For those who don't know, Chief Hosa was a campsite near Red Rocks Amphitheater outside of Denver. When there were concerts at the Rocks you could guarantee that the biggest post-show party would be at Hosa. I was lucky enough to have lived at Hosa for a week in '03 when The Dead did a run there. I collected many great memories within that week and had A LOT of fun. Now today I was saddened to read this:
TheDenverChannel.com
What Went Wrong At Chief Hosa?
A Tony Kovaleski Investigation Aired Feb. 27, 2005
A decision made by Denver city leaders five years ago has come back to cost Denver taxpayers more than $300,000. The doors on the lodge at Chief Hosa are locked and the facility is out of business.
When a new concessionaire took over five years ago, he promised big changes and more money for taxpayers. Now he's out of business and some are not surprised.
Video
Why Did Chief Hosa Campground Close?
"Well, I could see, I knew it was going to happen," said David Christie, a former Chief Hosa operator.
For 12 years, Chief Hosa was Christie's self-proclaimed labor of love.
"Basically how I found it in 1987 ... It was in bad shape to say the least," Christie said.
Under his direction, Christie turned an aging rundown lodge and an unkept camping facility into a moneymaking operation.
In his final year, the facility made money. He paid Denver taxpayers nearly $50,000.
"They didn't want us here any longer. It was pretty obvious. I could do nothing right and the new concessionaire, who was the unproven one, could do nothing wrong it seems," Christie said.
In 1999 Denver's City Council pulled the plug on Christie's business.
"Nine council people swallowed a crock of baloney," said former Denver City Council member Susan Barnes Gelt.
Barnes Gelt was one of four council members supporting Christie. She voted against changing operators at the historic facility.
"It just seemed to me, on one hand, we had a credible concessionaire with a proven track record. And on the other hand, we had this guy full of smoke and mirrors," she said.
The City Council's chief of staff studied the options and recommended against changing concessionaires but a majority of the council apparently ignored that information.
"What bugs me is it shouldn't have ever happened. And the people that made the decision had the information to make the right decision," Barnes Gelt said.
The headlines called it "a new life." After the first year, the lodge's new operator David Peri reported record profits. The city allowed Peri to reinvest those dollars to improve the property. In fact, during Peri's five years in charge, the city's general fund never received a dime. All the profits went back into a property that eventually failed.
When Peri finally closed the doors, some say he owed the city more than $300,000.
"Ah, $158,000 in actual money from rental payments due and another $150,000 in capital improvements," said Fred Weiss, with the Denver Parks and Recreation Department.
The city's finance director for Denver's Parks and Recreation Department said the city has not yet decided if it will sue Peri to collect the money he owes, including more than $250,000 in guaranteed future rent.
"He had a business that he couldn't make work," Weiss said.
But five years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debts later, others believe the city could have avoided a mistake that has, at least temporarily, locked the doors on this piece of history.
When asked if the city deserves or accepts any responsibility, Weiss said he was not sure how to answer that question.
Christie said the failure should be placed on both Peri and the city of Denver.
"He was clearly a guy looking for a deal, so shame on the city," said Barnes Gelt.
In a written statement, Peri said, "We regret we were not able to profit from the fruit of our labors, but the city of Denver now has an asset that has never been in better condition.
Peri blames his business failure on an unexpected series of circumstances including the post-9-11 economic downturn and concerns over wildfires in 2002.
The city plans to recover some of Peri's debts by cashing in a $40,000 bond and taking possession equipment left on the property.
If you have a wedding scheduled at Chief Hosa, the city said it will honor all those scheduled for 2005.
Copyright 2005 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Oh well at least Red Rocks still exists that's what's important.
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Goin' where the water tastes like wine.
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