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southvillager
09-21-2013, 09:19 AM
According to Win's Word on the Sugarbush website, "Renovations at the Mt. Ellen base lodge and at the Valley House are well along". Has anyone seen or heard any specifics? I am very curious to know what is happening at the Valley House, it seems to have loads of untapped potential.

HowieT2
09-21-2013, 02:52 PM
I might be wrong, but my impression was it was little more than some new carpeting, maybe paint. Nothing major.

Ride Delaware ?
09-21-2013, 04:36 PM
According to Win's Word on the Sugarbush website, "Renovations at the Mt. Ellen base lodge and at the Valley House are well along". Has anyone seen or heard any specifics? I am very curious to know what is happening at the Valley House, it seems to have loads of untapped potential.
I'm up here right now, and didn't see too much activity up at the VH. There were a bunch of vehicles outside Mt. Ellen today (5-6), but I didn't check out to see if it was anything more than getting it ready for the season. I'm more interested in paving the roads. The one is already done and looks fantastic. I hope they get the other ones Win suggested done by the start of the season. On that list was Village Rd and the Mt. Ellen access road. Every time I drive up there (today included), I am amazed by how they let it get as bad as it is.

ducky
09-22-2013, 02:49 PM
Just to be clear, Sugarbush is not repaving Village Road, the residents are at $1600 per household. We're even buying the new drainage for Rice Brook. They have done zero maintenance this year knowing this.

Hawk
09-23-2013, 07:14 AM
I was wondering when this would come up. Actually there is a formula based on road usage and where you live on the road plus a usage fee. They sent out a letter to all of us which defined the parameters of the ssessment. It's a little complicated but my assesment was far less than $1,600 because we are a condo complex with many owners. Based on the estimate of costs the owners are paying $310,000 +/- and Sugarbush is paying $106,000 +/-. These are susposed to be not to exceed numbers with any savings going back to the owners.
The only quesiton I have is what happens to the road usage fees we have been paying for years on our quarterly bills to Sugarbush? I fully welcome this work and think that with all the paving going on this year, we will get a better price as all the equipment and manpower is in the valley. The road is in dyer need of maintanence. I also think that the meeting they had to discuss this on a thursday is not fair to most of the commuting owners. That is my take.

Ride Delaware ?
09-23-2013, 07:32 PM
Just to be clear, Sugarbush is not repaving Village Road, the residents are at $1600 per household. We're even buying the new drainage for Rice Brook. They have done zero maintenance this year knowing this.
Was it a special assessment? My road bill wasn't more than average to my knowledge.

I'm assuming this fund has paid for plowing and repairs over the years?

I'm new to this part of condo ownership.

Hawk
09-24-2013, 06:58 AM
Yes, this was a special assessment for anybody that ownes property and uses Sugarbush Village Road to access their property. So for instance Glades, Castlerock, North Links, Summit, Forum, Row Houses, Village Run, Mountain Side, etc. Everybody. I do not think this pertains to the Snow Creek side at all. I also think that even the home owers on that side that are up on the dirt sections are paying a use share also but I may be wrong. If you own up there and did not get a bill they will be looking for you at some point I bet. Condo Associations at the bottom with more units pay less because they use less of the road and divide the cost by the amount of units. I am half way up and are paying about $600. I heard that Trailside 10, Unihab and Summit are getting hit hard up at the top. They use and have to maintain larger sections of road. Billing to the owners is being done quarterly for 2 quarters. I think we paid the first already.

ducky
09-24-2013, 07:20 AM
It will be spread over two bills. Not sure if it will be Oct/Jan or Jan/Apr. Usually, something, if little, is done about the potholes. This year there was one pothole repair (with Staymat gravel) done in July and only at the Village junction by the SHaRC, not further up hill, which is a disaster. SB used to have a facilities maintenance department who were good and cared. Oversight of roads is now handled by an over-burdened, though friendly, water department in a cost-cutting measure done last year when they fired 35 employees, including the roads/facility guys. The actual work is now done by a sub-contractor, not by SB. The crime is that residents are paying for anything required for the Rice Brook development in their drainage system - somewhere around $90k for that portion. My yearly utilities bill is already over $2000, now add another $1600; this on top of big Warren tax increases for more roadwork the Town is doing in and around the resort - Access Rd, West Hill, Inferno Rd. The resort's owner wrote a scathing letter to the Valley Reporter blaming tax increases on local education costs, yet most of the source of that tax increase goes to support SB's accessibility to visitors. On the other hand, Village Rd will be a definite improvement just not something SB should take credit for. I assume Mt Ellen residents are also contributing their share for that road's repaving.

southvillager
09-24-2013, 07:35 AM
I do not think this pertains to the Snow Creek side at all. I also think that even the home owers on that side that are up on the dirt sections are paying a use share also but I may be wrong. If you own up there and did not get a bill they will be looking for you at some point I bet.

