Association Flainoise

2016-12-09 - Editorial - Eng

Wednesday 14 December 2016 by Regis Lardennois

Dear friends of Flaine

We are at the beginning of a new winter season, the snow is not there for the 3rd consecutive year, and it is the time to summarize the situation of the resort and the actions of your association.

Most of us are coming to Flaine with a great pleasure, mostly for the Ski Domain that is improved every year in an unrivaled site (this year, the priority has been given to the resorts of the Giffre valley), we get a benefit as well, but DSF starts a key project to improve the water availability for the snow guns,
For a several years, there is during the summer season a wide panel of activities highly appreciated by the customers, that contribute to the resort attendance and its continuous grow.

However, we are not happy at all with the actions of the Syndicat Intercommunal de Flaine (SIF), whose investments are lacking for years.
The councillors appear to perform properly the day to day work, but the financial restriction by the municipalities of Arâches and Magland that prefer to keep the money Flaine has a strong need is intolerable. Our resort is abandoned by the councillors, and we are shocked by the excessiveness of the renovation / expansion projects of Les Carroz.

The majority town council of Arâche had committed to return to Flaine the entirety of local taxes generated in Flaine. MM. Iochum and Chancerel told us during a meeting in January 2016 than the promises were kept in 2015, and it would be the same in 2016. However we have some elements of information that it is wrong, with a lack of 600 to 700 k€ / year, and always the lack of investment.
It is not better for the other electoral promises such as the covered parking and the road of Flaine Forêt.

We made the decision to focus the action of the association on this issue:

  • for the information about the policy of the SIF and the towns, we try to make as complete as possible,
  • to save a maximum of the financial resources to actions implying expenses (such as lawyers, accounters…).

Note that the excessiveness of the projects of Les Carroz sparks off a wide movement of protest in the resort itself. So the petition opposed to the construction of a 5 stages building on the market place (Place des Aravis) and to the project « Les crêts » (5 buildings) obtained 700 signatures, and the petition opposed to the construction of a golf in Les Carroz obtained 900 signatures, to be compared with the 800 voters during the last election.

This doesn’t look to trouble the councillors of Arâches (including those of Flaine) that support totally the projects of the mayor, and continue to vote the budgets of abandon of Flaine resort.

In reaction:

  • the association « Les Amoureux des Carroz » has been created to defend the living environment of this resort, with a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lesamoureu...,
  • a Facebook page « Citoyens d’Arâches » created initially oppose the golf project in les Carroz is also active,
  • the councilors of the opposition in Arâches are not outdone, looking at projects in the details détail, and forcing the municipality to respect the legal rules.

We support their actions, relay them, and may possibly contribute to some of them, giving always the priority to the return of local taxes to Flaine, and the opposition to the golf project in Les Carroz.

The projects in Flaine
I would have been happy to address widely the progress of projects in Flaine, but for the reasons mentioned above, there is little to say:

  • Funiflaine remained in lethargy during almost one yera due to important divergences between the partners. Le mayor of Arâches proclaimed at the beginning of August that the project would start actually on the 1st of September, participants and contributors having fixed the conflicts. We had always serious doubts about the situation, we are very watchful about this project, and remain dissatisfied for multiple aspects, particularly a conflation between Ski Domain and development of Arâches town.
    In substance, the project looks mainly focused to daily skiers, and we have some doubts about the economical viability of the operation outside the winter season, questioned also by the mayor of Arâches, but this is a condition for a part of the funding, and we don’t know the present status.
    The Regional Council (that funds 20 M€ to the project) requested in October a « simplification of the project «, and we support this approach.
  • DSF conducted the preliminary work for the Vérêt reservoir that should allow at the end of 2017 a wider use of artificial snow. This is significant, the water for artificial snow being limited during the last winter season, and the status for the next winter season are not good, with in addition the work that may make unavailable the water catchment of the combe of Vérêt.
  • the Syndicate of Flaine (SIF) tries to trigger the construction of buildings in order to complete the number of beds planned in the UTN 2003 (administrative process, for the resort development), there promising contacts but not yet any decision.

The Association
The association continues its actions:

  • support in 2016 to the Classical Music activities in the resort, that will be likely end at spring 2017 in order to grant some financial means as mentioned above.
  • the slalom: the January slalom was successful, we planned a second slalom, but it would have needed for its organization the support of volunteers we had not, We plan a new slalom at the beginning of 1017.
  • we tried to organize a snow shoe walk last winter, but we had zero candidate, and do not plan to try again.
  • we attended most « Comités Syndicaux » of the SIF for the last two years, getting more information on the resort, and started to do the same with the Arâches town council meeting; they make key decisions that impact the future and the finances of Arâches and Flaine as well.
  • as mentioned during the 2016 General Meeting, we are trying to start a financial audit on the taxes return of Arâches and Magland to Flaine (SIF). We hope to have very soon the necessary financial documents, and a work start at the beginning of January. The cost, 17 to 18 k€, is high, but we think it is indispensable to have a formal accounting report certifying the amount and return rate, to compare with the SIF statutes, the election promises and the respect of the tax payers.

The life of the association is also marked by General Meetings, opportunity to review the situation with a lot of you.
Up to now, this GM was held alternatively at Christmas and in February, but the 25th of December being this year a Sunday, day the Auditorium is usually available, we will organize the next GM in February.
We will consider a change of the organization, with a GM followed by a meeting open to non members, and exchanges on the resort.

The association needs your support more than ever, for the actions requiring time and money, and also to support the fairness of its representativeness.
We know we may rely on you to defend the (balanced) development of the resort.

There are high stakes, thank you to those that renewed already their membership for 2017, particularly to those that added a donation to their membership fee.

Reading and seing you again.

Régis Lardennois
President.

http://associationflainoise.fr
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For the membership, as last year, you have the choice between a paper or a computer form, and the payment may be done by check, wire transfer, or in cash at the General Meeting.
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