Project Phoenix - Rebuilding Snow Bowl Hut

Overview and Case Statement

If you just heard about Project Phoenix and are wondering what it's all about and why to get involved, you're in the right place!  For an overview of the project, progress-to-date, top-level building plans, and why MTTA deserves your help, please see our new:   Project Phoenix Overview and Case Statement.  After learning about Project Phoenix, we hope you will consider providing an easy Online Gift and requesting an Info Packet to present to your employer or local business.

Roof Progress

The new Snow Bowl hut now has half of the roof decking completed!  The hut is looking awesome!   Huge thanks go out to Ziggy, Tom, Rich, Henry and Tyler who have all been putting in long hours in cold, wet weather.   Our hats are all off to this awesome crew and their fantastic progress!  Way to go guys!

Updated Donor List

Snow Bowl hut construction is moving right along, and at this time we want to step back and thank all the donors who have supported this project.   Please see our Updated Donor List.

Construction Moves Ahead - Sheathing and Wrapping of First Two Floors

Windows are installed, and the first two floors are sheathed and wrapped.   Project Phoenix is moving full speed ahead.  The project's needs for volunteers are changing every week, but we're mostly looking for skilled carpenters.   If you want to join the team, please call Bob Brown at 360-569-2878.  Work on the New Hut is going seven days a week and we can accommodate your schedule.

Top Floor Framing Done, Roof Truss Installation Started

New Hut

As you can see by viewing the attached pictures, hut construction is coming right along, thanks to our dedicated and energetic crew led by Ziggy Zlatkus, and including Tom McKeon, Rich Walter, Henry Romer, Gregor Smith, Tyler Zlatkus and Jonathan Ursin.

Volunteers Needed: We have some low risk work that needs to be done to help speed up the project, such as painting, and preparing meals for the construction crew. Skilled carpenters are needed for things such as stairwell construction. If you would be willing to help, please call Bob Brown at 360-569-2878. Work on the New Hut is going seven days a week and we can accommodate your schedule.

September 10th Work Party

Our next work party coincides with the Ashford Mountain Fest, on September 10. We will meet at the Ashford Fire Hall at 10:30 and return to Ashford by 6 pm to have dinner at the Mountain Fest. We start at 10:30 to give you all a chance to shop at the Post- Monsoon Gear Sale, for great bargains on new and used mountaineering clothing and gear. The Monsoon Sale starts at 9 am. We are also going to hold another MTTA yard sale, if you would like to help, or donate items, give Bob Brown a call at 369-569-2878. Also come on over to the Yard Sale, you may find the item you have been looking for! Work planned for that day includes trail brushing, sign installation, and work at the Huts.

Whittaker Mountaineering is once again donating $10,000 worth of gear to the Mountain Fest benefit raffle, with MTTA’s new hut as the beneficiary! So do yourself a favor and buy some raffle tickets, win some great prizes, and contribute to the finishing and furnishing of the new hut. Also, MTTA member Jillene Lund, http://mountaintimewellness.com/index.htm , will be offering massage therapy on site at the Mountain Fest, and donating half of the massage proceeds to furnishing the new hut! Treat yourself to a 15-minute massage, and give half the proceeds to the new hut! Jillene, thank you, that is an awesome offer!

Main Floor Framing Almost Complete

As you can see construction is moving along, they will soon be working on the sleeping (3rd) , then the roof.

We are thrilled with the progress, and grateful for the extensive planning and effort that Ziggy Zlatkus and Tom McKeon have put into this project, and to Rich Walter and Henry Romer, who are donating so much of their skilled labor.

We have some volunteer needs: · We need a skilled carpenter or two, with your own tools, who can work independently! One job that needs attention now is installing the stairwells. Please let us know if you can help, or know of someone we can contact. (The main crew is trying to stay on schedule for the truss delivery, so it would be great if we could get someone else to put the stairs in.)

· On Thursday, August 25, we are looking for an unskilled volunteer to help paint the exterior 4 X 8 panels. We have a sprayer, and two guys, and need one more to help move the panels to the sprayer and then set them aside to dry. · We are always looking for someone to come up and cook for the crew. MTTA will pay for the groceries, and you can spend the night at High Hut. Any time works for this job, so please let us know if you are interested!