I have a South Village condo, just past Snow Creek, and so far I have not heard anything about an assessment for paving. The South Village dirt driveway/road goes directly onto Inferno Rd which was repaved this summer after a culvert was replaced. I think Inferno Rd is a public town owned road. I don't think we will be on the hook for this new paving job, nor will any other condo development in the valley.

However, we are currently in the middle of paying for an expensive water system improvement (a $3,000 special assessment for me this year, split into 10 payments). They have been collecting a few dollars per month from us for several years in anticipation of this expense, otherwise it would have been about double. My normal fees were already $624 per month before the assessment, so it really adds up. It is only money, right? Gotta pay to play!

Ride Delaware ?
09-24-2013, 08:20 AM
I am getting a better view of the full picture.

While I don't at all agree with having to pay a portion of Rice Brook's drainage issues, and it is unfortunate that there seem to be few ongoing road repairs, I do like the idea of a quarterly road fee in principle. Whether or not that money is used appropriately remains up for debate. At least we don't have to entirely rely on the resort to repave it on their own dime because it would never get done. Their largest revenue source comes from the immediate base area and new condos, so as long as they are nicely paved they would keep it at the status quot.

Also, the paving, while nice, may be short lived. The base of the paving is terrible and with it not being repaired in any way beforehand, means it will only be a matter of time (short matter of time) before it starts deteriorating again. Village Road is in rough shape, but not nearly as bad as Mt. Ellen. If all they do is throw another coat of asphalt on there, it's a complete waste of money. That needs a complete overhaul to make a difference.

As with everything, there will be conflicting views, and while I hate continually shelling out money, I guess I kinda expected that when I bought a ski condo. Regardless, the new paving will certainly be a welcome upgrade.

Does anyone know the last time it was paved?

ducky
09-24-2013, 08:44 AM
Last paved 15 years ago. It will be a complete strip and repave with new base. PS. Not all Village Rd residents live here solely for the skiing so our interest in contributing to Rice Brook is debatable. South Village should not be assessed for Village Rd. Inferno Rd (and Access Rd, West Hill Rd) is a Town-owned road, paid for through all of our Warren taxes and the budget increase thereof.

Letter to VR from SB resort owner...
http://valleyreporter.com/index.php/en/news/myview/9147-taxageddon

Ride Delaware ?
09-24-2013, 08:59 AM
As with any new development, those costs should have been put in their budget work sheet. Outside of where the Rice Brook entrance connects with Village Road, that cost should not be passed on to everyone else. Drainage for a new site is always passed on to the development, not the existing stakeholders. Very weird.

Edit: After reading Win's article, I will be very surprised to see what my tax bill looks like for the upcoming season. As with many out of towner's, I wasn't aware of the new tax hike.

Hawk
09-24-2013, 09:49 AM
So this is how it was explaned to me. The Rice Brook Culvert they speak of is the exsting old culvert at the fire station. This has existed for as long as Sugarbush has been around and it allows the stream that passes Chez Henri to pass under the road. This is in need of repair from past storms and would have needed to be fixed anyway. This is not work that is directly needed for the parking lot drainage but as part of the Rice Brook developement terms, this was scheduled to be fixed. So Sugarbush split the costs with the project. I think that is fair enough. It would have cost us more to do it later when it failed.

Ride Delaware ?
09-24-2013, 10:42 AM
So this is how it was explaned to me. The Rice Brook Culvert they speak of is the exsting old culvert at the fire station. This has existed for as long as Sugarbush has been around and it allows the stream that passes Chez Henri to pass under the road. This is in need of repair from past storms and would have needed to be fixed anyway. This is not work that is directly needed for the parking lot drainage but as part of the Rice Brook developement terms, this was scheduled to be fixed. So Sugarbush split the costs with the project. I think that is fair enough. It would have cost us more to do it later when it failed.

