Message from the Birch Ridge Inn, Killington Vermont

Message from the Birch Ridge Inn, Killington Vermont

Several moments ago, I sent the following message to our email list. For those of you not on it, here it is:

Over the last several days, we have received countless messages of support from guests who have stayed or dined at the Birch Ridge Inn. Thank you...thank you...thank you.

Your words of encouragement are truly gratifying. They have reaffirmed our decision 15 years ago to become innkeepers, and they also are very uplifting to our staff as we all face the uncertainty thrown our way these last few days.

As you have probably seen in the news, Hurricane Irene hit Vermont particularly hard. Fortunately, across the state there was minimal personal injury. Amid very sporadic telephone and internet service, our first priority over the last couple of days has been to contact all of our staff to make sure that they are ok. Those who live in Killington and Mendon have been to the inn and are working with us to continue to service guests and the community. Several of our staff found themselves stranded outside of Killington, but they are safe and that is all that matters.

At the inn, we survived the storm with minimal damage. We have been hosting guests stranded in Killington, and emergency personnel coordinating the response to the storm, since the first rain drops over the area. The only damage of any consequence that we sustained was to drainage ditches purposefully built behind the inn, and beside the driveway at the inn's entrance, for just such a storm. Our restaurant has been open as normal during the evening, serving dinner prepared by Chef Stephen "Frizzie" Byrne. Our restaurant will continue to operate, at least for the next few days. After that, we will be evaluating the situation day by day.

Killington became an island as a result of Hurricane Irene. Major road damage was sustained along both Route 4 (the east-west corridor thru Vermont) and Route 100 (the north-south corridor). Temporary, single lane, roads have been bulldozed through the debris to allow emergency vehicles to make it to Killington. In the Sherburne Flats area of Killington, where the Roaring Brook breached Route 4, this was done by a local excavator who decided it was easier to get forgiveness than receive permission. Countless other stories abound about Vermonters getting the work done versus standing around waiting for help. Yesterday, a convoy of cars was organized, with police escort, and sent on Route 4 east to Woodstock Vermont to evacuate guests trapped in the area as a result of the storm. One daily convoy in and out has been established at this time to maintain access to the east of Killington.

Relief supplies are being delivered into Killington from Rutland to the West Another local resident has arranged a convoy of trucks which goes to Rutland each day at 6:30AM and picks up product at the Home Depot parking lot from various suppliers. The Vermont National Guard has delivered water and MRE's (meals ready to eat) to Killington via helicopter. In the middle of all of this, there are signs that normalcy will return. For instance, yesterday, much to our surprise, our trash contractor stopped at the inn to empty our dumpster.

In Killington, the situation is currently stable. Most of the town has electricity, with Central Vermont Power trying to bring everyone back online by the end of the week. Phone and Internet service are problematic. These services are provided to Killiington by Vtel with fiber cables running alongside Route 100 and Route 4 to access the global communications network. Initially, these lines were damaged when the roads were cut by water flowing off the mountains from the hurricane. Vtel has been repairing the lines, but as you can imagine, heavy equipment deployed to make emergency repairs to roads in the area are accidentally cutting the cables several times each day at random locations. This has made it very hard for reliable communication out of the area, but we expect that service will improve day by day.

The net of all of this is that overall we are doing well. While the pictures seen on television are stark, we and our staff are all safe and actively planning to greet you when you visit us again in the near future. While hosting guests the next few weeks will be problematic due to the conditions of the roads in the area, we are still planning to host fall foliage guests in late September and October. Planning is fully underway at the Killington Resort to open for the ski season in late October according to schedule. We will stay in touch to keep you updated.

Again, thank you for the many messages of encouragement and support. Many have asked "is there anything we can do?" The simple answer for the Birch Ridge Inn and it's employees, and for the people of Killington in general, would be to plan to return to the area to visit with us in the near future. Whether it's a trip to see fall foliage colors, or a winter vacation for some skiing and riding at the "Beast of the East", we hope to see you in Killington very soon.

Thank you for your past business and your continuing support.

Bill, Mary, and the staff of the Birch Ridge Inn.