In order to clarify the proposed use of Mount Haven Resort, the Zoning Officer sent a list of questions to Har Haven LLC. (owner of Mount Haven). The following is Har Haven's response to the questions.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Dear Mr. Wood,
As per your letter, let me express what our vision is for the use of the property at the Mount Haven Resort.
We intend to use the property similarly to as its been used to until now. We will be opened to the public for corporate events such as weddings, corporate meeting, family reunions, bus tours etc. We have determined as of now, that the daily restaurant operation is not an economical venue. That being said, we will be investing our energies on events and functions.
As you are well aware, the property has been in distress for quite some time and we are investing a lot of energy and funds to revive and repair many of the neglected components. We envision a much nicer property to service the public in a better way.
To answer your questions more specifically:
Restaurant
As I mentioned, the restaurant will not be functioning on a daily basis for the immediate future. With the right economic growth, we may consider reopening it at a future time. Whatever function the restaurant will have, there is no desire to have any off-site catering.
We plan on being open to hosting events throughout the year.
The cuisine for these events will be determined by the paying clients. The meals for said events will be breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The maximum sitting is assumed to be about 150 guests. I will need to determine with code to maximum persons per building.
Pavilion
The pavilion and entire grounds will be available for use for all contracted guests and patrons as it has been used in the past. There will be no food preparation at the pavilion. The maximum seating is 200, or as per code regulations.
Hotel/Motel Rooms and Cabins
Precedence for the room rentals will be given to the larger contracted events. The remaining rooms will be available to the general public.
We would like to make the front motel rooms more family friendly with minimal structural changes. Plans have been drafted by our architect and will be submitted to the town for approvals accordingly.
There will be a 10-day limit for guests to occupy any rooms. No permanent residence will be allowed in any rooms.
The limit of people per room will follow the code requirements.
We have the necessary documents for the Hotel tax collection.
The hotel/motel will reopen as soon as the renovations are completed.
Mansion
We have no plans for the mansion to be used for any residence. It will be used for small catered events maximum seating of 50 people, or as per code regulations.
Retail Space
We will not be operating any retail shops.
Camp SCHI
Camp SCHI has been operating a respite program for the past 12 years for 4 to 6 weeks during the months of July and August. The intent is to contract the entire grounds/space, resort amenities and food service from Har Haven for that given time period. During said time, they will be occupying all the rooms and the grounds will not be available to the public. Camp SCHI is directly responsible for all the necessary supervision and for whatever activities and/or educational instruction it runs. Some parents/guardians are present. The decision if families can bring along additional family members is decided by Camp SCHI administration with consideration to space requirements. Currently Camp SCHI has 47 campers and 49 support staff.
Other
The water quality is being tested as per the requirements of the board of health and the DEP. The results are being submitted directly to the authorities by our testing lab. The DOH has the registration for our youth camp. The restaurant has the appropriate food service licenses. The DOH has inspected and approved the use of the pool. The site has adequate parking. The guests engage in activities normally performed by resort guest. Camp SCHI is not a school and is not operation an “educational” and/or a “physical therapy” department. There are guests within the population of their campers that do require physical therapy and receive them accordingly. The Camp SCHI support staff do provide some instructional time, but not as an educational school. There are no medical procedures. We have no intensions of having any full time residency on the property. SCHI has no ambulance of its own. SCHI relies on the normal ambulance service and does not provide any of its own such services.
Sincerely,
Nathan Birnhack