Intrawest to build in village Intrawest hopes to begin construction of a 135-room condo-hotel on the parking lot next to the Excalibur gondola village station next spring. Greg Spearn, senior vice president of real estate, says Intrawest has purchased an option on Lot 45 from Burrard International. Approvals are in place for a condo-hotel with retail facilities and seven storeys of residential accommodation. Spearn says Intrawest wants to build something along those lines but will likely pursue an amendment to the present approvals. The facility will be run by an independent operator, similar to other condo-hotels on Blackcomb. If Intrawest does build on the site next spring it will mean build-out of the original village, as Trion International Enterprises intends to start work next spring on the only other vacant lots in the original village, next to Whistler Mountain’s Express gondola. Employee parking No new employee housing this winter but there will be additional employee parking. An additional 200 parking stalls will be made available for employees in the village area this winter, at a cost of $12 per month per stall. WLC Developments and United Properties have agreed to allow Lot 5 in Village North, bordered by Village Gate Boulevard, Northlands Boulevard and Main Street, to be used for employee parking from Nov. 15 to March 15. Monthly parking passes will be sold through the Chamber of Commerce. The municipality estimates it will cost $7,500 to keep the lot plowed this winter. Another $500 worth of signs may be needed and a bylaw officer will be required to do a minimum of four hours of patrol per day. Glacier Creek nominated Blackcomb’s Glacier Creek day lodge has been nominated for a 1996 National Ski Area Design Award. The Glacier Creek facility is nominated in the Day Lodge (over $2 million) category. The other nominees are Mount Baker’s White Salmon Lodge and the Crystal Centre at Crystal Mountain, Michigan. Sun Peaks’ day lodge is a nominee in the Day Lodge (under $2 million) category. Lake Louise has two nominees in the Unusual or Special Projects category: the Emerald Lake Lodge and the Canadian Alpine Centre. The National Ski Area Design Awards are conducted by Snow Country Magazine. The winners will be announced in the magazine’s March issue. Whistler’s Paul Mathews, founder of Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners, was a member of the nominating committee. First night funds Council approved $20,000 Monday as the municipal contribution to Whistler’s First Night festivities on New Year’s Eve. The money will be used for security and related services. The Bylaw Department hires about 70 people, at $25 an hour, to assist with security in the village on New Year’s Eve.
