Cell tower plan draws complaints

By Josh O’Gorman
STAFF WRITER | November 26,2013

Rutland Herald

 

KILLINGTON — The Select Board will wait to hear about changes in plans for a proposed cell tower before deciding whether to recommend it.

AT&T Wireless is seeking approval to construct a 140-foot-tall tower on a 2-acre parcel just off Brad Mead Drive. The state’s Public Service Board makes the ultimate decision, but town support — or lack thereof — is a factor in the permit process.

The proposal has drawn a negative reaction from some residents, who, in letters to the Select Board, complained of the way the tower would look from the popular lookout on Deer Leap Mountain. They also expressed concerns about the level of radiation emitted and the fact the proposed tower site would not improve reception for year-round AT&T Wireless customers who live north of Route 4.

Town Manager Seth Webb said he received a telephone call from a representative from Killington Resort — whose property abuts the site of the proposed tower — expressing concern the tower would limit the resort’s ability to construct single-family homes in the future, because the tower would lower property values nearby.

On the Select Board, Bernard Rome is the most outspoken critic of the project, which he called “self centered” during a recent meeting.

“We’re looking for a trade-off, and that trade-off has to be coverage for our citizens,” Rome said, referring to residents who live in the area referred to locally as North Sherburne.

The proposed tower would increase cell coverage for residents in the developments of Winterberry and Fox Hollow, but those are not the people Rome represents, he said.

“The people who put us here are the people who live here, not the people who come in in the condominiums,” Rome said. “They’re not the ones with the home businesses.”

Elizabeth Kohler, a lawyer for AT&T Wireless, told the board her client would consider installing a “monopine” tower, which, as it sounds, is a cell tower that resembles a tree.

“If the town is willing to recommend it with the additional aesthetic mitigation, including the use of a monopole, I think that’s appropriate,” Kohler said. “It will be visible to some people. Wherever we put a tower, it will be visible to someone.”

Kohler said her client is considering other tower sites in Killington, although she did not say those sites would improve cell coverage in the north end of the town.

In addressing the safety of residents who live near the tower — Kohler said the nearest residence is within “a couple hundred feet” — AT&T performed a study which shows the radiation levels would be 1 percent of the maximum amount allowed by the Federal Communication Commission, Kohler said.

Kohler also said AT&T Wireless has a study showing cell towers do not negatively affect the values of nearby properties.

The board is expected to take up the issue again at its next meeting in December.

josh.ogorman@ rutlandherald.com

Killington Village must control skier parking

Rutland Herald
By Josh O’Gorman
STAFF WRITER | November 25,2013

KILLINGTON — One of the developers of the proposed Killington Village must take steps to contain skier parking, according to a recently released decision.

The District 1 Environmental Commission last week denied a motion to alter a permit issued in October to Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners to build a 1,276-space parking lot, reconfigure the parking lot of the Killington Grand Resort and to build a stormwater detention pond and related utilities.

The permit came with a host of conditions, including condition 19, which states “(t)he Permittee shall at all times manage the parking facility in a manner sufficient to prevent intrusion of visitors parking onto adjoining or neighboring condominium owners property.”

The neighboring property in question is Pinnacle Condominium Association, a development located on Old Mill Road that contains 150 units of one to three bedrooms each.

Peter Van Oot, an attorney representing KPSRP, filed a motion with the District 1 Environmental Commission to alter the permit by removing condition 19.

In the motion to alter, Van Oot argued “there is no evidentiary basis for the condition” and that “there is no reasonable basis for a condition preventing the intrusion of visitors parking onto adjoining or neighboring condominium owners’ property” under the Act 250 criteria that addresses traffic congestion and safety.

Van Oot also argued the condition was “vague, ambiguous and unenforceable.”

The commission disagreed.

“Undue encroachment can lead to undue congestion or parking deficiencies in those condominium developments,” the ruling states. “The Commission concludes … that the condition is sufficiently specific to obligate the permittee to prevent such encroachment utilizing such measures as the permittee deems reasonable, and which achieve the required result: prevention of encroachment by Killington visiting skiers upon the parking lots owned by the neighboring condominium associations.”

Van Oot could not be reached for comment, but Jon Readnour, an attorney representing the Pinnacle Condominium Association, expressed satisfaction with the decision.

“I read the commission’s response to the motion to alter and I’m pleased that they agreed with us, in terms of the one point we were concerned about,” Readnour said.

josh.ogorman @rutlandherald.com

Comment: This condition seems reasonable until you start thinking about how to enforce it. The only way I see to do this is to require permits for Pinnacle's parking. Is the village developer supposed to pay for that? What about visitors to Pinnacle, they're more than likely skiers too. 

