#Middlebury #QuassyAmusementPark #TaxAbatement
A vote will be taken tonight, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center, Room 26, at 1172 Whittemore Road, on the tax abatement agreement of Quassy Amusement Park for acceptance into the Town of Middlebury’s Tax Incentive Program.
Electors of the Town of Middlebury may vote, as may property owners who are not electors but are Qualified Voters pursuant to Section 7-6 of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended, shall cast their votes. A Qualified Voter is any U.S. Citizen who is of the age of eighteen years or more who, jointly or severally, is liable to the Town of Middlebury for taxes assessed against him or her on an assessment of not less than $1,000 on the last completed Grand List of the Town, or who would be so liable if not entitled to an exemption under subdivisions (17), (19), (22), (25) or (26) of Section 12-81 of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended.
As reported by Terrence S. McAuliffe in the August issue of the Bee-Intelligencer, the Middlebury Economic and Industrial Development Commission (EIDC) at its July 25 meeting unanimously voted in favor of a tax abatement for Quassy Amusement Park for a $2.3 million waterslide expansion it is planning for 2018. The vote is a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen (BoS) that the application conforms and complies with the town’s requirements for a tax incentive. The BoS can schedule a special town meeting to vote on the incentive, can return the application to the EIDC for further information, or can take no action.
The $2.3 million project is the single largest investment in the park’s history, according to Quassy President Eric Anderson. It will expand the water park with three gigantic water raft rides with a combined length of 1,000 feet.
A snack bar with a deck for rooftop dining overlooking Lake Quassapaug also will be built. The project will increase the assessed value of the property by about $1.5 million and create 16 new jobs in the first and second years of operation, according to the application.
A condition of approval required by Assessor Chris Kelsey is for Quassy to establish a distinct taxing account for the improvement so the incentive can be applied and tracked independently from the rest of the amusement park. The taxable personal property and site improvements appear sufficient to qualify for a four-year tax abatement starting at 35 percent the first year and declining 5 percent a year the next three years.
