CAMDEN, Maine — The final tower for a new chairlift at the Camden Snow Bowl was erected Tuesday following a two-day effort aided by a helicopter.
The opening date for the Snow Bowl is set for Dec. 20.
The recreation area has been undergoing a major redevelopment that was given overwhelming approval by Camden voters in November 2013.
On Monday and ending Tuesday morning, a helicopter lifted the 23 chairlift towers up Ragged Mountain where workers secured them into the ground.
Work on the $6.5 million redevelopment of the Ragged Mountain Recreation Area began in the spring to cut trees and clear about 15 acres for the expansion.
The completed project with feature new ski lifts, a new trail, an expanded beginner ski area, new snowmaking equipment, added and improved parking, and a new, larger lodge. Construction of the 8,400 square foot, two story lodge is expected to begin in the spring 2015.
The project did hit a few moguls during the past nearly nine months. Two heavy rainstorms resulted in significant erosion that muddied the adjacent Hosmer Pond. The town acknowledged that too many trees were cut and that proper erosion control steps had not been taken.
Town Manager Patricia Finnigan said Tuesday that she expects the town and Maine Department of Environmental Protection to reach a consent agreement sometime early next year about the erosion problems.
In October, town officials reported that the project was $500,0o0 over budget. The town said that private fundraising and cost-saving measures would address the overruns. Finnigan said Tuesday that the Ragged Mountain Development Foundation was working on raising the extra money.