Skyline Has Changed. Our Governance Should Too.

For more than sixty years, Skyline Mountain Resort has provided families with a unique place to enjoy the beauty of the mountains, spend time with loved ones, and create lasting memories. Generations of owners have invested their time, resources, and energy into building the community we enjoy today.

The Skyline Mountain Resort of today, however, is very different from the community that was originally envisioned when the resort was created. What began as a seasonal recreational destination has gradually evolved into a community that now includes a growing population of year-round residents. Today, approximately 600 owners primarily use Skyline as a seasonal retreat, while approximately 300 lot owners have invested in residential properties, with nearly 150 members now living in the community full-time.

Both groups value Skyline. Both groups contribute to its success. Both groups deserve governance that reflects their unique needs and priorities. The proposed separation is not about division, conflict, or taking anything away from anyone. It is about recognizing that Skyline has matured into two distinct communities whose needs have become increasingly different over time.

The goal of separation is simple: allow each community to govern itself, manage its own priorities, and assume responsibility for the assets and services that directly benefit its members.

Why Separation Benefits Seasonal Owners

For seasonal owners, separation offers significant long-term advantages.

Many seasonal owners purchased property at Skyline because they wanted a mountain retreat, a recreational escape, and an affordable way to enjoy Utah's beautiful outdoors. Most seasonal owners do not rely on Skyline's roads, utilities, facilities, and services in the same way that year-round residents do. Yet under the current structure, seasonal owners remain financially tied to the costs, liabilities, and future obligations associated with maintaining these assets.

As infrastructure ages, maintenance and replacement costs inevitably increase. Roads require reconstruction. Water systems require upgrades. Insurance costs continue to rise. Recreational facilities require ongoing repairs and capital improvements. These obligations create financial exposure for all members, including owners who may only visit Skyline periodically throughout the year.

Separation would allow seasonal owners to reduce their long-term exposure to these liabilities while preserving access to the recreational opportunities that attracted them to Skyline in the first place.

Under the proposed structure, seasonal owners would no longer bear primary responsibility for facilities such as the golf course, RV park, cabin rentals, lower roads, and other residential infrastructure that primarily serve the full-time community. Instead, those assets and responsibilities would be transferred to the organization whose members use them most directly and benefit from them daily.

This approach aligns responsibility with benefit. Those who rely on and utilize these facilities would assume responsibility for their maintenance, operation, and future investment.

Perhaps most importantly, separation would allow seasonal owners to focus their association on the things that matter most to them: preserving open space, maintaining recreational opportunities, protecting property values, and preserving the unique mountain experience that has drawn families to Skyline for generations.

Skyline Has Always Adapted to Change

Some may view the proposed separation as a dramatic change. In reality, change has been a constant throughout Skyline's history.

The Skyline Mountain Resort that exists today is very different from the community that was originally envisioned decades ago. Over the years, recreational facilities were added, property ownership structures evolved, new neighborhoods were developed, residential construction increased, and infrastructure expanded. What began as a primarily seasonal recreational community gradually evolved into a community that now includes a significant and growing population of full-time residents.

Skyline has never remained static. As circumstances changed, owners adapted. As new challenges emerged, new solutions were implemented. Every major milestone in Skyline's history required owners to recognize changing realities and make decisions that would position the community for long-term success.

One of the most significant examples occurred during a difficult period in Skyline's history when the Legacy properties were separated from the resort as part of a broader effort to address serious financial challenges. This change did not end Skyline. The community adapted and moved forward.

The proposed separation between seasonal and full-time owners follows the same principle. It recognizes that Skyline has evolved into two distinct communities with different priorities, responsibilities, and long-term needs. The goal is not separation for the sake of separation. The goal is to create a governance structure that more accurately reflects the community that exists today while positioning both groups for a stronger future.

Change is not something new to Skyline's history. Change has always been part of Skyline's history. The question is not whether Skyline should change. The question is whether its governance should evolve to reflect the realities of the community it serves.

Two Communities Have Emerged

Over time, two distinct communities have naturally developed within Skyline.

Seasonal owners generally seek recreational opportunities, affordable ownership, open space, flexibility, and preservation of the mountain lifestyle that originally attracted them to Skyline.

Full-time residents often require reliable roads, snow removal, water systems, emergency access, utility planning, and other services associated with year-round residential living.

Neither set of priorities is more important than the other. Both are legitimate. Both deserve attention. The challenge is that a single governing structure is increasingly being asked to serve two groups whose needs often differ substantially.

As the number of full-time residents continues to grow, this challenge will only become more significant.

A Matter of Fair Representation

One of the most important reasons to consider separation is fairness.

Today, approximately 600 seasonal owners possess a permanent voting majority over approximately 300 full-time lot owners. While this arrangement may have made sense when Skyline was primarily a seasonal community, it creates increasing challenges as the number of permanent residents continues to grow.

Many decisions affecting full-time residents are ultimately determined by owners who do not live in the community year-round. At the same time, seasonal owners are often asked to vote on matters that primarily affect the daily lives of full-time residents.

