Saturday, July 26, 2014
Friday, July 18, 2014
Killington select board reviews report on fire department facilities, options to renovate considered
Mountain Times
KILLINGTON — On Tuesday, July 8, the Killington Selectboard held a special meeting at 10 a.m. to review the professional report on the town’s Fire Department facilities.
Architects Dore and Whittier were hired by the town to review the Fire Department facilities (which includes two stations), and provide recommendations for renovating the aging facilities. The final report will be issued later this summer.
The architects recently conducted a comprehensive existing conditions assessment, site analysis, programming and conceptual design for the fire facilities.
They reported that the current stations are in disrepair and no longer meet state criteria or the needs of the volunteer fire department.
Their assessment noted the following:
The 1974 building on Killington Road has uneven floors, inefficient insulation, plumbing and electricity, no cross ventilation, not enough storage for equipment, and other problems.
With a lack of proper storage for the turnout gear, the gear is exposed to soot and sunlight, both factors that play a part in deterioration of the expensive equipment.
The station is also missing a sprinkler system, a criteria for new stations being built or old ones undergoing serious renovations.
The station is very close to Killington Road, creating safety hazards for the department and disrupting traffic. Fire stations are typically set back 50-60 feet from the road, not 5 or 6 feet.
The building lacks two means of egress which are required for exiting.
Building does not meet handicap accessibility or ADA Code.
The number of toilets need to be increased to meet plumbing code.
An elevator is required for all publicly funded buildings, which the current building does not have.
The lack of room in the vehicle bays, causes firefighters to be exposed to unsafe exhaust.
The second station on River Road will require a significant investment to effectively accommodate the current equipment in the years to come.
The architects presented options to consider, including: a renovation of the building, additions to the building, or demolishing it to build a new one. Some options included combining the River Road Station into the Killington Road Station. All options required purchasing more of the surrounding property to establish a parking lot (parking for the current facility is located on an adjacent property).
Other possibilities included adding a police department onto the fire station to give the Killington police a more stable home base and clump the emergency services together for convenience and efficiency. Both departments would be able to share a wide variety of resources, including radio towers and conference rooms.
In reviewing all the options, the select board concurred with the architects, that the size of the Killington Road lot is a major limitation.
The Killington Road lot is less than one acre and currently much of the parking for the facility is located on private property. The building is also close to a stream, and while there is currently no FEMA flood plain designation, flood waters have come close to the station. There is currently no storm water management requirement but this would be required if any redevelopment occurs. Additonally, a 35,000 gallon water storage tank and pumps from Roaring Brook and would have to be replaced if there was an extensive remodel.
To accommodate a renovation, additional land would need to be purchased. Costs were not discussed as the options need to be refined. Cost estimates will be included in subsequent meetings.
The board, the architects and fire department eliminated what was expected to be the largest and likely most expensive option. The team will now work to flesh out two options for consideration: 1. Tear down the existing building and construct a new building on the current site. 2. Construct a new building on new site.
Additionally, the architects will provide an estimate for bringing the current building up to code in the short term.
The board will take the issue up again when the study is completed later this summer and options are fleshed out.
Comment:
Currently the board is waiting on a report on alternative sites. That should drive the cost of the project up beyond the $300 or $400 per square foot estimate considered at that meeting.
I wonder if the town will retain this structure as an asset or if it is going to be owned by the Fire Department.
KILLINGTON — On Tuesday, July 8, the Killington Selectboard held a special meeting at 10 a.m. to review the professional report on the town’s Fire Department facilities.
Architects Dore and Whittier were hired by the town to review the Fire Department facilities (which includes two stations), and provide recommendations for renovating the aging facilities. The final report will be issued later this summer.
The architects recently conducted a comprehensive existing conditions assessment, site analysis, programming and conceptual design for the fire facilities.
They reported that the current stations are in disrepair and no longer meet state criteria or the needs of the volunteer fire department.
