First Round of Grants Set to Support Housing; Childcare; Agriculture; Educational Services; Arts, Entertainment & Recreation; Accommodations & Food Service Sectors; and Municipal Water/Wastewater Projects
Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein discusses the CRRP at Governor Scott's press conference Tuesday afternoon. Screen shot.
Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) today announced the first round of approved grant applications for projects that spur economic recovery through the Community Recovery and Revitalization Program (CRRP). The program, being administered by the Department of Economic Development (DED), aims to strengthen communities across the state by reversing the harm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through assistance with capital investments that will help businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities to recover, retain existing jobs, and grow the economy.
Thirty-one projects have been approved by an inter-agency committee, resulting in a proposed award amount of $10,328,196 which is expected to support $153,515,054 in total project costs. The 31 projects are expected to support 354 existing jobs and enable the creation of 205 new jobs, 79 new affordable housing units, and 196 new childcare slots for low- to moderate-income families.
The awards are spread across 12 counties, with priority given to four BIPOC-supporting projects and 16 projects in towns with stagnant or declining grand lists.
“My administration remains focused on our continued economic recovery and increasing economic equity in all regions of the state,” said Governor Scott. “These grants will help businesses and organizations critical to their communities continue to recover and grow, increasing critical support like housing, childcare, and wastewater to more Vermonters. These projects represent ARPA dollars at work and are making long-term investments in our state’s future. We must continue to look toward smart investments that will have a lasting impact through the CRRP program and other economic development tools I am advocating for in FY24 budget.”
“This first wave of approved applications represents projects that will provide assistance to households, help businesses in impacted industries to recover, and strengthen communities throughout the state,” said Department of Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein. “We look forward to announcing additional approved projects in the coming weeks and will continue to review applications until the funding is depleted.”
For the full list of approved applications, SEE FULL LIST BELOW or visit the ACCD website. A sample of approved applications include:
- Neck of the Woods, Inc. (Waitsfield)
- Expand childcare and early education center.
- Total project cost: $2,500,000
- CRRP Grant Support: $468,400
- Ledgenear Farm (Glover)
- Diversification of a dairy farm through investments in maple, beef, flower production, and agritourism activities including a self-pick apple orchard and farm-stays.
- Total project cost: $1,007,800
- CRRP grant support: $201,450
- Town Hall Theater, Inc. (Middlebury)
- Transforming the community theater into a regional performing arts center through construction of a new 3-story wing.
- Total project cost: $6,500,000
- CRRP grant support: $500,000
- Town of Manchester
- Main Street sewer and water extension and installation of Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) to service a mobile home park, single family homes, and commercial properties.
- Total project cost: $3,018,880
- CRRP grant support: $603,776
“We are thrilled to receive this critical funding from the State of Vermont and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development,” said JB Weir, the Chair of the Board of Neck of the Woods Childcare and Early Education Center. “This will help us to continue renovations to our 10,000 square foot building, allowing us to achieve our goal of providing early education and childcare for up to 125 children.”
“Ledgenear Farm has been part of Glover for almost two hundred years and this grant will allow us to continue that legacy into the next century,” said owner Nella Cargioli Coe. “The funding will help us to modernize and diversify the farm, preserve working lands, bring agrotourism, create jobs, and provide land-based products to our community. It's an incredible opportunity for our farm and the State of Vermont's support is directly impacting the success of this beautiful place.”
The $40 million program, first proposed by the Scott Administration and passed by the Legislature in 2022 through Acts 183 and 185, is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). As of February 1, 2023, DED received 83 complete applications (31 approved) requesting more than $36 million in capital investment funding to assist with project costs totaling more than $408 million.
DED received seven applications for projects owned, managed, or serving BIPOC individuals, 40 applications from projects in towns with stagnant or declining grand lists, and five applications from municipalities for water or wastewater projects. Applications not approved in this round remain under review for use of the remaining $30 million and will be announced in the coming weeks as they are approved. Applications will continue to be accepted until all funds are allocated.
For a full breakdown of applications and awards by type, refer to the CRRP legislative report.
Find the application and program details on the Community Recovery and Revitalization Program webpage.
