COLUMBUS – By the time the next snowflake falls on the Mad River Mountain ski area, the lodge, the resort’s operators say it will have risen from its ashes and will be bigger and more convenient than the one that burned eight months ago.
Mad River operator Peak Resorts, Inc., announced Thursday that it has finalized design plans on a $6.5 million base lodge, which the company says will be nearly twice the size of the building destroyed by fire last September.
Two buildings, which currently house administrative offices, ski school programs and a locker room, will be torn down in order to accommodate the two-story, 46,000-square-foot structure, which will accomodate those facilities and the ski patrol operations. The ski and snowboard rental facility will remain in its present location at the base of the resort outside Bellefontaine.
The new facility will include fireplaces on both levels, a dining area with seating for more than 800 guests, a second floor bar with seating for over 300 and a completely redesigned food and beverage operation which the company says will offer a wider variety of menu options.
The lodge will feature cathedral-style ceilings with open beams on the second floor and stained glass windows that will pay homage to the iconic design of the venerable Loft Bar.
Construction is scheduled to begin this month and the company expects it to be completed by November.