Cherry Hill Hopes to Expand Opportunities for Cross-Country Skiing

Report of the Meeting of the Cherry Hill Working Group, May 11, 2026

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present: Michele Miller (chair), Sanjay Arwade, Ryan Diplock, Sarah Goff, Hilary Matheson, Chris Pariseau, and Anurag Sharma. Staff: Rey Harp (recreation director), Dave Ziomek (assistant town manager). Eight people attended on Zoom.

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Plan for Increasing Golf Course Use for Cross-Country Skiing
Cherry Hill Working Group (CHWG) members Sanjay Arwade and Sarah Goff presented a slideshow on cross-country skiing at Cherry Hill. Arwade noted that Amherst has a long history of Nordic skiing and that Cherry Hill is the only municipally groomed ski area in the state.

Cherry Hill Manager John Coelho plows the parking lot and maintains about three kilometers of groomed trails on the golf course. There is also access to additional trails north of the course. The town owns a specialized grooming snowmobile, a drag with knives for packing and reconditioning the surface, a track setter for classic tracks, and a small roller for packing snow.

Amherst Regional High School has had Nordic ski teams for about 15 years, with more than 150 skiers competing over that time. Even though the team competes against teams from the Berkshires that have more natural snowfall and those in the east with snowmaking capabilities, the girls’ team was the state runner-up in 2024 and 2025, and the boys’ team finished fourth in the state this year, with one individual placing sixth overall. Practicing at Cherry Hill saves the teams time and money by eliminating transportation to other courses. The high school team practiced at Cherry Hill for 15 days this past season.

The Amherst Nordic Ski Association was founded in 2017 and has hosted a youth program at Fort River Elementary School, as well as races and other community events. A 2019 fundraising campaign raised more than $2,000.

With the warming climate, use of the course for skiing could be expanded through snowmaking. Arwade estimated that an investment of $200,000 and a base of volunteers would enable snowmaking at Cherry Hill. He suggested a user fee of $5 per day or $50 per season to generate revenue to support the skiing operation.

Suggestions for the future of skiing at Cherry Hill include gathering data on operations at courses in Weston, Notchview, Brattleboro, and Prospect Mountain; training volunteers in grooming and maintenance; including skiing operations in the job description for the course superintendent; and commissioning a professional study of trails and snowmaking at the site. The presentation also recommended opening and heating the clubhouse for winter use and charging a fee for skiing. Nordic skiing will need to be coordinated with other wintertime uses of the property, such as disc golf and dog walking.

Arwade concluded that there is near consensus among members of the skiing community that maintaining an operating golf course is necessary for Cherry Hill to continue to function as a ski area.

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No Revolving Fund for Golf Course This Year
Recreation Director Rey Harp reported that the revolving fund for the Cherry Hill golf course was not included in the town manager’s budget for fiscal year 2027, despite being recommended by the CHWG. The revolving fund would allow the golf course to match its expenditures to its revenue and to invest surplus revenue in the maintenance and improvement of the course. As it currently stands, revenue and expenses are included in the town’s general budget.

Harp said that although a revolving fund was not established this year, that did not mean the town is uninterested in creating one in the future — there simply was not enough time to do so for this budget cycle. He noted that the town included an additional $35,000 in the budget to cover line items on which the course has overspent in previous years, such as fertilizer.

CHWG member Ryan Diplock disagreed with the practice of basing revenues from two years prior to allocate expenses for the coming year. He noted that the additional $35,000 was not actually an increase but merely covered what had been spent in previous years. He hoped the revolving fund could be in place by the start of the next golf season, so the course would have a clearer picture of its actual revenue and expenses.

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek said he hoped the revolving fund would be created but that there was not enough time to complete all the necessary steps this year.

Harp said there have been problems with the existing computer program for scheduling tee times, so the course will switch to a different system. Booking is currently being done by hand, as it was in the past.

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Working Group Submits Interim Report
The CHWG unanimously approved an interim report outlining work completed to date and progress on other items. According to its charge, the working group was convened to “advise the town manager on the long-term viability of golf operations at Cherry Hill, innovative strategies for course management and fiscal sustainability, and alternative and compatible uses of the property.” The group’s final report will be submitted by June 30, 2026.

The report details the CHWG’s review of the golf course’s operations and recommendations for strengthening its fiscal sustainability and public engagement, including beginning a discussion of a five-year plan for capital improvements and increased staffing. The report also notes strong community interest in maintaining the golf course and expanding year-round non-golf use.

The final report will make recommendations on the long-term structure for the course, complete a financial and operational review, finalize a five-year financial and capital plan, advance community engagement efforts — including exploration of establishing a Friends of Cherry Hill group — and evaluate long-term scenarios for the property.

Diplock’s analysis of past and projected financials for the course will be added to the interim report.

Harp said he spoke with the manager of the Ledges golf course in South Hadley about that course’s experience using an outside management company. CHWG member Hilary Matheson noted that the 18-hole Ledges is a very different course from the nine-hole Cherry Hill, but said it would be useful for Harp to write a summary of that alternative management model for the report. Although the working group is strongly in favor of the town maintaining control over the course, the information could prove useful if the town were to opt out of managing it directly.

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Part-Time Help Sought for Golf Season
The golf course is seeking a part-time greenskeeper but has received no applications so far. Several working group members said the $15-an-hour wage was insufficient, and Harp agreed. Applicants must be 18 or older to operate the equipment. Harp noted that other, less physically demanding positions are available at the same wage.

Diplock recommended raising the wage to $20 per hour and hiring a second worker. He contended that the additional costs would be offset by the increases in green fees and membership fees instituted this year. The rest of the working group supported that position, but Harp said he would also need to raise wages for the current part-time worker and seek approval through the town’s Human Resources Committee. He said he wanted to examine the course’s projected financials more closely before making a formal request for additional staff.

Ziomek reminded the working group that its charge is to examine the long-term viability of the golf course, not day-to-day management. However, Arwade suggested that the group’s support for a wage increase and additional staffing might strengthen Harp’s case when he brings the request to the town.

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Working Group Continues to Explore Friends of Cherry Hill Group
At a listening session held last month, six or seven people indicated an interest in forming a Friends of Cherry Hill group to raise money and support the course. The working group will continue to explore the steps needed to establish the group.