Stowe Reporter
August 17, 2005
Stowe Reporter article by Scott Monroe
Ski School buying Two Dog Lodge
First, the Scandinavia Inn went to the dogs.
Now, the 50-year-old property is going to school.
Two Dog Lodge is moving out of 3576 Mountain Road and the Mt. Mansfield Ski Academy is moving in, assuming the property sale goes as planned. The Stowe Development Review Board approved the change of use on Tuesday.
"The Two Dog Lodge is growing and expanding to a larger facility in the Stowe area", said John Drury, who owns the hotel property with his wife, Jo-Anne.
Drury declined to say where the business will move, saying only that more space is needed. Drury as operated the lodge for about 2.5 years. His main job is being the Stowe town government's administrator.
Two Dog Lodge is a hideaway for travelers who like to hit the road with their pets; it provides both human and animal accommodations and activities.
The ski academy, a private school, operates five months a year during the winter, according to its admissions literature. It has provided lodging, class instruction and daily trips to the mountain since it was founded in 1992.
The school has been eyeing a move for several years, said Beth McDermott, attorney for Mt. Mansfield Ski Academy. The school is now at Foster's Place, about a mile farther along Mountain Road.
A final contract between Drury and ski academy officials is still being worked out for the buildings and 3.5 acres of land. If the deal doesn't hit any snags, the property is expected to change hands in late October.
Drury bought the property for $900,000.
"Our current premises is in a state of disrepair," McDermott said. "The Two Dog Lodge is the right size. We don't plan to make any changes, nothing to the exterior, other than a new sign and taking down some dog fencing,It will be virtually identical to what the property looks like now."
The ski academy plans to convert an existing garage into a library and science center, replacing the garage doors with a typical entry door, McDermott said.
The 18-room lodge - which also has three multi-bedroom chalets and a three-bedroom apartment where the Drury's now live - is expected to draw fewer people when it's a private school, McDermott said.
The school has about 45 students, half of whom are either skiing at Spruce Peak or at class during a normal day. It also has about 25 staff members. At any given time, there should be fewer than 50 people at the property.
The Two Dog Lodge is now zoned to accommodate up to 58 lodging guests and operate a 50-seat restaurant, according to Drury.
"This is less than half of current permitted use," Drury said of the ski academy plan.
Review Board members this week had few concerns about the change in use, though they wondered if traffic may someday become a problem if the private school's enrollment grows.
The ski academy recently began offering supplemental summer courses to students.
"We don't envision getting much bigger," McDermott said. "It's one-on-one tutoring. It's a very administratively intense program"