Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Public Safety Building proposal commentary

Lately much has been made about the cost of the proposed land purchase for the new Public Safety Building. Having been on the Firehouse Committee I can state unequivocally the committee exhausted all possible sites available with the criteria of land cost, development cost, and location along with other more specific criteria within those categories. We physically inspected 13 sites and assessed their suitably for construction of the proposed building. After all was said and done the site we chose was the most cost effective when combined land and development costs were considered. Some parcels were less expensive but required extensive site work and mitigation of natural obstacles such as wetlands, ledge, untenable slopes (a 10 degree slope is the maximum allowable). Other sites were too small, too expensive, did not have viable access to traffic on Killington Road or Route 4.
Some critics even say we don’t need the 4 acres. We on the committee went through several iterations of the building to try and fit it, the required travel lanes, and parking onto the various lot sizes and configurations. Some critics say there are better deals out there yet no one could point to one. I would challenge these critics to offer up a better more cost effective plan, on hopefully a more timely basis than on the eve of the vote. The current site search has run for close to three years. I would think that would have been more than enough time for any armchair real estate experts and town planners to come forward with a better proposal.
Then there are people who are legitimately asking if an appraisal of this property was done. It was not. It's questionable as to how much an appraisal would be worth in this situation. This property was not for sale. It was only through the site assessment of another parcel that the possibility of acquiring this parcel came to the fore. There are no comparable sites or current comparable sales. It is because the site was not for sale that an appraisal would be of limited use as leverage in price negotiations. We have already negotiated the price down from $550k to $525k to include $20,000 of site work (clearing, grading, and rough access road). For an appraisal to have negotiating value we would need to have an alternative to turn to if the seller decided to spurn the appraisal.
Whether you feel the price is too high or not, no one can dispute the current firehouse needs to be replaced. It is well documented it does not meet fire or building codes and is not ADA compliant. It is only through the grace of State and Federal authorities are able to keep it open. I imagine they let us get away with a decrepit structure because of their concern in keeping a functioning firehouse open to serve the public. If the structure was subject to local building ordinances a large part of it would have to be torn down as it is nowhere near setback requirements. Virtually all of the current firehouse’s parking is on a neighbor’s property. 
Our community has been desperately fighting for economic development and to increase its full time population. This proposal is in keeping with that goal. A new building would reflect that interest to potential new businesses, investors and residents. It would reflect the economic vitality spurred by the Resort’s (and Town’s) investments in so called 4 season amenities such as mountain biking trails, zip lines, etc. Our off season business has taken off since the Resort made those investments. A new edifice reflecting our community’s commitment to our town’s safe and secure future would go a long way to attracting new businesses and residents. 
Additionally, ours is a volunteer fire department. These people respond selflessly to medical emergencies, car accidents, search and rescue missions, as well as fires, not only in our town in surrounding towns as well. Oftentimes they put their lives on the line to keep other's lives and property intact. Wouldn’t you think that these selfless people deserve a decent facility to work out of?  Wouldn’t you think that maybe more volunteers would be attracted if they did not have to work in decrepit squalor? As much as the volunteers have done to keep up the current firehouse you can only do so much to “perfume the pig”. There’s no turning this sow’s ear into a silk purse.
I know this is a difficult decision because it does involve a significant expenditure of taxpayer funds. However, analyses have been done which reflect that the current budget projections can absorb the cost of the project with "no net effect going forward on budget or taxes". The town has been budgeting for capital improvements. That combined with significant amounts of debt being retired in the near future, golf course, etc., would allow the town to carry the cost without increases in future budgets.
Finally there are no more parcels, at least that we could find, that would support the Public Safety Building project as well as this parcel.
Please support the future of our community with an affirmative vote on the bond initiative.

Vote scheduled to purchase land for new public safety building – Informational meeting Aug. 31, vote Sept. 5