Their assessment noted the following:
The 1974 building on Killington Road has uneven floors, inefficient insulation, plumbing and electricity, no cross ventilation, not enough storage for equipment, and other problems.
With a lack of proper storage for the turnout gear, the gear is exposed to soot and sunlight, both factors that play a part in deterioration of the expensive equipment.
The station is also missing a sprinkler system, a criteria for new stations being built or old ones undergoing serious renovations.
The station is very close to Killington Road, creating safety hazards for the department and disrupting traffic. Fire stations are typically set back 50-60 feet from the road, not 5 or 6 feet.
The building lacks two means of egress which are required for exiting.
Building does not meet handicap accessibility or ADA Code.
The number of toilets need to be increased to meet plumbing code.
An elevator is required for all publicly funded buildings, which the current building does not have.
The lack of room in the vehicle bays, causes firefighters to be exposed to unsafe exhaust.
The second station on River Road will require a significant investment to effectively accommodate the current equipment in the years to come.
The architects presented options to consider, including: a renovation of the building, additions to the building, or demolishing it to build a new one. Some options included combining the River Road Station into the Killington Road Station. All options required purchasing more of the surrounding property to establish a parking lot (parking for the current facility is located on an adjacent property).
Other possibilities included adding a police department onto the fire station to give the Killington police a more stable home base and clump the emergency services together for convenience and efficiency. Both departments would be able to share a wide variety of resources, including radio towers and conference rooms.
In reviewing all the options, the select board concurred with the architects, that the size of the Killington Road lot is a major limitation.
The Killington Road lot is less than one acre and currently much of the parking for the facility is located on private property. The building is also close to a stream, and while there is currently no FEMA flood plain designation, flood waters have come close to the station. There is currently no storm water management requirement but this would be required if any redevelopment occurs. Additonally, a 35,000 gallon water storage tank and pumps from Roaring Brook and would have to be replaced if there was an extensive remodel.
To accommodate a renovation, additional land would need to be purchased. Costs were not discussed as the options need to be refined. Cost estimates will be included in subsequent meetings.
The board, the architects and fire department eliminated what was expected to be the largest and likely most expensive option. The team will now work to flesh out two options for consideration: 1. Tear down the existing building and construct a new building on the current site. 2. Construct a new building on new site.
Additionally, the architects will provide an estimate for bringing the current building up to code in the short term.
The board will take the issue up again when the study is completed later this summer and options are fleshed out.
Comment:
Currently the board is waiting on a report on alternative sites. That should drive the cost of the project up beyond the $300 or $400 per square foot estimate considered at that meeting.
I wonder if the town will retain this structure as an asset or if it is going to be owned by the Fire Department.
Killington town and resort discuss plan to repeal local option tax (Mountain Times)
Mountain Times
By Cristina Kumka
KILLINGTON — Town Manager Seth Webb recently outlined scenarios that might convince voters to repeal the town’s local option sales and use tax that flows $450,000 into town coffers annually.
The Economic Development and Tourism Commission (EDTC) meeting, held Monday July 14, at the town offices, was attended by town, resort and chamber representatives as well as Killington business owners and residents. The meeting followed up on a special community meeting held June 9 at the Killington Grand Ballroom, where town, chamber and resort officials presented the idea of option tax reform, among other plans for summer development.
Webb outlined three criteria that, if met, could represent a way for the town to adopt tax reform and support the best interest of the town and its voters. They are: (1) the resort would have to present a written plan for ten years worth of summer development; (2) a separate, independent association like the Vail Valley Foundation or Stowe Area Association would be created to maintain events the town currently has; and (3) the town has a solid transition plan to ensure any increase in taxes is minimized or avoided.
Killington Resort officials have asked town leaders to consider presenting a revote on the sales and use tax to the public. If passed, the resort would use the tax savings as “seed money” to build more summer infrastructure at the resort and expand activities like mountain biking and zip-lining so it can compete with other ski resorts in the East.
