HISTORIC VERMONT
An On-line News Journal about the Preservation of Vermont’s Historic Architecture and Landscape
December 2006
Published by the Preservation Trust of Vermont, 104 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401
http://www.ptvermont.org
(802) 658-6647

In This Issue....

News from the Preservation Trust

  • Preservation Grants Awarded
  • Save the Single at Mar River Glen
  • Share Your Success: Hometown Fundraising

 

Vermont News

  • Tax Credits Help Revitalize Downtown
  • Record Rounds of Downtown Development Incentives
  • Brattleboro Passes Landmark Store Size Law
  • Group Wins Post Office Battle, Pittsford
  • Chimney Point, VPT & Bixby Library Awarded Prestigious National Grant
  • Mt. Independence Receives Museums for America Grant
  • Senate Passes Jeffords' Champlain Valley Heritage Bill
  • Ancient Roads Grants Funded
  • National Register News
     

National News

  • 109th Congress Adjourns with Major Preservation Victories

Commentary

  • Now is the Time to "Think Local First"

Success Stories

  • Corinthians Celebrate the New Piazza

Grants

  • National Trust Grants Available
  • 2007 Preserve America Grants Available

Publications & Resources

  • Ten Tips for Managing an Historic Preservation Project
  • Beers Atlas Online
  • Big-Box Swindler: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers
  • Vermont Gathering Places
  • Preservation Online.org E-newsletter

Education, Training & Employment Opportunities

  • Not Just Another Summer Job
  • Call for Proposals: Twin Cities National Preservation October 2007


Historic Vermont is available free to subscribers. To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit our website http://www.ptvermont.org/ptv_news.htm. To submit something for publication, please contact Meg Campbell at ptv@sover.net

FROM PAUL BRUHN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PRESERVATION TRUST OF VERMONT

Dear Supporter,

“What are your big projects these days?”  It’s a question that people often ask me.  How can I answer in a word?

As you will see from the enclosed map of Vermont showing our activities for the past year, we are involved in efforts all over the State.  Frankly, it’s very hard to pick out only a few “big” projects.  Every mark on the map represents a great story about what a non-profit group or community organization is doing to save and use an important building in their community.  Though it’s difficult to pick one or two or even a handful, here is a sampling of the efforts we are helping:

  • In Readsboro, a local group is working to revitalize their village center
  • In Shaftsbury, a group is rehabilitating the Robert Frost House which is now a museum.
  • In North Hero, the local historical society is working to save the Community Hall
  • In Fayston, Mad River Glen ski area is raising funds to rehabilitate their single chair—the last remaining ski lift of its type in its original location in the United States .
  • In Starksboro, the community helped start a village store.
  • In Proctorsville, Housing Vermont is rehabilitating the Pollard Block for affordable housing.
  • In Brandon , a group is working to rehabilitate the old Town Hall for use as a performing arts and community meeting space.
  • In Glover, the barn that houses the Bread and Puppet Museum is being stabilized to help protect the history of Bread and Puppet.

To support these efforts, and hundreds more, we provide encouragement, technical assistance, seed grants, and funding support through a variety of partnerships.  In EACH case though, we depend on local commitment, leadership, and passion to get the work done.  We have a small, very hard working staff that works with these organizations to help them succeed.

Your support and the support of other individuals, businesses, and foundations makes this astonishing collection of work possible.  I hope you will consider supporting us again this year. . . there is much to do as we and our partners go about our work around Vermont . 

You can now make a contribution to the Preservation Trust through our secure website. Please visit http://www.ptvermont.org/how_i_can_help.htm and make your contribution today. 

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Paul Bruhn
Executive Director

NEWS FROM THE PRESERVATION TRUST

Preservation Grants Awarded
Since 1994 the Freeman Foundation and the Preservation Trust of Vermont have had a partnership to support preservation projects. Over $8.5 million in grants have been awarded to help more than 325 projects in communities throughout the state. These grants have played a key role in over $95 million in total rehabilitation work. The last rounds of grants includes:

