The 134-year-old Ausable Club in the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks in Keene, will not fully reopen this summer according to an announcement being circulated to members by club president John A. Sargent.
The Club has also reduced available public parking spaces at the parking lot at the corner of Ausable Road and Route 73 which hikers use to access trails across the club’s land into the High Peaks. The lot had held about 80 cars, but will be reduced to just 28. That number coincides with agreements previously reached with New York State and the Town of Keene, Sargent said.
The organization’s Board made the decisions April 9th, citing “the health and safety of our staff, membership and community.” The Board agreed on four objectives:
“(1) Assure that the Club’s permanent staff is taken care of during this difficult time.
(2) Minimize risk of viral exposure to members, families, guests and, of course, staff.
(3) Promulgate clear and definitive communication to the membership.
(4) Proceed with cautious optimism and make the most of what we must work with in the midst of this changing face for the season.”
A majority of the Club’s services will be closed for this coming season effective immediately. All scheduled events and formal activities have been cancelled. The perimeter of the clubhouse building is being locked. The hotel will be closed for the 2020 season but cottages are remaining open and available (without housekeeping). The dining room and bar will be closed, as will the golf and tennis shops, although the course and courts will remain available.
Photo of Ausable Club clubhouse from Noonmark Mountain courtesy Wikimedia user Mwanner.
Not surprising – I think hotels, crowded restaurants, and any close quarters look suspiciously like nursing homes, cruise and navy ships, and prisons – all petri dish environments for Covid-19! Tourism will be slow to come back. Tourists want almost zero worries to make a return happen.