Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and his senior staff today again reiterated the reasons why the General Assistance "Hotel/Motel" program serving some 3,000 homeless needs to transition to the next phase. Scott said along with the obvious cost of the program ($8 million a month or about $145 a day per room), the hotel/motel program was instituted to help people stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Without the federal funding the state can not afford to support it as is. As a transition, they have extended eligibility to for the temporary program to include families with children up 18 years old, from 6, along with the pre-pandemic eligibility that will remain in place (disabled, third trimester of pregnancy, and over 65). The clock will be reset and they will receive another 28 days. The other problem, the governor pointed out, is that the hotel/motel program did not offer services nor did it require individuals to seek services. About 800 individuals are scheduled to come off the current program on June 1 and another 2,000 or so will come off July 1. Again, some number of those will be eligible for the extended benefits.

Vermont Business Magazine Saint Michael’s College trustees recently selected Lewis Thayne — a veteran college leader with proven strengths in fundraising, strategic planning, marketing, and enrollment — to serve as interim president. He will start this summer and serve until a formal search process leads to a permanent president sometime in early 2024. Lorraine Sterritt, the Saint Michael’s president for the past five years, has announced her June 30 retirement. Trustees decided that, rather than rush the selection of a permanent new president, they would contract with an organization called The Registry, which offers “senior interim leadership in higher education.”

Vermont Business Magazine On Thursday, surrounded by numerous community leaders and supporters, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced his intention to bring the appointment of Chief Jon Murad to the Burlington City Council for confirmation at their June 5th meeting. This is the second confirmation attempt. Murad was appointed acting chief in 2020, but Progressives block his confirmation as permanent chief in 2022. This came on the heels of the "defund police" movement, following the murder of George Floyd, and the cutting of police positions in Burlington. Murad's temperament has also been questioned by detractors, especially following an incident with an emergency department doctor at the University of Vermont Medical Center last August. But the composition of the Council swung away from Progressives since that last vote, in part because of the defund movement, and Democrats are in a stronger position. Mayor Weinberger is also lauding Murad's steadfastness and accomplishments over the last few years during what has been a difficult public safety period for the city.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Robert Bivens, 54, and Andrew Sollace, 41, both of Montpelier, Vermont, were arraigned yesterday on multiple counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Mr. Bivens was arraigned on two felony counts and three misdemeanor counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Mr. Sollace was arraigned on four felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The charges brought against Mr. Bivens and Mr. Sollace are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of search warrants into the shared residence of Mr. Bivens and Mr. Sollace and online data accounts, by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), which included personnel from the Attorney General’s Office, Montpelier Police Department, Randolph Police Department, Burlington Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Supreme Court issued a decision this week in Sackett vs. EPA that substantially narrows the Clean Water Act (CWA) by ruling that only wetlands with a continuous connection to larger bodies of water are protected under federal law. The decision will leave many ecological important wetlands unprotected throughout the country and rolls back protections that have safeguarded our waters for more than 50 years. Even with Vermont’s stronger protections for wetlands, we all should be troubled by this Supreme Court ruling. The decision sides with anti-regulatory organizations who pushed to strip the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to protect vital natural resources and clean up our country’s waters.

Vermont Business Magazine Eighteen Southern Vermont Emerging Leaders were recognized on May 23 during the Southern Vermont Economy Summit. With sponsorship from the Community College of Vermont, the Southern Vermont Young Professionals and the Shires Young Professionals conducted the annual recognition event, which celebrates young people from the Bennington and Windham regions. Individuals were nominated based on their work as community leaders and volunteers, and for their professional accomplishments and commitment to serving the region. Once nominated, each Emerging Leader was asked to submit an application describing their career and community service accomplishments. Many responses were characterized by a desire to cultivate healthier, more welcoming communities, recognizing the incremental nature of change.

Vermont Business Magazine For the 2023 running of the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay, sponsor M&T Bank and organizer RunVermont are preparing to welcome thousands of runners, volunteers, and spectators to Burlington for the weekend-long celebration, marathon, and relay. As the largest sporting event in Vermont, the marathon provides an annual economic impact of over $3.5 million to the Burlington area. The 34th M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay will take place in Burlington on May 28, consisting of a full marathon and two- and five-person relays. The events will welcome an estimated 4,400 runners from across New England, the US, and beyond. The course, which winds through Burlington and along Lake Champlain, has long been considered one of the nation's best mid-sized marathons and counts towards qualification for the Boston Marathon.

Vermont Business Magazine The Board of Directors has announced the departure of Christopher Oldham as Executive Director of the Park-McCullough Historic Governor’s Mansion effective mid-June. Stacey New will also be exiting as board president and Kelly Clarke Harrington will be coming in as interim board president of the historic property in North Bennington. When Chris Oldham was hired in late 2019, the Park-McCullough House Association Board of Directors selected him for his proven skills to increase the visibility of an organization and create a sense of community. Over the past three years, Oldham has solidified and expanded the organization’s mission to continue the Park & McCullough legacies of enriching our community through a dynamic exploration of history and the arts.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest mountain resort in Eastern North America and a POWDR company, will be the only ski resort in the Northeast open Memorial Day Weekend for skiing and riding, mountain biking, and golfing. Veterans are invited to participate in the sport of their choice for free on Monday, May 29 and Beast365 Passholders can earn a free t-shirt by participating in all three sports over the course of the four days. Be sure to check the conditions report daily, as Mother Nature may affect skiing and riding operations. In addition to a multi-sport weekend, Total Archery Challenge will take place May 26-28 at Pico Mountain, kicking off a jam-packed summer events schedule. Don’t miss out on Outerbike, coming to Killington for the first time on July 7-9 and the return of the Fox US Open of Mountain Biking on September 21-24.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $7,250,000 from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to expedite the assessment and cleanup of brownfields sites in Vermont while advancing environmental justice. EPA selected six communities in Vermont to receive seven grants totaling $4,250,000 in competitive EPA Brownfields funding through the Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (MARC) Grant programs. Thanks to the historic boost from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this is the largest ever funding awarded in the history of the EPA’s Brownfields MARC Grant programs. In addition, the agency is announcing $3,000,000 in non-competitive supplemental funding to two successful existing Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grant programs to help expedite their continued work at sites in their area by extending the capacity of the program to provide more funding for additional cleanups.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer today released his office’s report on South Burlington’s city managed TIF District. These reports are required by the Legislature. South Burlington has begun an extensive growth program through its City Center development projects. The auditor found that the city has been meeting its TIF obligations. The City of South Burlington City Center TIF District was approved by the Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC) on July 25, 2013, subject to the submission of a TIF Financing Plan. The City’s Financing Plan was approved by VEPC in 2015. In total, VEPC has authorized $29.7 million of public improvements and related costs to be funded with tax increment financing.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) kicked off a new initiative today, “Homes for All: A ‘Design & Do’ Toolkit for Small-scale Home Builders, Investors & Community Leaders.” The Homes for All (H4A) Toolkit, which is under development and will be released in December 2023, will provide prospective and emerging small-scale developers, policymakers, and municipal and community leaders the tools and support they need to strengthen Vermont communities with diverse and affordable housing choices. The Vermont Homes for All Toolkit is designed to re-introduce Missing Middle Homes (MMH) to the state. MMH are rooted in Vermont’s pre-1945 development pattern and include a range of neighborhood-scale residential building types like accessory dwelling units (ADUs), duplexes, small-scale multi-household buildings, and small mixed-use/live-work buildings that can accommodate residents of different ages, abilities, lifestyles and stages of life. In many communities, zoning restrictions have made these types of homes illegal or difficult to build.