Mount Sima needs $610,000 by June 21 or the Great Northern Ski Society begins plans to shutting down the society and mothballing the facility, society spokeswoman Patti Balsillie said today.

Balsillie said the society is scheduled to meet with city council Wednesday night to discuss the proposal laid out in the new business plan released Monday afternoon by the non-profit organization.

The plan indicates $324,000 is required to pay off debts from last winter and summer.

Another $268,000 is required to cover the anticipated shortfall in revenue this coming winter.

There's also $180,000 still owing on the new chair lift. The Yukon government has indicated it would be willing to pay that off if the city agrees to support the hill financially, she told the Star.

Balsillie said the organization has not yet been able to put together a long-term financial forecast.

The society, she emphasized, is an organization of volunteers.

Balsillie said again, as she said in March when she appeared before city council, this is not just an issue for the city.

It's also a matter involving the community, the territorial government, and maybe even the federal government, she said.

"But they are the catalyst,” she said of city council's role in the future of the Mount Sima. The facility includes a ski chalet modernized for the 2007 Canada Winter Games, the new chairlift, a new zip line and a new WildPlay adventure park.

Residents of Whitehorse, she said, need to recognize the importance of the facility, just as they recognize the importance of the Canada Games Centre and other facilities that add to the quality of life here.

If the city commits to supporting this as a municipal recreational facility, Balsillie said, it would open the door to discuss other funding streams.

If there's no confirmation of support for the $610,000 by June 21, the ski society would have no choice but begin the process of closing up shop and turning over Mount Sima to the city, she said.

Balsillie said everything attached to the ground at the ski hill is owned by the city.

The ski society, she pointed out, estimates it would cost the city about $193,000 annually to keep Sima mothballed, once security, heat, electricity and so forth are taken into account.

The business plan points out four task forces have been formed by the ski society to examine further operational costs, core funding, marketing, and means of engaging the community, should Mount Sima continue on.

The Yukon government has stated while it will cover the remaining debt for the new chairlift, it will not provide ongoing operational funding.

Mayor Dan Curtis said this morning he has not had the time to review the business plan in detail, as it was released late Monday while he was preparing for last night's council meeting.

He expects he'll know a lot more about where he stands following tomorrow night's meeting between council and the ski society.

But he has not changed his mind from a couple of months ago when he stated publicly if Mount Sima is looking for $400,000, or $800,000, the city just doesn't have it, he said.

"I wish we did,” he told the Star.

Curtis said he would not vote in favour a tax increase to support any non-profit organization, including Mount Sima.

The city has roads to look after, and it's negotiating a new contract with its firefighters and a new contract for the other city employees, Curtis pointed out.

The mayor said Mount Sima is a wonderful facility and a great asset for the community, but not at all costs.

He also acknowledged, however, that he is one of seven votes.

Coun. Betty Irwin said this morning she too is torn, and it will be a very difficult decision.

Irwin was one of two members of council who was around in 2011 when the city approved a $1.6-million grant for Mount Sima to buy a new chairlift, using money which had originally been budgeted for the Black Street improvement project.

The money was freed up with the arrival of federal funding for Black Street under the Building Canada Fund.

Mount Sima was coming off a winter of nothing but mechanical problems and safety concerns with the old chairlift.

It approached council for assistance. Six of seven council members agreed to redirect the Black Street budget to Mount Sima for a new lift.

Irwin was the only one opposing vote. She said at the time there were greater needs in the community than providing for a recreational facility used mostly by the middle and upper classes, who can afford to ski and snowboard.

Non-profit organizations, she said back then, had to learn to live within their means.

Irwin said this morning her objection two years ago was also pushed by the discomfort of using money that was otherwise designated for municipal infrastructure improvements.

The city also approved a $1.3-million contribution in 2012 to help purchase the new zipline and Wildplay Adventure park. The goal was to turn Mount Sima into a year-round recreational facility with a year-round revenue stream.

Back then, she said, she believed that once the new chairlift was in place, and once the city provided an additional $1.3 million to the new zipline and adventure park, Mount Sima would be able to stand on its own.

Irwin said she believes other councillors were of the same mind.

She said she doesn't want to see the facility close down because of its importance to the community. She expects she'll have a better idea of where she stands now following Wednesday's meeting with the society.

Perhaps, she suggested, if the city is to provide core funding, it should look at taking over the facility and operating it as a city-owned hill, much like it operates the Canada Games Centre, which is subsidized by taxpayers.

A one per cent tax increase for Whitehorse taxpayers amounts to about $250,000.

Earlier this year, council approved a 3.83 per cent tax hike for 2013.

Since 2010, according to city hall, the city has provided Mount Sima with $3.5 million in funding:

• 2010 – $200,000 for Sima operations;

• 2011 – $400,000 for Sima operations;

• $1.6 million toward the new $3-million chairlift; and

• $1.3 million toward the new zipline and adventure park.