Q&A with Mike Solimano

Mountain Times

February 1, 2017

Editor’s note: Mike Solimano is the president and CEO of Killington Resort and Pico Mountain.

Mountain Times: Killington Resort has officially asked the town of Killington to help offset the costs of hosting another World Cup event next year with $100,000. The Select Board has agreed and has included it in its budget to be voted on at Town Meeting. If approved, what will this money be used for? What happens if the World Cup does not come back to Killington next winter (when will that be confirmed?) What if the event is cancelled due to weather?

Mike Solimano: Hosting World Cup races in Killington on Superstar was spectacular, and I want the crowds, racers and atmosphere to return. In order to make this happen, we are ramping up efforts to add sponsors and revenue for future races, while also lowering operational costs.
We know the positive impacts and value of these races are long-term, and we don’t expect World Cup races to ever turn an immediate profit. As I’ve presented to the Select Board and shared here in the Mountain Times previously, we lost about $1.2 million on the 2016 World Cup, but our parent company Powdr is covering that shortfall. Powdr will help us cover World Cup losses in future years should we have them, but doing so at this high level is not sustainable.
The Killington Select Board has included $100,000 of tax revenue—which was already earmarked for local economic development—in the 2017-18 town budget. These funds will be used to cover hospitality costs like athlete food and prize money.
Should we not host World Cup races next year for any reason, this money would not be spent by the resort, and would remain in the town budget.
I expect to know about Killington’s World Cup future in mid-March, but based on preliminary discussions with Powdr and the FIS, if we are able to secure funding and sponsorships to help defray a portion of the cost of the event, then we would look to sign a 2-3 year agreement to bring the Women’s World Cup back to Killington on Thanksgiving Weekend.

MT: Some residents at a recent Select Board meeting floated the idea of repealing the 1 percent local option sale tax instead of including $100,000 in the town budget. Does the resort support this plan?
MS: The proposal at the Select Board meeting was to repeal only the sales and use portion of the 1 percent option tax (leaving 1 percent local option rooms tTax and the 1 percent local option meals and alcoholic beverages tax intact). This repeal would not be for next year but would take effect in the following year to allow the Select Board time to adjust budgets without having to rush before the end of this year.
The money raised by the meals, alcohol and rooms portion of the option tax (which Killington Resort is the largest payer by far), will still be collected by the town and used as the Select Board believes is appropriate. The repeal of the sales and use portion of the tax would end up having very little impact on the town’s budget, as the funding of summer events that are currently paid for by the town budget will be removed and these events will be funded by the resort and the business community through the KPAA.
I have believed for a long time that it would be best to remove the 1 percent tax on the sales and use portion, and if this part of the tax is repealed, the resort would work with the KPAA to continue supporting the events and summer programing as is currently happening.
Repealing the 1 percent sales and use portion of the option tax was originally proposed back in 2012, but was tabled so voters here in town could see if the resort followed through on plans to expand summer business, add events and build new four-season infrastructure. Since then, Killington Resort has invested over $5 million into summer and four-season assets ranging from mountain bike trails to the Beast Mountain Coaster, zip lines and helping to build out a summer events schedule so there’s something fun happening in town every weekend of the summer and fall.
Accordingly, as summer business in the community steadily increased each summer, the 1 percent tax fund has grown significantly, growing by over $200,000 from its original value.
Should voters remove this 1 percent tax on sales and use in town, everyone would save this tax on items such as cell phone bills, retail purchases and even gasoline.
It was clear from the feedback at the Select Board meeting that many of the people who were against the repeal of the 1 percent sales and use portion several years ago are now in favor of the repeal, as they believe that the resort has delivered on our promise to invest in and grow summer. The repeal would also allow the town to get back to normal town business and allow the resort and the business community to focus on summer events and programing.

MT: How is the winter season going so far compared to other recent years? Skier visits? Occupancy rates? How are future bookings looking? Are these trends reflected statewide or are they Killington specific?
MS: While the weather this year is much better than last year, it has been much warmer than two years ago, where it seemed like we never had a thaw. Our snowmaking team has done an amazing job resurfacing key terrain after this season’s bad weather events, so overall we have had lots of days with great snow conditions.
Skier visits are much higher than last year but are still pacing behind visits two years ago. But our market share within the state is higher than two years ago, and this tells me that we are doing a lot of things right and continue to get a disproportionate share of skier visits in Vermont. Clearly the World Cup has helped the resort and the state from a brand recognition standpoint already, and this is helping drive visitation.
I am also proud that our net promotor score, the metric we use to gauge customer satisfaction, is currently the highest it has ever been at this time of year in the history of the company. The entire community should feel positively about this, as it has been a major effort by the full community to make sure all guests in Killington are having great experiences.