Thanks so much to all of you, our supporters and donors! It’s pretty exciting to see the new hut taking shape!

Next Work Party AND Rainier Mountain Festival:   September 10th

Our next work party coincides with the Rainier Mountain Festival, on September 10.  We will meet at the Ashford Fire Hall at 10:30 and return to Ashford by 6 pm to have dinner at the Mountain Fest. We start at 10:30 to give you all a chance to shop at the Post- Monsoon Gear Sale, for great bargains on new and used mountaineering clothing and gear.   The Monsoon Sale starts at 9 am. We are also going to hold another MTTA yard sale, if you would like to help, or donate items, give Bob Brown a call at 369-569-2878. Work planned for that day includes trail brushing, sign installation, and work at the Huts.

Whittaker Mountaineering is once again donating $10,000 worth of gear to the Mountain Fest benefit raffle, with MTTA’s new hut as the beneficiary!  So do yourself a favor and buy some raffle tickets, win some great prizes, and contribute to the finishing and furnishing of the new hut.  Also, MTTA member Jillene Lund, Mountain Time Wellness , will be offering massage therapy on site at the Mountain Fest, and donating half of the massage proceeds to furnishing the new hut!

Fantastic First-Week Progress:   First Lumber Load and First Floor Framing Started

The foundation was completed last week and the Lumber Truck showed up at the end of the day Monday, August 8th. As you can see from the attached photo taken at noon today the walls are going up.

Phoenix Rising - Ground Breaking!

Thanks to the steady efforts of Tom McKeon, Phoenix Project Leadership Team member, our building permit has been obtained, and ground broken!

The foundation contractor was standing by, and completed the foundation in two days!

Thank you again for all of your support, and watch our web site for further progress!

CELEBRATE!   Phoenix Fund Goal "Over the Top"!

Hooray!   Thanks to the generosity, solidarity and support of our many MTTA Members and Trail Users, we met our goal of $75,000, and then exceeded it!   Congratulations to all!   We are now eligible for matching grants totaling $100,000, and are ready for our next challenge:   building a spacious, comfortable hut for you to use. Permits are in process, and we plan to break ground in early July.

Thanks to a $1,000 challenge from MTTA Vice President Michael Smith, we received over $3,000 in the last week!  Special thanks to local business Mountain Time Wellness, Greg and Jillene Lund, and to Ski Patroller and volunteer Jay La Violette, for stepping up in a huge way, and joining Mike in the $1,000 and over category!

Please see the attached donor list.   Thank you one and all! This fundraising has been a long, hard challenge, and we are very grateful to our supporters!

Many, many thanks to the following recent contributors, who helped us finish the job!

Please note that the $175,000 will give us a complete building, and that any additional funds will be used for furnishings, sink, countertops, sleeping pads, housewares... and all the little extras that make your visit so enjoyable!   So it’s never too late to get your name on the Who's Who of MTTA Supporters list!

It's easy to provide gift or donation - just send a check, or use Pay Pal:

Let's Win this One (Update by Judy Scavone)

A big thanks to Mike Smith, MTTA Vice President, Snow Bowl Hut Manager for contributing $1,000 as a challenge to our membership, to finish this fundraiser, and move on to building this awesome new hut! Mike Smith has been Snow Bowl Hut Manager since 2004, and led us through the early stages of the rebuilding process. His gift brings us to within $2000 of our goal! We would also like to gratefully acknowledge the following recent donors:

And (previously accounted for) Thank You very much to Bob Brown, who has donated $1,000, and to Lori Gard, who has pledged another $500!

Thanks so much, all of you! We are very excited to be so near to our goal, with a promise of challenge grants totaling $100,000. It’s been a long time getting to this point… and we appreciate all your donations along the way!

The MTTA Board would also like to acknowledge the many hours donated by Tom McKeon, who has provided the structural plans for the revised project, and together with Ziggy Zlatkus has very thoroughly planned an affordable, well-appointed and comfortable hut! Tom and Ziggy are currently going through the permitting process, and we hope to be up there breaking ground in early July.

Spring skiing is great right now, as Bob Brown is running the snow cat up to the Snow Bowl site twice a week, shaving snow off the road with the snowcat, to speed up the melting process so that we can start construction on July 1st. You can drive to the upper Sno-Park now, also.

Here is our Updated Donor List.   I invite you to join or bump yourself up a category!

