Gov. Shumlin announces $700,000 grant to build new town office in Moretown

Gov. Peter Shumlin and Lawrence Miller, Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), today announced the award of a $700,000 grant to the town of Moretown to build a new town office. The facility, which will be built on higher ground out of the flood plain, replaces the old municipal building that was damaged in 2011’s Tropical Storm Irene. Town officials are currently working out of a temporary space.
‘This building has been flooded twice since 1998, and will continue to be damaged by future flooding that is certain to hit the region as a result of climate change,’the Governor said. ‘The grant will allow the town to rebuild in a more appropriate location, avoid the likelihood of future flood damage, and construct an energy efficient, accessible town office space for the future.’
‘Moretown is very pleased, gratified, and thrilled with this Community Development Block Grant award. It has been a challenging two years of rebuilding and adjusting from Tropical Storm Irene for Moretown and its residents,’said Tom Martin, Chair of the Selectboard. ‘This grant is timely and generous. We hope the sound of construction of the new town office is coming from Moretown Village in the summer of 2014.’
The new building will be fully accessible and highly energy efficient. It will include offices for town officials, a meeting space and a vital records vault. That vault is especially important because many of the town’s public records were destroyed in Irene. The new facility is designed to fit the character of the village, and will be significantly larger than the old building ‘close to 2,000 square feet, compared to the previous 600-square-foot town office.
The Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding was the result of a provision championed by U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Congressman Peter Welch in the federal budget bill.
‘Across the state, communities are doing the hard work of moving housing, community buildings and critical services out of harm’s way,’said Sec. Miller. ‘We are pleased to support Moretown’s project to improve the ability of its citizens to access municipal officials and services while returning a piece of the floodplain to the Mad River.’
The town has also applied for Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds for the demolition of the old municipal building. If FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, approves that application, ACCD will use CDBG Disaster Recovery funds to provide the required 25 percent local match.