Explained that way, it seems very fair to me. I'd much rather pay for it now at half price than down the road at full price. Especially if they let it degrade to the point where it erodes away and restricts access further up Village Road. I could see it getting to the point of if it's not really broke , why fix it.

Xskier
09-24-2013, 11:43 AM
Ugh!! I was wondering why my tax bill went up 17%!!! Act 60 needs to go. My tax bill has gone up 700% since 1997 when i bought my house. If I ever knew i would never have bought and now i am stuck here paying high taxes and can't sell my house because of high taxes. I am nearly a zero burden on the town and receive no services aside from plowing. So frustrating..

ducky
09-25-2013, 09:09 AM
The town has no services other than plowing :). I will say that without a strong education system, local or statewide under Act 60 - whatever your beliefs, we'd all suffer and our homes and quality of life would not be worth what it is. Imo, having a student there, Harwood Union is excellent and adds to the quality of life for both Valley residents and second home-owners. The school's population is highly diverse, both socially and economically and there are opportunities for success for everyone.

Hawk
09-25-2013, 10:39 AM
Well I guess X-Skiers house should be selling for top dollar then. We have the best schools and the best paved roads in the state! Must be the Real estate agent? :-) JK

Ride Delaware ?
09-25-2013, 11:04 AM
The town has no services other than plowing :). I will say that without a strong education system, local or statewide under Act 60 - whatever your beliefs, we'd all suffer and our homes and quality of life would not be worth what it is. Imo, having a student there, Harwood Union is excellent and adds to the quality of life for both Valley residents and second home-owners. The school's population is highly diverse, both socially and economically and there are opportunities for success for everyone.
I think that's great, and for right now, it's working for the state, but it's not a long term recipe for success. Eventually it will force away many second home owners who pay a huge chunk of those taxes, and then once they are gone, there will be a serious revenue problem for the foreseeable future. The rich will still come, but the larger chunk of the population, the middle class, won't be able to afford a 2nd set of taxes.

The one benefit they have that can't be replaced in the Northeast, is the relative abundance of natural snow. That may keep people more interested, but eventually the scale will tip at this rate.

Xskier
09-26-2013, 09:56 AM
The town has no services other than plowing :). I will say that without a strong education system, local or statewide under Act 60 - whatever your beliefs, we'd all suffer and our homes and quality of life would not be worth what it is. Imo, having a student there, Harwood Union is excellent and adds to the quality of life for both Valley residents and second home-owners. The school's population is highly diverse, both socially and economically and there are opportunities for success for everyone.

Did I say the town had no services? I only said "I" do not use any of the towns services except their plowing and their crappy finally paved roads (which is probably state run). Act 60 is way too Socialist for my liking and I am a Democrat (for now). I don't mind helping out other towns but when the majority of my tax money is going to other schools it hurts and i don't have kids and will never have kids. Before my 700% tax increase years ago "the valley" was doing just fine if not better than it is now and the local schools had a great reputation then. VT is just a crazy place to live with their high tax rates all across the board.

WWF-VT
09-30-2013, 08:12 AM
The Mt Ellen road is about 90% stripped and prepared for repaving at this time.

Ride Delaware ?
09-30-2013, 11:54 AM
The Mt Ellen road is about 90% stripped and prepared for repaving at this time.

That is great news. I'll be back up in two weeks, and it will be nice to see the improvement. I know most of the action is over at Lincoln Peak, but the roads at Mt. Ellen were by far the most in need of attention.

southvillager
10-08-2013, 07:27 AM
There was another reference to Valley House renovations by ownership in this month's email. Anyone have the scoop? Is the Mushroom going to bloom once more?

Ride Delaware ?
10-08-2013, 07:37 AM
There was another reference to Valley House renovations by ownership in this month's email. Anyone have the scoop? Is the Mushroom going to bloom once more?
I wish Win would come back and share some light on this for us. Perhaps the constant degradation of the snowmaking system finally scared him away.

The Valley House is definitely needed to alleviate the busy days at the main base lodge. However, it could really use a complete overhaul with new mountain ops offices to make it useful.

pinnoke
10-08-2013, 08:13 AM
Unfair, and untrue. From what I understand, some tweaks to both lodges should help with the weekend lunchtime overcrowding. Worth the effort to see what results. Give things a chance. And, who brought Mountain Ops into this? Finally, I don't believe The Mushroom is slated for anything more than its limited functionality of the past several years...and I do agree that's a shame...R.I.P.

