A rendering of the new Ascutney Outdoors building, facing the mountain with a deck and porch. Construction of the 3,600 square-foot building is due to begin late summer 2017. (Jim Lyall illustration)

An rendering of the front of the new Ascutney Outdoors building in Brownsville, Vt. Construction of the 3,600 square-foot building is due to begin late summer 2017. (Jim Lyall illustration)

Brownsville — Ascutney Outdoors, the nonprofit in charge of managing the former ski property and abutting town forest, is finalizing plans for a new building on the site of the former base lodge. The structure will become the center for AO activities and other functions.

With construction expected to start in late summer or early fall, AO will take another big step toward the organization’s goals of creating recreational and cultural opportunities to fill the economic void left when the ski resort closed and drawing outdoor enthusiasts and others from well beyond the immediate area.

“We are just thrilled with the progress we have made and are looking forward to getting the building up,” AO board member Glenn Seward said. “We want to keep the momentum going.”

Seward said they are working with an architectural firm to “fine tune” the design of the building, which will be constructed on the foundation of the old base lodge. The lodge was destroyed in a January 2015 fire and the site was cleaned up over the winter, including asbestos removal.

“The footprint is 1,800 square feet but we will have two floors and possibly a mezzanine so it will probably be close to 4,000 square feet total,” Seward said.

The goal is to have the “shell” of the post and beam center, including roof, doors and windows, finished before winter. Seward said the bottom floor likely will be office space, storage and maybe retail for something like a bike shop.

The main floor will feature a cathedral ceiling and has an open space concept that could be used for any number of events.

“It will be for a broad range of activities for the whole community,” Seward said, noting that much of what has been accomplished thus far could not have been done without strong community support. “It will be a focal point for Ascutney Outdoor activities and for special functions.”

Private parties, weddings, musical performances or public talks are just some of the events Seward said could be held on the main floor.

The materials for the buildings are being donated by Davis Frame in Claremont, a maker of post and beam homes, Seward said.

Ascutney Outdoors board member Jim Lyall did the initial design.

Seward said they have raised about $200,000, mainly through donations, and that will be enough to complete phase I of the building, including permitting, engineering and architectural services and mechanical and electrical work.

Another roughly $150,000 had been raised to demolish and clean up the lodge. The funds raised included a grant of $30,000 from the Southern Windsor Regional Planning Commission for asbestos removal.

The ski resort closed in 2010 and all hope of seeing it reopen vanished when the former owner began selling off equipment, including the lifts. With the nonprofit Trust for Public Land taking the lead role, voters approved a Selectboard recommendation in October 2014 to buy the resort property. A combination of town funding, private donations and grants raised the roughly $900,000 for the purchase and other expenses.

The purchase came with a conservation easement on the property and, combined with the abutting town forest, created about 1,600 acres for recreational activities including skiing, hiking and mountain biking.

Ascutney Outdoors signed a lease agreement with the town to manage the property.

Seward said they are ready to file their Act 250 permit with the state for the building and have a site plan that includes 25 parking spaces.

Besides the new building, Seward said they are working on preparing permits to install a 600-foot tubing lift to go with the small rope tow that is used for skiing.

“It is a great location,” Seward said about the lift.

They also are in the permitting phase for work on recreational trails. Right now there are about 30 miles of trails on the town forest and ski property.

Once the building shell is finished, interior work will proceed, hopefully with the help of volunteers, Seward said. Completion of the building will depend on the capital campaign for fundraising, which has just started, he added.

Patrick O’Grady can be reached pogclmt@gmail.com.