To the Massanutten Community:
By now, you may have heard the news: Massanutten Resort is leasing and repurposing the top floor of the former MPOA Administration Building. The process was long and the bid was a competitive one, with several different potential tenants in the running.
You might wonder why we chose to do this. First of all, we believe that site has potential for some nice amenities. We plan to install two high-tech golf simulators, a gaming area suitable for advanced online gaming, and some standalone video and other games. Think of it as an arcade with leading-edge technology. We think that fits well with other guest and resident amenities in the immediate area. Between MPOA and the Resort, residents of (and visitors to) our community have a wide range of fun activities from which to choose.
Our goal with this new offering (to be launched as “The Perfect Escape”) is to create an experience that complements the existing offerings of Mini Golf, Go Karts, Ice Cream and other features. Embracing the Village Center vision, we want to blend in and support what has been working well for years, and make the experience even better for all.
This lease provides guaranteed revenue for MPOA in the form of monthly rent, and a cut on revenues. The Resort will assume capital and operating costs of these features.
There’s a second, and arguably more important, reason we’re glad that we were the selected tenant. As most know, the building has two levels – the upper floor, previously used as the MPOA offices, and a large meeting area on the ground floor recently re-named the J.C. Powell Conference Room. That room has been used for many years for club and small group activities run by MPOA and its members. We were – and are – of the belief that MPOA resident access to that space should continue unfettered, and not all of the proposed tenants were in a position to commit to that availability. Under this agreement, the ground floor of the building and the J.C. Powell Conference Room is fully retained by MPOA.
The Resort has long made meeting space in the Ski Lodge and other Resort buildings available at no charge to MPOA for large meetings (such as MPOA’s Annual Meeting). This relationship was previously a handshake deal; we formalized it in writing last year. But unlike the spaces we donate, the J.C. Powell Room is available to MPOA members year-round. We thought it should be maintained that way.
Cordially,
Matthias Smith, VP and General Manager
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