Mountain Times
By Polly Mikula
The Butternut Inn will be the new home for Castleton
University’s School of Resort Management program in Killington,
according to a letter of intent signed by Jim Haff and his wife Mary,
with Castleton University.
Haff, the owner of the Inn and member of the Killington
Select Board, made the announcement to the Killington Planning
Commission on Wednesday, April 24.
The lease would be for a seven year period with the option
for two renewal terms of five years each. The leases occupancy is for a
maximum of 36 students and staff in 18 rooms and 40 parking spaces –
all which is already permitted for the Inn’s Act 250 permit, Haff said.
(The permit allows for up to three people per room or a maximum of 54
guests.)
The Inn will be used for Castleton University lodging, dining and academics.
“We have come to an agreement, we have a letter of intent
and are working toward a lease,” Haff said. “I expect it to be finalized
in the next few days,” he told the Mountain Times on Thursday, April
25.
Plans are for Castleton University to take the premise
over no sooner than July 1 and no later than August 1 so they can be up
and running for fall semester, Haff added.
Haff plans to replace the Inn’s roof, redo the exterior
paint/siding and replace the windows – work will begin as soon as the
lease is signed. “I will also contact appropriate agencies to verify
that everything is up to date,” he added.
Castleton expects the School of Resort Management program
to grow and has talked about upping enrollment to 60 students, but
details of that expansion are not worked out yet, Haff said. “There is
room for some expansion within the Inn, but we’re not discussing those
details quite yet.”
Haff has ran the Butternut Inn for over 11 years, having
bought it on Halloween 2007. When asked what he plans to do with his
time now, he simply shrugged and said, “there are so many thing I could
do! Let’s wait until the lease is signed.”
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