Ride Delaware ?
10-08-2013, 10:04 AM
I only mentioned mountain ops because their office is tied to the valley house. I would imagine that if the Valley House was ever substantially altered, it would still include the mountain ops offices.

Minus some tweaks, I think all the infrastructure they need is there for now. Only time will tell if it will keep up with the continuing increase in skier visits.

Hawk
10-09-2013, 07:54 AM
We will see all the renovations and fully understand the scope this weekend. You can even ask questions in person at the comunity day meeting. This is a busy time of year for evrybody up there and I am sure Win has better things to do then to post on here. I doubt the snow making conversation has anything to do with it. ;-)

HowieT2
10-09-2013, 09:14 AM
I am not expecting much from the lodge renovations that will impact the crowding issue at weekend lunchtime. even if they were to reopen the mushroom, i dont think that would help that much. In retrospect, imho, it was probably a mistake not to include cafeteria space when they built the schoolhouse/farmhouse buildings as the original plans had called for. but who knows, maybe rice brook by integrating sb village into the base area, will siphon off some traffic.

let's assume that skier visits continue to grow and the crowding issue must be addressed. what would you all see as the preferred solution:

1. renovated/expanded valley house
2. demolish valley house and replace with new lodge
3. new mid mtn lodge at base of heavens gate lift
4. new mid mtn lodge at gatehouse terminus, north lynx, slidebrook
5. new lodge at top of lincoln peak
6. write in ______________

(this should keep us going until the snowmaking tirades start)

fwiw-very happy to see the sharc getting some love.

southvillager
10-09-2013, 10:00 AM
I am not expecting much from the lodge renovations that will impact the crowding issue at weekend lunchtime. even if they were to reopen the mushroom, i dont think that would help that much. In retrospect, imho, it was probably a mistake not to include cafeteria space when they built the schoolhouse/farmhouse buildings as the original plans had called for. but who knows, maybe rice brook by integrating sb village into the base area, will siphon off some traffic.

let's assume that skier visits continue to grow and the crowding issue must be addressed. what would you all see as the preferred solution:

1. renovated/expanded valley house
2. demolish valley house and replace with new lodge
3. new mid mtn lodge at base of heavens gate lift
4. new mid mtn lodge at gatehouse terminus, north lynx, slidebrook
5. new lodge at top of lincoln peak
6. write in ______________

(this should keep us going until the snowmaking tirades start)

fwiw-very happy to see the sharc getting some love.

I think option #1 is a quick and easy solution, it get my vote. The Wunderbar is an example of a minor renovation with positive results, and there is a large space on the lower level (above the Mushroom, below the cafeteria) that used to be very busy as a pub. Was it called the Wunderbar? I have a hard time understanding why that space isn't back in use. The plumbing stubs for the bar are still in plain sight!

In general, I prefer base lodges to mid-mountain mostly for the Apres and 4 season use. But anything would be better than the crowds we have now.

Another (fantasy) option is to re-open and expand Sam Ruperts/Warren House as a lodge. Maybe a season passholder's exclusive parking area. Add a chair lift from the Sam R's parking area up to the Valley House area. A ski trail down to access the main parking and shuttle stop area, then over or under Inferno Rd to connect to the employee parking, and then on to Sam Ruperts. In general, I find it unfortunate that you cannot ski down to a parking lot or a shuttle stop in the existing configuration without some "creativity". I would guess that the resort would prefer people back in the base lodge spending $$ after skiing, rather than directly skiing to the car. But as it is now, you can't even get a beer at the bar at 3pm, so it just becomes a hassle.

Ride Delaware ?
10-09-2013, 11:38 AM
I would also have to say either 1 or 2. If anything, the outside should be remodeled along with the inside to blend in with the rest of the new buildings. I for one like the architecture, and the current VH is definitely out of place. It really just needs a little update and some vinyl siding.

Does anyone know what the capacity of the current VH is? Would it need to be significantly enlarged to make an impact on the current GH traffic?