According to the Resort, they pay the majority of the sales and use tax collected due to lift ticket and retail sales. The state of Vermont keeps 30 percent of all local option taxes collected, so keeping the money raised at Killington in Killington, would be a benefit to all, resort officials say.
The options tax was created by a 2008 public vote to establish the tax as a funding mechanism for economic development. The town currently spends about $250,000 on marketing and special events like the Stage Race, Spartan Race and summer concert series.
According to Webb, the repeal of the sales and use portion of the local option tax would mean the entire $450,000 in revenue would need to be made up (or expenses cut, accordingly); however, if the town events and marketing could be run by another organization, it would decrease the deficit created by $250,000, and put less of a burden on taxpayers.
If the Resort makes due on its promise of increased summer development, it would be “the shot in the arm we need,” Webb added.
Town criteria detail
Webb outlined the variety of steps needed to satisfy the each criteria outlined to make option tax reform a win-win for the Resort and voters. The detail is as follows:
First, the resort would need to present to the town an effective year-round tourism plan and provide 1-2 years of successful operations in writing on how it plans to invest in summer attractions over the next 5-10 years, including goals and variables.
Second, “a strong, semi-independent third party would need to be created to manage the events and marketing the town has started.”
Webb suggested setting up an association similar to the Vail Valley Association and Stowe Area Association that would be an agreement between the resort and the Killington Area Chamber of Commerce.
The new Killington Pico Area Association (KPAA) would be governed by an executive board appointed by the Resort (two appointments), the Chamber (two appointments) and the Town (one appointment), he suggested. He added that KPAA could fulfill all the roles of the town’s EDT, Chamber Board and Mountain Partnership Committee currently seek to do independently, thereby streamlining some of the duplicative functions that currently exist. The Resort and the Chamber are working together on a plan to ensure the KPAA would have enough revenue to run the visitor’s center at Bill’s County Store and manage the town events and marketing.
“Right now if we got rid of the sales and use option tax, we would lose $450,000 revenue annually,” Webb said. “That could represent a 6 cents increase in the property tax. If KPAA were to take over the town events and marketing, then the tax increase would be reduced to 2.5 cents. Additionally, I think that we can create a new organization like Vail and Stowe, which have been very successful, that could drive our marketing and events on a more sustainable level moving forward.”
The KPAA would raise funds through regional business development fees grown by merchant passes being offered to businesses and people outside of town, annual resort membership contributions, event, sponsors and private donations.
Third, the town would need a solid transition plan to ensure any increase in taxes is minimized or avoided, according to Webb.
Assuming the second criteria is met, the town would have to make up $200,000 of that $450,000 loss through property taxes, Webb said. That would equal approximately a 2.5 cent property tax increase. For an average person paying $50 in sales and use option tax a year with a $200,000 home (the median home value in Killington), that would mean a decrease of 20 cents a year. For a home valued at $250,000 (the average home value in Killington) that would mean a $12.30 increase a year total.
Webb noted that the property tax increase could be further offset if the annual payment from Killington Resort to the town were reinstated.
“The average taxpayers would see little to no net increase in taxes as a result of the tax reform,” Webb said. “I mean the bottom line is, we don’t have an ability to do this stuff, they do and we need it but we don’t want to kill taxpayers so we are trying to figure out how to have everything.”
Resort reaction
Solimano said the resort just wants to reap the benefits of some additional money saved and it wants to help the town grow.
“As the tax rate goes up, Killington (resort) is the biggest taxpayer. We are trying to do the right thing. We are moving forward. This would help. I don’t see it as the carrot or the stick or any of that stuff. For the last two years, we told you what we are going to do, and we’ve implemented pretty much exactly what we said we were going to do with a lot of input from everybody,” Solimano said.
