James Madison's Montpelier We The People Fall 2017 WTP_fall 2017_FINAL-rgb | Page 11

FALL 2017
2016 ECONOMIC IMPACT
STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
$35.0 MILLION
in statewide economic output
$9.3 MILLION
in labor income countywide
353
full-time-equivalent jobs statewide
$825,719
in local tax revenue
$8.5 MILLION
in associated tourism expenditures
$5.4 MILLION
in expenditures on goods and services
$3.5 MILLION
in capital construction and
equipment expenditures
public bathroom. Employee housing from the duPont
era has been transformed into residential spaces for
Montpelier guests and conference participants. The
old carriage house is now Lewis Hall, the home of
Montpelier’s executive offices, a classroom, and a
dining room.
Though the work of conservation and preservation
started before Imhoff arrived at Montpelier, she
has continued to build on the momentum and
innovate with an eye toward the future. In the fall
of 2016, Montpelier hosted the Montpelier Design
Congress, a two-day workshop of leading architects,
biologists, and environmentalists. Organized and
led by renowned landscape architect Thomas Woltz,
the group included Andrea Wulf, bestselling author
of Founding Gardeners, and Drew Lanham, widely-
acclaimed author and wildlife ecologist.
The workshop put the experts and senior staff in direct
conversation about the future of the property, focusing
on how Montpelier can continue to steward its
natural resources in an environmentally-conscious way
while expanding uses and programming opportunities
to engage the public across its magnificent 2,650 acres.
“The Design Congress and the conversations about
the property itself have further highlighted how
unique and special it is, which puts a higher burden on
us anytime we consider new development, whether it’s
expanding Constitutional Village or adding tourism
amenities,” says Imhoff. “The congress sharpened
our awareness of the special opportunities on the
property.”
These special opportunities are ones that Imhoff
wants to share with the public. In an era of
technological proliferation, she is a firm believer in
the power of the natural world. “I think that people
really do seek that opportunity to be out in nature,
and everything you read is how important it is to take
yourself outside to walk in the woods and experience
that connection to nature,” she says. “The truth is it’s
getting harder and harder to find those places where
you can go and I believe it’s part of our service to
the public to maintain this site in a very usable and
environmentally-friendly way.”
Though not always easy, and sometimes at odds with
what “cultural institutions have to do to serve the
board and the public today,” Montpelier’s forward-
thinking philosophy is unwavering.
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