Hawk
10-09-2013, 11:51 AM
When I was up last week I heard that Sam Ruperts was going up in flames. There was talk that the mountain was going to allow the Fire Dept. use it for training before they level it.

I vote 2 and 4 and replace the VH lift at the same time.

Vinyl siding on the Valley House???? UGGGG! ;-)

They should Also put a new lift from the Club Sugarbush/Sugarbush Inn corner all the way up to the shoulder at North Linx so we can connect all of the Sugarbush Properties including the village. Now that is a plan. ;-)

random_ski_guy
10-09-2013, 06:24 PM
First of all, great to be talking about the mtn again rather than collecting ZZZZZs.

Three part thought and yes, I admit upfront this is a bit of a tall order.

Part 1: To provide a little relief on the mtn, it would be good to get a trail coming off Castlerock and arriving at either the top, middle or bottom of Lynx. This would provide a little relief on the Gatehouse chair bottleneck from skiers moving from Lincoln to Lynx or Mt Ellen.

Part 2: There is a nice large piece of land to work with atop the Gatehouse chair and it serves well as the cross roads between Mt Ellen, Lynx and Lincoln. Perhaps it makes since to construct a mid mtn lodge at this location with nice views looking south and east.

Part 3: Someday I'll get around to posting a doodle of this, but I would like to see a new beginner run cut from the top of the Gatehouse Chair running near parallel with Sleeper and eventually merging with Sleeper at the bottom. I have not walked the terrain, but when I scout it from the mtn and on maps it seems like it would be a much better run for beginners than Pushover. I believe a rather wide cruiser with tree isles for the first 1/2 could be tucked into this location. A little regarding might be needed at the bottom for the run out...not sure if that is worthwhile though. Anyway. as a father of a young family, I think Lincoln could really use another beginner trail. I mean really use it.

Okay, back to reality, its all about the numbers, numbers we cannot see...but its probably the case that the most viable scenario is to keep the VH lodge and renovate. Either that or demo the VH and add to the Gatehouse. Adding to the Gatehouse would likely require some creative ideas...for which I'll elaborate on another time.

Ride Delaware ?
10-09-2013, 07:14 PM
I think a full service mid mountain lodge would be an excellent addition, but it would require some major $ to get the utility lines up there.

The North Peak Lodge at Sunday River is full service, and I can't imagine what the base lodge would look like during peak times without it. There are stacks of skis and snowboards all day. It also offers different food options than the base to differentiate. If all those people had to pack into the South Ridge and Barker lodges, it would be absolute mayhem.

HowieT2
10-09-2013, 07:33 PM
I think there are utility lines both to the top of gatehouse and heavens gate base areas. Either would work for mid mtn lodge.

I know everyone's nostalgic about the valley house but I think if there was an easy way to use it for eating/drinking space, they would have done it already. Hawk probably knows about this better than I do, but it seems to me to be a disjointed old building that is not as spacious as it appears. The kitchen area must be limited in some way because they haven't fully utilized it since the gatehouse opened, despite the crowding.
And I still dream of new valley house lift that boards from the base.

As for the warren house, haven't heard a peep about what they are planning for there. A little surprised they didn't cut through to the 22 acre lot this summer.

HowieT2
10-09-2013, 07:36 PM
When I was up last week I heard that Sam Ruperts was going up in flames. There was talk that the mountain was going to allow the Fire Dept. use it for training before they level it.

I vote 2 and 4 and replace the VH lift at the same time.

Vinyl siding on the Valley House???? UGGGG! ;-)

They should Also put a new lift from the Club Sugarbush/Sugarbush Inn corner all the way up to the shoulder at North Linx so we can connect all of the Sugarbush Properties including the village. Now that is a plan. ;-)

I think if anything financially they do one or the other but not both.

Benski
10-09-2013, 08:19 PM
I think the first thing that should do is make the food in the valley house cafeteria offer different food than what is served in the gate house.

southvillager
10-13-2013, 06:55 PM
Well, I took a quick look inside the Valley House today. It looks like they replaced the carpeting, and put in some additional tables. The large lower room is now furnished with wooden tables and bench seats. Maybe it was also painted, I am not sure. The little bar just above the Mushroom has bar stools lined up, but I don't know if they were in there before, or if they plan to run that bar this year. It looks like they did some carpentry repairs here and there also.

WWF-VT
10-16-2013, 10:45 AM
Mt Ellen road is paved !!

