Voters approve sale of vacant Middlefield ski area

MIDDLEFIELD, Conn. (AP) — Middlefield residents have voted to sell the long-vacant Powder Ridge ski area to a Portland-based developer.

The 246-acre site has not been open to skiers since 2007, after a 47-year run. The town bought it in 2008 for $2.55 million.

The new owner, Sean Hayes, is buying it for $700,000.

Residents approved the sale Thursday on a 1132-466 vote.

Hayes, who runs a sports park in Portland, says his company, Powder Ridge Mountain & Resort, plans to invest $3.5 million in the property and open it for skiing, snowboarding and snow-tubing by the end of 2013.

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