MAY FROST AND JULY FLOODING
DISASTER ASSISTANCE
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On July 21, a USDA Secretarial Disaster Designation was made at the request of Governor Scott. This makes farm operators across Vermont eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in Vermont have until March 21, 2024 to apply for emergency loans. Information about USDA’s disaster assistance programs is available here. Producers in the region who are interested in these programs are encouraged to contact their local USDA service agency office which may be found here. | |  |
July 7-12 Flooding Disaster | On July 14, FEMA announced that President Biden approved federal disaster assistance to the state of Vermont to enable federal assistance across the state for those affected by severe flooding beginning on July 7, 2023, and continuing. Currently Franklin and Grand Isle Counties are only included in the Category B (emergency protective measures) portion of the declaration. Category B is limited to direct Federal assistance and reimbursement for mass care, including evacuation and sheltering support, under the Public Assistance program. There are a wide variety of resources available to assist those affected by this event available at the official Vermont Flood Resources website available here and through Vermont League of Cities & Towns Flood Recovery website here. | |
GRANT & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES | |
Municipal Planning Grant Applications Due - Nov. 1, 2023 | |
The State’s flexible Municipal Planning Grants are ready to support projects that will make real change possible in your community. For more than 30 years, Municipal Planning Grants have helped municipalities like yours implement town plan recommendations and jump start initiatives like flood resilience and recovery planning, zoning updates to welcome new homes, plans for a state designated area, or ‘age-strong’ community design.
Individual towns may apply for up to $30,000 and joint applications from several municipalities (a consortium) may apply for up to $45,000. A wide range of municipal planning and implementation activities are eligible for funding, with a small local match of 10%. Municipalities are encouraged to reach out to stakeholders now to discuss local needs, opportunities, and strategies for adaptation and change.
Please review the Program Description for eligibility requirements and application guidelines.
Application Schedule for FY2024 Grants:
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Online application (GEARS) opens for use on September 1, 2023
- RPC confirmation of municipal planning process (for eligibility): September 30, 2023
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Application Deadline: 11/01/2023 @ 6:00pm
- Award Decisions: November 2023
- Project completion: December 2025 (note that the grant term is now 2 years)
If you would like assistance with preparing an application, please contact Greta Brunswick or Emily Klofft.
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Northern Border Regional Commission Forest Economy Program Grants | |
The Northern Border Regional Commission is accepting letters of interest for the fall 2023 round of the Forest Economy Program! The Commission’s Forest Economy Program (FEP) supports the regional forest-based economy and the industry’s evolution to include new technologies and viable business models across the 4-state NBRC region. Organizations interested in applying for funding were encouraged to attend an information session that was scheduled for August 8 and 9. You can watch either one of these information sessions here.
Letters of Interest will be accepted from all eligible applicants no later than 5:00 p.m. EST September 22, 2023. Letters of Interest required information should be submitted as one PDF and sent here. Please visit the Forest Economy Program page of the NBRC website for additional information about the program, including info session details, investment priorities, and application requirements.
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Municipal Energy Resilience Program (MERP) Application | |
The long-awaited Municipal Energy Resilience Program (MERP) assessment application is open! Municipalities can apply for assessments on their municipally owned buildings. They can apply for multiple buildings, and they can choose between a level 1 or level 2 assessment. While the level 2 assessment is more thorough, it requires more staff time in order to locate the following documentation:
- Electricity use - last 5 years
- Fuel use (oil, propane, wood, etc.) last 5 years
- Mechanical and electrical plans, drawings, maintenance manuals
- Architectural drawings
- Lighting schedules
If a municipality doesn’t have the capacity or desire to collect and provide these documents, they can still receive a level 1 assessment which will just be less comprehensive. This will still make them eligible for the implementation funds. There is some flexibility if some of the documentation is incomplete or missing, so if your municipality is interested in a level 2 but is missing part of this documentation, it is still worth applying.
