Statewide Flood Recovery Clean Up Day

Saturday - August 26th

Green Up Vermont will hold a special statewide cleanup effort on 8/26 using orange bags. This new webpage lets you communicate your town's needs and helps volunteers find various efforts around the state.

New Accessibility Guidelines for Public Rights of Way

New guidelines for pedestrian facilities, including access routes, signals, crosswalks, transit stops, and on-street parking, take effect on 9/7. VLCT has published more details here!

State Wants Your Input on Process for Siting Telecom Facilities

The Vermont legislature directed the Department of Public Service to seek input specifically from Vermont municipalities about how VSA 30 § 248a could be adjusted to better receive and consider input from municipalities and individuals. Municipalities should take the state's survey to start expressing your concerns on this hot topic.

Feeding Vermonters affected by the flood

Southeastern Vermont Community Action has launched Vermont Emergency Eats to help feed Vermonters in Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor Counties. Participating restaurants in those areas will prepare meals for distribution. The program will run through September 5th. If you are in need of food because of the flood, or if you are a farmer, food producer or restaurant that would like to take part in feeding your fellow Vermonters, visit the Vermont Emergency Eats web site.

Economic Injury Survey

ACCD is encouraging businesses to participate in its new Flood Economic Injury Survey. BEGAP grants are for physical damages only, but ACCD still wants to know about economic impacts and lost revenue businesses are experiencing due to recent flooding. Though this survey is not tied to any specific funding at this time, the data will be compiled to help inform recovery efforts and advocate for potential future funding or aid. It takes about 10 minutes to fill out the survey.

Vermont Strong License Plates & Socks

Vermont Strong licenses plates will go on sale next week and half the proceeds will help continue to fund BEGAP. The other half will benefit the Vermont Community Foundation's Response and Recovery Fund.

License plates will be available online Monday or local DMV offices starting September 1st and will cost $35 each. There is also an option to buy a license plate and a pair Darn Tough socks that will be sold as a bundle only online for $70. ACCD will share the website when it goes live on Monday.

Help Shape the Next Iteration of Vermont's Designation Programs - Take the Designation 2050 Survey, Join a Focus Group, and Register for a Statewide Design Summit on 9/12

Designation 2050 is a statewide project to evaluate, reimagine, and redesign Vermont’s statewide designation programs for the next 25 years.  Authorized by the Vermont Legislature, it will develop recommendations for making the programs more impactful, more accessible to diverse communities, and simpler to manage and use. This is your opportunity to engage in the process - more details here!

RFPs & Grant Information

Flood Property Buyouts

Grant funding is available to cover 100% of the cost for voluntary buyouts of residential, commercial, and vacant parcels. Eligible properties include those that flooded in July and those that were spared but are at risk of future flooding. 

If a property owner is considering pursuing a voluntary buyout, or if a municipality has property owners who may be interested, please fill out this intake form. Vermont Emergency Management will then direct you to the appropriate application materials in the next few weeks.

Forestry Economy Program Grant Competition Opens

$4M in grants are available this fall from The Forest Economy Program for community development, workforce training, business planning, public infrastructure, education and more. Eligible projects must directly support the forest industry. The Northern Border Regional Commission is accepting Letters of Interest until September 22, 2023. For more information, see the Forestry Economic Program web page.

Help for Vermont Artists

The Vermont Arts Council has announced a second round of Flood Relief Grants. Artists affected by the flood can receive up to $3,000 each for damage to tools or studio space, or lost revenue due to cancelled shows. Applications accepted on a rolling basis.

2024 Bylaw Modernization Grants

It is more important than ever that we work towards solving the housing crisis and making Vermont communities places everyone can call home. In addition to the Municipal Planning Grant cycle Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development announced last week, they are now announcing this year’s Bylaw Modernization Grant. The program’s details and simplified application are now available on their website.

Bylaw Modernization Grants offer communities up to $25,000 for single municipalities and up to $60,000 for multi-town consortiums who want to update their land use, development, and zoning bylaws in support of pedestrian-oriented development patterns that increase housing choice, affordability, and opportunities in areas planned in accordance with Vermont’s smart growth principles. And, if municipalities complete their project and adopt new bylaws within the two-year grant period, they receive full reimbursements for project costs, including the 10% local funding match.

Please review the Program Description for more information and use the Application Form to apply by November 1.

• September 30, 2023: deadline for RPC-confirmed planning process
• November 1, 2023: application deadline, 6 p.m.
• December 2023: award decisions
• January 1, 2024: grant term begins
• January 1, 2025: mid-project report due
• December 31, 2025: project completion and all funds spent
• January 31, 2026: final report and products submitted

If you have questions or want to talk through your project ideas, please contact Jacob Hemmerick at 802-828-5249 or Jenni Lavoie at 802-828-1948