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Killington Town Meeting warned

Mountain Times

February 1, 2017

By Evan Johnson

KILLINGTON—The Killington Select Board has warned its 2017 town meeting agenda with a number of elected positions to fill, budgets to approve and additional articles.
Voters will elect nine town officers, including a Select Board member, moderator, town clerk, lister, grand juror, town agent, trustee of public funds, cemetery commissioner and library trustee.
In the town budget, general fund expenditures of $4,508,505 have been warned, $2,829,605 of which will be raised by property taxes and $1,499,900 in estimated non-property tax revenue for the fiscal year. $179,000 will be applied from the 2017 general fund balance.
The budget reflects a revised estimated tax rate of $.3623, an increase of $.0289 increase over the current rate of $.3334.
Voters will also decide whether to rescind the 1 percent sales tax portion of the town’s option tax and require property taxes be paid in three installments in August, November and February.
Two other appropriations include $800 for the regional marketing initiative and $500 for Habitat for Humanity of Rutland County.
An informational meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 6, at 7 p.m. at the Killington Elementary School. Residents will vote on the measures by Australian ballot Tuesday, March 7.

- See more at: http://mountaintimes.info/killington-town-meeting-warned/#sthash.X9VPXV0X.dpuf

Vermont Police help 3 Massachusetts skiers lost at Killington

(Killington submitted photo)

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By Jeanette DeForge | jdeforge@repub.com 
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on January 29, 2017 at 4:15 PM, updated January 29, 2017 at 7:43 PM

KILLINGTON, Vt. - Three Massachusetts teenagers had to be led out of the woods after skiing out of bounds in Killington Ski Area on Sunday afternoon.

None of the boys were injured and did not need medical attention, Vermont State Police said.

The boys, Troy Langton, 14, Jack McCordic, 15 and Justin Cook, 15, all from Medfield, called 911 at around 12:30 saying they were lost after skiing out of bounds off a trail.

The Vermont State Police and the Killington Ski Patrol were able to talk to the teenagers on their phones. Using cellular coordinates the ski patrol was able to spot where the boys were and verbally guide them through the back country and to the Bucklin Trail, Police said.

Second man in a week dies while skiing at Killington

Both deaths are believed to be from natural causes.

The teenagers found the Bucklin trail at approximately 1:15 p.m. Troopers from the Vermont State Police were waiting to assist but none needed medical help.

Police look into pair of break-ins

Rutland Herald | January 27, 2017

KILLINGTON — Police are investigating two burglaries.

Vermont State Police said they found evidence Wednesday of forced entry at homes on Roaring Brook Road and Alpine Terrace in Killington. Both residences were unoccupied at the time, police said, and unspecified items were taken.

Anyone with information on the burglaries or suspicious activity in the area are encouraged to call police at 773-9101. Information can also be submitted anonymously online at vtips.info or by texting “CRIMES” (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS

Killington requests new trial

Mountain Times

January 25, 2017

By Stephen Seitz

KILLINGTON—Nadine Price’s ordeal may not be over yet. Though Price won a $750,000 personal injury verdict against Killington Resort as a result of her being trapped aboard a Killington gondola for several hours, Killington has asked Superior Court Judge Helen M. Toor for a new trial. In his request, Killington attorney Allan Keyes wrote, a new trial is warranted “on the grounds the jury disregarded the reasonable and substantial evidence and found against Defendant for a surprisingly high amount through passion, prejudice, or improper influence. Further, there was sufficient evidence of contributory negligence to reduce or bar the judgment against Defendant.” When asked to comment further, Killington attorney Andrew Maass said, “It’s my practice not to comment while it’s pending.” Price’s attorney, Christopher Larson, said he filed a response to the Killington request. “I’m confident in the strength of our argument,” he said. Killington claims that the verdict was excessive, that the evidence didn’t support it, and that Price herself was negligent.
The incident in question occurred on Oct. 1, 2011, when Price, an active outdoor athlete, had just finished hiking the mountain. At around 3 p.m., she decided to take a gondola back down. She did not know that, due to inclement weather, the gondola was going to be shut down. Price was trapped high above the ground, cold, unable to summon help, and wasn’t located until several hours later. Since then, according to testimony, her personality has changed considerably, and she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.  Larson said Killington’s request for a new trial was not justified. “The Defendant asks the Court to set aside the verdict and grant a new trial on two grounds: (1) because the amount of the verdict was ‘surprisingly high,’ and (2) because the jury was not instructed on comparative negligence,” Larson wrote. “Neither argument is availing, and the motion should therefore be denied.” Keyes wrote that the jury may have felt too strongly after learning that, as a result of incident, Killington revoked Price’s season pass. “The surprisingly high verdict may have been due to jurors’ overreaction to the fact Killington revoked plaintiff’s ski pass,” Keyes wrote.  “This post-incident otherwise extraneous information became a part of the case only because of the claims of interference with contract and defamation on which plaintiff did not prevail. Another ski area might have offered a free pass – perhaps a lifetime pass – for plaintiff’s trouble. Plaintiff’s counsel argued that revoking the pass was intentional, without justification, and an additional ‘insult,’” Keyes continued. Larson said there was nothing to support this argument.
“The court gave the jury detailed instructions on what grounds they could award damages under pain and suffering,” Larson wrote. “Absent additional evidence of prejudice or retaliatory motive, Defendant’s speculation should not overcome the well-established presumption that the jury adhered to the Court’s instructions and only awarded damages based on the criteria as instructed.” As of publication, no decision has been made whether to grant a new trial.

