McGrath Re-Elected As Killington Select Board Chair

Vermont Standard

3/12/15

By Curt Peterson
Standard Correspondent

KILLINGTON — Patty McGrath was re-elected by the Killington select board to serve another year as chairperson at the meeting Tuesday night.

There is competition for several of the appointed positions in town – three people seeking to serve on committees that have only two open seats, for example. But for a few positions, the town is hoping to attract volunteers who want to serve the community.

“We need two people for the Recreation Commission, one to be District Representative on the Solid Waste Commission, one person to serve on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and someone to be Tree Warden,” Town Manager Seth Webb said.

The select board is accepting volunteers’ names until March 13, and appointments will be made at the March 24 meeting.

“For those positions where there are more volunteers than open seats we’ll discuss the appointments in executive session,” Selectman Chris Bianchi said.

Like several other Vermont towns, Killington’s Fire Department is hoping to replace their current firehouse with a new one.

“It would take a lot of money to renovate the old facility, and when we got through, we’d have the same problems: There isn’t enough space inside, and there isn’t enough space outside. We need a new site,” said Peter Vito, a volunteer fireman.

The firemen, in a joint committee with residents, are developing a proposal together. The plan, Seth Webb explained, is for the committee to gather information on a few good, affordable sites, then make their recommendation among them to the selectmen. If the board concurs, the next step would be to do the necessary engineering and architectural planning for a new building, which would be the next proposal to consider.

Bianchi suggested “the committee produce a progress report for the public so they know the non-fire department residents are represented in the process, and that this expensive decision isn’t being made in-house without their input.” Webb said he would convey that request.

One subject left over from the Town Meeting Preview regarded some residents’ sentiment that Killington abandon the current Australian Ballot system and return to the traditional Town Meeting format. Webb explained that voter participation doubled when the Australian Ballot system was put into place, and the board requested this be publicized.

The four-payment tax collection system that was introduced in conjunction with the one-time eighteen-month budget was another Town Meeting Preview holdover. McGrath suggested a discussion of easing the resulting town cash-flow constraints by charging taxpayers the town’s portion of the taxes in two payments and spreading just the state portion over the four installments, but the board responded that residents thought they had approved a four-equal-installment plan, and would not look at the suggestion favorably.

“Let’s leave it at four equal installments for now,” Selectman Ken Lee said, “and if we run into a cash-flow problem we can always change it.”

Jim Haff, who unsuccessfully ran against Bianchi for selectman, had researched state regulations and found that a town can legally offer a discount to taxpayers who pay their taxes up front in one lump sum. “This would help the cash flow if enough people take advantage of it,” he said. The board agreed to consider it.

Comment: Who is this guy Peter Vito?

Vacationers escape midnight blaze in Killington

Rutland Herald

By Dan Colton
Staff Writer | March 09,2015

 

Anthony Edwards / Staff Photo Caution tape surrounds the remains of the condominium complex that was destroyed by a structure fire during the early morning hours of Saturday on Innsbruck Lane in Killington.

KILLINGTON — Susan Haigh said she was among about a dozen people who escaped a blaze that wrecked the Killington Townhouses on Innsbruck Lane in Killington early Saturday morning.

Haigh, a Connecticut resident, said she didn’t waste any time getting out of her ground-floor condo when she heard the fire alarms sound off around 11:30 p.m.

Steve Finer, former Killington fire chief, said the Killington Townhouses didn’t have a sprinkler system to fight any potential fires.

He said the building “predates requirements.”

Haigh, who has visited the condos for 10 years, said she doesn’t remember ever seeing fire sprinklers.

After the fire alarm sounded, she and her husband loaded up their suitcases into their vehicle and “got out of Dodge,” Haigh said, before any flames were visible.

But Haigh said that when she got outside, a lot of smoke was visible near the upper units.

“I could see smoke was up in the eaves, way up in the roof,” she said. “It was just coming out.”