“We’re trying now to figure out how to move forward and get some things going and, at the end of the day all, we are really asking is to get some of the money that we are paying,” he continued. “This is money Killington didn’t pay seven years ago and now we’re paying and we are saying, we think the community would be better and the resort would be better if we took some of this money and put physical summer assets at the resort because at the end of the day, that will generate more economic activity than what we have been doing for the past 10 to 20 years in the summer.”
Community feedback
Some residents, however, expressed concerns on some aspects of the plan.
Resident Vito Rasenas asked for more town representation on any KPAA or association board to protect taxpayers.
Another resident said for a “yes” vote on the repeal, he would need to see a solid transition plan on how town activities would be picked up by an association that needed to raise its own funds.
The next EDTC meeting is Aug. 11 at 3 p.m. at the Killington Town Office.
Cristina Kumka is a correspondent for The Mountain Times, cristina_kumka@yahoo.com
Video report of EDTC meeting on 1% sales and use option tax repeal
Below is a link to view Cristina Kumka's report on the resort's effort to repeal a portion of the local option tax.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4YmZj8lk2M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4YmZj8lk2M
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Town revisits option taxes
Rutland Herald
KILLINGTON — The town is working with Killington
and Pico resorts, along with the Chamber of Commerce, to reach an
agreement on eliminating a portion of the local options tax. The parties
involved discussed options at a meeting of the town’s Economic
Development and Tourism Commission Monday.
The resort has asked the town of Killington
to consider eliminating the sales and use portion of the tax, on which
the resort pays the largest annual portion because of the sales of lift
tickets. The other portion of the tax — rooms, meals and alcohol — will
remain.
The resort wants to use the money saved from the 1 percent tax to fund its year-round investments.
“We need to identify a way to grow tourism throughout the year,” said Town Manager Seth Webb. “I think this is a good start.”
Killington
and Pico recently developed a plan to invest $5 million dollars over
the next five years on the construction of new attractions that will
draw tourists to the town and
resort throughout the year, not just
in the winter. This money would fund projects such as ziplining,
expanded mountain biking trails, adventure summer camps and other
multi-season activities.
Town officials are supportive of these ideas, but there are still a few adjustments to be addressed.
The money from the options tax
initially gets paid to the state. The town receives 60 percent of that
tax money, about $450,000, after the state keeps a portion.
That $450,000 sum would then go to the resort, instead of the town, in order to help fund the investment plan.
To make up for that loss of yearly revenue, the town has collaborated on a plan of its own.
Killington
currently spends about $250,000 a year on marketing and event planning.
The plan is to create a semi-independent party to manage the events and
marketing.
An idea Webb brought to the table Monday afternoon consisted of a potential team called the Killing-ton Pico Area Association,
the KPAA. Its function would be to
grow tourism through marketing, special events and business development
projects. It would be governed by an executive board of directors
consisting of two elected officials from the resort, two by the Chamber
of Commerce members and one by the select board.
The funding for the potential KPAA would come from sponsorships, donations and an annual membership contribution.
One resident, however, raised a concern about the proposal.
“I’m just worried about turning off one spigot of funding before turning another one on,” said Killington resident Andrew Salamon.
The other $200,000 — from the
$450,000 the town now receives from the options tax — would be made up
by increasing the property tax by 2.5 cents.
That would result in a maximum added tax of $12 a year for the average Killington resident who owned a home with
a value ranging from $200,000 to $250,000.
“We think this is a plan that will help all parties involved without financially killing taxpayers,” Webb said.
Many at the meeting seemed to be in
agreement about the proposed plan, since the resort and the town share a
common goal: to support the local economy by increasing the amount of
offered activities during the offseason of the resort.
“Killington
is not the bad guy,” said Select-woman Patty McGrath. “We want to work
together.” McGrath said she just wanted to see a more solid plan before
taking further action.
The goal is to attract 45,000 additional visitors by the summer of 2019.