It's easy for the commission to write up the requirement. Too bad they didn't come up with the solution as well.

Vito

Killington officials consider PACE program

By Josh O’Gorman
STAFF WRITER | November 18,2013

Rutland Herald 

KILLINGTON — Town officials are considering a program that would lend money to homeowners to make energy-efficiency upgrades.

During a recent meeting, the Select Board heard a presentation from Todd Kowalczyk, energy coordinator for the town, about the PACE program.

“PACE” is an acronym standing for “property assessed clean energy.” Under this program, a town can bond for money it then lends to a homeowner for insulation, windows or other upgrades to make the home more energy efficient.

To date, 35 towns or cities have signed on to become PACE districts, an act which requires an affirmative vote from residents. There are no PACE districts in Rutland County, but towns in surrounding counties, from Middlebury to Manchester, have signed on with the program.

PACE is open to residential property owners. During the meeting, a resident asked if PACE was available to a condominium owner such as herself, a question Kowalcyzk didn’t immediately have an answer for but promised to return with that information during a subsequent meeting.

The town would bond for the money and then lend the money to the homeowner at 1 to 2 percent above the prevailing interest rate. Upon taking the money, a lien would be placed on the property and the owner would make payments with his or her tax bill. And like a tax bill, if the property owner fails to make payments, the property can be put up for auction.

Loans are available for periods ranging from 10 years to 20 years, in amounts from $3,500 to a maximum of $30,000. And in the event a homeowner sells his or her property before repayment is complete, the lien stays with the property.

By all accounts, the PACE program requires a fair amount of administrative work, which is why 20 towns have signed on with Efficiency Vermont to administer the program.

“We haven’t had a lot of towns move forward yet, but we’ve had a lot of interest going into 2014,” said Kelly Lucci, spokeswoman for Efficiency Vermont.

If a town chooses to have Efficiency Vermont run the program, they would not have to bond for the money. Instead, Efficiency Vermont would arrange financing through the National Bank of Middlebury.

The Select Board gave Town Manager Seth Webb the go-ahead to talk with Efficiency Vermont, and the issue could come before voters at town meeting in March.

To learn more about the PACE program, visit www.efficiencyvermont.com/pace.

josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com

Killington board asks state for tax reform, tourism promotion

By Josh O’Gorman
STAFF WRITER | November 19,2013

 

KILLINGTON — The Select Board has sent a letter to the state seeking education finance reform and increased spending to promote tourism.

In a Nov. 5 letter to Lisa Gosselin, commissioner of the state Department of Economic Development, the board cites the state’s education funding formula as a drag on the state’s economy.

“We believe Vermont’s current education funding system is inhibiting the growth of tourism communities which are the primary drivers of our state’s economy,” states the letter signed by board members Chris Bianchi, Bernard Rome and Patty McGrath.

Citing a 345 percent increase in property taxes for Killington Resort from 1996 to 2012, the letter asserts the taxes inhibit the ability of a business to spend money on capital improvements or marketing.

In calling for increased spending to promote tourism, the letter states “(w)e understand that Vermont Tourism is getting outpaced by states that represent our biggest competition and compete in the same markets.”

Gosselin declined to address Killington’s call for education funding reform but did discuss tourism.

“When we hear ‘outpaced,’ we’re talking about being outspent, as we are in every aspect of government spending,” Gosselin said.

Vermont is outspent by the states the Killington Select Board identifies in its letter as “our biggest competition”: New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Colorado and Utah.

According to Jen Butson, communications director with the state Department of Tourism and Marketing, this year the state will spend $2.2 million on out-of-state advertising. The majority of that advertising is domestic, with international advertising through Discover New England, a collaborative of the six New England states, focused on international tourism marketing.

These are the 2012-13 tourism budgets of Vermont’s “competition,” according to the U.S. Travel Association:

New York: $19.1 million

New Hampshire: $6.9 million

Maine: $9.8 million

Colorado: $14.7 million

Utah: $14.4 million.

Vermont’s tourism budget was $2.9 million during the 2012-13 fiscal year, ranking it 44th out of the 48 states that responded. Only Delaware, Indiana, Iowa and Rhode Island spent less.

Gosselin suggested the number of tourist visits, not the amount spent to bring them to Vermont, is a better measure of the health of tourism in the state.

“I think if you look at tourism data, you’ll see Vermont is doing very well,” Gosselin said.

