As World Cup Nears, New Marketing Head Tapped

Vermont Standard

November 3, 2016

By Curt Peterson

Standard Correspondent

Kilington hired a new marketing and events coordinator three weeks away from one of Killington’s biggest events of the year—the 2016 Audi FIS World Ski Cup which takes place Nov. 24-27.

Kim Peters, current Parks and Recreation director, took over Nov. 1 as interim events and marketing coordinator for the town, and interim director of Killington Pico Area Association. Peters, who studied at Ohio State University and is a Cincinnati native, has “already performed the equivalent of a month’s work on her first day,” Schwartz said. She will be assuming the role of her predecessor, Amy Morrison, who left recently for another ski resort town position in Stowe.

At Tuesday night’s select board meeting Town Manager Debbie Schwartz described a local organizations meeting that took place Tuesday morning.

At the morning meeting, Schwartz said, Killington Resort reported they are right on schedule making sufficient snow for the intense competition. Peters said people from 20 countries have signed up to attend the event, and some of them are already arriving in town.

“There will be 245 team members including 96 athletes,” Peters said. “Plus 100 officials, and we’re expecting 200 media representatives.”

Select board chair Patty McGrath said the number of people in town will not be that extraordinary, but instead of being spread out around the area, they will be concentrated in one spot, presenting logistics and security challenges for which the local organizations are planning.

Peters said most of the ski resort’s trails will be open to the public during the event, although access to them may be different from that to which skiers are accustomed.

“They will have to go through security to get on the slopes,” she said.

Satellite areas are being set up for parking, with bus service to and from for attendees and skiers.

“And people walking to the area on the roads will be able to flag down the buses and get rides,” Peters said.

She and Schwartz had designed an ad touting the community’s fourseason attractions, which they want to publish in the event program. Selectmen were asked to provide any suggestions for improving the ad by Wednesday afternoon so the final ad could be submitted to the program publishers.

Peters, who lives in Rutland, drew praise from the board for her quick grasp of her new responsibilities and her energetic take-charge attitude.

“The select board supports Kim as she takes on these additional duties on an interim basis,” McGrath said in a distributed press release. “During her interim term she and Town Manager Schwartz will be exploring ways the Town’s Events and Marketing Coordinator position can best serve our residents and boost the local economy in the future.”

KPAA president Howard Smith said, “We are excited to have Kim’s energy and community knowledge available during this transition period.”

Peters said the town employees and the select board have been very supportive as she tried to learn the ropes of her new job in a very short time span. And she acknowledged a “transition document” left by Amy Morrison and that she has been able to ask Morrison questions via email and get helpful support from her, as well.

Comment: Peters “already performed the equivalent of a month’s work on her first day,” Really? Can we stop with the hyperbole.

Vito