Forests & Parks proposes 20‑year lease with VT Hudson Trails to rebuild Goodell House at Little River State Park

The House Corrections and Institutions Committee heard March 20 from the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation on a proposal to use a long-term lease to enable a partner to reconstruct the Goodell House at Little River State Park.

"The Goodell House represents the first opportunity for us to do this," Rebecca Washburn, director of lands administration and recreation for the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, said. She told the committee that VT Hudson Trails has secured federal grant funding and that the department is exploring a lease model so the nonprofit can reconstruct and operate the building while the state retains ownership of the land.

Because the funding source is federal, Washburn said the project must undergo NEPA environmental review and historic-preservation review. The department is considering moving the structure a short distance closer to a trailhead to avoid ecologically sensitive habitat; historic-preservation advisors told the department that relocating the building would not necessarily diminish its historic integrity.

Washburn said the partner intends to pay the costs of moving and reconstruction and that operations would be managed through VT Hudson Trails’ reservation system for huts and cabins; the facility is expected to accommodate roughly 10–12 overnight guests. The department plans to use a no-cost contract to document the movement and reconstruction phase, then enter a 20-year lease that sets term, fee formula, access and insurance conditions.

Michael Grady of Legislative Counsel advised the committee that the General Assembly must approve the conveyance of lease interest by session law or resolution and offered to present draft session-law language next week. Department counsel and the partner were expected to finalize draft lease terms and bring them back to the committee for review.