Big Tupper, two other parcels sold to County Line Island property owners, looking to re-open ski center

A shot of freshly fallen snow on the trees, from a vista on top of one of the many trails at Big Tupper that offer a wonderful view of the community and the panorama beyond. This shot was taken by Rich Rosentreter, now the editor of the Malone Telegram, about 2014 when the ski center was operated by many ARISE volunteers in the community.

by Dan McClelland

Two friends and business partners who own a large piece of Tupper Lake’s County Line Island purchased three of the four Big Tupper and associated parcels for $865,000 at the county auction in Malone Thursday morning. The proceeding took place in the kitchen/conference room of the county court house.

Josh Parnes and Martin Schapira, both of Jackson, N.J. and both seasonal residents here, intend to re-open the Big Tupper Ski Resort, wonderful news for many here this week.

Their official winning bid name was Emerge Investment Management LLC and Yehoshua Parnes, and they bid under the internet handle, “lovetupper,” a strong indication of their pronounced fondness for their second home community.

All bids that morning during the 20-minute session came via the internet, except one which came from Councilman Tim Larkin, representing the town board for the Cranberry Pond parcel.

The other bidders included Stanley Rumbough, who owns the mortgage on the nearly 6,000 plus acres of the former Oval Wood Dish Liquidating Trust lands on Mt. Morris and around Lake Simond, and Anna Klimek of Monroe, N.C.

The first property brought to the bidding floor by Absolute Auctions & Realty’s Frank Pietrzak was the 0.54 acre lot at 1717 State Route 30 where the developers of the failed Adirondack Club and Resort had planned to build their club house and marina.

Like all four parcels sold by the county that morning, the bidding began at the amount of the back taxes, penalties and interest owed on them. For the shorefront lot at Moody, once the home of now razed McDonald’s Marina, the starting bid was $148,987.

Auctioneer Pietrzak called for an opening bid of $300,000- but then returned to the minimum bid to begin the real bidding.

It grew from there to $150,000 then $160,000 and then to $165,000 and finally $170,000- the final and winning bid from the partners’ Emerge Investment Management LLC.

Trying to coax the bidders to $170,000 the auctioneer joked “it’s only money,” admitting with a telling grin, however, “it’s your money.”

According to the auction company’s brochure advertising the four properties, the Moody parcel’s full market value by local assessment was $656,000.

The next parcel to come to the auction block was a tiny waterfront lot near the base of the Country Club Road, measuring only 20 feet by 15 feet.

One of the possible uses earlier owners of Big Tupper Ski Center had seen for the minuscule lot was as a place to draw water from the big lake to pipe up the mountain for snow-making.

“Not much to maintain,” the auctioneer joked. The little parcel is lined by state highway guard rails and there’s no place to park.

The starting bid was the monies owed the county ($15,912) and Mr. Pietrzak’s first ask was $100,000. “This would make a heckuva gift for the holidays.” The first bid was $50,000 and that’s where it sold.

Ms. Klemik tendered the successful bid. She bid under the internet name of “cocoharnas.”

Its market value is reportedly $80,000- according to the auction company brochure.

The third parcel auctioned off that morning was the 50-acre Cranberry Pond. The opening bid was also the monies owned Franklin County of $15,912. Its market value was stated as $78,857.

Mr. Pietrzak said during his recent visit to the rural piece of property he found it “to be a very peaceful place.”

Most of the parcel is the pond itself, which for a time supplied the snow-making water for the ski center.

It also contains a primitive road and easements for the village transmission line and for road access to the town’s pump house which draws water from the pond to water the fairways each summer at the town-owned golf course. The town holds a water easement for the pond’s water.

There are apparently no building lots contained in the parcel. It adjoins the No. 6 green area and the No. 7 tee.

After the minimum bid, the auctioneer asked for $100,000- and then dropped back to $50,000. When no bids came he asked for $25,000 and immediately received an internet bid of $26,000. A second offer jumped to $30,000, then Councilman Tim Larkin bid $35,000, on behalf of the town.

The $35,000 bid was the most the town would offer, board members decided earlier during a short executive session following the October monthly meeting.

One of the reasons for the town board’s interest in the parcel, in addition to its golf course water supply is that the 50 acres is home to some of the town’s cross country ski trail network.

