Killington Selectboard unanimously votes to proceed with handing over Marketing and Events resources to KPAA

Last night the Killington Select Board voted unanimously to proceed with handing over control of the Town's Marketing andEvents to the KPAA. Details of the proposed agreement are posted on this site 3 entries ago and here lProposal KPAA Contract Memo to Selectboard/
According to the agreement the Town will spend the entire Marketing and `Events budget approved by the voters on behalf of the KPAA. This is somehow rationalized as the town hiring a "subcontractor" to do the Marketing and Events function. Well I beg to differ. Not only is the town going to pay the bills for the KPAA it is also handing over control of the events it has invested in directly and indirectly over the last seven or so years, as well as handing over the outside sponsorship relationships it has formed with partners such as Long Trail Brewing, Casella, and Farrel Distributing. These cosponsorship funds will flow directly to the KPAA with no accounting as to how these funds are being used.
While the Select Board and Town Manager insisted the Town will maintain control over the moneys its gives the KPAA since the town will be reviewing and paying its share of the marketing and events expenses directly,  no mention is made of the dollars flowing to the KPAA from the co-sponsors of the events.
Furthermore the KPAA proposal states it can do a better job than the town with the events. Well, a couple of things; first, the Town has done a pretty good job to this point. After initially being the sole sponsor and financier of the events it has developed cosponsors to share the production expenses. My sense is, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Secondly the newly formed KPAA has a severely limited track record in this arena (some want to say that it has experience from its days as the Killington Chamber, if that's the case why reform as the KPAA, - the short answer - financial and internal management issues (from what I've gleaned from newspaper reports). If the argument that the KPAA has a track record as the Killington Chamber (whether successful or not is indeterminate) in Marketing and Events there is no doubt in its prior iteration as the Killington Chamber it had documented financial, managerial and operations problems. Do we really want the Town to stick its neck out and enter into a contract with such an entity?
This is another case of the town's administration investing dollars and manpower over years building a viable vehicle for advancing its agenda of economic development via tourism and then basically giving it away. Last night an attendee stated the town, after creating the Discover Killington website, which people have estimated cost hundreds of thousands, gave it, at no cost, to a private entity. 
While I applaud the KPAA's efforts to promote its agenda of making regional businesses more profitable, my feeling is these businesses,  not the Town of Killington,  should be supporting the KPAA. What other towns are handing over resources to the KPAA?
I have no problem with the Town handing over the Marketing and Events function to the KPAA as I have always thought the Town has no business being in business and should concentrate on its core functions as a municipality i.e. roads, public safety and infrastructure, but I don't agree with the Town funding these efforts on behalf of private entities.
Another sign of the of the KPAA usurping the Town's resources is they have taken the Town's logo and adapted it for themselves. 



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This makes it look like the KPAA is part of the Town's government which I object to. This is the town's "brand" and as such has value.
If they want to use the same colors I have no problem with that but the logo needs to go!

Vito

Highline Trails project at Killington

Rutland Herald

By Bryanna Allen
STAFF WRITER | June 03,2015

 

Provided Image This drawing shows a planned slope, ramp and huge inflatable bag for stunt skiers to land on at Killington Mountain School.

KILLINGTON— Next winter, skiers whipping down the Superstar Trail might stumble across an unusual sight — skiers and boarders flipping in the air and landing on a giant air bag.

Killington Mountain School, a private school with a curriculum designed to work around and support competitive skiers and snowboarders, is finally reaching phase three of a plan to cultivate even more accomplished young athletes.

That plan, the Highline Trails project, has been unfolding over the past three years, but will wrap up before the snow flies.

The Highline Trail, a black diamond trail used primarily for racing, has gotten more than a face-lift during those years. The trail itself was expanded in length and on either side by 20 meters, and snowmaking machines have been added on either side to ensure more snow coverage.

Amy Allen, communications director of the school, said the expansion will allow more courses to be set up, giving students studying different areas of skiing a chance to work simultaneously, instead of sharing space and taking turns.