Mountaineers Step Up in a BIG Way! (by Board Member, Judy Scavone)

We have just received notice of approval from our application to the Mountaineers Foundation, and they have pledged to grant us $75,000 if we meet our current $75,000 challenge!

We have been working since 2008, striving to raise $75,000, to access a pledge of $25,000 from a private foundation. With this total of $100,000, the Mountaineers will grant us $75,000. This will allow us to have a nearly complete building this year, if all falls into place.

Our project managers are currently getting the building permit, and once this deep snowpack is gone, we plan to break ground with a foundation, hopefully in early July.

Here’s where you can help: We need another $3,700! This will bring us to $75,000, and generate another $100,000 in grants!

Thank you to Ken Guza, who pledged $500 today, and to all the rest of you who have contributed to this goal….. it’s been a long time coming! We so much appreciate your support, and your vote of confidence in the MTTA, and in rebuilding Snow Bowl Hut!

Please consider adding to your previous contribution, which puts you into a higher category, and if you are not on the list yet, please join us!

$1000 Pledge met. Only $5000 required to start construction! (by Board Member, Judy Scavone)

On behalf of the MTTA volunteers, I would like to thank you all so much for your generosity and spirit of solidarity in raising our new hut!

While we did not exactly get to the (lofty) goal of $9,000 by April 17th, we got so close, ($7,622.55!) that I am throwing my pledge in anyhow!

I would like to thank David and Karen Judish, for throwing out a $500 challenge which was successfully matched, with an additional $1,000! I would also like to thank all of the following who contributed to the $9,000 challenge. We are now within $5,000 of our final goal, counting a couple of pledges that are waiting until the end. So we are not done, but doing great, and if you are not on this list, or would like to bump up to another category, please send a contribution! All donors on the attached list will be featured in a permanent framed print at the new hut, and all donors of $1,000 and over will be featured on an engraved plaque.

These names and more are in our latest Project Phoenix Status and Donor List.  Are you ready to add yours?

(Editor) Please help us raise the last $5000, making us eligible for a $25,000 matching grant and allowing us to construct the new Snow Bowl hut this summer. Just send a check, or use Pay Pal:

We are almost there! New Hut Fund Update by Judy Scavone

What a great response to the latest challenge!  To recap, as of March 17th, I challenged you all to raise $9,000, and if you do this by April 17th, I will donate $1,000.  My sincere thanks to the following for stepping up to help us "Get the job done!"  We only need $4,068 to meet the challenge!   So please help us out! Send a check, or use Pay Pal:

MTTA President Bob Myrick would like to challenge people to jump up into the next category, and so he donated enough to get into the $5,000 category. Way to go, Bob!

Doug Savage, Tony and Dawn Abruzzo, and Dennis and Connie Gradoville each donated $500 or more, entering the $1,000 category: Thank you very much! Jerry and Mary Zyskowski , already over the top, donated another $500!

Bob Brown has pledged the last $1,000, and Lori Gard pledged the $500 it will take to meet Bob’s pledge.

Equally appreciated are each and every one of you who has made a donation large or small! You are awesome, and it is that solidarity that will help us get this hut built!

All of the donors will be listed in a permanent, framed print at the hut, and of course donors of $1,000 or more will be featured on an attractive engraved plaque. Doug Savage and Tony Abruzzo are challenging you to either get on the list, or move up a category! “If you have ever had a good time at the MTTA huts, now is a good time to show it!"

Thank you to the latest donors!

These names and more are in our latest Project Phoenix Status and Donor List.  Are you ready to add yours?

That leaves us $4,068 to go, and 17 days! Thanks for reading this, and thanks so much for your consideration! We look forward to seeing you all at the new hut, sometime in the near future.

Updated Donor List

We're adding more names to our Donor List.   Checkout who's who, and if you have the means, please consider adding your name or moving it up:   Project Phoenix Status and Donor List. 

Funding Reaches Almost $60K, Permitting in Work, and Board Member Judy Scavone Offers a New Challenge

Thanks to the $1,000 challenge by Jason and Judy Goldstein, our total amount raised was $52,700 as of March 1st!

The MTTA Board took a hard look at the MTTA General budget, "tightened the MTTA belt", and was able to dedicate $7,000 to the new hut fund, to assist in meeting our goal of $75,000 by June 30th.   This brings us to a total of $59,700, with just $15,300 to go!

