Leo J. Martin Water Infrastructure Project
What will this initiative accomplish?
This water infrastructure project will vastly improve snowmaking capacity and reliability at the Leo J. Martin (LJM) Ski Track. The new system will have 4-5 times greater water capacity, allowing more snow to be made and stockpiled for skiing. Not only will this increase the length of the ski season when natural snow is in short supply, it will extend the snowmaking area to the entire flats, enabling the man-made loop to reliably cover all of fairways 1-6!
Status
In spring, 2022, FOLJMS members sent more than 850 letters to their state representatives, requesting support for an amendment to fund this project in the Massachusetts FY2023 State Budget. Unfortunately, it was not adopted, but this campaign generated substantial awareness amongst our community and elected officials, including the support of four initial sponsors and an additional 22 co-sponsors in the House!
The FOLJMS team is continuing to work with legislators to identify other possible funding sources and potential reconfigurations of the project in order to implement it in stages. We have several exciting developments to share:
This fall, $1 million was awarded for “maintenance, irrigation, design, construction and any other related costs” at Leo J. Martin in the Economic Development Bill
This summer, $5.5 million for water infrastructure improvements (snow making and irrigation) was approved in the Economic Bond Bill which gives the state permission to spend, however the funding itself still needs to be authorized by the Executive Office
We’re excited to harness the energy or our passionate FOLJMS community to continue advocating for Leo J. Martin’s cross country ski community as other funding opportunities are identified.
We would like to give special thanks to these legislators for their continued focus on Leo J. Martin:
Representative Peisch (Weston, Wellesley, part of Wayland)
Representative Khan (northern part of Newton)
Representative Balser (southern part of Newton)
Representative Lawn (parts of Watertown, Waltham and Newton)
Representative Owens (parts of Cambridge and Watertown)
Senator Barrett (Third Middlesex District)
More about the Project
Young skiers from the YES program enjoying an evening ski on The Flats. With the new water infrastructure system in place, this trail would become part of the snowmaking area, effectively doubling the skiable area of the man-made loop.
Photo Credit: Deb Laufer, Weston Ski Track
FOLJMS has been working to help make this water infrastructure project a reality for several years. In 2018, a matching grant was obtained through the DCR Partnership Program to help fund the engineering design. As a result, the DCR has a full set of design plans and has already obtained enthusiastic approval from the Weston and Newton Conservation Commissions. This means the project is ready to be implemented as soon as it is fully funded!
The updated water delivery system will improve year-round operation at the LJM Ski Track and Golf Course. The design plan allows for irrigation pipes to be buried underground and the pump house to move from the current floodplain to a safer, more environmentally-appropriate location. A piping system with two sets of pipes will be installed in combined ditches: a narrow, shallow pipe for golf irrigation and a deeper, wider pipe for snowmaking. The more efficient system will reduce water loss and allow for a quicker turnover between golfing and skiing, which share a facility that operates 12 months per year.
In addition to providing irrigation to one of the two state-owned golf courses, the Project will vastly improve the ski track’s snowmaking capacity and reliability. Specifically, the new water infrastructure system will irrigate holes 1-9 of the golf course, and expand the snowmaking area across holes 1-6 during the ski season, encompassing the flats as part of the man-made snow loop. This will help reduce congestion in the busiest area of the ski track, and extend the ski season when natural snow is less abundant.
We want to thank the entire LJM community for their support as we all work together to help turn this project into a reality!