These adjustments will help increase the time KMS students spend training.

“It’s a pretty exciting feeling to finally be finishing this project,” said Tom Sell, alpine athletic director for KMS. “It’s going to be incredibly beneficial. Repetition in training is key for the students; this new trail will be more efficient and they’ll get more reps in.”

But the work on the trail doesn’t end with the expansion of the length and width.

The school is also aiming to add another chairlift to the Highline Trail.

Right now, KMS students ride the Snowdon Triple lift, but that brings them further up the mountain than they actually need to be.

To get to Highline, where they spend much of their day practicing, they must first go up to the top, then ski back down to it.

The solution KMS has come up with? Add a chairlift to cut traveling time in half.

“It really doesn’t make sense for students to spend all of that time on the chairlift,”Allen said. “Think about it. If the students have a chunk of time to practice, they can either get three runs down the mountain in, or they can get six runs.”

But the trail updates aren’t the only aspect of the mountain that will be improved to create a better training environment for students from all over the world.

A four-season air bag will be built near the Superstar Trail.

The air bag is exactly what it sounds like; a giant bag filled with air at the end of a ski jump.

“It gives kids the chance to practice jumps and tricks in a safe way,” said Wynn Bern, a director of the free ski program at KMS.

The bag is about 60 feet long and 60 feet wide, and kids coming off the jump land on it after falling anywhere between 5 and 50 feet in the air.

One thing that makes this feature appealing is that it can be used in all seasons, not just winter.

“The surface of the jump feels like toothbrush bristles,” Bern said. “So it feels like snow while wearing skis. That way they can train in the summer.”

When it snows, the rough surface simply gets covered in layers of powder.

“We’re hoping to get this up and ready to go before the end of the summer,” Allen said of the air bag and jump.

The new additions to the school will cost about $1.24 million.

To date, KMS has raised $660,000 through public and private donations.

“Parents and alumni have been really generous because it’s a project that benefits all students,” Allen said.

She added that $500,000 of that number has already been invested into the remodeling of the hill, the rest being held for the final stages of that specific project.

The $300,000 air bag and jump will be paid for through parent and alumni bonds; they invest the money up-front, then the school pays them back over time through revenue created by the new features.

Grants and additional fundraising are underway to cover the remaining cost.

And the new features will bring in their own revenue.

“It’s one of the only training systems in the world,” said Bern, who often brings his students to Lake Placid or Park City to give them this sort of training exposure. “It’s going to be a huge draw for new students and teams.”

This past winter, members of the Japan and Russian World Cup Freestyle skiing teams traveled to Killington to train on Highline.

“We’re going to expect more of that,” Allen said.

But support from parents and from around the world isn’t the only way this project has been successful.

“Both the town of Killington and the ski resort have been incredibly supportive,” Allen said.

She said it rounds the town out as a whole, because it will attract more people to the area.

“The resort is adding more family adventure activities, and the town has a wide range of events,” she said. “It all fits in with the idea of Killington.”

bryanna.allen

Killington woman admits to $10M fraud

 

Rutland Herald

By Gordon Dritschilo
Staff Writer | June 03,2015

 

A Killington woman pleaded guilty Tuesday in a $10 million fraud case.

Bonney Hebert, 59, waived her right to indictment and entered the guilty pleas in federal court in Connecticut to one count of wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, according to Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly.

The charges carry a maximum of 30 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 27.

No information on the case was available Tuesday from the federal judiciary’s online document filing system, but Daly’s office outlined the case in a news release.

The release described Hebert as sole owner and president of Academic Risk Resources and Insurance, a Boston-based risk management and insurance brokerage company.

The company’s business included brokering contracts between health insurance providers and colleges, covering students and people affiliated with the school.

One such contract was between Rutgers University in New Jersey and Aetna Life Insurance Company, based in Hartford, Conn., starting in July 2007. Rutgers paid premiums to ARRI, which was then supposed to pass them on to Aetna.