She said it was easy to get all her belongings out in time because she and her husband had just arrived an hour earlier.

Many of the others weren’t as lucky, she said.

“There were some people who lost everything,” Haigh said — things like clothes, wallets and skiing equipment.

She explained that the Killington Townhouses aren’t permanent residences; they are vacation condos, or time shares, sold on a weekly basis. As a result, nobody was permanently left without a home because of the fire.

As Haigh and her husband drove out of the parking lot, they saw smoke rising from the Killington Townhouses and people standing in their pajamas out in the March night.

She headed for the Best Western, and said she believes others displaced from the fire found their way to the Best Western as well.

Patty Flanagan, manager of the Killington Townhouses, said she was distraught Sunday as she surveyed the damage left behind. She had no comment when asked how many people were in the condos when the fire began or where they were sheltered afterwards.

Only a few hours after the fire was doused, Killington Townhouses President Paul Kaufman said he didn’t know if the condos would be rebuilt.

Gary Roth, Killington fire chief, said he didn’t believe there was any indication of “foul play.”

Roth said what started as a chimney fire became a structure fire.

But Haigh didn’t wait around to see the flames spread to rest of the building.

She said that about an hour after arriving for the weekend on Friday night, she and her husband heard the fire alarm and could smell smoke.

While she was still inside the condo, Haigh said, she saw smoke billowing down the hallway from the living room.

Haigh estimated about a dozen people had rooms at the townhouses that night. Everyone escaped without injury, according to the fire department and eyewitnesses.

The conflagration lasted six hours, responders said, and left debris smoldering even into Sunday. At one point, the smoldering debris rekindled and firefighters returned briefly to douse the ruins again.

On Sunday afternoon, smoke still could be seen rising from the destruction. A chain link fence was brought in to replace the yellow caution tape from the day before.

Fire ravages condo complex

Rutland Herald

By Dan Colton
Staff Writer | March 08,2015

 

Photo by Jill Paton

The Killington Townhouses condominium complex in Killington is engulfed in flames shortly after midnight. Two wings were destroyed by what was initially reported as a chimney fire. All of the timeshare occupants inside escaped safely.

KILLINGTON — No one was hurt in a fire that destroyed at least half of a 16-unit timeshare condominium complex early Saturday.

The fire was initially reported at the Killington Townhouses on Innsbruck Lane at about 11:30 p.m. Friday night and kept fire crews on the scene into Saturday afternoon. The fire rekindled briefly at about 4 p.m.

Killington Fire Chief Gary Roth said the incident was initially labeled a chimney fire in the section C wing, but by the time firefighters arrived it had spread to engulf the section D office wing as well.

The complex had four wings, A through D, but C and D were burned to the ground Saturday. The condition of the remaining condominiums was unclear.

A number of residents were inside the building, Roth said, but they escaped safely and were evacuated to other nearby lodging.

Many regional fire departments responded to a mutual aid call. Roth said the fire took six hours to extinguish.

“We had three fire engines, two platform trucks and somewhere around nine tankers to shuttle water,” Roth said.

He added that the county-wide response is standard protocol for a prolonged fire.

The Rutland City Fire Department was among the outside departments called in. Rutland responders got the call “right off the bat” around midnight, said Brad LaFaso, the department’s operations chief.

LaFaso arrived at around 5 a.m., he said, and the fire hadn’t yet subsided.

“It was tough fighting the fire in below zero (temperatures),” he said.

Freezing water and low water pressure complicated the efforts and caused issues throughout the night and into the morning.

Other firefighters reported seeing the blaze climb “50 or 60 feet” into the air, he said.

LaFaso said that by 11:30 a.m., most fire crews had left the scene.

By 2 p.m., smoldering and charred debris littered the area where half the building once stood. A layer of ice from the firefighters’ hoses covered much of the burned remnants.

The back half of the building was gone, with ashen tree limbs fallen across exposed and charred stairwells.