ThinkSno
10-16-2013, 02:24 PM
Much simpler solution to the GH crowds:

Improve snowmaking on the Out to Lunch Trail, and make it easier for folks to ski in/out of the SB Village.

Chez Henri, Pizza Soul, Mutha Stuffers, and Pine Tree Pub are all excellent on-mountain options.

Vinyl siding on the VH???? I think you meant the Wobbly Barn needs it.....

HowieT2
10-16-2013, 03:08 PM
Much simpler solution to the GH crowds:

Improve snowmaking on the Out to Lunch Trail, and make it easier for folks to ski in/out of the SB Village.

Chez Henri, Pizza Soul, Mutha Stuffers, and Pine Tree Pub are all excellent on-mountain options.

Vinyl siding on the VH???? I think you meant the Wobbly Barn needs it.....

rice brook may help in that regard.

slaw
10-18-2013, 12:43 PM
Any one know what a new lift costs? Thinking VH. Well over 1mm, 1.5mm my guess.

Mt St Pipier
10-18-2013, 03:08 PM
Any one know what a new lift costs? Thinking VH. Well over 1mm, 1.5mm my guess.

SugarBowl put in a 1000' vertical fixed grip triple (which I think is what was talked for VH) for $3mm

slaw
10-22-2013, 12:36 PM
Any one know what a new lift costs? Thinking VH. Well over 1mm, 1.5mm my guess.

Wow. Big cap ex.

villager
10-30-2013, 06:27 PM
Why can't they move the old ski rental/ski school building that was in the sprung structure area (now located down by the snow making compressor building) up to the top of Gatehouse? Seems like that would be a great interim solution. They already have electricity up there and would just need some chem toilets (like at Allyn's) propane tanks, etc...

ski_resort_observer
11-01-2013, 08:07 AM
Why can't they move the old ski rental/ski school building that was in the sprung structure area (now located down by the snow making compressor building) up to the top of Gatehouse? Seems like that would be a great interim solution. They already have electricity up there and would just need some chem toilets (like at Allyn's) propane tanks, etc...

lol...the easy answer is it's alot easier said than done. That building has been moved around the base area 4 times since ASC built it in the mid-90's as the sales office for the proposed Grand Summit Hotel. It was below VH lodge. When ASC decided not to build the hotel it was moved to north of GH Lodge, used as the Ticket/season pass office. When the LP developement came along it was moved to the temp area to the right of the big stairs where the Schoolhouse is. After the Farmhouse and the Schoolhouse was built it was moved to it's current location.

How would you propose to move it to the GH flat? Are you proposing food service up there? Just getting food, supplies and liquids uo to Allyns every morning is a hassle.

Compared to last century margins for most ski resorts are very thin. You need some sort of ROI if your going to spend a bunch of money.

In my mind the costs would be very prohibitive to moving that building up there plus the hassle of getting it up there.

villager
11-01-2013, 12:17 PM
lol...the easy answer is it's alot easier said than done. That building has been moved around the base area 4 times since ASC built it in the mid-90's as the sales office for the proposed Grand Summit Hotel. It was below VH lodge. When ASC decided not to build the hotel it was moved to north of GH Lodge, used as the Ticket/season pass office. When the LP developement came along it was moved to the temp area to the right of the big stairs where the Schoolhouse is. After the Farmhouse and the Schoolhouse was built it was moved to it's current location.

How would you propose to move it to the GH flat? Are you proposing food service up there? Just getting food, supplies and liquids uo to Allyns every morning is a hassle.

Compared to last century margins for most ski resorts are very thin. You need some sort of ROI if your going to spend a bunch of money.

In my mind the costs would be very prohibitive to moving that building up there plus the hassle of getting it up there.

I was thinking a big helicopter, but I guess that would be pretty expensive. Any ROI would have to be from concessions so it might be too long of a payback (or $20 chili!!).

Tin Woodsman
11-01-2013, 03:56 PM
lol...the easy answer is it's alot easier said than done. That building has been moved around the base area 4 times since ASC built it in the mid-90's as the sales office for the proposed Grand Summit Hotel. It was below VH lodge. When ASC decided not to build the hotel it was moved to north of GH Lodge, used as the Ticket/season pass office. When the LP developement came along it was moved to the temp area to the right of the big stairs where the Schoolhouse is. After the Farmhouse and the Schoolhouse was built it was moved to it's current location.