However, $10,358,728 in premiums paid between 2009 and 2012 failed to get to Aetna, according to Daly. She said Hebert used the money on “personal expenses” and to cover ARRI’s business costs.

Prosecutors said Hebert disclosed her activities to representatives of Aetna in June 2012, and then sold ARRI, having the payments turned over directly to Aetna as restitution. The release said Hebert forfeited $900,000 in commissions Aetna owed her, leaving $7,846,305 for her to pay in restitution.

gordon.dritschilo

KPAA proposal for town to fund operations

Below is  a proposal  from the KPAA to be funded by the town. First we paid for upgrading the parking lot via the park and ride funding and now are continuously paying for maintaining it. Now the town is going to fund the operations???? Never mind that the town is already paying for personnel working at the KPAA.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THE TOWN PAYING FOR THIS?
This is being discussed at tonight's Select Board Meeting. Chances are if no people show up the Select Board will move forward and commit the town to funding the KPAA and once it starts its going to be hard to stop it short of voting the budget down at "town meeting".
If you can make it tonight please show up and let your feelings be known .
Vito


To: Town of Killington Select Board
From: Killington Pico Area Association (KPAA) Executive Committee (President, Howard Smith; Vice President, Tracy Taylor; Treasurer, Vince Chiarella; Secretary, Mike Solimano; Seth Webb, Member; Chris Karr, Ex-Officio Member)
Re: Contracting Marketing & Special Events
Date: June 1, 2015
Background
 The third goal of the Selectboard Strategic Plan is “Increase tourism, year round employment and support the growth of our tourism based economy”
 The Town’s Economic Development and Tourism Commission Organizational Policy states, “The mission of the Town shall include, but not limited to, efforts to sustain and enhance the Town of Killington’s tourism-based economy, as well as to pursue other types of economic opportunities including diversification. These efforts may involve tourism promotion, advertising and marketing, special events, business retention, strengthening and expansion, economic diversification and community investment.”
Proposal
To help the Town build on its progress and further accomplish its goals, the KPAA is proposing the Town contract the management of marketing and special events investments beginning July 1, 2015. Specifically, we believe through the KPAA’s management, we can:
1. Effectively execute the plan in the 2015-16 budget and continue the growth that has been achieved in the last five years.
2. Increase our efficiencies as a community related to special events and marketing: By combining the KPAA (Welcome Center, Events, and Volunteers) and the Marketing and Special Events of the Town, we can find efficiencies with both staff and other related expenses.
3. Leverage the Town’s investment to attract more private dollars to Killington (thereby increasing investment in Killington): Using our regional merchant pass program and other assets, we will continue to recruit more private businesses to support events and marketing activities in Killington.
4. Open the Welcome Center 7 days a week (Currently it operates 6 days a week).
*Taxpayers will see no increase in taxes as a result of this agreement

About KPAA
As you know, the KPAA is a private, non-profit, made up of representatives from the Town, business community and Resort, that works to grow the tourism based economy through marketing, special events, and programming.
Leaders from the Resort, Chamber and Town collaborated to create it and combine their respective efforts related to destination marketing into one organization.1
We did this because after working together over the last six years, the Town, Chamber and Resort all concluded that the best way to continue to achieve our goals is to formalize our partnership and work as one organization.
The transition to create the KPAA occurred over the last 18 months. Working together we have accomplished a lot in a short time frame (both informally and formally under the KPAA banner) including:
 Welcome Center Opening
 Park and Ride Construction and Gateway improvements
 Bylaws adopted (on January 6, 2015 to officially complete the transition from the Killington Chamber of Commerce to the Killington Pico Area Association)
 Executive Committee elected:
o President, Howard Smith
o Vice President, Tracy Taylor
o Treasurer, Vince Chiarella
o Secretary, Mike Solimano
o Seth Webb, member
o Chris Karr, Ex-Officio
 Regional Merchant Pass Program launched which has increased KPAA membership and ultimately increased revenue to our community
 Development of a Marketing Committee to collaborate on destination marketing efforts this summer and beyond (Print Ads, Posters, online and grassroots campaign)
1 As you may remember, a report done by the “Strategic Marketing Group” in 2012 reviewed the various issues around our community’s work to market itself as a destination. It identified that our community as whole has not effectively leveraged other regional assets including the potential for additional revenues to support tourism development. One of the recommendations of the report was to create a regional organization akin to the Vail Valley Foundation and Stowe Area Association, which have been successful drivers of developing four season tourism in those communities.