APPROVED APPLICATIONS
| Project County | Project Name | Sector Category | Project Description | Estimated Total Project Cost | Proposed Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addison | Lake Champlain Maritime Museum at Basin Harbor, Inc. - Improving Accessibility and Facilities | Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | Renovation of an existing building to create new workspaces, storage spaces for museum collections, and exhibition spaces. Increase accessibility in this building and across the campus by bringing approaches and thresholds into compliance with ADA standards to make the museum accessible and inviting for more visitors, increasing visitation and tourism to this area of rural Addison County. | $330,000 | $66,000 |
| Addison | Sienna Construction LLC - Armory House | Housing | Construction of 9-unit multifamily building to supply needed new affordable and moderate-income housing in Vergennes while supporting local. Includes four 2-bedroom units and five 1-bedroom units with the two ground floor units ADA compliant and fully wheelchair accessible. | $2,565,500 | $500,000 |
| Addison | The Willowell Foundation Inc - Wren's Nest Preschool Sustainability and Housing Expansion | Childcare | Purchase of land and infrastructure to create low-income housing for professionals in early education and help strengthen Vermont’s workforce. Expansion of preschool with permanent roots in Bristol, offering three more full time slots per year and reserving twenty percent of those spots for low-to-moderate-income families. Construction of a modest schoolhouse, which will grow our programmatic infrastructure, support the subsequent hiring of more teachers and expand access to more low-income families. Construction of a three bedroom low-income unit that will serve as AmeriCorps member housing. | $1,480,800 | $296,160 |
| Addison | Town Hall Theater Inc. - Town Hall Center for the Performing Arts | Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | Town Hall Theater in Middlebury, Vermont is undertaking a transformational project growing a community theater into a regional performing arts center. Construction of a new 7,000-8,000 sqft three-story wing, which will attach to the existing theater and be constructed on an adjacent lot that Town Hall Theater bought in 2018 with the intention to expand. | $6,500,000 | $500,000 |
| Bennington | Bennington Museum - Roofing Repair and HVAC Upgrades | Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | Repair roof and complete an HVAC improvement project. | $184,720 | $36,944 |
| Bennington | Hale Resources LLC - Benn High Redevelopment | Housing, Project is located within a QCT | Repurpose the historic Old Bennington High School building for housing, community recreation, and social services. The building has been vacant since 2004 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Plans include 70,000 sqft of potential residential space with 37 housing units - 15 units being perpetually affordable in Condo #1. | $5,773,085 | $500,000 |
| Bennington | Manchester - Main Street Sewer Main and Water Main Extension and Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV) Installation | Water/Wastewater | Extension of municipal sewer, along approximately one mile section of North Main Street from Cemetery Avenue, and to the Mobile Home Park which is located next to the Town Office to provide municipal sewer service to multiple single-family homes and a large number of commercial properties, and the mobile home park. Installation of Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV), near the intersection of Main Street and Barnumville Road will allow for greater pressure to power a sprinkler system(s) in the new hotel project (private development) , as well as, potentially, other commercial properties along this section of Main Street. The PRV serves to reduce the water pressure for residential service in order to protect residential systems from the increased water pressure needed to power the sprinkler systems. Extension of water line, from its present termination at the Town Offices into the Mobile Home Park. The Town outlines that the water system located at the Mobile Home Park, is currently out of compliance with State requirements. | $3,018,880 | $603,776 |
| Caledonia | Cellars at Jasper Hill LLC - Food Venture Center Creamery Expansion | Agriculture | Investment in the Vermont Food Venture Center (FVC) creamery milk intake and production capacity including the purchase and installation of two 8,000-gallon silos, one for milk receiving and a second for whey storage. The truck bay will be modified to enable milk delivery by a larger milk truck. Approximately 1,600 sqft of existing cold storage will be converted to sanitary climate-controlled cheese production space in order to accommodate the processing of increased milk receipts. | $1,308,000 | $261,600 |
| Caledonia | Friends of the Jeudevine Library, Inc. - Library Expansion | Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | Renovation of historic building in Hardwick Village to better meet community's needs and expansion of a ~5,000 sqft two-level addition that will add reading rooms for children and teens, a dedicated circulation area, a public event room with an appended kitchen, a staff room, and a small meeting room for committees and book clubs. | $3,050,000 | $500,000 |
| Caledonia | Gilman Housing Trust - St. Johnsbury Accessory Buildings | Housing | Renovation of 2 St. Johnsbury properties resulting in 7 affordable units. All seven of these new units will be affordable as defined and will give priority to folks moving out of homelessness. | $2,846,974 | $360,228 |
