Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont rose over the last week, but remain slightly lower than the national average, according to GasBuddy. Vermont prices averaged $3.51 per gallon, up 4 cents per gallon from last week's $3.47/g. Prices are 5 cents lower/g than a month ago and $1.20 lower than a year ago. The national average price of gasoline rose 3 cents over the last week, averaging $3.55/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today signed into law several bills as passed by the General Assembly. They include H.53 An act relating to driver’s license suspensions and revenue for the Domestic and Sexual Violence Special Fund; H.161 An act relating to issuance of burning permits; three bills related to charter changes in Middlebury and Burlington; and H.222 An act relating to reducing overdoses.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Natural Resources Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that Four Quarters Brewing, LLC, a brewery in Winooski, was fined $5,035 for violating its Pretreatment Discharge Permit to discharge process wastewater to the City of Winooski Wastewater Treatment Facility. Vermont’s 92 municipal wastewater treatment facilities process more than 15 billion gallons of wastewater per year, treating wastewater to established standards before releasing it into the environment. Certain industrial and commercial activities require a pretreatment discharge permit to discharge wastewater to those municipal treatment facilities. Four Quarters has since brought operations into compliance with its Pretreatment Discharge Permit and is in good standing with the DEC.

Vermont Business Magazine Following a CBS News investigation that uncovered repeated instances of defense contractors overcharging the Department of Defense (DOD) to secure excess profits of 40 to 50 percent, costing the US taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Mike Braun (R-IN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) on Wednesday sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III urging a thorough investigation. The CBS News report found that the DOD would often negotiate fixed price contracts providing for private profits of 12 to 15 percent, only for Pentagon analysts to find overcharges that boosted total profits to nearly 40 percent or more. Massive overcharges from defense contractors accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars were uncovered in the investigation.

Vermont Business Magazine In an effort to address the threat posed by the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB), the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation urges both residents and visitors to stay informed and follow recommendations. As part of the Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, May 22 to May 28, 2023, Vermont renews its commitment to safeguarding its ash tree population, while increasing public safety. The EAB begins its flight season on June 1, when they will emerge from infested ash trees, logs, and firewood and seek new host trees and mates.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s annual, statewide Summer Free Fishing Day is Saturday, June 10 this year, and it will be highlighted by a free family fishing festival in Grand Isle as well as opening day of the state’s regular bass fishing season. Free Fishing Day in Vermont also will be celebrated at the “Grand Isle Family Fishing Festival,” to be held at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station at 14 Bell Hill Road in Grand Isle. The festival will run from 9 am to 3 pm.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s turtles are on the move, and the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is asking for the public’s help in keeping them safe. Female turtles will soon be looking for places to deposit their eggs, and they sometimes choose inconvenient or dangerous locations. For example, turtles often lay eggs in gravel parking lots and driveways and along road shoulders, which puts them at risk of being hit by motor vehicles. Turtle nesting activity peaks between late May and early June, and drivers are urged to keep an eye out for turtles on the road – especially when driving near ponds and wetlands.