Paul Kaufman, president of the Killington Townhouses, said he drove from Massachusetts when he heard about the fire.

“It’s a tragedy,” he said.

About 600 families rent time in the Killington Townhouse condos through the year, Kaufman said.

But after the fire, he said, the future of the complex is up in the air.

“Obviously, we lost our office,” Kaufman said. “We lost our ability to communicate with our owners — we’re struggling to get that accomplished.”

He said he didn’t know how much financial damage the fire caused or how many people were evacuated from the building.

Helen and Frank Carcio of Massachusetts were taking photos of the scene Saturday afternoon.

They said they couldn’t believe the townhouses had burned. They’d been renting the same condo since 1985, Frank Carcio said.

Helen Carcio said that although they were not staying at Killington Townhouses that weekend, they were renting a nearby condo managed by the same people.

They checked out of their nearby timeshare a few hours early, Helen said, because displaced renters needed a place to stay, and the Killington Townhouses manager asked for a favor.

So, Helen Carcio said, they packed up early and came by to check out the scene.

Before they left, the Carcios left a house-warming gift for the next tenants.

“We left some beer in the fridge for them,” Helen said, “and some Baileys.”

Bianchi Defeats Haff In Select Board Race

Vermont Standard
By Curt Peterson

Standard Correspondent

KILLINGTON — Anyone who braved blizzard conditions March 2 looking for excitement at the Killington Town Voting preview meeting was not disappointed. The race between incumbent Selectman Chris Bianchi and challenger Jim Haff played out on the floor from candidates’ statements through budget discussions. Haff frequently implied that the financial report from 2014 is inaccurate and the select board’s figures are misleading. Bianchi defended the report and its accuracy. The vote reflected Haff’s effort; Bianchi’s 176 votes narrowly beat Haff’s 153.

Votes were cast on Tuesday, March 3. In uncontested voting, Eileen Godfrey was elected as a Lister, Horace Glaze as Grand Juror, M. B. Neisner Jr. as Town Agent, Diane Miller as Trustee of Public Funds, Lou Grob as Cemetery Commissioner, and Jill Post as Library Trustee.

M. B. Neisner, Town Meeting Moderator for 10 years, introduced Betsy Bianchi and Kristin Hagenbarth, who presented the George Kenneth Krantz Volunteer of the Year award to the entire Clark family for their many activities for the town. Ian Clark and his mother Susan accepted flowers and a plaque on behalf of the clan.

State Representative Job Tate, who has been in office for a little over two months, gave a sobering report on what is going on in the Legislature, painting a dire economic picture. Regarding schools, Tate said, “Unless we’re willing to consolidate, we are going to have to lay off some people.” On a more positive note, he said he was proud to learn that other legislators feel Killington’s school is a model in management. “Lots of people in Montpelier say Killington is doing it right.”

Tate has co-sponsored a bill to reduce legislators’ pay. “If we’re going to take a scalpel to everybody else’s budget, we have to start first with our own”, he said.

Killington’s unusual one-time, 18-month budget drew a lot of questions. Article 2 of the Warnings proposed four tax payments spread out from August 2015 through May 2016. Town Clerk and Tax Collector Lucrecia Wonsor gave a succinct explanation of the reasons for the payment schedule change, and that it will not cost the town any additional interest. The Article was approved by voters.

Some residents asked if Automatic Clearing House electronic payments could be set up for property taxes, to avoid missing a payment and incurring a late charge. Wonsor said taxpayers can visit the town website or come in to the office for help setting up an ACH payment plan. One resident suggested a discount for prepaying taxes, which Town Manager Seth Webb said might not be legally doable, but that he would check on it.

Article 3, the town budget for 18 months, from Jan. 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016, totals $6,282,554, of which $3,732,950 will come from property taxes, $243,550 applied from the $2014 budget surplus, $2,082,277 will come from nonproperty taxes, and $223,778 in expected FEMA reimbursements. Voters approved Article 3 by almost two-to-one.

