Presque Isle’s community ski hill, Quoggy Jo Ski Club, has received a $25,000 grant from the Mark and Emily Turner Foundation, rounding out a two-year fund-raising campaign.
The Turner Foundation, a local philanthropic fund focused on education and youth, donated $25,000 to the club, which will help pay for a host of new equipment and improvements, said Gene Cronin, president of the ski club.
“We started a capital campaign project two years ago, raising money to meet a $75,000 goal,” he said. Last year, the Presque Isle Rotary Club selected the ski hill as its special project and raised $50,000. “This donation from the Mark & Emily Turner Foundation has helped us reach our goal.”
Cronin said the funding will be devoted to upgrading the T-bar ski lift, replacing old rental equipment and purchasing a new rescue toboggan and snowmobile.
The trustees of the Turner Foundation saw the Quoggy Jo as a good community investment in the youth of Presque Isle, said Sharon Campbell, regional representative for U.S. Senator Angus King and a member of the Turner Foundation board.
With funding secured, Cronin said he’s looking forward to having the community enjoy a proper ski season, starting when the club opens on Dec. 26.
“It should be a good winter. We’ve got better snow so far than we had all last year.”
The Quoggy Jo Ski Center started as an alpine ski hill that opened in 1932 at what is now Aroostook State Park. In 1957, the center moved to its current location on the Fort Road, near to the border with Fort Fairfield, and since 2002 has neighbored the Nordic Heritage Center.
Occasionally collaborating in hosting events like the summer Nordic Trail Fest, both Quoggy Jo and the Nordic Heritage Center have helped grow new generations of skiers in Aroostook County and build a local culture of four season outdoor recreation.
Quoggy Jo opens the day after Christmas for the week of school break, and will be open weekends and school holidays as long as good winter skiing lasts, Cronin said. On Saturday, January 7th, the club’s free “Learn to Ski” program begins with the support of The Aroostook Medical Center.