According to the Vermont Ski Areas Association, last winter the state had its best ski season in a decade, drawing 4.5 million visitors. It was dramatic upswing from the previous winter of 3.9 million visitors. During the past 10 years, annual ski visits have averaged 4.2 million.

josh.ogorman

@rutlandherald.com

Board to discuss cell tower issue

Rutland Herald

November 19,2013

 

 

KILLINGTON — A proposed cell tower that is drawing negative reactions from the public will be on the agenda for tonight’s Select Board meeting.

On Nov. 5, an attorney representing AT&T Wireless appeared before the Select Board, seeking support for a proposed 140-foot-tall tower on a 2-acre parcel just off Brad Mead Drive.

The proposal has drawn criticism in the form of emails sent to the town.

“AT&T has totally ignored residents of North Killington, not only with cell service, but also with the lack of concern about degraded Honeywell Alarm Net (Fire, Emergency, Burglary, etc.) service from their towers,” wrote Marty Post, who identified himself as a resident of North Killington.

Sandra Deitch, who identified herself as the owner of homes on both Brad Mead Drive and Round Robin Road, said the tower’s immediate proximity to residents would constitute a health risk, as well as a threat to the pristine view from Deer Leap Mountain.

Tonight’s Select Board meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at the Town Offices on River Road.

Dump installs recycling gear

Rutland Herald

KILLINGTON — Residents will now find recycling to be a bit more convenient.

The town has installed a pair of new compactors at the transfer station, located at 2981 River Road behind the town garage. The first compactor has replaced the previous 20-year-old trash compactor. The second allows residents to engage in “Zero-Sort” recycling.

Zero-Sort recycling is exactly what it sounds like; paper, glass, tin, aluminum, plastics and cardboard all go in the same device, which uses screens, rotating disks and magnets to sort the materials.

The new compactors are leased through a 10-year agreement with Casella Waste Systems in Rutland. The agreement is projected to save the town $1,600 annually.

For more information, visit killingtontown.com and click on the “Solid Waste Transfer Station.”

Killington seeks rec director

Rutland Herald

November 12,2013

 

KILLINGTON — The town is looking for a new recreation director.

After two and a half years, Lyndsay Gang has left her post at the Parks and Recreation Department for a position at Killington Resort. During her time, Gang started a number of new programs, such as this summer’s chili cook-off.

The year-round position is part time for most of the year and full time during the summer. Interested candidates must have bachelor’s degree in recreation, leisure services, park administration or a closely related field. A minimum of three years of executive experience in parks and recreation or a related field is desirable.

Interested candidates can send an email to Town Manager Seth Webb at sethwebb@town.killington.vt.us.

Town mulls cell tower proposal

Rutland Herrald

By Josh O’Gorman
staff writer | November 11,2013

 

KILLINGTON — A proposed cell tower is supposed to improve the signal for callers along the Route 4 corridor, but what will it look like and what good will it do for residents on the north end of town?

The Killington Select Board recently heard from Elizabeth Kohler, a lawyer for AT&T Wireless, which is seeking approval to construct a 140-foot-tall tower on a 2-acre parcel just off Brad Mead Drive.

“We are here looking for town support and a positive recommendation to the Public Service Board,” Kohler said. “The Public Service Board gives great deference to the towns.”

In addition to the tower, the proposed project would include the construction of a fenced-in compound measuring 50 feet by 50 feet. The compound would include a small building with a backup generator.

Kohler said construction would begin “after mud season” in the late spring or early summer of 2014.

It is the state Public Service Board that will decide if AT&T Wireless receives the go-ahead to build the tower. Kohler is also seeking a positive recommendation from the Rutland Regional Planning Commission. The proposed location is near the existing cell tower in town, on top of Killington Mountain. Selectmen Chris Bianchi and Bernard Rome both noted they are AT&T wireless customers who do not get a signal at their homes on the north side of town and asked why the proposed tower would be so close to the existing one.

Kohler said the location of the proposed tower was “based on demand” and AT&T is looking at other sites in town.

The tower would contain 12 satellite dishes, with room for two more in the event additional carriers wanted to enter the Killington market.

Rome asked if there would be any attempt to camouflage the tower. Kohler said AT&T Wireless recently conducted a “balloon test,” in which they floated a 6-foot-diameter balloon at a height of 140 feet and then drove roads between two and four miles away, taking pictures of the balloon to use for a study intended to show how visible the tower would be.

That study is expected to be in the hands of town officials this week.