This situation is not the result of bad intentions. It is simply a consequence of a governance structure that no longer reflects the realities of the community.

The principle of self-governance suggests that communities function best when the people most affected by decisions have the primary responsibility for making them.

Separation would allow seasonal owners to govern seasonal priorities and full-time residents to govern residential priorities. Each group would retain control over its own future while maintaining cooperative agreements where shared interests exist.

A Vision for the Future

The proposed separation is not about creating winners and losers. It is not about ending cooperation or diminishing the Skyline experience.

Instead, it is about creating two focused organizations that can work together through reciprocal agreements while independently addressing the unique needs of their members.

Seasonal owners would gain greater protection from future liabilities, greater control over recreational priorities, and greater confidence that their association remains focused on preserving the mountain lifestyle they value.

Full-time residents would gain the ability to manage residential infrastructure, services, and long-term planning in a manner consistent with the needs of a growing year-round community.

Both organizations would remain connected by their shared history, shared values, and shared appreciation for Skyline Mountain Resort.

After more than six decades of growth and change, separation represents not a departure from Skyline's history, but the next logical step in its continued evolution.

The most equitable and responsible path forward is to create two autonomous, focused associations that can cooperate where interests overlap while independently governing the matters that most directly affect their members. By doing so, Skyline can preserve its heritage, strengthen its future, and ensure that both seasonal and full-time owners are positioned for long-term success.

Facts Every Member Should Consider

1. Skyline Mountain Resort has outgrown the original "one size fits all" governance model established by Sports Haven International.

2. A growing year-round population now exists at Skyline. More than 150 full-time lot owners currently live at Skyline year-round, and that number continues to grow.

2. Seasonal owners will continue to enjoy all of the amenities of the resort (Similar to Legacy). Legacy owners enjoy all of the benefits of SMR without direct ownership or responsibility.

3. The current voting structure creates a permanent imbalance.

Approximately 600 seasonal owners can consistently outvote approximately 300 full-time lot owners, even on matters that primarily affect year-round residents. A sustainable governance system should provide meaningful self-governance for both communities.

4. The fairness concern works both ways.

If the numbers were reversed — 600 full-time owners and 300 seasonal owners — many seasonal owners would likely seek greater independence as well. The issue is not which group has more votes; the issue is whether one group should permanently control decisions for another group with different needs and priorities.

5. The current HOA is too large.

The Skyline Mountain Resort HOA now includes more than 900 members, making governance, communication, budgeting, and priority-setting increasingly complex.

6. Support for exploring separation is real and growing.

More than 100 members have already signed in support of moving forward with the separation discussion, and that list continues to grow.

(Jake we need to add more to this list)

**All contracts should include practical pathways for adaptation and transition in order to address future growth, changing circumstances, and unforeseen realities that may not have been evident at the time they were created. The absence of explicit separation language should not be interpreted as a prohibition against change, but rather as an acknowledgment that responsible communities must retain the ability to evolve.

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OLD SITE INFO THAT WE NEED TO GET INCLUDED IN THE ABOVE COMMENTS WHEN IT MAKES SENSE!

AND REMOVE WHAT WE DON"T WANT TO KEEP

Separation is the Next Step of The Continuous Evolution of Skyline Mountain Resort

Skyline Mountain Resort has a history of continuous change to meet the growth and evolving needs of its members, and as the number of full-time residents continues to increase, so does the need for a structure that better reflects and supports their day-to-day realities, making separation a logical next step in the community’s ongoing evolution. Momentum is clearly building, with well over 100 members, including many seasonal residents, recognizing that Skyline Mountain Resort has outgrown the original "one size fits all" governance model established by Sports Haven International. It is encouraging to see a growing number of members acknowledge that the community has evolved beyond its initial structure and that thoughtful change is both necessary and inevitable. While meaningful change takes time, this movement will continue to gain understanding and support, and when the different needs are fully considered, it becomes clear that separation is not only reasonable, but ultimately the most fair and practical path forward for all involved.

The Origins of SMR

Skyline Mountain Resort was established in August of 1965 originally under the name Sports Haven International as a private, recreational mountain community for hunting and leisure. Members purchased non-deeded lands where they could build cabins or camp and enjoy the rugged beauty of the Manti-La Sal Mountains. Over time, the community added amenities designed to enhance the resort experience — including a clubhouse, rental cabins, RV sites with hookups, a pool with slide, and tennis courts. Eventually, a 9-hole golf course was developed, growing piece by piece until completion in 2005. In 2015, individual deeds for lots were issued to members, formalizing ownership.

Over decades, this structure proved appealing for a community rooted in recreation and part-time use. Seasonal owners flocked to their lots for summer stays, family gatherings, and quiet retreats. Amenities were central to that vision — shared resources in a single association that managed both the infrastructure and recreational facilities.

A Single HOA for a Mixed Community

For many years, a single governing body made sense: an HOA that included roughly 600 Seasonal owners, hundreds of lots that were often unoccupied most of the year, and an emerging group of Full-Time residents who began building homes and living year-round in what had originally been a recreational community. Your HOA also managed and maintained communal amenities — a 9-hole golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts, cabins, RV sites, and more — even as the nature of the community changed.