How would you propose to move it to the GH flat? Are you proposing food service up there? Just getting food, supplies and liquids uo to Allyns every morning is a hassle.

Compared to last century margins for most ski resorts are very thin. You need some sort of ROI if your going to spend a bunch of money.

In my mind the costs would be very prohibitive to moving that building up there plus the hassle of getting it up there.
Well, it has been moved 4 times already - what was the ROI on those moves? It's certainly not generating any revenue in its current location next to the snowmkaing compressors. Presumably, the ROI would come from enhanced availability of F&B (reliably high margin) at a critical choke point for guests. As it is, GH lodge capacity is maxed out and surely overall demand is depressed somewhat by lack of availability of table space during busy weekends and holidays. Make F&B more easily available and accessible and you will increase aggregate demand.

Now the point about how to get food up there is certainly valid. Would presumably be on the back of a snowcat driving up Pushover or in part coming up the GH quad. But let's be honest here - it's not like we are talking about some sort of insurmountable engineering challenge. There are literally dozens and dozens of mid/upper mtn eateries at ski areas throughout the US, many of them with F&B offerings and logistical requirements far more extensive than those that exist at Allyn's Lodge, yet somehow they make it work. Why is SB any different?

Ride Delaware ?
11-01-2013, 06:37 PM
Sunday River has a full service lodge providing full bathroom service, running water, TV, a full bar, and a full menu. That being said, I once had to pick up a bunch of frozen meatballs off the trail when a groomer ran over a box that had fallen off the delivery groomer. Logistical trouble? Yes. Unforeseen difficulties? Yes. Logistically impossible? No way!!!

ski_resort_observer
11-02-2013, 09:39 AM
I was replying to the OP, ie moving the old ski/school to the top of GH. Many resorts have mid mountain lodges, including the Bush but I feel safe in assuming most of then were built on site with parts being transported by a variety of methods, not taking a old building and moving it up a mountain.

I like the idea of the copter but who would catch the pieces on the way up as they fall to the ground. lol

There is not any ROI at it's current location but there aren't any costs either.

HowieT2
11-02-2013, 07:07 PM
Well, it has been moved 4 times already - what was the ROI on those moves? It's certainly not generating any revenue in its current location next to the snowmkaing compressors. Presumably, the ROI would come from enhanced availability of F&B (reliably high margin) at a critical choke point for guests. As it is, GH lodge capacity is maxed out and surely overall demand is depressed somewhat by lack of availability of table space during busy weekends and holidays. Make F&B more easily available and accessible and you will increase aggregate demand.

Now the point about how to get food up there is certainly valid. Would presumably be on the back of a snowcat driving up Pushover or in part coming up the GH quad. But let's be honest here - it's not like we are talking about some sort of insurmountable engineering challenge. There are literally dozens and dozens of mid/upper mtn eateries at ski areas throughout the US, many of them with F&B offerings and logistical requirements far more extensive than those that exist at Allyn's Lodge, yet somehow they make it work. Why is SB any different?

All true, but that building is too small to make any real difference. I'd be all for building a new mid Mtn lodge.

villager
11-10-2013, 11:26 AM
Now that the first phase of Rice Brook is done, does anyone know if the walkway in front of the Farmhouse will be extended over to it?

Hawk
11-11-2013, 07:45 AM
What the guys over at the site said was that for this winter they are not extending the walkway. That would be part of furture work or the next phase. That was just the opinion of one of the workers though. We looked into all of the first floor units. Finishes are coming along nicely. Most of them are all trimed out and painted and it looks like they are focusing on Cabinetry, flooring, hardware and appliances. I love the individual look of each unit and they all differ. Some have painted cabinets with glass fronts and I saw one with shaker style clear finshed maple and Cambria stone tops. Some have recycled exposed wood beams at the ceiling to give it a older style post and beam look. There are units that have hot tubs also. They are very nice looking indeed.

win
11-21-2013, 03:07 PM
What? South Village is not assessed for Village Road. Only Sugarbush and those properties along Village Road pay for it. But everyone pays taxes that improve the town roads. Village Road is not a town road.

win
11-21-2013, 03:09 PM
Probably closer to $2 for a fixed grip quad. A detachable would be quite a bit more.