Town provides progress update on Killington Forward Initiative

By Abbie Sherman, Killington public works director

Construction of the Killington water system, which is visible along Route 4 and the top of Shagback Mountain, is well underway. A summary of the status of Phases 1 and 2 is below, and additional information regarding connection to the water system is available on the town of Killington website (click the Killington Forward Initiative link). 

Phase 1

Contracts 1, 2, and 3A provide for the development of the wells, the wellhouse, the high-pressure pump station, the first 750,000-gallon water storage tank, and all the water mains between each. Completion of these contracts is expected to be in September 2025. 

Contract 4 for the water system will pick up the distribution line at a point on East Mountain Road (by the road to the water storage tank), continue along East Mountain Road, through the TIF District by Killington Resort, down Killington Road and ends at Ravine Road. Contract 4 was awarded to SUR Construction of Winchester, New Hampshire, on Feb. 7, 2025. The signing of contract documents will occur on March 5, and construction is expected to begin this spring, completing by the end of calendar year 2026.

A dry distribution line from Anthony Way to Route 4 was installed in the summer of 2024 as part of Phase 1 of the roadway improvements and will be connected to the water system under Phases 2 to 4.

Costs for Phase 1 of the system were guaranteed by the 2023 bond vote for $47 million plus various grants the town has received. The bond will be paid for with the new property tax revenue from development within the TIF District and pursuant to the development agreement with Great Gulf.

Phases 2 to 4

Phases 2 to 4 of the Killington water system picks up the distribution line at Ravine Road and continues down Killington Road to Anthony Way, connects to the dry distribution line, then heads west to 1894 Route 4. 

Construction of these phases of the Killington water system is critical to bringing the development of workforce housing to reality (see summary at the end). Contracts 5 and 6A will pick up on Ravine Road, continue down Killington Road to Anthony Way, and will also include a distribution line to Killington Elementary School. Contract 7 is for the section along Route 4. Phases 2 to 4 require voter approval for a $11.2 million bond, which is on the ballot for Town Meeting Day, March 4, 2025. A Public Informational Meeting will be held on Monday, March 3, starting at 7 p.m. Additional information regarding that bond vote appeared in the February 12-18, 2025, edition of the Mountain Times and is available online. 

Roadway improvements

Improvements to Killington Road, Old Mill Road, a section of East Mountain Road, and the creation of a new road (so-called Road “H”), are all included in the initiative for the Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District. A summary of each phase of these improvements is provided below.

Phase 1

Phase 1 of the roadway improvements is further broken down into Phases 1A and 1B. Phase 1A is for improvement to roads located within the TIF District – Killington Road, Old Mill Road, East Mountain Road, and Road “H”.  Design plans are 90% complete and the Town anticipates bidding the project out soon. We hope to bid out in time to coordinate the water system work with the road work to the extent possible.

Construction of Phase 1B of Killington Road (Route 4 to Anthony Way) will be completed by June 30, 2025. All that remains is moving the last communication line, removal of the old utility poles and restoration of the bank they are located on, and various punchlist items. 

Costs for Phase 1 of the Roadway Improvements are covered by the same 2023 bond vote for $47 million as Phase 1 of the Water System, and various additional grants the town received. The bond will be paid for with the new property tax revenue from development within the TIF District and pursuant to the Development Agreement with Great Gulf.

Phases 2 to 4

Phases 2 to 4 are all for improvements to the remainder of Killington Road. The $25M federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant Killington was awarded last summer would provide for most of the cost for these improvements. 

The town was in the process of developing the grant agreement with Federal Highway and the Vermont Agency of Transportation when the federal funding freeze occurred and paused those efforts. The RAISE grant is only for Phases 2 to 4 of the Roadway Improvements (Killington Road), and which would be part of a TIF District Phase 2 filing the Town would submit to the Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC). Discussions began in-house for the Phase 2 filing, but since the RAISE grant is on hold, we have decided to also put the Phase 2 filing on hold until we have more certainty on the RAISE grant.

The hold on Roadway Phases 2 to 4 and the RAISE grant does not affect any part of the Killington Water System or Phase 1 of the Roadway Improvements. The Town will revisit this situation every few weeks and hope to be able to move forward on Phases 2 to 4 of the Roadway Improvements in the next few months. 

Workforce Housing (Nanak Way)

The Town secured a 70-acre parcel off Nanak Way in the summer of 2023 for future development of workforce housing. The property is on the Alpine sewer line, but connection to the Killington water system is required before the Town can begin the planning effort for development. 

In the meantime, the town has partnered with Killington Resort and with Great Gulf to cover the purchase cost of the parcel. When access to the public water system is about two years away, the town will begin collaborating with housing trusts and developers to build workforce housing.