The select board proposed to borrow $42,000 in an interest-free loan from Green Mountain Evergreen Fund to upgrade Killington’s streetlights to a more energy-efficient system. Marty Post, from the Energy Committee, said the town should be eligible for an Efficiency Vermont rebate to reduce the cost of the installation, and the new system will save $4,000 in electricity per year, making it a net zero investment over time. Voters approved the Article 252 to 77.

If the select board had expected objections to increasing their annual stipend from $1,000 to $2,000, they were wrong. Without any questions at the preview, their raise in pay was approved 213 to 177. Historically, the board’s compensation had been $2,000 per year until 2010, when, in the face of the recession, they reduced it to $1,000, then to zero. It was raised to $1,000 again in 2013, and has now achieved its pre-2010 level again.

---

1

---

2

---

3

---

4 1. Incumbent Selectman Chris Bianchi defeated challenger Jim Haff. 2. The Town of Killington panel, from left, selectman Ken Lee, Bianchi, Patty McGrath and town manager Seth Webb. 3. Betsy Bianchi, left, and Kristin Hagenbarth present the Krantz award to Ian and Susan Clark (not pictured). 4. McGrath answers a question.

Curt Peterson Photos

Killington board incumbent prevails; budgets pass

By Bryanna Allen | March 03,2015

 

Albert J. Marro / Staff Photo Killington town clerk Lucrecia Wonsor, left, chats with voters checking out after casting ballots in Tuesday's election.

STAFF WRITER

KILLINGTON — Killington Select Board chairman Chris Bianchi overcame challenger Jim Haff by a slim 23 vote margin.

Bianchi raked in 176 votes while Haff ran close behind with 153 votes.

Haff said despite his loss, he is glad he ran, and the effort was worthwhile. He said he feels he brought to light some crucial information regarding the budget and town spending.

“I would like to thank everyone for coming out and voting,” he said after the defeat.

The proposed town budget passed by a margin of 215 to 109 votes.

The budget was in a transition this year, from a 12-month calendar year to an 18-month fiscal year budget.

Therefore, the increase of the proposed budget seemed a drastic increase but passed nonetheless.

The proposed budget — $6,282,554 — is roughly $2 million more than the current budget of $4,051,573, which includes highway expenses but not the school expenses, and covers 18 months, not 12.

The proposed school budget is a total of $1,625,108, a 2.9 percent increase over this year’s current budget of $1,579,954 and passed by floor vote on Monday night during the town meeting.

Town Clerk Lucretia Wonsor said the turnout of voters was better this year than last, but still wasn’t quite what she was hoping for.

“You always hope for more people to come out and vote, but I think most towns struggle with a lack of voters,” she said after the results Tuesday night.

Wonsor said 335 Killington town residents showed up to give their opinion and cast their votes.

bryanna.allen @rutlandherald.com

Business booming in Okemo Valley

Rutland Herald

By Gareth Henderson
Staff Writer | March 02,2015

 

Anthony Edwards / Staff Photo

A freshly made bed awaits a guest at the Homestyle Hostel Inn & Cafe in Ludlow.

LUDLOW — It’s a good sign for the local business climate when back-to-back ribbon cuttings are on the schedule.

Such was the case last September for Marji Graf, head of the local chamber of commerce. She was at openings for four new Ludlow businesses that month, Homestyle Hostel, Just Doggin’ It cafe, Big Eyes Bakery and Tygart Mountain Sports.

That was just one month out of what has been a blockbuster year for business activity in this small resort town and its neighboring communities. The chamber’s records show that 50 new businesses have opened in the region since January 2014, and the chamber has gained 84 new members over the last 12 months.

Graf, who is CEO of the Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the number of new businesses that started in Ludlow, Chester and nearby towns over the past year was unusual, and spanned various types of industries. She said one of the major factors driving this large amount of business activity is what already exists in the region.