“There is not a lot of risk for those involved,” said Mike Solimano, the president and general manager of Killington and Pico resorts. “The money would go toward the improvement of the resort and the town.” bryanna.allen
@
rutlandherald.com Comment: I'm sorry to say but this article might as well have been a puff piece press release. There were major concerns brought up by commissioners and audience members. The major issue being where is KPAA going to get the $250,000 from. Jim Haff stated that the Killington Chamber, which would be folded in to this new, well, chamber, operates on a $90,000 budget and can barely do anything. Some allusions were made that the resort would contribute somehow but nothing specific. Comparisons kept being made to the Stowe Area Association and Vail's organization. At least in the case of Stowe, the association gets a large portion of its funding from the central reservations operation of which it gets a percentage. It also charges $5,000 for a membership. I don't see either of these possibilities here.
I stated I would like to see some sort of business plan that would show the operational viability of such an organization and commissioner Bill Ackerman concurred.
Also commissioner Gerry Russell echoed my concerns about the possible financial instability of Powder Corp. due to its problems at Park City that could drain resources from the Killington Resort.
This proposal is no slam dunk. Think long and hard before supporting elimination of the 1% sales and use tax based upon anything this proposal states. Very weak arguments and half baked plans to replace the funding of KPAA. The town is facing a lot of fiscal pressures on the property tax rate. Eliminating a revenue source at this time may not be in the best interests of the town.
Vito
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
AT&T Tower proposal Pickle Barrel Parking Lot
I brook no strong feelings either way. The Pickle Barrel parking lot is not exactly a natural wonder and the sewer plant is not a marvel of architectural design.
My feeling is that if we
The town government has been on this kick to create a gateway to the business district with some type of iconic structure. It is also forming a "wayfinding" system which a major part is using a consistent color scheme, icon, and lettering. At the last Select Board meeting, somewhat in jest, I asked if the tower can be painted in town colors. There was some laughter and no-one took it seriously.
But I kept thinking about it.
What better way than having the cell tower painted the town colors with the name of the town vertically designed on the tower, maybe with the special K on top. This would accomplish the above goals of wayfinding and gateway construction and probably get paid for by either Chris Carr or AT&T. Never mind better cell service for AT&T customers, getting the goodwill from AT&T to expand service in North Sherburne, and favored son Chris Carr making oodles of money on the lease.
Not that my design suggestion is the be all and end all it could be anything tied to the town streetscaping, gateway and wayfinding goals.
What do you think?
Saturday, July 12, 2014
What happened to the lottery for Killington Road Millings?
I thought a lottery was supposed to take place if there were not enough millings to go around. From the email circular (see below) " If we do not
have enough material to fulfill qualified response we will hold a lottery." When did this lottery take place? To me it looks like none did and the
businesses were prioritized by distance from the job site. (see chart below)
There seems to be something inherently unfair in the distribution of these millings. First of all one business owner gets 67 truckloads. The Pickle Barrel, Jax and Foundry are all Chris Carr’s businesses. You would think a more equitable distribution would have been adopted.
Two, not a single resident qualified.
Three, it was stated in the milling program memorandum recipients were prioritized in part, “in order to limit trucking” . I requested 3 truckloads and am closer than all recipients except for Peppino’s and The Woods to the actual source of the millings, thus there is an increased expense to move those millings to favored recipients. I wonder how many other residents and or businesses were denied and were closer than the recipients.
There seems to be something inherently unfair in the distribution of these millings. First of all one business owner gets 67 truckloads. The Pickle Barrel, Jax and Foundry are all Chris Carr’s businesses. You would think a more equitable distribution would have been adopted.
Two, not a single resident qualified.
Three, it was stated in the milling program memorandum recipients were prioritized in part, “in order to limit trucking” . I requested 3 truckloads and am closer than all recipients except for Peppino’s and The Woods to the actual source of the millings, thus there is an increased expense to move those millings to favored recipients. I wonder how many other residents and or businesses were denied and were closer than the recipients.
