Sun, 05/02/2021 - 1:38pm tim
In Shrewsbury, Pierce s Store, reopened as a cooperative in 2009, is thriving. Manager Elana Levin was too busy for an interview. Photos by C.B. Hall
by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine If you don t have a store, you can t really have a town, Ripton resident and prominent environmentalist Bill McKibben wrote in a
New York Times op-ed three years ago.
It s a thought that haunts many Vermont towns, as general stores, long a sine qua non of village economies – and the Vermont brand – contend with today s economic forces. From Albany in the state s northeast to West Rupert in the southwest, dozens of communities have confronted what it means to see their local stores endangered, or closed.
Devin Colman in front of his favorite midcentury house in Burlington On January 24, the preservation experts of seven northeastern states, including Pennsylvania and New York, convened for a webinar on historic barns, hosted by the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. One of the three invited guest speakers was Tom Visser, professor and director of the master s of science program in historic preservation at the University of Vermont. In the subsequent breakout session for Vermont, the main speakers, Vermont state architectural historian Devin Colman and Preservation Trust of Vermont field service representative Alex Tolstoi, greeted each other familiarly. Both graduates of Visser s program, they gave a shout-out to a third grad, Caitlin Corkins, tax credits and grants coordinator at the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, who didn t make it to the event.
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VERNON â The Preservation Trust of Vermont announced the recipients of the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants to activate and reuse historic structures. A total of $625,000 has been awarded to nine rural community projects, including the historic Governor Hunt House in Vernon. The grants range from $50,000 to $100,000 and will be used for restoration and repairs of windows, facades, foundations, interior spaces and roofs.
The Preservation Trust received applications totaling over $2.5 million in requests. âThe applications represented an amazing array of projects including arts spaces, community centers, village stores, and more. It was tough to choose among so many great projects. Ultimately, we selected the ones that best meet the goals of spurring new economic activity in village centers and downtowns and those that bring new life to under-utilized buildings,â said Ben Doyle, president of the Preservatio
Chandler Center, Bridgewater Community Center get grants
Modified: 3/12/2021 9:36:40 PM
RANDOLPH The Chandler Center for the Arts and the Bridgewater Community Center were among nine projects in rural communities to win funding from the Preservation Trust of Vermont, the group announced Friday.
The Chandler Center in Randolph is receiving $50,000 for a revitalization grant, and the Bridgewater Community Center, located at the former Bridgewater Village School, won $100,000 to help convert the building to a child care and community center.
Grants overall totaled $625,000 and also were awarded to projects in Addison, Athens, East Calais, Elmore, Hyde Park, Montgomery and Vernon.
The money will be used for structural repairs, renovations, roof replacements and other related work on the projects.