

The Kiwanis Ski Club of Iron Mountain had a groundbreaking Monday afternoon at the venue on Pine Mountain, though actual work could not start because winds were too strong.

The project aims to raise the ski hill to current International Ski Federation, or FIS, standards so the site can have not just international Continental Cup competitions but even World Cup events. The Kiwanis Ski Club twice has been able to host World Cup-level ski jumping, in 1996 and 2000.

The FIS is “excited for us, and they’re excited for what’s to come in the coming years here — especially next year, when the renovations are freshly completed,” KSC treasurer Paul Bujold said.

“As soon as the primary renovation of the ski jump and ancillary facilities are completed, we plan to bring more activities to the complex to truly make it a year-round attraction for tourists,” KSC president Nick Blagec said.

Bujold said once the work is completed in late fall, they hope the facility can be used more than one weekend a year.

Some of the changes to be done include: the ski jump’s start gate is too narrow and will be widened, more gates are needed lower on the jump and the run tracks need to be changed

to accommodate service workers on both sides.

Also, the track itself, now formed with iced snow, will be switched to ceramic to make a more consistent surface; a new staircase will be built just for skier to reach the top; a warming shelter is to be added near the start area; and existing wood on the 176 feet high and 384 feet long scaffold will be replaced with galvanized steel.

The $3 million in funding for the renovation was provided by the Great Lakes Sports Commission, in agreement with the First National Bank & Trust of Iron Mountain along with other banking partners Northern Interstate Bank, First National Bank of St. Ignace, Range Bank and State Savings Bank.

This loan must be repaid to the GLSC to keep the fund sustainable to aid other projects in northern Michigan.

The KSC will be actively fundraising to repay the loan. Those interested in contributing can go to www.soaringimtothefuture.org or mail tax-deductible donations to: The Kiwanis Ski Club, P.O. Box 475, Iron Mountain, MI 49801.

The project wouldn’t be ready to start without contributions from local businesses, sponsors, ski jumping fans, volunteers and the ski club, Blagec noted.

Gundlach Champion of Iron Mountain is the general contractor for the renovation. Other integral services will be provided by Bacco Construction, IDI Architecture-Engineering-Consulting of Marquette, Coleman Engineering, Top Speed Technology, MJ Electric, Beaulier Buildings, Northern Landscape and UP Fabrication.

State Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, was on hand for Monday’s groundbreaking. “This a great day for our area, and a great day for the U.P.,” McBroom said.

During construction, the public will not have access to Kramer Circle, the ski jump overlook or the U.P. Veterans War Memorial and Park. The exception will be during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, when the Veterans Memorial will be accessible from this Saturday through Monday.

In addition, while the stair-climbing faithful will be able to access the steps from the bottom, they will be blocked at the top, so must go back the way they came.

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