Governor Douglas
Awards $1.3 Million In Community Development Grants
Ten
Communities To Receive Funds For Housing, Economic Development Projects
MILTON, Vt. – Creating affordable housing, jobs, and
alternative energy sources in Vermont were on the agenda as Governor Jim
Douglas on Monday announced the award of $1.3 million in community development
grants to ten communities.
“These grants will rehabilitate affordable housing;
create new elderly housing units and adult day care; help plan for responsible
future housing projects and promote job creation in Vermont,” Governor
Douglas said.
The $1,345,498 in Vermont Community Development Program
grants will also leverage $10,152,714 in other private and public resources, he
said during a ceremony in Milton.
A $297,500 grant to Meadowlane Housing Associates and
Housing Foundation Inc. will be used to purchase and rehabilitate 20 units of
affordable housing and create 16 additional new units of affordable elderly
housing.
“Our existing affordable housing stock must be
maintained, but we must also expand that, including housing for our aging
population,” Douglas said. “And we must encourage the production of
new housing that working Vermonters can afford.”
The Town of Middlebury was awarded the largest grant,
receiving $412,498 to rehabilitate the Hill House Group Home, which provides
housing and other services to the homeless who are struggling with mental
illness or substance abuse.
“These eight units of housing are critical to meeting
the needs of these extremely vulnerable Vermonters,” Governor Douglas
said. “In addition, the septic failure at the facility will be addressed
by connecting to municipal sewer and water, and energy efficiency and ADA
improvements will be made.”
A $250,000 grant to the Town of Colchester will be
sub-granted to the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET), an
incubator affiliated with the University of Vermont, to support the expansion
of services in a new facility in Colchester.
“By working with more new businesses to help them
create jobs at its new Colchester location, the Vermont Center for Emerging
Technologies will help entrepreneurs in our state bring their ideas to the
marketplace, and employ their neighbors,” Governor Douglas said.
A $200,000 grant to the Town of Bennington will be used by
Bennington Project Independence for the construction of a State certified,
not-for-profit Adult Day Care center serving Bennington County and the
surrounding region.
“Assisting older adults in the Bennington area with
day care means they will be able to live more independent lives outside of
nursing homes, closer to their families,” Governor Douglas said.
Two towns, Sutton and Bridport, will each receive roughly
$30,000 in grant money to study the feasibility of setting up a wood or fiber
fuel pellet production plant in those towns.
“These grants represent an investment in green
technology that could pay huge dividends later in terms of jobs and our
environment,” Governor Douglas said.
The Village of Waterbury and City of Montpelier will each
use $25,000 grants for planning, the former for economic development and
housing plans, and the latter for work on a mixed use development on the site
of the former Salt Shed on Stone Cutters Way.
“Waterbury is a growing community, and this grant will
help it plan for growth that is responsible and that ensures future
prosperity,” Governor Douglas said. “Montpelier’s Stone
Cutter’s Way has been a wonderful example of redevelopment incorporating
retail and office spaces, and this grant will help further that effort.”
Finally, the towns of Warren and Worcester will receive
$50,000 and $25,504 respectively to make renovations to their Town Halls to
bring them into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“These grants will make an important public space
– the Town Hall – accessible to all residents for important
activities like Town Meeting and conducting government business,”
Governor Douglas said.
The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development
awards the competitive grants based on the recommendation of the Vermont
Community Development Board and approval of Secretary Kevin Dorn.
For information about the Vermont Community Development Program,
please see the Agency of Commerce and Community Development website at: www.dhca.state.vt.us/VCDP/
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Implementation Grants
$412,498 Town
of Middlebury: Subgrant to Addison County Community Action Group to
rehabilitate the Hill House Group Home on 290 Route 7 North. The home provides
transitional supportive housing services to mentally ill homeless persons.
$297,500 Town
of Milton: Subgrant to Meadowlane Housing Associates and Housing Foundation
Inc. to acquire and rehabilitate the existing 20 units of affordable housing at
Meadowland Apartments in order to modernize the facility and to meet current
life/safety code requirements. Also planned is the development of 16 additional
new units of affordable elderly housing on the same parcel.
$250,000 Town
of Colchester: Grant to Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies
(VCET) to support the start-up operations of their Colchester Facility and its
technology based business incubator program.
$200,000 Town
of Bennington: Subgrant to Bennington Project Independence for the
construction of a State certified facility, not-for-profit Adult Day Care
serving Bennington County and the surrounding region.
Planning Grants
$30,000 Town
of Sutton: Grant to conduct a feasibility study of the Old Burke
Lumber Mill site for reuse as a wood-chip and wood-pellet production facility.
$29,996 Town
of Bridport: Subgrant to Addison County Regional Planning Commission
to study the feasibility of producing fiber fuel pellets and the viability of a
fiber fuel pellet production plant in Addison County.
$25,000 City
of Montpelier: Grant to continue studying the feasibility of
implementing the Riverside Center as a mixed use development on the site of the
former Salt Shed on Stone Cutters Way.
$25,000 Village
of Waterbury: Grant to develop a comprehensive plan, including
economic development and housing options, for the future growth of Waterbury
Village and identify strategies for implementation of the plan.
Accessibility
Modification Grants
$50,000 Town
of Warren: Grant to provide accessibility to all three floors of the
Warren Town Hall by installing an elevator and bringing it into ADA compliance
with state and federal regulations.
$25,504 Town
of Worcester: Grant to provide accessibility to the Worcester Town
Hall and bring it into full ADA compliance with state and federal regulations.