LEBANON — The Lebanon City Council voted unanimously, among the eight members in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting, to pass a resolution that appropriates funds to carry out a project that will bring enhancements to the Storrs Hill ski lodge.
As part of the project, the ski lodge will have its pavilion enclosed, adding 890 square feet, which is room for 60 additional people. There are also plans to add windows for a view of the hill, expand the kitchen, and enlarge the bathrooms.
“This really is going to boost our rental potential, opportunities for event hosting and general comfort for everybody who is there,” said Paul Coats, the city’s director of recreation, arts, and parks, during Wednesday’s public hearing.
The now-approved resolution appropriated $550,000 for the project. Regarding financing, the city will put up $250,000 through recreation impact fees, while the Lebanon Outing Club, which operates the ski area, will provide $25,000. Mayor Douglas Whittlesey said Wednesday that this will not impact the city’s tax rate.
The remaining funding for the project, $275,000, will be provided through a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, which is a federal grant administered through the state that the city initially applied for and was awarded in 2022.
Coats said during the public hearing that the city is waiting to hear back from the state regarding a time extension in which it can use the grant money. If the extension is approved, he said the city’s deadline would be extended until the end of October 2027.
“If we don’t get the extension, this project doesn’t launch,” Coats said, though he added that he did not foresee an issue getting the extension.
Earlier this week, Coats told the Valley News that the next steps in this endeavor, provided that the extension is approved, would be the bidding and permitting processes. He also said that the hope is for the project to be complete in November 2026.
“This is an opportunity for us as a community to make an investment in the children of this community,” said Ward 2 Councilor George Sykes on Wednesday. “That doesn’t happen often enough sometimes, in terms of outside of public school. This is a great opportunity.”