Bob Brown has offered to kick in the last $1,000, if we get up to $74,000. Thank you, Bob!   That leaves us with only $14,300 to raise, and well within sight of our goal!

Tom McKeon and Ziggy Zlatkus are going through the permitting process right now, and expect to have the permit by mid-May.   We have a team of quality volunteers forming, already working hard on a viable plan to build the hut this summer, but we need to meet our goal of $75,000, so that we can get the $25,000 pledge!

Board Member Judy Scavone offers a new challenge:  "I am willing to ‘stretch’ for $1,000, if you all can come up with an additional $9,000 by April 17th.   So please help us out!   Please consider adding to your previous donations, many of which were made, as mine was, in 2009.  Think about all the good times you have had at the huts, and on the trails.   Ask your friends to join us in fundraising.   Let’s 'get ‘er done!' and move on to the building stage!"  Please help us meet Judy's Matching Challenge by sending in a check, or by providing a gift via PayPal:

$1000 Matching Goal Met -- Onward and Upward!

Woo-hoo!

MTTA would like to thank Jason Goldstein and Judy Hart, for offering a $1,000 challenge if we could reach $50,000... and we would like to thank the following people for helping us to meet the challenge!

These names and more are in our latest Project Phoenix Status and Donor List.  Are you ready to add yours?

With Jason and Judy’s contribution, we are now up to a total of $51,000! That leaves us $24,000 to go by June 30th, to win another $25,000 pledge. At that point, we anticipate being able to access another pledge, and barring unforeseen circumstances, should be building this summer! Thanks so much to all of you for your spirit of generosity, support, and solidarity!

Tons of snow out there, so we will be busy doing what the MTTA does best: keeping those trails and roads accessible to you, so that you can come out and enjoy them! See you out there!

7 days and $1080 to Go!

We have a matching challenge on the table, for $1,000 from Jason Goldstein and Judy Hart.  We need to get to $50,000 by March 1st, and we are $1080 from that goal!

Thanks so much to the following, whose combined donations came to $2520! We really appreciate your solidarity, and spirit of generosity!

These names and more are in our latest Project Phoenix Status and Donor List.  Are you ready to add yours?

Seven days to go! The $50,000 mark is a huge milestone for us, so please consider sending in a donation to help us get there in time to win the challenge!   We are planning to break ground this summer, and with everyone pulling together, and winning all of our challenge grants, we could finish the hut this year.   Our volunteers are working hard to ensure that you have a great experience on the trails...   Think about the good times you have had at the huts, and make an easy on-line donation, please!

Rod Henderson Challenge Met!  And a New Challenge Comes In

Woo-hoo!

I see a new hut in our future!

Thanks so much to the following spirited supporters, that stepped up to Rod Henderson’s $500 challenge! We raised $2,000 in a week, and with Rod’s $500, we will be up to $46,350!

Three cheers for:
Jerry and Mary Zyskowski    $500
Connie and Dennis Gradoville  $310 (gave 1% of the remaining balance: $31,000)
Helen Owens                          $250
Cynthia Hammer                      $200
Rich Walter                             $100
Jerry Manuel                         $100
Brenda and Ben Maltz             $100
Marilyn O’Day                         $100
Deborah Scheibner                 $100 In honor of Virginia Travers
Georgia and Jerry Ramsey      $100
Therese Johnson                     $100
Anonymous                              $ 40
Subtotal                              $2,000

Rod Henderson                      $500
Total                                   $2500

Now that we have $46,350, we only need $28, 650 to capture our pledge of $25,000 from a private foundation. We have until June 30th to raise the $28,650. We can do it, if we all pull together. A little stretching, a little generosity, and a lot of solidarity: bring it! Our volunteers are standing by, ready to build you a beautiful, cost-efficient hut.

And a new challenge has come in! (You gotta love these guys.) MTTA volunteer Ski Patrollers Jason Goldstein and Judy Hart have offered to write a check for $1,000, if we can get to $50,000 by March 1st!!! That means $3,650, in a little over three weeks. Ready, set, go! Get your name on the attached list, or bump your name up to a higher category. Remember, there will be a nice engraved plaque at the new hut, recognizing donors of $1,000 and over. All other donors will be recognized in a framed poster. Our volunteers look forward to hearing from you!