Robert Frost Stone House Museum, Shaftsbury: $10,000.  Constructed in 1769, the Stone House is one of the oldest houses in Shaftsbury and is a rare Vermont example of Dutch Colonial architecture with stone walls two feet thick and a timbered second floor.  Robert Frost lived here from 1920 to 1929, during which time he wrote two books of poetry and won his first Pulitzer Prize.  His famous poem “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” was written in the dining room here on a hot summer morning.  The Friends of Robert Frost acquired the building in 2000 and in 2002 opened a museum to celebrate the life and art of Robert Frost.  The museum offers permanent displays, lectures series, special exhibits and programs for school groups.  In addition to the more than 4,000 annual visitors from all over the country, the Stone House Museum has also become a major cultural force in the Bennington region. Since 2000, the Friends have raised $5,000 for the critical painting of the gables, porches and dormers.  They are currently fundraising for the rebuilding of two badly deteriorated brick chimneys and the repointing of stone work throughout the building.  This grant will enable them to complete the work on the building.

Mt. Holly Community Historical Museum:  $45,000.  Since 1969, the Museum has served the community from a small Blacksmith Shop in the village of Belmont.  Then, in 2004, Alice Perkins Bennett and Todd McCabe wrote a new page in Mount Holly history when they donated their family home to the Museum. The historic Perkins House boasts a prime location on the Belmont Green and is integral to the Vermont Village Center Designation received in 2003. In addition to being a community cornerstone, the Perkins house will become the new home for the Museum.  It will become a year-round facility for use by the entire community as a modern museum suitable for housing unique Mount Holly artifacts, increased gallery space, new educational capacity & opportunities, climate-controlled storage, and accessible restrooms available for community activities on the Green. Thus far Museum Board raised $123,000, all from individuals within the community.  In July, they completed Phase I of the project which included lifting the house onto a new foundation and demolishing attached a derelict barn.  They are now tackling Phase II which involves reconstructing the barn, re-roofing the building, repairing exterior woodwork and painting, and conservation of  windows.  This grant will enable them to complete all of the exterior work on the building.

Hope Community Church, South Walden: $25,000.  Built on the Bayley-Hazen Military Road in 1825, the Christian Union Meeting House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Since its construction, the Meetinghouse has undergone several renovations, the most pronounced in the late 1800s with the addition of a three-stage bell tower-the upper two stages are octagonal-culminating in a bellcast roof, crowned by a very significant weathervane.  The original is now in Shelburne Museum; a reproduction is on the church.  The building was abandoned by the Methodists around 1980 until several years ago when a group of residents reclaimed the building, hired a minister, and began holding Sunday services followed by a community dinner, served entirely by the men (they're very proud of that!).  Over the last five years the group has repaired a sill and basement wall, added septic, and built a parking lot.  This grant will allow them to paint the building, make tower repairs, and add storm windows.

Ludlow Town Hall: $40,000.  Built in 1924 to replace a 1901 Town Hall that burned down, this imposing Neo-Classical Revival brick structure was designed by Rutland architect Arthur H. Smith.  It continues to serve as municipal offices and meeting space. A large auditorium is located on the second floor. The Town recently passed a $750,000 bond to undertake code and accessibility requirements, electrical, and mechanical improvements, and to make improvements to the upstairs auditorium so that it can better used for community and school events.  The total project is over $900,000.  A committee of citizens has been formed to raise the balance of the necessary funds. This grant will help repoint the building and conserve historic windows.

Goodenough Farmstead, West Brattleboro: $45,000.  The property consists of a c.1785 farmhouse and an early 19th-century barn situated on approximately thirty acres of land. The house is rare example of an early Vermont house that is in nearly original condition. In 1795, the farmhouse was altered to house two families in nearly identical apartments. The property was recently donated to Goodenough Farmstead Trust. The Trust then donated an conservation easement on the adjacent land area and donated  preservation easements on the buildings. Stabilization of the buildings must be completed before the property can be made available to the public. Volunteers have undertaken emergency stabilization, including brush removal, elimination of an antiquated electrical system, and treatment of the building frame to control a powder post beetle infestation. The stabilization work will include drainage improvements, frame repairs, foundation work, and provisions for ventilation of the building. Once this work is completed, the group will be able to open the house for educational and study purposes. This grant will enable the Trust to complete the work.

