A meeting to explain the woes of Mount Sima will be held after the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous but before the spring break, says Lisa-Marie Vowk of the Great Northern Ski Society.

Vowk said in an interview the society's board of directors met this week with representatives of the Yukon government and the City of Whitehorse. The goal was to discuss the situation and to establish the groundwork to put the organization on a new foundation.

She said the board is looking for a location and will be hiring a facilitator for the meeting.

It also wants to ensure that it's able to provide all the information required to satisfy questions by members of the ski hill and the general public, she said.

The ski society, Vowk added, is interested in the creation of an advisory body to help guide the process if establishing a sustainability plan for the hill.

This week's meeting with government and city officials was more or less an information exchange. However, it was also a show of support from the two levels of government that also want to see Mount Sima back in operation next winter, she said.

"It is going to be quite a project but everybody sees a value in it," Vowk said. "Everybody sees it as a good community asset, and we are looking to do what needs to be done . . . . We are feeling really good about things right now."

Board president Ernie Berken announced Jan. 31 the board of directors had decided to close the hill for the rest of the season after a series of problems, topped off by the resignation of the general manager, who quit out of safety concerns.

The board is not in a position to refund the $70,000 in revenue from the sale of season passes and punch cards because the money was used to cover this season's startup costs.

How the board intends to handle the issue of season passes will be on the agenda, Vowk said.

She said it's too early to even suggest what a sustainability plan might entail, but the need for full-time, year-round management staff will be on the table for discussion.

Vowk and other board members have said the ability to retain staff because of only seasonal opportunities has been a contributing factor.

Exactly how things will work, and where money will come from, she said, are matters that will unfold as the sustainability plan takes shape in the coming months.

Rob Fendrick, the city's director of administrative services, said city hall has already extended the offer of assistance to the hill, and will remain onboard to assist with the development of a sustainability plan.

The city, he said, has offered to help winterize the operation, store any equipment that may need storing as well as provide mechanical assistance to help with the startup next fall.

City hall, said Fendrick, recognizes the ski hill is a significant recreational asset.

Since 1990, the city has provided $337,000 in financial support, including $163,000 in 2006 to assist with construction of the new ski chalet, he pointed out.

Fendrick said the city also provides the land for the hill on a lease of $1 per year, and does not charge property tax.

But it's too early to speculate if and what involvement the city might have in future, he said.

Yukon government spokesman Doug Caldwell echoed Fendrick's comments.

The Department of Economic Development and the sports and recreation branch are gathering information to begin moving down the road toward a solution, he said Thursday afternoon.

Caldwell said there is no question, however, about the value of the hill as a community recreational asset.

Discussion now needs to focus on what the hill needs to become viable, and what various parties need to contribute to make it viable, he said.