 Outlining a Strategic Plan, building on the Town’s plan, to focus on advancing the Region’s economy; enhancing members’ success; and ensuring organizational sustainability
Proposal Specifics
 One year agreement (renewable) for the KPAA to manage marketing and special events program
 The agreement/relationship would be similar to the Town/Killington Volunteer Fire Department agreement/relationship
o Bills would be paid by Town
o KPAA would bill against voter approved budget
 Town oversight is built in:
o Town Manager is on the Executive Board
o Events Coordinator is the KPAA director
 The goal for year one are:
o Execute the plan, grow the organization and produce solid results
o Generate more revenue through expanded membership efforts
o Plan for 2016-17 and submit a proposal for next Town Meeting day
o Consider a long term evolution to emulate a “Vail Valley Foundation” model and generate larger donor based support of our community
Next Steps
 If concept is approved, we we’ll submit a contract for consideration

Killington woman robbed at gunpoint

Rutland Herald

By Kathleen Phalen Tomaselli
Staff Writer | June 02,2015

A Killington woman was robbed at gunpoint after being lured to the downtown Price Chopper parking lot early Monday morning, Rutland City Police said.

The 29-year-old woman, along with two friends, had gone to the parking lot just after midnight to meet with an acquaintance, Jennifer M. Perkins, after Perkins texted her and asked that they meet near the Rent-a-Center vans, the affidavit said.

Perkins, 29, walked up to the vehicle and started chatting and petting the woman’s dog through the window; the woman told her to jump in the back if she needed a ride, police said.

Just as Perkins was getting into the back seat, a white Subaru wagon with the lights off pulled in front of the woman’s car and two men, wearing hooded sweatshirts and winter wool hats, jumped out of the vehicle brandishing weapons, the affidavit said.

The woman put her car in reverse to get away, police said, but Perkins was half-way out of the vehicle and she began screaming, “I’m being run over,” so the woman stopped.

A man with a shotgun pointed the gun in the passenger window, while the other man, holding a knife, stabbed the driver’s side tire before pointing the knife at the driver and demanding, “Give us your purse,” according to the affidavit.

Perkins, of Rutland, pleaded innocent in Rutland criminal court on Monday to a charge of aiding and abetting in the commission of a felony.

Police had originally arrested Perkins on a charge of assault and robbery with a weapon, but Judge Thomas A. Zonay found probable cause on the lesser charge. “The court would note that she essentially set up the victim,” he said.

The man who allegedly pointed the shotgun, Eduardo Aviles, 40, who lives with Perkins at her mother’s Cleveland Avenue home, pleaded innocent to a charge of assault and robbery with a weapon.

Police could not be reached regarding the unidentified man with the knife.

According to the affidavit, after the woman threw her purse at the man with the knife, Perkins and Aviles jumped into the Subaru the man with the knife was driving, and they sped away with the lights off.

The woman said she drove her car into a parking space, and she and her two friends went into the Price Chopper for help.

She said her purse, a Coach bag, contained $260 in cash, her passport, her Citizens Bank debit card, pay stubs from her job and other items.

In the affidavit, Perkins said she had contacted the woman to buy heroin and when she didn’t have any drugs they robbed her, but the woman said Perkins had asked her to buy her a pack of Newport cigarettes from Walgreens.

In court, the defense asked that Perkins be released to her mother’s home on 24-hour curfew because of her ties to the community.

