SAM Magazine—Middlefield, Conn., Aug. 17, 2012—Middlefield residents overwhelmingly voted to sell the Powder Ridge ski area to local businessman Sean Hayes, who operates a nearby adventure center, Brownstone Park, for $700,000.

Powder Ridge opened in 1959, and last operated for the 2006-07 season. The town purchased the area in 2008 for $2.55 million, and has actively sought a buyer ever since. Residents approved the sale Thursday by a vote of 1,132 to 466.

Hayes expects to invest $3.5 million to revamp and upgrade the facilities and reopen the area for the 2013-14 season, when it will offer skiing, snowboarding, and tubing.