“People come here because of the people and businesses that are already here,” she said.

Graf also pointed out recent investments by Okemo Mountain Resort as a big draw.

“The mountain certainly has put a lot of money into being a four-season resort, and that helps everybody,” she said.

Another local business with a successful recent opening in Ludlow is Mojo Café, which opened last July. Owners John and Jodi Seward grew up in the area and worked together in area restaurants, including Harry’s Cafe, before opening Mojo last year.

“We chose Ludlow because it’s where we live and it’s what we’re familiar with,” he said.

Ingredients grown in this region and elsewhere in Vermont are a key part of the menu. The restaurant gets its chicken from Misty Knoll Farms in New Haven, and the beef comes from Boyden Farm, located farther north in Cambridge. The Sewards have created a diverse menu, including Mexican and Cajun influences and other New England-style options, to offer a unique selection that so far has drawn in local people and visitors alike. Aside from online tools like TripAdvisor and Yelp, it’s the customers who have spread the word.

“We just do word-of-mouth and let the product shine,” Seward said.

Homestyle Hostel is also located on Main Street and has taken advantage of local resources to help their business get off the ground. Owners Eliza Greene and Justin Hyjek, who each graduated high school in the area, saw Ludlow as a place that could use a hostel that offers a comfortable home-like atmosphere. They had returned to the area with the idea of starting a local hostel, after years of traveling through South America and running several hostels.

So far it’s been good news for the business. Not only have they had a busy season with the out-of-town crowd, but local people have also given the business some early success, filling its 24-seat restaurant for trivia night and bringing in some small business groups. Homestyle Hostel joined the chamber well before its opening day, and Hyjek said that has helped them form some important relationships in the business community.

“They’ve been the conduit between us and the resort,” Hyjek said. The chamber has also helped connect Greene and Hyjek with local people who can help with key parts of a business, such as the hiring process.

The last two years also brought big news for Okemo Mountain Resort. Bonnie MacPherson, director of public relations at Okemo, said the mountain has invested more than $1 million in snowmaking. That included new HKD snow guns, which are tower guns that are more energy efficient. MacPherson also said the resort has also made improvements to its snowmaking infrastructure overall, including the pump houses and water capacity. Now, the system can pump 9,200 gallons per minute.

Recent developments have also included a partnership with Snow Park Technologies, a Nevada-based company which is helping Okemo with a makeover of all its terrain parks. Last December, Okemo unveiled the Sunburst Six bubble chair, a state-of-the-art chair lift with heated seats.

While visitor traffic is key for this community, the new and existing businesses in this region are also maintaining a strong focus on serving the local customers. An example of this is The Free Range, a new restaurant that opened in Chester. Rick and Anne Paterno opened the restaurant in August 2014, and they also hired chef and co-owner Michael Kennedy, who was born and raised in Chester.

Paterno, a 30-year veteran of the footwear and fashion industry, was looking for a way to retire from his career and realize his desire to open a restaurant. They bought their business location in Chester in December 2013, and now, Rick Paterno said he has noticed more traffic in that end of The Common and in Chester as a whole. He said the restaurant has helped bring more customers to nearby shops as well.

While the abundant sources of local, fresh food here and in Vermont have helped hugely, for Paterno, the biggest reason to open his business was to establish a restaurant that the local people could enjoy. He noted that the popular, longtime Chester restaurant, Raspberries and Thyme, closed about five years ago.

“It was something we knew the town needed,” Paterno said. “We really wanted to do something for the town we fell in love with.”

The Paternos have lived in Chester for 30 years, and bought a permanent home here in 2006.

Tesha Buss, head of the chamber’s clean energy committee and also a business owner, said the region’s trend of positive business activity certainly builds on itself. The chamber has made various efforts to keep that trend going, she added.