And be sure to checkout our latest Project Phoenix Status and Donor List.

Snow Bowl Hut Challenge Match Update

Thanks so much to the following for stepping up to help with our latest challenge, to get our new hut construction off the ground:

Rich Walter                         $100
Brenda and Ben Maltz          $100
Jerry and Mary Zyskowski  $500
Georgia and Jerry Ramsey   $100

Our high-caliber MTTA volunteers are working hard to plan and construct an affordable structure, that will at the same time be spacious and comfortable for all of you.

Please support these wonderful volunteers with a donation!  If everyone makes an effort, we can get this done!   Look at the existing facilities, think about all the good times you have had there, thanks to the MTTA volunteers... and help us with a check or a gift via PayPal:

Rod Henderson has offered a $500 challenge, if we can get $2,000 by Feb. 12th. Rod is doing this to support our primary goal of raising $31,000 by June 30th, which will allow us to capture a $25,000 pledge. This amount is crucial to being able to continue with construction this summer, after we break ground in July.

Thank you to all those who are currently on the donor list. We really appreciate your help! Please let us know if you have any suggestions for fundraising, and please add your name to our list today, or bump yourself up to a higher category! Thanks a million, and have a great day!

Volunteers Take the Lead, A New Challenge

Volunteers are moving forth on plans to start construction this summer.   Tom McKeon is working hard on the permit application, and Ziggy Zlatkus has agreed to manage the construction.   MTTA volunteers will be doing all the work, and the budget has been trimmed down to $150,000, an achievable goal!  We need to raise $31,000 by June 30th!   That will allow us to capture a $25,000 pledge, which we really need.  Rod Henderson has offered a pledge of $500, to kick-start the fundraising, but we need to raise $2,000 by Feb. 12th.  Rod has already donated $500 previously, not to mention the fact that Rod is here whenever there is work to be done.   He is offering this challenge because he sees that this needs to get done, so please respond to his challenge!   We need another $1800, by February 12th.   Thank you very much to Rich Walter and Brenda and Ben Maltz for donations of $100 each!   We are doing everything we can to get this hut built…. please make an effort to help fund this very reasonable venture!

(I strongly urge everybody to send whatever donations you can, as soon as you can. Using the new (volunteer Labor) approach I am sure we will be constructing a hut this summer if we can raise the required funds. All our current huts were built with volunteer labor and we have a dedicated crew that wants to get this job completed, let’s give them our support!)

Build the New Snow Bowl Hut This Summer - Let's Make It Happen!

On January 8, the MTTA Board decided to move forth with construction of the new Snow Bowl Hut, planning to break ground in July of 2011.

Since then, the DNR budget crisis unexpectedly presented us with the uncertain future of recreational access.   However, in view of the strong support we have received from you, our trail users, our confidence is restored in the good judgment of our elected officials and DNR leaders.   We believe that an affordable user fee can be instituted, and this wonderful, all-volunteer trail system will remain open to the public.

So we have decided to continue our fundraising, 'full speed ahead' and get this hut built in 2011, or at least well on its way to completion. Good news:   we are applying for the building permit this month!   Construction will be done by our own skilled volunteer carpenters, under the direction of a licensed, bonded contractor.   In MTTA’s long tradition of being cost-effective with your donations, the budget is being kept to $150,000.

We have a couple of large pledges which first require matching contributions.   Our immediate goal is to capture a $25,000 pledge from a private foundation.  The deadline for this pledge is June 30th.   So far, we have raised $44,000, leaving us $31,000 to go in order to capture the $25,000 pledge.

$31,000 is an achievable goal, and we think we can do this together!   Please see the attached donation list, and consider adding your name to the list.  Thank you so much to those of you who have already contributed!   If you are able to add to that in 2011, your name will appear in a higher category.  We will have an attractive engraved plaque at the hut, recognizing major donors ($1,000 and over).

Our thanks to recent contributors: Dan and Jody Halsey, $1,000 and Whittaker Mountaineering, $3,000!

To get us started on the road to $31,000 by June 30th, Rod Henderson has offered a pledge of $500, if we can get $2,000 in two weeks. You can use PayPal from the MTTA web site.   Ready, set, go.  Let’s get this thing done!