When new owners took over Tussey Mountain in Boalsburg two years ago, they knew there was much work to be done to improve a lodge and other buildings that haven't seen many updates since the ski and recreation area opened in the 1960s.
Now they're in the preliminary stages of planning an expansion and renovation project to improve the facilities and increase their year-round use.
"One of my goals in taking on this project was to revitalize Tussey Mountain," managing partner Josh Lincoln said at a recent Harris Township Board of Supervisors meeting. "It was built in the 60s and has since dilapidated considerably."
The early concept plan includes expanding the existing lodge "quite a bit" to include a venue for conferences and weddings and a new bar and restaurant, Lincoln told StateCollege.com. It would also redevelop outbuildings for improved ski school, ski patrol and race center spaces, as well as potential small retail spaces for businesses like a coffee shop or a bike shop.
To move forward, however, the 134-acre Tussey Mountain will need to go through the Development of Regional Impact process to be added to the Centre Regional Growth Boundary and Sewer Service Area. Tussey, which is adjacent to the Regional Growth Boundary, has limited public sewer service, but the scope of the project would require it to be formally brought into the boundary and Sewer Service Area.
It's not a fast or easy process. Lincoln spoke to the Harris Township supervisors on Sept. 9 to ask if they would be supportive of a DRI application. They unanimously were.
First the application will be submitted to the Centre Regional Planning Agency for review, then go to the township for full analysis and ultimately a formal vote by the board on whether to support it, Harris Township Manager Mark Boeckel said. Then five of the six Centre Region municipalities must approve the application.
Project engineer John Sepp of PennTerra said the EDUs — the measurement for sewage service — are "not going to be significant." Lincoln said he met with the University Area Joint Authority and believes the impact will be serviceable.
"I'm just so hopeful that the community and the municipalities really see this as something that would be doable in the DRI," Lincoln told StateCollege.com.
Even with unpredictable weather and despite the addition of warmer weather activities, winter is "the only time of the year that we make money," Lincoln said. Having more consistent business year-round — like weddings and conferences — would allow for other capital investments, such as a new ski lift and snow-making machines.
"As good as WingFest is, we don't really have good revenue throughout the year, and to have those kind of capital improvement projects and to reinvest in the facility, we need to make it a year-round business," Lincoln said.
WingFest's growth — one night this summer it reached full capacity — is one of a number of ways Lincoln and his partners have already worked to improve Tussey Mountain. Other events, some new and some that date back years, like Oktoberfest coming up on Friday, keep that community celebration vibe going. And a new beer garden that integrates with various events has become a popular local destination.
Their biggest focus so far has been on new management tools, such as moving to RFID cards for lift tickets, but they've also tried new activities, such as working with promoter Rich Engler to bring in national acts for this summer's Happy Valley Music Series .
Tussey Mountain's amphitheater had once been home to regular concerts, but that faded away in the 2000s. This summer saw them return with the Wailers kicking off the new series in June.
The series will wrap up for the year with Live Dead and Brothers — a Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers tribute act featuring musicians from both bands — on Oct. 11.
The shows so far have been a mixed bag as far as attendance — the Wailers did well, Jim Messina not as much — but Lincoln said they are looking to continue them next year.
"This year was just kind of getting our legs, just figuring out some things," he said. "I think that each year we'll try to build on that as our goal."
But for Lincoln, a Penn State alum who was a ski instructor while attending the university, and his partners, the biggest project is still ahead: improving the facilities to be able to offer more to the community.
"It's a great community resource," Lincoln said. "We're hopeful that the community wants this [expansion] and is supportive of this."
The post Tussey Mountain Owners Eye Facility Expansion and Renovations appeared first on StateCollege.com .
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