| Caledonia | Northeast Kingdom Development Corporation - Yellow Barn Business Accelerator | Agriculture | Rehabilitation of the barn and new construction alongside it. Cabot will lease all the space in the historic barn to operate a retail destination featuring its cheeses, as well as other local foods and beverages. Just footsteps away from the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, the unique retail destination will draw at least 30,000 visitors from the northeast each year. New construction includes a one-story accelerator just under 22,000 sqft. Two tenants are leasing the accelerator: Jasper Hill Farm and the Center for an Agricultural Economy. The square footage is roughly divided evenly between the two tenants. | $10,371,746 | $1,000,000 |
| Chittenden | ABC Academy, LLC - Childcare Expansion | Childcare | Expansion of childcare facility including purchase and renovation of building the program currently resides in to increase childcare slots by 30 children and add 7 jobs. This will increase childcare slots from 77 children to 107. Additional renovation of 5,700 sqft basement will add an indoor gross motor space, space for Saturday Morning Playgroups, onsite gym, and a STEM Innovation Programing and Arts space for children ages 3 - 12 years old. | $2,030,000 | $406,000 |
| Chittenden | KSL, LLC -Laundromat Ventilation Upgrade | Project is located in a QCT and is BIPOC serving | Installation of a high efficiency energy recovery ventilation (ERV) unit along with a mechanical louvered air intake to mitigate circulation issues in an approximately 1,000 sqft laundromat with 24 washer and dryers and associated patron waiting areas | $30,000 | $6,000 |
| Essex | 3B, LLC - 28 Cross Street Renovation | Project is located in a QCT | Renovation of Island Pond building into a vibrant multi-use commercial/residential space in the town center including modifications to create a rental apartment on the second floor, modifications to the first floor from retail to cafe and bakery, modifications to the basement from storage/mechanical space to a modern fitness/yoga studio, facade modifications to include repainting, fire code modifications for a second entrance to the basement which will require changes to the existing front porch, and an outdoor patio along the side of the building. The goal of these exterior changes is to increase the curb appeal of building and maximize the building's property utilization. | $450,000 | $90,000 |
| Essex | American Legion Brighton Post #80 - roofing, signage, and fencing | Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | Construction/replacement of entire roofing of building, completion of a double-sided sign identifying the building, and proper signage to provide notices to the community. | $49,000 | $9,800 |
| Franklin | Town of Highgate - Highgate Airport Infrastructure Project | Water/Wastewater | Extension of Swanton Village's water and sewer infrastructure along VT Route 78 from the current terminus at 175 Thunderbird Drive, to the Commercial/Industrial Zoning District surrounding the Franklin County State Airport (FCSA) located at 629 Airport Road, to support business development and workforce development. The Town of Highgate is collaborating with Swanton Village to extend utilities to the airport for the potential growth impact it can have in the region because it will allow for wider uses of the valuable land including food processing and manufacturing. | $3,500,000 | $700,000 |
| Orange | Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation- Orange County Parent Child Center Randolph (OCPCC Randolph) | Educational Services | Purchase, renovation, and repurposing of a vacant, two-story building on Route 66 in Randolph, to create a new, high-quality, early care and education (ECE) program serving 88 children, from infancy through preschool, and their families. In addition to the new childcare spaces created, the facility design includes space for ECE workforce training and education, and other child and family support services. | $5,398,622 | $500,000 |
| Orange | Village Ventures - 61 N. Pleasant St Affordable Housing | Housing | Renovation of vacant historic 1900 3-family building in downtown Bradford to bring 3 housing units back to market and add 3 new units across the barn and unfinished space. | $843,623 | $168,725 |
| Orleans | LEDGENEAR FARM - Diversification Project | Agriculture | Diversification of dairy farm in Glover to include investments in equipment and capital facilities improvements to support maple, beef, and flower production, as well as agritourism related to self-pick apple orchard and farm-stay attractions. | $1,007,800 | $201,561 |
| Orleans | Orleans County Historical Society, Inc. dba Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village - Cyrus Eaton House Restoration | Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | The Cyrus Eaton House is one of eight historic buildings and 60 acres under the care of the Orleans County Historical Society. The building needs structural restoration and exterior improvements which will stabilize the building and create the opportunity for increased access to and interpretation of the site's nationally significant African American, 19th century history. | $90,000 | $18,000 |
| Rutland | Center & Wales LLC - Downtown Rutland Hotel and Residences | Accommodation & Food Services, Project is located within a QCT | Construction of a 6-story structure on the corner of Center and Wales Street located in the heart of downtown Rutland. The proposed project is a mixed-use building consisting of 4 stories of hotel and 2 stories of market rate apartments. The proposed structure will fill the footprint of the "pit" area in a U-shape with a courtyard area in the middle. The proposed structure will be constructed directly adjacent (and adjoining) to the former Rutland Herald headquarters that is currently located on the property. | $35,000,000 | $500,000 |
