The Sugarbush Master Plan and Changes for the Summer

**thinksnow** · 05-04-2007, 12:27 PM

Excerpt from 05-03-2007 "Sugarbuzz" (newsletter for Sugarbush employees)

Dear Team:
We have been delighted with the success of both Clay Brook and our new Gate House. It is clear that this first phase of our Lincoln Peak Development has been a great success, and the reviews that we have received from both long time “Sugarbushers” as well as new guests have been most gratifying. With a project of this scale there are always punch list items and improvements that need to occur, and we have worked on many of these over the winter season. There are still a number of items that need to be completed when the snows melt to finalize both buildings. Rather than proceed with the new Skier Services Lodge this summer, we felt it was prudent to move its construction to the summer of 2008 with the goal of having it fully completed by the start of the 2008/2009 season. This will give us the time to thoughtfully plan this important new lodge and also ensure that it will be finished on time. The new Skier Services Lodge will be located to the North of Clay Brook in the area now occupied by the “Interim Village”, and it will house our rental, repair, demo, tickets, Adventure Learning Center programs and another cafeteria to replace that in the old Valley House. We have some preliminary architectural plans, but we will be working with the appropriate members of our team to finalize them over the next couple of months. We are also planning additional residential buildings in proximity to the Skier Services Lodge that will provide additional slope side accommodations. While Clay Brook has gone a long way towards providing the bed base necessary to make us a viable four-season resort, additional units are necessary. Next winter we will continue to operate out of the interim village, which has functioned well these past two seasons, and we will also continue to utilize the Valley House as we did this winter. Please not hesitate to let us know if we can answer any questions.

Bob Ackland
President
Real Estate Development Division

Think Snow~

05-04-2007, 01:11 PM

So it looks like VH is not going to be razed this summer?

**Yard Sale** · 05-04-2007, 01:19 PM

While look forward to have the Skier Services Facility in place, I like this move. Management did a great job this past season, but a lot of moves were made this past season to accomodate for the unforseen. With a year of operation under their belts, adjustments on the fly will be less likely. You have to applaud the patience, which I imagine comes at no small cost, in order to improve rather than jus expand.

**Tin Woodsman** · 05-07-2007, 12:21 AM

Smart move, IMHO, and not surprising. We hadn't heard a lot about the Skier Services Lodge (SSL) since Win mentioned it mid-winter. This was a pretty clear sign that the plan was being reevaluated. There are a number of things that need to be addressed, and done so thoroughly and thoughtfully, in and around the two new buildings from this off-season. Off the top of my head, they'll probably want to:

1) Finish the fine-turning of the Timbers menu, service, and seating situation. Lots of progress on this front throughout the year, but more works needs to be done and a replacement for the now-departed chef is needed. Hopefully, the new guy will have a better sense of what the position requires outside of the kitchen than his predecessor.

2) Find a solution to expand seating capacity in Castlerock Pub. The outdoor patio space is nice, but a real waste of space for 75% of the year. No one wants to freeze their butt off outside when it's 20 degrees and partly sunny with a cold NW wind. Please implement some sort of temporary cover for early December through March 15.

3) Create more storage space for the bags. If SB is going to stick with its unfortunate "no bags" policy in the main cafeteria at Gate House, then they have to bow to what their customers behaviors are telling them, no matter how much SB fanboys insist otherwise. You can't change human behavior, and people are going to want to change down there to get it over with as quickly as possible instead of changing upstairs and storing downstairs.

Great to hear that VH will be left standing while the SSL is in limbo and that the SSL will definitely contain a cafeteria. Smart.

**Strat** · 05-07-2007, 02:55 PM

Quick note, I heard the executive chef spot at Timbers is already sorta filled, unless they find a better candidate they're just promoting someone already on the inside... just a rumor though.

**win** · 05-07-2007, 03:19 PM

A rumor that is not true. We have a great new general manager and Executive Chef for Timbers that is well known in The Valley! I will keep you hanging for a couple of days to see how long it takes the Valley Buzz to announce it here for me. We will be shutting down for a couple of weeks for Spring cleaning except for a few special functions and then will reopen to the public in June. Thanks to Sam Palmisano, Jr. who pitched in to help us and is now returning to focus on his new restaurant.

**Strat** · 05-08-2007, 08:26 PM

The rumor mill is once again shut down... curious to know who the new person is.

