The 9,000-square-foot rest stop is currently under construction next to the Irving gas station on the corner of Paine Turnpike North and Vermont 62, just off Exit 7. It would be open in September 2016.
The developer, Maplewood LTD, unrelated to Maplefields in Chittenden County, is building the facility, and it would be called the Vermont Traveler Services Center. A 500-kilowatt solar array will power the rest stop building and the hotel sitting behind it on Vermont 62.
“This is a great example of what can happen when we look for creative ways to provide Vermonters and our visitors with more services at no expense to taxpayers,” Shumlin said in a written statement.
Shumlin signed an agreement with the developers for the private-public partnership. The Department of Tourism and Marketing plans to train the rest stop employees as official Vermont “ambassadors.”
The Agency of Transportation will also put up signs for the rest stop that drivers can see when going north or south on I-89. The state of Vermont will install an information kiosk and courtesy phone in the facility, and will feature the Vermont Traveler Services Center on the information center section of the website.
Chris Cole, the secretary of the Agency of Transportation, said the 24-hour rest stop will be a good resource for people driving on I-89 who want a “white glove traveler experience.”
Jason Gibbs, who works for Maplewoods LTD, said the company expects to have a “high-volume facility” that attracts 5,000 visitors per day. The Vermont Traveler Services Center would honor the tradition of Vermont country stores, even though it wouldn’t actually be a country store, Gibbs said.
The state has not been able to build new rest areas in recent years because of budget constraints. The private-public partnership makes it possible for the state to offer travelers a place for services at no cost to taxpayers.
“How we pay for these services with competing priorities can be challenging,” said Michael “Obie” Obuchowski, the commissioner of the Department of Buildings and General Services. “When we can provide these services without having to burden Vermont taxpayers, it’s a big win for the state.”