In recent years the town has gained a lease from Preserve Associate developer Michael Foxman to use that property for town ski trails.

The bidding advanced to $40,000, then $42,500 and finally $45,000- the amount bid by Mr. Parnes and Mr. Schapira and their company.

The crown jewel of that morning’s proceeding was the sale of the Big Tupper Ski Center parcel at 483 Big Tupper Road, involving 446 acres and all the improvements including the 8,250 square foot two-story lodge substantially re-built about 1976, a 720 square foot garage, a renovated ski patrol building, rebuilt chairlift No. 2 base and summit buildings, lift standards and other improvements.

Listed was a market value of $2.27 million.

In announcing the special auction involving the Big Tupper property in October, County Treasurer Fran Perry said the county board had set special provisions for the sale of the ski center parcel itself, different from the county norm at its tax sales.

She said the auction company is requiring a $100,000 “guaranteed funds” sum to be deposited when bidders register to bid at the auction.

As usual the county required the winning bidders to pay 20% of the successful bid price on each parcel within 24 hours of the sale. The high bid would be rejected, however, if the 20% isn’t paid, and the second highest bidder offered the property.

The balance of the bid price must be paid within several weeks of the auction, she noted.

The auctioneer called for a short break in the action to prepare for the special sale and its unusual bidder certification process.

“Only those people who have been approved to bid on this property can do so,” explained Mr. Pietrzak, as he opened the floor to bids.

The minimum bid for the ski center property were the taxes, penalties and interest of $468,873 owed by its owner, Big Tupper LLC, a limited liability corporation formed by Mr. Foxman and his partners when the property was purchased from Peter Day and LeRoy Pickering about 2000.

With the exception of the Cranberry Pond property which was owned by another Foxman company, Preserve Associates, the other two properties were also owned by Big Tupper LLC.

The auctioneer said that morning the parcel offers “some great views of the community” and beyond and “the opportunity to operate Big Tupper.”

He opened the bidding at $2 million and then dropped back to $1 million and then to $500,000.

“The only ski center we have at today’s auction,” he joked.

The next bid was $550,000. And then came $600,000- believed to have come from Stanley Rumbough, bidding as “propertybuyer75.”

Mr. Pietrzak pushed repeatedly for $700,000 but received a bid of $650,000- which came from the County Line Island partners.

Although the auction company was set up to do the paperwork for the county in the room that morning following the sale, since all the winning bidders bid via the internet, the paperwork was processed digitally.

A check with their respective company web sites this week shows that both Mr. Parnes, 45, and Mr. Schapira, 42, have been both very successful in business.

Joshua Parnes joined AdaptHealth Holdings in 2013 with the acquisition of Ocean Home Health and was appointed president of AdaptHealth in August 2017. Mr. Parnes has served on its board of directors since the closing of the business combination. Mr. Parnes is an HME (Home Medical Equipment) entrepreneur who built Ocean Home Health from a startup into a tech-focused HME provider and has over 16 years of operating experience in the home medical equipment industry. Mr. Parnes has a career history of focusing on technology, strategy and operations, according to the company’s web site.

New York City native Martin Schapira uses the techniques he's acquired from years of experience designing luxury aquascapes for the world’s most prestigious addresses to make a name for himself in the design and art world. Martin's work blends together his innate creativity and the world's natural beauty. A look on his web site shows some impressive and widely varied designs, according to his web site.

After growing up working with his father as a fashion buyer, in his 20's, Martin became and maintains the co-lead designer position for Okeanos, a world renowned aquarium, pond, and water feature design firm. After completing over 500 projects worldwide, this experience has allowed him to work hand in hand with the who's who of the architecture, interior design, and art world. His company is called Martin Schapira Designs.

Martin's designs have been featured in over 50 worldwide publications including The New York Times, GQ, Wallpaper, Interior Design, Interview Magazine, Robb Report, and Surface.

Both men are reportedly avid outdoorsmen who enjoy all sorts of sports, including fishing, hiking, climbing and skiing, and were drawn to the Adirondacks and Tupper Lake, in particular, for their wildness and their abundance of natural beauty.

Next week an interview with one or both of the owners.