| Rutland | Haystack Catering, LLC | Accommodation & Food Services | Expanding catering and events business by building a dedicated catering kitchen on first floor of new building, with a yoga and wellness studio on the second floor. | $450,000 | $79,347 |
| Rutland | Paramount Center Inc. - Renovations and expansion of The Paramount Theatre and adjoining Richardson Building | Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | Energy-efficient and ADA-accessibility upgrades and improvements, and construction of two 4,000 sqft multi-use venues. These flexible spaces are intended for community-wide use, will retain period architectural elements, and enhance customer experience throughout. | $5,500,000 | $154,462 |
| Rutland | Town of Killington - Killington Forward Water Project | Water/Wastewater | Creation of a municipal water supply system and transmission to include the Valley Wells, well house, pump station, storage tank(s), and all transmission mains from the wells to the storage tank(s). This phase also includes the transmission main from the storage tank to the Six Peaks Village and continuing to along Killington Road to its intersection with Ravine Road. This project will also require land acquisition and easements. | $31,302,703 | $1,000,000 |
| Washington | Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, Inc - Technology upgrades to facilitate adult learning, necessary for COVID recovery and workforce development | Educational Services, Project is located within a QCT | Upgraded technology for Barre City learning center and administrative offices that are imperative for service delivery including 8 desktop and 2 laptop computers for student use, peripherals, as well as a major upgrade of our server system to Microsoft 365. | $63,280 | $12,500 |
| Washington | Neck of the Woods, Inc - Capital Improvements and Expansion | Childcare | Expansion of a major childcare and early education center in Waitsfield that will accommodate 125 children starting at 6 weeks of age. Rennovation of recently purchased campus that includes a 10,000 sq ft main building, a 5,600 sqft warehouse, 11 acres along the Mad River and a large solar array to add a commercial kitchen and cafeteria space on the ground floor, renovation of the second floor to add up to 5 more classrooms and bathrooms, upgrading all fire, safety and communication systems, enhancing ADA accessibility to include an elevator and new entry area, installation of a new heating and cooling system to the second floor plus additional building envelope improvements. | $2,500,000 | $468,400 |
| Windham | Holton House LLC - Workforce Housing Development | Project is located within a QCT | Conversion of existing but vacant senior care facility into 35 co-housing units to support a current need for travel nurses, international refugees, and other members of the workforce. | $550,000 | $110,000 |
| Windsor | American Precision Museum - Transformation and Expansion Plan | Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation | Expansion of office space to accommodate 3 new full-time employees; restoration and insulation of windows and doors; a new retaining wall; and renovation of storage space into a Smart Classroom and Conference Room. The primary beneficiaries of this project are students, teachers, families, and communities that we serve, and opens space for hosting meetings and events at the historically significant site. | $3,100,000 | $500,000 |
| Windsor | Springfield Area Parent Child Center - Workforce Development & Early Childhood Education Training Center | Educational Services, Project is located within a QCT | Multi-tiered project to purchase vacant commercial building across the street from current location and convert it into a diverse education and training facility which will include a mock child care classroom. The project will allow us to immediately begin providing professional development opportunities to Early Childhood Educators and others in the human services field in the 3,000 sqft event hall that holds 198 people. Another portion of the building will later become a community thrift store, (after upgrades in late 2023) where our "Learning Together" program participants, primarily teen parents, will learn retail job skills. | $393,465 | $78,693 |
| Windsor | Springfield Regional Development Corporation - Black River Innovation Campus, Park St. School Redevelopment | Project is located in a QCT | Renovation of the core and shell of 95,000 sqft building to allow Black River Innovation Campus (BRIC) to expand from a small pilot area to safe and accessible use of the balance of the building for provide training, mentorship and support for early stage companies, coworking and office space, serving as a regional connector for technology workers and entrepreneurs. | $7,300,000 | $500,000 |
| Windsor | Twin Pines Housing Trust - Riverwalk Community Housing | Housing | Construction of 42 new affordable housing units. The development will consist of one multifamily rental building that is four stories with an elevator, and includes a community room, common laundry facilities, a parking garage beneath the building, and surface parking with a total of 53 parking spaces. The building will have heat pumps for heating and cooling, active energy recovery ventilation, and a robust thermal envelope. Four units will be ADA compliant with all other units visitable/adaptable. The final unit mix will include 7 studios, 8 one-bedroom, 24 two-bedroom and 3 three-bedroom units. | $16,526,856 | $200,000 |
| Totals | $153,515,054 | $10,328,196 |
Source: 3.14.2023. Governor. Montpelier www.vermont.gov
