Page 3 - Demo

New Arrival Entry
New Beginnings Coming To Schweitzer
New Quad Lift
New Parking Area
“We’re moving steadily ahead with our plans for a new entry portal, new parking facility and a new lift as part of a reimagined arrival center.”
—Tom Chasse, Schweitzer CEO
The future of Schweitzer is certainly looking up: up the mountain from an imaginatively conceived arrival center called Base Camp.
It all begins with a new high-speed detachable quad Leitner-Poma lift that
is scheduled to be ready for the 2023 winter season. A snow bridge serviced by snowmaking equipment will be added
to enable you to cross Schweitzer Creek and connect to the Happy Trails and Enchanted Forest ski runs or the current Fall Line parking facility. This new lift will double our uphill capacity from 1,200 to 2,400 per hour.
A new entry road from the fire station round-about to an expansive (1,400 spaces big) parking area has been cleared. The goal is to go from hard-to-find parking to easy-peasy parking by fall 2024.
Also on the planning board are expanded beginner/novice terrain with an accompanying lift plus guest amenities including a Day Lodge, Snowsports School, Child Care, Equipment Services, Ski Patrol, Nordic Center and Medical Facilities.
It’s all about enhancing our standing as the most desirable family-friendly recreational community in the Pacific Northwest.
New way to say “Welcome Home” to our employees.
Now referred to as Schralpenhaus, it’s Schweitzer’s response to providing affordable housing for the employees that make Schweitzer so special. In recent years, Sandpoint’s housing market has grown hotter than ever. Rising prices and fewer homes mean those who work here have a harder time finding available—and affordable—places to live.
The housing shortage has impacted every local organization, from schools and hospitals to companies like Schweitzer. They are all experiencing the same
problem: how to hire and retain quality employees when suitable housing for those employees is not available.
“Schweitzer is taking a leadership position in addressing this issue,” says Scot Auld, Human Resources Director at Schweitzer, “both in terms of recognizing the need to inspire creative solutions and the horsepower to get it done.”
One such solution? Provide the housing themselves. Schweitzer has already proven the idea works with its eight-bedroom “Hemlock House,” purchased and remodeled just for its employees. Now the more comprehensive employee housing neighborhood is underway, slated to open in late 2023.
“Because of Hemlock House, we were able to hire great people that normally might not be able to live here,” says Scot. “It was just one step toward Schweitzer’s larger goal: to develop and maintain sustainable hiring and retention practices.”
The new project will provide affordable high-quality apartment homes for Schweitzer’s seasonal workers as well as year-round staff. Close to shopping, dining and transportation, the attractive complex will include 84 pet-friendly one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes, featuring full kitchens, washers and dryers, access to bike and ski storage plus a rare convenience—a bathroom for every bedroom. There will also be covered picnic areas, outdoor play areas, walking paths and workout facilities. Future plans call for a full-service daycare facility. This housing is sure to make a positive impact on company personnel as well as Sandpoint itself.
“We’re the first in the community to do this on such a large scale,” Scot says. “We’re proud that we have been able to accomplish something of this magnitude in making affordable workforce housing a reality.”