- See more at: http://mountaintimes.info/killington-requests-new-trial/#sthash.2DypJWpS.dpuf

Killington Select Board discusses tax schedule change

Mountain Times

January 25, 2017

By Evan Johnson

KILLINGTON—At the Jan. 17 Select Board meeting, board members weighed the pros and cons of adjusting the number of tax payments to three, to be paid in August, November and February. The new schedule would eliminate the May “mud season” payment.
When the town shifted to a fiscal year calendar, its tax payment schedule shifted as well to four times a year. Select Board Chair Patty McGrath said one of the pros was that property owners’ payments were split into four pieces instead of two large ones.
“A lot of people have commented to me that was a lot easier for them,” she said.
For the town, processing payments and answering taxpayers takes time. McGrath said three payments would reduce the workload for at least one quarter, increase the town’s mid-year cashflow and give a more complete picture of cash on hand when taxpayers are looking forward to the next town budget.
“This would give us a better idea at the informational meeting how we’re tracking on our revenues as far as our tax collection,” she said.
Select Board member Ken Lee noted that taxpayers would pay more than 100 percent in the first year but be resolved in the first year.

- See more at: http://mountaintimes.info/killington-select-board-discusses-tax/#sthash.AA2HHnci.dpuf

STATE APPROVES KILLINGTON RESORT VILLAGE

FIRST TRACKS!!ONLINE MEDIA
JANUARY 26, 2017

 Killington, VT – Many years in the planning, the proposed village at the base of the Killington Resort in Vermont has secured Act 250 approval from the state to construct Phase I of the Killington Village Master Plan following a rigorous, multi-year approval process.

Developed by SP Land Company, with master planning and architectural design by Hart Howerton, the vision for the Killington base village is based on other North American mountain destinations where historic towns and villages are intertwined with ski operations and year round activity. Plans call for a new, consolidated base lodge and ski bridge spanning Killington Road, along with SP Land’s creation of social, après ski settings along walkable village streets and Town Green.

The concept for a residential village at Killington dates back to the mid-1990s. In the days when the resort was owned by the now-defunct American Skiing Company, that corporation first gained partial Act 250 approval for the project. SP Land first presented its Killington Village Master Plan Act 250 application to the District #1 Environmental Commission in February 2012. After a permit was issued in October 2013, SP Land appealed certain restrictions contained within that approval. After an Environmental Court judge largely sided with SP Land in 2016, that decision, too, was appealed.

Implementation of the village master plan will begin with a $130 million Phase I comprising: 193 residential units in the village core; 31,622 square feet of retail/ commercial; replacing the existing Snowshed and Ramshead Lodges with a single new 77,000 square foot skier services building; and a 32-lot Ramshead Brook slopeside residential subdivision.  Subsequent phases of the Killington Village Master Plan will include approximately an additional 2,000 housing units and up to 91,500 square feet of additional commercial development.

“Great places start with great vision. Hart Howerton took the lead in creating an outstanding land plan for us here at Killington and followed up that work by taking the lead on the design of Phase I improvements in the Village Core.  Their involvement is the key to the success of our overall team and seeing this development through,” said SP Land President, Steve Selbo.

“When Hart Howerton was first approached by SP Land Company in 2004, our team of architects and planners set out to create a vibrant, year-round village that would be a healthy, pedestrian-friendly heart for Killington,” Hart Howerton CEO, Jim Tinson, stated.