Bianchi noted the tower’s location would be in visible proximity to what he called a “popular tourist destination,” the lookout on Deer Leap Mountain.

“When you look out, the thing you’ll be looking at is the tower,” Bianchi said.

Rome said there were still questions to be answered before the town gives a recommendation, which Kohler hopes to have by the end of the month or beginning of December.

“There is a question of where it will be and how it will look, because those things can be pretty ugly,” he said.

josh.ogorman

@rutlandherald.com

Bed burglar: Police seek person who broke in, slept in bed

• Rutland Herald

  November 11,2013

   

  KILLINGTON — Police are looking for the person who broke into a residence and slept in one of the beds.
  
  Sunday afternoon, state police responded to the Woods Resort & Spa, where it was discovered someone had broken into one of the condominiums and used one of the beds.
  
  The perpetrator is facing charges of vandalism and unlawful trespass.
  
  Anyone with information is asked to call the Vermont State Police Rutland Barracks at 773-9101.

Police probe Killington burglary

Rutland Herald

November 11,2013

 

Police investigate

Killington burglary

KILLINGTON — State police are investigating a burglary of a Killington Road business.

Around 5:45 a.m. Sunday morning, state police responded to a burglary complaint at the Sunup Bakery, located at 2250 Killington Road.

According to Trooper Michael Tietz, someone entered the shop and stole approximately $50. The crime occurred sometime between 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 5:30 a.m. Sunday.

“We know it happened before the snowfall because there weren’t any tracks,” Tietz said.

It is unclear how the burglar got into the bakery, although there was no sign of forced entry, Tietz said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Tietz at the Vermont State Police Rutland Barracks at 773-9101.

Killington Village fight moves to E-Court

Rutland Herald

JOSH o’GORMAN
STAFF WRITER | November 08,2013

 

PROVIDED IMAGE

Killington’s proposed ski village is shown at dusk in this architect’s rendering.

The battle over the proposed multi-million-dollar development in Killington is moving to the state Environmental Court.

Thursday was the deadline for parties to file appeals on a pair of permits issued Oct. 7 for the Killington Village, a massive project that includes 2,300 residential units and 200,000 square feet of retail and commercial space.

The developer, SP Land Company, received a permit to go forward with the first phase of the project, estimated at around $100 million. That would include 193 residential units, a 32-unit subdivision, 31,622 square feet of commercial and retail space, and a 77,000-square-foot skier services building to replace the Ramshead and Snowshed base lodges.

An attorney for SP Land filed a notice of appeal Oct. 30, with the Environmental Court in Barre. The notice is just that; it contains nothing about what prompted the appeal, but in an interview SP Land President Steven Selbo shared some details.

“We’re working on fine-tuning what that response will be,” said Selbo, whose company has until Nov. 20 to file a statement describing the perceived problems with the permit.

Selbo said a chief point of contention is a permit condition requiring SP Land to pay as much as 50 percent — with a maximum of $25,000 — for a traffic corridor study along Killington Road, Route 4, Route 100 and Route 103 from Killington to Interstates 89 and 91.

The scope of the study is unclear; it refers to studying “traffic impacts from the Phase I development upon the Killington Road/US4/VT103 corridors from Killington to I-91 and I-89.” There is no reference to Route 100.

“That’s not a scenario any developer could live with,” Selbo said. “It’s continued oversight by Act 250 that is not typical of Act 250.”

Selbo said SP Land also objects to a permit condition requiring sprinkler systems for the residential units, as well as other issues he declined to discuss.

“We came to the conclusion that we need to appeal,” Selbo said. “If there were one or two issues, we might have filed a motion to alter, like the resort did with the parking lot permit.”

Related to this project is a permit issued to Killington/Pico Ski Resort Partners, or KPSRP, to construct a 1,276-space parking lot, reconfigure the parking lot of the Killington Grand Resort and construct a stormwater detention pond and related utilities.

KPSRP filed a motion with the District 1 Environmental Commission to alter the permit, seeking to strike a condition requiring the resort to manage the parking facility “in a manner sufficient to prevent intrusion of visitors parking onto adjoining or neighboring condominium owners’ property.”

The Pinnacle Condominium Association, whose property is adjacent to the proposed parking lot, filed a response opposing the motion to alter.

There were no appeals filed in Environmental Court related to the parking lot permit, and no other appeals filed in relation to SP Land’s permit.

“We feel we were treated differently than other applicants seeking an Act 250 permit,” Selbo said. “We appreciate that we’ve gotten to this stage in the process, but this is a business and we cannot execute our business with the conditions of this permit.”

josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com