SAM Magazine—Rumford, Maine, July 19, 2013—Ownership of Black Mountain Ski Resort has been transferred from the Maine Winter Sports Center, which has owned the area since 2003, to the resort’s volunteer board of directors, effective Monday. The resort remains a non-profit, but will no longer enjoy the financial support of the Libra Foundation, which has paid for more than $9 million in improvements in the past decade, including new lifts, base lodge, and snowmaking.

The future of the resort was put into question in June after the town of Rumford voted down a request for $51,000 to finance summer operations at the area. However, a concerted fund-raising campaign by resort supporters, including town and schools that rely on Black for recreation and events, has shored up the area’s finances. To help with the effort, Bangor Savings Bank offered to match up to $25,000 in new donations received.

The resort is now confident the fund drive will meet its goals. “We’ll be open unless something drastic happens,” Jim Carter, GM of Black, told SAM.

One of Black’s primary goals is to provide affordable winter recreation for area residents. To that end, it offers free skiing for kids through the second grade, and $15 lift tickets for everyone else. The mountain regularly hosts championship high school and collegiate ski meets, and is one of the nation’s top Nordic skiing facilities.