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State seeks authority to lease Goodell House at Little River State Park to Vermont Huts & Trails
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Summary
The Senate Institutions committee reviewed session-law language in Capital Bill H952 that would authorize the state to enter a long-term lease with Vermont Huts & Trails for the Goodell House at Little River State Park so the partner can access a congressionally designated HUD grant for restoration; legislators pressed for specifics on term, revenue sharing and documentation.
April 21, 2026 — The Senate Institutions committee considered language in Capital Bill H952 that would give the agency authority to enter a lease for the Goodell House in Little River State Park with Vermont Huts & Trails, allowing the partner to access a congressionally designated Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant for restoration and adaptive reuse.
Rebecca Washburn, director of lands administration and recreation for the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, said the Goodell House (an 1860s-era building within Little River State Park) has deteriorated and the agency concluded that a lease is the most durable instrument to satisfy HUD site-control requirements and allow the partner to proceed. "The Goodell House has been there since the 18 sixties," Washburn said, explaining the agency's preservation interest and the partner's mission to provide accessible outdoor-lodging opportunities.
Washburn told legislators Vermont Huts & Trails has secured roughly $3.8 million through a congressionally designated HUD grant and expects more than $1 million of that award to be dedicated to restoration of the Goodell House. She said the partner envisions a 10–12-person occupancy and preliminarily estimated gross revenue in the range of $25,000 to $35,000 per year based on operations at other huts the organization manages; the state has not yet finalized the revenue-sharing or fee terms.
Committee members expressed concern about the session-law approach because the draft language includes high-level lease components but not a fully negotiated lease. Legislators asked for examples of existing long-term state leases (the agency cited ski-lease templates as models), an appraisal or scope estimate, clearer timing and an explanation of how the lease term satisfies HUD requirements. Washburn explained HUD requires a long-term site-control commitment (the agency cited a HUD minimum of 20 years) and said the proposed cadence in the draft uses 20-year commitments with 10-year review increments (the current draft referenced a 40-year framework with periodic review).
Lawmakers pressed for clarity on schedule: Washburn said the HUD grant is effective through 2030–2031 and that the lease must be in place for the partner to access reimbursement funding; she committed to providing the committee assistant with draft ski-lease examples, HUD grant documentation and supplemental material on revenue and operations so members can vet terms before approving authority to enter the lease outside the legislative session.
Next steps: the agency will provide requested documents and the committee will review those materials before deciding whether to finalize session-law authority or request modifications to the draft lease language.