**Tin Woodsman** · 05-08-2007, 10:50 PM

I've changed the title of this thread to expand its remit to cover discussion on thoughts from the community with respect to ideas for improvement this summer. I've laid out a few above, but I sure as hell don't own the franchise on ideas in that regard.

**Strat** · 05-09-2007, 10:15 AM

So should we brainstorm some thoughts for the new cafeteria space (even though it's now a ways off)? I'm thinking that they should really aim for the warm, homey feel that's missing from the GH lodge... there's no reason that such a space can't be included in that building (I don't think at least)... I love the idea of a lounge for non-skiers and waiting parents to relax in, with a fireplace, maybe some small food offerings, coffee, hot cider, brownies, that stuff, in addition to a larger cafeteria (though both rooms should be boot friendly)... definitely feeling a red interior vibe to contrast the blue industrial style of the Gatehouse...

**HowieT2** · 05-09-2007, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Strat

So should we brainstorm some thoughts for the new cafeteria space (even though it's now a ways off)? I'm thinking that they should really aim for the warm, homey feel that's missing from the GH lodge... there's no reason that such a space can't be included in that building (I don't think at least)... I love the idea of a lounge for non-skiers and waiting parents to relax in, with a fireplace, maybe some small food offerings, coffee, hot cider, brownies, that stuff, in addition to a larger cafeteria (though both rooms should be boot friendly)... definitely feeling a red interior vibe to contrast the blue industrial style of the Gatehouse...

Can't comment on color schemes (I leave that to the wife), but I certainly would like to see a fireplace, some comfortable seating and food offerings ala a coffee shop, like what starbucks has. Coffees, teas, good bakery items (croissants from the Warren store), light sandwiches, salads, etc.

**Yard Sale** · 05-09-2007, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by HowieT2

Originally Posted by Strat

So should we brainstorm some thoughts for the new cafeteria space (even though it's now a ways off)? I'm thinking that they should really aim for the warm, homey feel that's missing from the GH lodge... there's no reason that such a space can't be included in that building (I don't think at least)... I love the idea of a lounge for non-skiers and waiting parents to relax in, with a fireplace, maybe some small food offerings, coffee, hot cider, brownies, that stuff, in addition to a larger cafeteria (though both rooms should be boot friendly)... definitely feeling a red interior vibe to contrast the blue industrial style of the Gatehouse...

Can't comment on color schemes (I leave that to the wife), but I certainly would like to see a fireplace, some comfortable seating and food offerings ala a coffee shop, like what starbucks has. Coffees, teas, good bakery items (croissants from the Warren store), light sandwiches, salads, etc.

I like your idea of acoffe shop, but I'd like to see that as a stand alone operation and not as a segment of cafeteria menu. I think business would be brisk and it could offer an alternative to a cafeteria during peak hours.

**Tin Woodsman** · 05-09-2007, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by Strat

So should we brainstorm some thoughts for the new cafeteria space (even though it's now a ways off)? I'm thinking that they should really aim for the warm, homey feel that's missing from the GH lodge... there's no reason that such a space can't be included in that building (I don't think at least)... I love the idea of a lounge for non-skiers and waiting parents to relax in, with a fireplace, maybe some small food offerings, coffee, hot cider, brownies, that stuff, in addition to a larger cafeteria (though both rooms should be boot friendly)... definitely feeling a red interior vibe to contrast the blue industrial style of the Gatehouse...

Great post/idea. I couldn't agree more. Something warm and homey that parents could relax in while waiting for kids. A fireplace where people could relax in front of - sort of like Allyn's Lodge writ large. Not sure if would need to be a separate room from the cafeteria - there's only so much space available. Quality coffee shop is a must, IMHO, or some sort of ground floor retail. Also, I think ti would make the most sense to move the retail ski shop on the bottom floor of GH over to the SSL. Unless you are able to take over some of the food storage space on the north end of that floor in GH, there's no way you can expand the boot/bag storage and changing area.

**Mike_451** · 05-09-2007, 10:22 PM

How about some real tvs in the second floor of Gatehouse with ESPN and some Ski Movies.

**Bubba** · 05-10-2007, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by Mike_451

How about some real tvs in the second floor of Gatehouse with ESPN and some Ski Movies.

I'm pretty sure that the TVs they have are "real".

How much time do you plan on spending in the lodge watching the tube?
I hate walking into the conference room and seeing all the kids in a nikelodean(sp?) coma.
TV= potato