A level 2 assessment will give a municipality much more insight into their building and what improvements could be made to its efficiency, but it will also qualify a municipality for more grants down the road. For these reasons, a municipality might decide it is worth the extra staff time to prepare for a level 2. Both types of assessment qualify municipalities for up to $500,000 in implementation funds to improve the efficiency of the buildings. The application for both levels of assessment are available at here. Feel free to reach out to NRPC’s Energy and Climate Planner Marlena Valenta by email or at (802) 393-5055 for questions or assistance applying.
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Electric Vehicle Charger Funding Available | EV chargers can be a great employee perk, a draw for tenants, and an additional pull for public attractions. This program will help to fund the installation of chargers at businesses, multi-unit dwellings, and public attractions. For women or minority owned applicant sites, no match will be required. For non-profits, government agencies or multi-unit dwellings with 50% or more affordable housing units, there will be a 5% applicant match. For-profit organizations and multi-unit dwellings with 51% or more market rate units will have a 10% applicant match. The application along with more information can be found here. NRPC’s Energy and Climate Planner Marlena Valenta can be reached by email or at (802) 393-5055 for assistance with applications or questions regarding the program. | |
Regional Partnership Evaluates Water Quality Solutions | |
A partnership coordinated by NRPC has completed evaluations of 14 sites identified as having the potential to improve water quality in northwest Vermont. The sites span two counties—Franklin and Chittenden—and include both rural and built-up locations. Projects at some of the sites are moving forward into design or construction. Projects typically will be carried out as part of capital projects funded by grants. | |
Lack of buffer vegetation on both sides of the channel, dense algae bloom is visible from Lake Carmi | |
HEALTHY ROOTS COLLABORATIVE | |
Healthy Roots has been gleaning blueberries! Last week we gleaned 57 pounds of berries at Liberty Hill Farm & Berries in Franklin. We are planning to hold more blueberry gleans in Montgomery and Grand Isle before the season ends. To learn more, including how to volunteer, please visit Vermont Gleaning Collective or email us here. | |
Northwest Vermont Needs More Housing Choices | |
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Did you know that most of the houses built in the region over the last 20 years are single-family detached homes?
Our recent Northwest Housing Needs Assessment shows that other “missing middle” housing types well-suited to small households, young adults, seniors and people with disabilities are limited both in number and location, leaving these residents little choice in housing.
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In July the NRPC was involved in organizing a Lake Champlain themed storytelling event at the St. Albans Bay Town Park. In addition to the five wonderful storytellers who spoke, The Smokey Newfield Project and Uncle John’s Band also performed some music. Mill River BBQ served food, and several watershed groups and community organizations tabled. There was a great turnout, with around 75 community members in attendance. If you want to check out some of the stories or music, the event was recorded on Northwest Access TV, and can be viewed here. | |
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The Department of Housing and Community Development manages the state designation programs – Downtowns, Village Centers, New Town Centers, Growth Centers and Neighborhood Development Areas. These programs work together to provide incentives, align policies and give communities the technical assistance needed to encourage new development and redevelopment in our compact, designated areas.
On the 25 anniversary of its designation programs, Vermont is evaluating and re-imagining the next 25 years. Authorized by the Vermont Legislature, the study will develop recommendations for making the programs more impactful, more accessible to diverse communities, and simpler to manage and use.
Does your town, city, or village participate in Vermont’s Designation Programs? The designation programs include:
- Designated Village Centers
- Designated Downtowns
- Designated Growth Centers
- Designated New Town Centers
- Designated Neighborhood Development Areas
Do you have a statewide perspective or ideas for reform? Designation 2050 wants to hear from stakeholders all across Vermont about what’s working, what could be improved, and how these programs could be reimagined. Your input matters!
The Designation2050 website provides information on the study along with many ways to participate. Explore the site and different ways you can engage, share your input, and help shape the next designation programs. Engage how you like, when you like!
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