“We’ve worked really hard to make it a four-season economy,” Buss said.

Buss sees the inter-connected nature of the local economy firsthand through her own business. Buss owns a retreat home in Plymouth, where she welcomes large business retreats and similar group-business gatherings. She often sends groups Okemo and Killington, and to Camp Plymouth, the Coolidge site, the Plymouth Cheese Factory and other local attractions.

 Comment: Gee, I didn't see the town of Ludlow having an Economic Development Commission or spend millions on economic development. The key factor cited - "recent investments by Okemo Mountain Resort as a big draw".

Vito

Inn at Six Mountains sells for $3.3M

Rutland Herald

By Bruce Edwards
Correspondent | March 02,2015

 

Anthony Edwards / Staff Photo

The Inn of the Six Mountains is located along the top of the Killington Access Road.

KILLINGTON — The Inn at Six Mountains has been sold to a group of investors, including local businessman John Kalish, for $3.3 million.

Kalish and the other investors closed on the purchase of the 104-unit condo hotel last week.

In addition to Kalish’s company, Killington Hospitality Group 1 LLC, the other major investor is Innisfree Hotels, a Florida-based resort company.

“The intention is to do some substantial renovations after the ski season ... and reposition this hotel into the best in the market as far as lodging is concerned,” Kalish said.

He said the new ownership group will invest between $2 million and $3 million to renovate the Killington Road property, which was built in the late 1980s.

He said all rooms will undergo renovations from top to bottom, including carpeting, tile floors, bathrooms and flat screen TVs. The lobby, restaurant, kitchen and the two pools will also get a makeover.

Kalish, who called the property a “diamond in the rough,” said his “intent is to bring it up to a first class standard.”

He said once the upgrades are complete there will be an opportunity to increase the restaurant, banquet and conference business.

He said work on the hotel will begin after the ski season and take about eight months to complete.

“We obviously want to get it repositioned for the fall and certainly for the (next) ski season,” Kalish said.

Because The Inn at Six Mountains was a condo hotel, he said the transaction took two years to complete.

“There was a substantial amount of time and effort to get all the owners on board to sell it and an agreed upon purchase price,” said Kalish, who owns other property in the area, including the former Churchill’s restaurant on Route 4 and eight acres near the Cortina Inn, both in Mendon.

Innisfree Hotels, the other major investor, will also manage the property.

Kalish said he brought in Innisfree as an investor because of their track record in operating resort properties.

Jill Thomas, Innisfree chief marketing officer, said the Killington hotel offered the company an opportunity to diversify its portfolio of properties.

“Most of our properties are beach resort properties and so we were looking to diversify into a different market that is still a part of a resort market,” Thomas said, “and a ski destination is a very attractive (option).

Innisfree has properties located primarily along the Gulf Coast of Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. It also operates a resort hotel in Traverse City, Mich.

“After seeing the commitment of Killington’s owners, Powdr Corp., to invest in the mountain and improve the village we decided to make an investment too,” Julian MacQueen, Innisfree founder and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We look forward to other opportunities in the area with the same upside potential. The move from beach to mountain will mark new ground for Innisfree, while keeping in line with our mission of ‘creating fun, memorable experiences’ for travelers.”

Thomas said based on the results of a marketing research study, the Killington hotel will be rebranded to fit the clientele it hopes to attract.

With a ski village planned at the base of the mountain, Kalish, too, is bullish on the resort’s future.

“I think that it has only one direction to go and I think that’s up,” he said.

Based in Gulf Breeze, Fla., Innisfree takes its name from the William Butler Yeats’ poem, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.”

 

Comment: This is what the town needs more of: private investment! Notice how the resort's invvestment in the mountain and the ski village are cited as reasons for Innisfree's investment, not the efforts by the town, hay bales and such, or streetscapes, wayfinding, sidewalks and so on. If private investors are going to invest in the town its going to be because of what happens at the top of the mountain not the bottom!