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March 30, 2005Deal for defunct ski resort closedNew owner hopes to reopen in two wintersByRecord-Eagle staff writer CEDAR - Peter Bardenhagen had three words to describe his emotions when he learned Sugar Loaf has a new owner who may return skiing to the Leelanau County resort. "Praise the Lord," said Bardenhagen, who owns of the nearby Sugarfoot Saloon. "All the families in the area are just constantly saying how they wish it was back open again. Yeah, we miss it." The new owner, Kate Wickstrom, closed on a deal to purchase the resort for an undisclosed price Friday, said Wickstrom's attorney, Michael J. Corcoran, of Charlevoix. Skiers may not return to the resort next winter, however, Corcoran said. "That would be great, nothing would please us more, but my crystal ball says it may take one more winter," he said. Wickstrom will concentrate on renovation of the resort first, Corcoran said. All of the licenses for the ski lifts have lapsed and they are at varying stages of disrepair, he said. John Peppler, head coach of the St. Francis High School ski team, started skiing at Sugar Loaf when he was 8, and said he'll know for certain that skiing will return to the hill when he sees new snow-making equipment installed. Peppler said he tried not to pay too much attention to Wickstrom's efforts to purchase the resort, which she announced in December. "There gets to be a point in time where you hear so many rumors over the years, that you get your heart broken," Peppler said. Wickstrom purchased the resort from a company owned by the wife of former Sugar Loaf owner Remo Polselli. A company headed by Polselli owned the resort when it closed in 2000. Wickstrom, who is executive director of Narconon Stone Hawk, a Battle Creek-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center based partly on the teachings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, has said the operation of Sugar Loaf would be independent of Narconon and Scientology.
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