Her lawyer, Ember Tilton, called Donna Wilson to the stand.

Wilson is a retired Rutland High School teacher and a lister in Pittsford. Perkins was her student and they had maintained a relationship over the years.

“She was one of my students,” she said. “I’d like to advocate for Jennifer. She is very trustworthy. I think she just got mixed up with the wrong people. This is not in her nature.”

Tilton then called Perkins’ mother to the stand who said that Aviles was no longer welcome at her home.

Despite the testimony on her behalf, Zonay imposed bail at $50,000 with 10 percent down to secure the $50,000. She was ordered to the Chittenden County jail.

Aviles is currently in the Rutland jail on $100,000 bond.


Comment: Something's really fishy with this story. 
Vito

Manchester sees gains in local option taxes (Killington sees net decrease)

Rutland Herald

By Patrick McArdle
STAFF WRITER | May 29,2015

 

MANCHESTER — The local option tax has provided more good news for Manchester, where returns are up about 9 percent from the same quarter in 2014.

Town Manager John O’Keefe said the town recently received the results of the local option tax collection for the first quarter of 2015.

For the rooms, meals and alcohol tax, the town collected about $76,500, an increase of about $6,400 or 9.1 percent over the same quarter in 2014, when about $70,100 was collected.

For the sales tax, the town collected about $175,100, an increase of about $14,300, or 8.9 percent over the same quarter in 2014, when about $161,000 was collected.

The local option tax is a 1 percent tax that communities known as “sending towns” or “gold towns” can impose on retail sales, lodging, or meals and alcohol sold in restaurants.

Aside from the option tax, Vermont municipalities don’t have the authority to impose any tax except property taxes.

Manchester, the first town to impose the tax, uses all three of the taxes. They are collected by the state and, after the state subtracts its fee, returned to the town in payments made every three months.

Other towns have seen gains this quarter, including Stratton and Middlebury, which both collect all three taxes.

Stratton collected about $216,100 in the first quarter of 2015, almost $1,500 or 0.7 percent more than the $214,600 collected in 2014.

Middlebury collected about $203,920 for the first quarter of 2015, almost $15,000 or 7.9 percent more than the $189,050 collected in 2014.

Killington saw a slight decrease in sales tax but its highest ever returns for the rooms, meals and alcohol taxes, according to Town Manager Seth Webb.

Killington collected about $265,400 in retail sales tax for the first quarter of 2015, down about $9,000 or 3.4 percent from the $274,560 collected in 2014.

But Killington collected about $218,220 in rooms, meals and alcohol taxes for the first quarter of 2015, about $2,200 or about 1 percent more than the $216,000 collected in 2014.

Webb pointed out that overall, local option taxes were down less than $7,000 from 2014 which had been Killington’s best year ever.

Webb said he also believed the improvement to the rooms, meals and alcohol taxes was a good sign for Killington’s tourist economy.

Other towns showed mixed results with some, like Brattleboro and Wilmington seeing some improvement while others, like Winhall and Stowe, seeing a small decline, according to figures from the state Department of Taxes.

O’Keefe said the news was good for Manchester. The first quarter of 2015 was the highest quarter since 2006 and the highest since Vermont became part of the Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement.

The SSTA, under which clothing is not taxed, hurt Manchester’s returns on the local option taxes because the town is home to a large number of retail outlet stores that sell clothing.

“There’s definitely a buzz,” O’Keefe said. “We’re even seeing more businesses coming to town. I think investors and entrepreneurs feel that there’s still room left in the Manchester economy.”

Another hopeful sign in Manchester is that several hotels are in various stages of planning or construction which is also likely to boost the town’s local option tax numbers.

While different towns use their local option tax money in different ways, Manchester has always used it to keep the municipal tax rate as low as possible.

O’Keefe said after the recent economic downturn, during which the town put money directly into keeping the tax rate low, the Select Board is planning to decrease its use of local option tax money to build up the reserves.