I realize that the program stated only Killington Road businesses and
residents, but that was an arbitrary decision by the town manager to begin with.
It’s not only the Killington Road property owners that are paying for this road, all taxpayers are
- this program should include all residents if not all taxpayers.
I would hope this program is modified include all
taxpayers because right now it is brazenly favoring businesses.
.
From: Sethwebb@town.killington.vt.us
To: peppinosvt@comcast.net, chrisk@karrgroup.net, mogulsal@yahoo.com, lookoutvt@gmail.com, rick@basinski.com, vermontgiftandgarden@gmail.com, RK142@aol.com, Marla@Vermontel.com, dreid@Killington.com, jtomlinson@killington.com, snowedinn@vermontel.net, tony@woodsresort.net, jmcgrath72@yahoo.com, darksidevt@aol.com, mikep@karrgroup.net
CC: ktlee@vermontel.com, chris@killingtontown.com, pjm22@icloud.com, Chet@killingtontown.com
Sent: 7/11/2014 11:45:56 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Awards for Millings Program
You are receiving this email because you requested to participate in the millings program.We received more requests than we could honor this year. We received qualifying requests (requests from properties in or near the repaving area with driveways and parking lots that connect to Killington Road) for 173 truckloads. We expect to have a minimum of 110 truckloads available for distribution.Therefore we will distribute millings in the following order of priority (see chart below) based on availability. Please note the categories: Guaranteed and Possible.Properties that submitted requests this year and met the criteria but do not receive millings in 2014 will be prioritized first for millings distribution during the next phase of repaving Killington Road (W. Hill to Dean Hill), which is scheduled for ’15 or ’16 (subject to budget).Please confirm your participation this year by emailing me. Chet Hagenbarth will coordinate the delivery. His contact info is 802-422-9821 or email him at chet@killingtontown.com.
-----Original Message-----
From: Town Information <info@killingtontown.com>
To: Seth Webb <Sethwebb@town.killington.vt.us>
Subject: Millings Program for Killington Road Residents and Businesses
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 18:18:51 +0000
Millings Program for Killington RoadAs part of repaving the first section of Killington Road from Route 4 to West Hill this August, the Town expects to have excess asphalt millings or grindings.The Town would like to make any excess millings available to business and residents with driveway access to Killington Rd. Priority will be given to properties in this area in order to limit trucking and improve the Killington Road corridor (driveways and parking lots that connect to Killington Road).The purpose of this email is to inform residents about the program and instruct them on how they can participate. Instructions for participation are:If you have interest in receiving millings, please email the answers to the following questions to sethwebb@killingtontown.com before July 7th.1. What is the address of the property (and name of business, if applicable) you would like to request millings for?2. What is the project you want to apply the millings to (driveway or parking lot or both)?3. How many tons or truckloads of millings would you need? (Quantities are calculated using parking area dimensions and thickness. For example, 20 tons, approx 1 truckload, spread at 3" deep and rolled, will cover approximately 1,000 square feet)4. Do you agree to apply the material within a two week period of delivery? (This will require professional equipment to spread and roll the millings into place. Notes:- Program participants need to arrange to have the millings spread and rolled. The Town will not provide this service. Local paving and excavator contractors can provide interested participants quotes on costs for driveway or parking lot.- Millings will harden and their effectiveness decreases rapidly after that two weeks. The anticipated delivery is mid-August, 2014. Unused material will be removed at owner's expense.We will fulfill requests based on (1) the location criteria listed above, (2) the responses to this survey and (3) the availability of material. If we do not have enough material to fulfill qualified response we will hold a lottery to make final selections. We plan to announce the list participants the week of July 21st. Note: completing this survey does not guarantee participation in the program.If you have questions about the program, please call Chet Hagenbarth at 802-422-3241 or email him at chet@killingtontown.com.Finally, if this program is successful, we plan to continue distributing excess millings in future years as we re-pave Killington Road.Thank you,Seth WebbTown Manager
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