State offers businesses $40 million in Community Recovery and Revitalization grants
Nov. 30, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti 
Gov. Phil Scott (center) speaks Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury along with museum Executive Director Adam Kane (left) and state Commissioner of Economic Development Joan Goldstein (right). Courtesy photo
Gov. Phil Scott held his weekly press conference in St. Johnsbury on Tuesday where he announced the launch of a $40 million grant program to boost both for-profit and nonprofit capital investment projects as part of the economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applications are now open for the new Community Recovery and Revitalization Program created earlier this year by the state Legislature and funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, the governor said.
The new program will make grants available to for-profit, nonprofit, and municipal applicants to help pay for projects to spur community economic recovery and revitalization. According to Tuesday’s announcement, eligible projects may include those that assist industries most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic such as arts and entertainment, hospitality, agriculture, and educational services.
Grants also may be used to grow childcare and affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households and to establish or improve municipal water and wastewater systems in order to build housing or create jobs by starting or expanding businesses.
Speaking at the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, the governor also acknowledged an earlier and similar program called the Capital Investment Program that had $10 million in federal funding for Vermont projects. The Fairbanks Museum received a grant from that program for just under $414,000 that is helping fund a new $6 million 6,000-square-foot science center addition to the facility.
The grant will pay for the three-story addition’s state-of-the-art heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.
Historic landmark meets modern innovation
Museum Executive Director Adam Kane was at Tuesday’s press conference with the governor.
He discussed the project and the role the state has played in making it financially viable as construction began this year. In addition to the Capital Investment Program grant, Kane noted, it also benefitted from $163,000 in downtown state tax credits.
With the construction site as a backdrop, Kane said the addition will finally make the historic museum and planetarium – built before the turn of the 20th century – completely accessible to visitors regardless of any mobility limitations. The Tang Science Annex will allow the museum to expand its offerings for students and visitors of all ages, he added.
The museum also touts the fact that the project is “Vermont’s demonstration mass timber building” which uses new technology to glue, nail, or dowel wood products together in layers to create large structural panels, posts, and beams. “Due to their strength, ease of assembly, and environmental characteristics, mass timber building products have the potential to become the materials of choice for a wide range of construction projects,” Kane explained in an email to Waterbury Roundabout.
The science center will use cross-laminated timber made by gluing 2x6 lumber into multi-layer panels. “The nine-inch thick panels take the place of the ceiling-rafter-floor arrangement in typical construction,” Kane said.
The wood used for the panels is Eastern hemlock – a first for this new building material, Kane noted. The lumber was harvested in Vermont and New Hampshire, milled and kiln-dried at White Mountain Lumber in New Hampshire, and manufactured by a company called SmartLam in Alabama. It’s the first time Eastern hemlock is being put to use in this manner. “The certification to create [cross-laminated timber] out of a new species of wood is rigorous and was just approved through a project by the North East State Foresters Association, funded through the USDA Forest Service’s Wood Innovations Grants Program,” Kane said.
Looking at the big picture, the project represents “an expression of the Fairbanks Museum’s environmental commitment,” Kane said. “Both the building itself and the construction process [are] replete with sustainable systems and processes to lower the carbon impact… in its construction and operation,” he explained.
And the overall investment through fundraising and state support is key given that the museum plays an important role in the economic vitality of not just St. Johnsbury but also for the Northeast Kingdom, Kane noted. “We view it as a pillar and catalyst to an ecosystem of education, tourism, and the creative economy,” he said. “We do that work with a lot of amazing partners … it’s part of the never-ending work of revitalizing the community.”
The governor stressed the significance of directing some of the more than $1 billion in federal aid to economic development projects such as the museum’s expansion.
“The federal aid we have received over the last two years has presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform our 14 counties and generate economic opportunity for Vermonters in every corner of our state,” Scott said, noting that the Capital Investment Program illustrated the need for the efforts. “We look forward to deploying this latest round of money through the [Community Recovery and Revitalization Program] program to continue this important work across Vermont.”
Details on the new program
The state has created an application website that is now open and accepting submissions for the new program. Awards will be made on a rolling, first-come-first-served basis after the first 30 days. During the initial month, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development will prioritize reviewing applications that primarily serve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
The agency also will prioritize applications from municipalities and organizations located in non-Metropolitan Statistical Areas in Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Essex, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor counties.
“We recognize there is a large demand for these funds from both the public and private sectors and we are pleased to be able to extend this round of funding to municipalities in addition to businesses and nonprofits,” said Department of Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein. “This money presents the opportunity to bring real impact to our communities throughout the state through projects that will benefit Vermonters for years to come.”
The agency recorded five informational webinars on each eligible project type. State economic development officials strongly encourage all potential applicants to watch the recordings before submitting an application.
Full details of the program, webinar recordings, and the application can be found online on the Community Recovery and Revitalization Program page.
The full list of projects funded through the Capital Investment Program including the Fairbanks Museum is also online on the Capital Investment Program Page.