Courtesy of the town of Killington
Proposed new Killington public safety building on Killington Road.
By Polly Lynn Mikula
KILLINGTON—On Sept. 5 there will be a special town meeting vote asking residents to approve the purchase of land for a new public safety building on Killington Road to house the fire department and first responders, police department and Killington Search and Rescue.
The Fire Department Facility Review Committee and Killington Select Board will be holding a public informational hearing on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. at the Killington Elementary School gym. The session will address why a new public safety building is needed; how co-locating the fire, rescue and police services will enhance public safety; and how the land costs will be covered with no net effect on the town budget or taxes.
Stephen Finneron, Otto Iannantuoni, Vito Rasenas and Andrew Salamon make up the town Fire Department Facility Review Committee.
The proposed land purchase is a four acre lot just southeast of Woods Road. The Woods Spa and Resort shares the site’s western border, and Peppino’s and Mountain Sports Inn are located across Killington Road. A separate road off Killington Road would be built to access the site.
“We need a new fire house on an emergency level,” Chet Hagenbarth, highway and facilities director, has said. “We’re in violation of state mandates. We have a fire department that doesn’t even meet fire code,” he said. “Nor does the fire department own all the land it currently occupies.”
While the committee first considered what it would take to retrofit the fire department at its current location, a lengthy report by architects Dore and Whittier in February 2015 concluded: “The current site is inadequate to meet the current needs and future needs of the Killington fire station and renovating the existing structure is not cost effective.”
Since, the committee has considered 13 potential sites weighing a multitude of criteria from ease of access and distance, to cost of site work, to cost and quantity of land available. The committee eventually concluded that the best site would be a four acre lot just south of Woods Road.
The town has negotiated a purchase price of $525,000 for the four acres of land. Additionally, owner Steve Durkee will provide $20,000 of in kind services to prep the site. Voters will be asked to approve $634,360, which includes the purchase of the land, plus engineering investigation and design ($21,860) and architectural design ($87,500) so that an accurate project cost and scope can be presented to the voters next summer (2018). If approved, construction would likely begin the summer of 2019.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Business warms to Killington’s summer






The parking lot at Killington’s Snowshed lodge is filled with cars last week in the midst of its summer season. ROBERT LAYMAN / STAFF PHOTO
The parking lot at Killington’s Snowshed lodge is filled with cars last week in the midst of its summer season. ROBERT LAYMAN / STAFF PHOTO

KILLINGTON — Twenty years ago, the Snowshed base area would have been vacant on a Friday afternoon in July.
It hops with activity now, as mountain bikers use the chair lift and families tackle the ropes course in the adventure park. It is visible evidence that talk of the Killington ski area becoming a fourseason resort has become reality.
While the resort tends not to release exact attendance numbers, officials have said lift-ticketed sales during the summer have seen double-digit increases in each of the last few years. Business owners say the effects are being felt away from the slopes as well.
“Things are definitely changing for the better up here,” Liquid Art owner Beth Sarandrea said Friday.
Now in her seventh year on the mountain, Sarandrea said she saw enough potential that she decided to keep the coffee shop open on weekends in June.
“Last year we weren’t even open a single day in June,” she said. “I’m not going to say we’re making money yet, but there’s potential for seeing more. … I want to be consistent and I want to see the town build on being a four-season resort.”
Sarandrea thinks the mountain would be doing even better if not for an unusually rainy summer.
“I feel good about August and September,” she said. “I think it’ll be better than previous years. … I really think it is the way this community needs to move forward. We really can’t just depend on the winter anymore.”
Sarandrea and other said the near-catastrophe of the 2015-16 ski season showed that they did not want to depend on winter weather.
The Inn at Long Trail has long stayed open through the summer, though they would close for much of the spring to make repairs and go on vacation. Co-owner Murray McGrath said their summer business has gone up by about a third in the last few years.
“I always knew summer would be huge if someone got into it and stayed the course,” co-owner Patty McGrath said, adding that previous campaigns to pull in more summer business had fizzled after about a year. “This signified the first persistent effort and it’s really paying off.”
McGrath said the success is due in part to the targeting of multiple demographics. In addition to mountain bikers and through-hikers, she said, the mountain is pulling in families with the adventure center.
“People who like to get away for the weekend know there’s going to be music, Cooler in the Mountains (free concert) going — all those things add up,” she said.
Mary Cohen, CEO of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce, said the activity is even trickling down the mountain to the city and surrounding towns.
“We certainly have had quite a few people come down and look for trail maps down here,” she said. “ We need the locals to go up there as well in the summer — that would be a good base for them.”
Cohen said the whole region is expected to benefit from Killington’s expansion, and mountain biking is the centerpiece of the first phase of the regional marketing campaign.
“I think it’s safe to say we’ve seen pretty steady growth,” said Sasha Parise, general manager of the Karr Group, which owns Jax, the Foundry and the Pickle Barrel nightclub. “ The last two summers especially, we saw a marked increase in traffic.
This has applied to both the Foundry, which offers fancier dining, and Jax, which offers pub fare, pool tables and arcade games.
However, Parise said the growth stops short of the Pickle Barrel, which remains closed for the summer except for particular weekends with major events.