SAM Magazine-Minturn, Colo., Jan. 18, 2008-The Ginn Development Company, which is planning a private ski area above the towns of Minturn and Red Cliff, near Vail, has been promoting the benefits of the resort to local politicos.

In a recent Minturn town council meeting, Bill Weber, senior vice president of the company, said that the ski resort would provide year-round jobs and house at least 50 percent of its staff in the two mountain communities. In addition, the company plans give loan and down-payment assistance and will sell and will rent "deed-restricted" housing to staffers at the private ski resort.

In addition, the company has said it plans to tread lightly on the environment. Any building over 20,000 square feet will be build to green standards, as will all of the company's employee housing. If Ginn remains true to its word, 70 percent of the proposed 1,700-unit development near Vail will be green.

In addition, plans are in the works to minimize other impacts. The company has said that it will follow "dark skies" standards by using light bulbs recessed into light fixtures to minimize light pollution. And a proposed recreation path across land owned by Ginn would run from Bolts Lake, south of Minturn, to Red Cliff, allowing cyclists to avoid a dangerous section of highway.

The efforts are part of a "good neighbor" offensive by Ginn as the company seeks to assure skeptics in both Red Cliff and Minturn (which have remained relatively undeveloped despite their proximity to Vail and Beaver Creek) that development of the company's private resort will preserve the funky, authentic nature of both communities while creating jobs and other opportunities in both towns. \

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