A Brief History of
Snowater A Brief History of
SnowaterTwenty-five years ago Snowater thus had the beginnings of a beautiful resort property. When first marketed in 1975 there was no Club House, no Recreation Building, no Manager's Home and no Security Gate. The initial phase consisted of four completed buildings:
These were followed in Phase 2 by:
Phase 3 included:
Phase 4 was completed in 1978 and consisted of:
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| Snowater |
The first owners were constantly enthralled with the development as it moved forward and were delighted with the Club House, completed in 1976. David Syre approached the owners in 1977 with a plan to build the Recreation Building, which was eventually funded by a special assessment that ran for 15 years. Collectively the owners felt a direct relationship with the developer, the architect and the planners who were creating this special recreational property. At the completion of every phase it was abundantly clear that this was going to be (and still is) a unique development. The efforts of the developer and architect to ensure the best possible use of this exceptional site were truly appreciated and reconfirmed the decision to purchase.
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| Original Access to Snowater from Snowline |
The initial sales price for the lower one-bedroom units averaged about $30,700; upper one-bedroom units $38,000; two-bedroom units $42,000. Lower one-bedroom units became hard to sell. An investment broker in Vancouver, Charlie Bawlf, bought 25 lower one-bedroom units and resold many of them within a matter of two or three weeks.
A recession in the North American economy brought sales at Snowater to a halt. The resort was completed but the three Phase 4 buildings and a few other units were still unsold. An investment group headed by Charlie Bawlf, Claire Copeland and Hal Hallett bought two of the buildings and Trillium retained the third. The owners agreed that a rental arrangement for Buildings 1100, 1400 and 1500 be instituted because there were no prospective purchasers.
A drop in the Canadian dollar greatly contributed to this situation, as well as interest rates that were approaching 20%. This rental period was a new concept for Snowater but contributed to its survival until more prosperous times prevailed. The Transcendental Meditation Group rented the three buildings that later became timeshare.
In 1979 the timeshare marketing concept was introduced and after much debate and assurances that this was a good idea, timeshare became part of the Snowater family in 1980. McPherson Realty agreed to market the units but sales faltered, so that eventually SeaFirst Bank took over the remaining units and Ritchie Bros. successfully auctioned most of them off. All the timeshare units were sold by 1985. All the units in Equinox (1100), Clear Water (1400) and White Rapid (1500) are timeshare, as well as 4 in Trapper (1200) and 1 in Saw Pit (1000).
Once the Manager's home was completed in 1977, the search began to find the right people to live on site to manage and secure the well being of Snowater. The first managers were Chris and Judy Barnes, then Tom and Beverly Bell. (Beverly's father was an engineer on the railroad that came up to Glacier and her childhood memories brought a bond to Snowater and the area.) Other managers include Fred and Rosemary Woodward, Cliff and Sandy Blanton, and Bill and Patti Engel.
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| Mt. Baker over Building |
Bud and Shirley Leder dedicated 13 years (1981-1993) tending to the care of Snowater. They had a great team spirit and were admired and appreciated by all owners. Shirley worked in the office doing the bookkeeping. Bud was in the field as a working manager. In their early tenure Bud and Shirley were assisted by David Miller and then in 1985 by Tom Davis. Tom Davis is the present Manager.
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| Bud Leder on His Famous Tractor on a Snowy Day |
©2001 SNOWATER ASSOCIATION
