Spring Mountain Sale Set to Move Forward

Upper Salford, Pa. Dec. 28–Montgomery CountyCommissioners are expected to approve the purchase of Spring Mountain, Pa.,in a vote set for Thursday night. The county, along with Upper SalfordTownship, would jointly own the resort with Richard and Jeff Buckman, andtheir sister Lori Webster. The ski area, which has been on the market sinceFebruary 1999, would not be open until the 2000-2001 season.

Both the county and Upper Salford are expected to contribute about $600,000each to the purchase, with Buckman and his siblings-partners in Buckman SkiShops-contributing $400,000. The county and town would own the slopes whilethe Buckman family would own the resort buildings and then lease the slopesto run the area. While the sale is not expected to be final until March, itis almost certainly a done deal, according to people involved in the sale.

The mountain, currently owned by Negt Jansson and Al Manning, closed thiswinter for financial reasons. The county has long been interested inpreserving the 184-acre ski area because it sits on top of a 528-foot peakon one of the largest remaining forests in the middle of the county’sfastest-growing area.