the Star-Tribune staff | Posted: Saturday, July 19, 2008 12:00 am
TEN SLEEP - After shutting down his resorts twice and suspending his permits in May, the U.S. Forest Service is now permanently barring the owner of two Big Horn Mountain resorts from operating his businesses in the National Forest.
Following a series of investigations and closures for alleged health and safety violations, the Bighorn National Forest announced Friday it is revoking the special use permits for Meadowlark Lake and Deer Haven resorts. It noted, among other things, the owner has failed to adequately fix two faulty septic pumps and other items that have fallen into disrepair, according a written statement from the U.S. Forest Service on Friday.
Jim McCotter, owner of Big Horn Mountain Resorts and Wyoming Mountain Resorts LLC, has 45 days to appeal the decision.
McCotter told The Associated Press in May that the problems at the two resorts would be repaired. At the time he said a winter manager at the two locations allowed the resorts to fall into disrepair.
"There was another manager at the resorts this winter that had an option to purchase and was legally responsible for the resorts, but he did not raise all his money for purchase and did not make his payments and now has since left the resorts," McCotter said. "While there he did not keep things up as we had previously, but we are now back in control, and have turned back on the power, and are now getting everything repaired and ready again for this summer's activities."
Gayle Laurent, Bighorn National Forest special use program manager, said in May that the Deer Haven and Meadowlark Lake resorts would be closed until the problems were fixed at the facilities.
The resorts' permits were suspended at the end of May.
According to the statement issued Friday by the Bighorn National Forest, McCotter has failed "to meet the terms and conditions of the individual permits at these two lodges."
The agency decided to revoke the permits based on "Forest responsibility for public health and safety," the statement said.
Among the problems noted in the release was the resorts' "inability to provide full service or modify operating plans." There are outstanding Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Environmental Quality violations, according to the National Forest, as well as "a lack of inspection records, no documentation of a violation settlement with the DEQ, failure to fix all of the defects noted in the May inspection, (and a) history of noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the permit and operating plans."
The Bighorn National Forest will now ask the owner to remove personal property from the two sites, and he'll be required to either put the properties up for sale, or remove the buildings and other improvements from the National Forest, the statement said.
NEWS TRACKER
Last we knew: The owner of two Big Horn Mountain resorts had his operating permits suspended in May, following a series of investigations and closures related to alleged health and safety violations.
The latest: Officials with the Bighorn National Forest announced Friday they are permanently revoking the permits.
What's next: The owner of the resorts has 45 days to appeal the decision.