This combined structure worked best when most lots were used seasonally. Amenities and shared roads were funded collectively, with the assumption that the majority of owners were part-time participants. But what once worked well is now creating increasing conflict.

Conflicting Priorities in a Growing Community

Different Needs, Different Lifestyles

Over time, almost 150 full-time residents have built homes in the lower section of SMR, choosing to live year-round in what has become a de-facto residential area. These homeowners face ongoing challenges that differ starkly from those of Seasonal owners:

Full-Time Owners Seek:

-- Improved infrastructure — paved primary access roads, year-round grading and maintenance, snow removal, and street safety.

-- Essential services — postal delivery, garbage pickup, emergency response access, and long-term water infrastructure that meets regulatory standards.

-- Representation focused on residential, year-round needs rather than recreational priorities that dominate much of the existing HOA agenda.

Seasonal Owners Tend To Prefer:

-- Minimal infrastructure changes that would increase assessments or dues.

-- Gravel roads and limited development to preserve the rustic, recreational character of their properties.

-- Access to amenities without taking on ongoing responsibility for infrastructure or costs associated with year-round living.

These diverging needs have placed growing strain on a shared governance model. Monthly meetings, voting conflicts, and budget decisions routinely reflect the tension between maintaining a recreational resort environment and funding long-term infrastructure improvements needed in the full-time area.

Conflicts of Interest Have Emerged

Under the current unified HOA structure, disputes often arise over financial responsibility and decision-making:

-- Maintenance Costs vs. Usage: Seasonal owners may understandably resist increased dues if they believe the funds would primarily benefit full-time residents’ infrastructure — like roads or year-round utilities — that they seldom use.

-- Voting Power Imbalance: When Seasonal members make up a significant share of the association, decisions impacting full-time living standards can be blocked, delayed, or deprioritized.

-- Liability and Asset Management: Shared ownership of amenities like golf course facilities, cabins, and recreational assets complicates budgeting, oversight, and future plans. What works for seasonal leisure does not always translate into sustainable residential community funding.

These conflicts are not simply personality or preference differences — they stem from fundamentally incompatible structural priorities when one association governs both recreational and residential communities together.

Why Separation Makes Sense

The reality is that two distinct communities have grown out of one legacy association — and a single HOA can no longer serve both fairly and effectively.

A Better Path Forward

Through restructuring, the community can establish:

-- A Full-Time owners’ HOA that governs recreational amenities, residential infrastructure, utilities, roads, and services that support year-round living.

-- A Seasonal owners’ HOA that governs and preserves the character and leisure focus that drew most seasonal owners to SMR originally.

-- Reciprocal agreements between the two associations providing ongoing shared access to amenities, roads, golf course use, and other shared interests.

This approach holds several key benefits

-- Each group would retain control over the financial decisions most relevant to its members and lifestyles, ensuring that decisions are made by the owners most directly impacted by the outcomes and creating stronger alignment between costs, priorities, property values, and long-term community planning.

-- Separating governance along natural lines of residency and use would significantly reduce conflict over dues, assessments, infrastructure priorities, and long-term development decisions.

-- Asset ownership would be equitably divided, with Seasonal owners retaining ownership of 100+ unsold lots while becoming totally free from the financial burden, maintenance responsibilities, and unexpected expenses associated with the resort amenities while being able to continue to enjoy full access to these amenities and recreational assets, similar to the privileges currently enjoyed by LEGACY owners. Full-Time owners would assume ownership and stewardship of the lower roads, golf course, cabins, pool, RV park, tennis courts, and other facilities primarily serving the residential community.

Fairness, Stability, and Sustainability

Separation does not mean division or exclusion. Instead, it means recognizing the reality of how this community functions today. It means honoring the legacy of Skyline Mountain Resort while allowing both groups to thrive under governance systems that reflect their distinct needs.

This is not about who pays more or who wins — it is about establishing a structure that protects property values, formalizes responsibilities, clarifies financial priorities, and fosters cooperation through well-crafted reciprocal use agreements.

A Conclusion for the Future

The combined HOA served its purpose when SMR was primarily a recreational property with occasional use. But the landscape has changed — full-time homes, year-round residents, and the needs of a real residential neighborhood have reshaped expectations.

A one-size-fits-all association can no longer fairly accommodate both Seasonal and Full-Time owners. The most equitable and responsible course is to create two autonomous, focused HOAs — each with reciprocal agreements to preserve shared enjoyment of amenities — and governance that reflects the actual needs of the people it serves.

This separation is not a breakup; it is a strategic realignment for a community that has matured and diversified. It is a step toward fairness, clarity, and long-term success for everyone who calls Skyline Mountain Resort home — whether seasonally or year-round.

All contracts should include practical pathways for adaptation and transition in order to address future growth, changing circumstances, and unforeseen realities that may not have been evident at the time they were created. The absence of explicit separation language should not be interpreted as a prohibition against change, but rather as an acknowledgment that responsible communities must retain the ability to evolve.