The Pollard Block, Proctorsville: $35,000.   Built in 1895 Pollard Block is the most prominent building located on the Proctorsville village green which is included in the Proctorsville Historic District. The large, three-story, wood frame, Italianate style commercial block is eligible for listing in the National Register as an individual site due to the remarkable architectural integrity of its main block that exhibits an abundance of decorative wood details. The compatible three-story wing was built in the 1990s to replace a deteriorated wing. The wing is set back on the south elevation of the main block, which allows the historic block to visually dominate the setting. The commercial space on the first floor of the main block retains its distinctive storefront, and the U. S. Post Office occupies the first story of the wing. Eight affordable housing  units will occupy the upper floors. The Rockingham Area Community Land Trust and Housing Vermont are rehabilitating the building. The work will include the repair and preservation of all the important wood elements on the facade and repainting. This grant will cover the costs of the exterior work.

 

Save the Single at Mad River Glen!
Nowhere in Vermont can the mountains, invigorating climate and indomitable people be found in greater evidence than at Mad River Glen in Waitsfield, Vermont. This ski area, created in the earliest days of Vermont skiing, still attracts the energy and excitement that signals true lovers of the sport and the state.

And its icon is the Single Chair... nationally, the only remaining single chair lift that is still in its original location and still taking skiers to a mountaintop for a snowy launch.

Today, the Single needs work. It is tired and worn but no one wants to give it up. So the Mad River Glen Cooperative has partnered with the Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Stark Mountain Foundation to make sure the Single is preserved and used for decades to come. We are hoping hundreds who love Vermont, its history, its mountains and its skiing will join together to preserve the Single.

The Board of Directors of the Preservation Trust of Vermont has voted to act as a project sponsor for this one-of-a-kind preservation project in Vermont.  Over the next several years, the Trust will work with the Mad River Glen Cooperative to raise the necessary $1.6 million. The Preservation Trust will hold a covenant on the Single, ensuring that the lift will remain in good condition and operable for at least 50 years, and the Single will be documented according to the Historic American Engineering Records Standards.

For more information about the Single Chair Project, please visit Mad River Glen's website: http://www.madriverglen.com/single/ To make a contribution to Save the Single, proceed to PTV's online donation page and following the instructions to target your donation to this project:  https://www.gifttool.com/donations/Donate?ID=198&VER=1&LNG=EN

 

Share Your Success: Hometown Fundraising
Fundraising events are an important part of any preservation fundraising campaign, not only for the funds they generate but also for the community involvement, project awareness and enthusiasm generated by pulling one off.  The Preservation Trust is putting together a list of great hometown fundraising ideas to share with other Vermont communities.  Have you had any successful and fun fundraisers?  Any events that have raised money and gotten the community motivated to keep moving on a project?  Has your community crafted a clever one-of-a-kind event that others could tailor to their communities?  If so, please take a moment to email meg@ptvermont.org and let her know what you've done.  The end result will be posted on our website and available for downloading.

VERMONT NEWS

Tax Credits Help Revitalize Downtowns and Villages
by Chris Cochran , Vermont Division for Historic Preservation

There is growing awareness that maintaining and investing in older and historic buildings benefits Vermont ’s downtowns and village centers. It helps preserve Vermont ’s landscape; connects us to our heritage; and enriches the quality of our lives in countless intangible ways. 

However, many may not be aware of the new state legislation and the federal programs that provide substantial economic benefits to private property owners who improve these buildings. As part of the Growth Center Bill, the Legislature revamped the Downtown and Village Center income tax incentives to promote continued use of older and historic income-producing buildings.

These incentives encourage the installation of sprinklers, elevators and other building upgrades to provide needed housing, office, retail, and other commercial space. In addition, the tax credits became simpler to use and more accessible to smaller scale projects – particularly in Village Centers – by allowing sale of tax credits to banks in exchange for cash or  mortgage adjustments.

The Vermont Downtown Development Board, which works to support local revitalization efforts and is widely recognized for the improvements brought to the state’s historic centers, allocates the credits to property owners in designated village centers or downtowns. The board, working with the Vermont Downtown Program, also grants Downtown or Village Center designation, which also provides other benefits such as priority consideration for Community Development, Transportation Enhancement, Municipal Planning and other state grant programs. Since 1997, more than 90 communities have been designated and the state has dedicated $9.5 million to these communities, generating over $70 million in private and municipal investment.

The state tax credits are designed to leverage the use of the federal 20% tax credit program for the rehabilitation of historic buildings listed or eligible for listing on the National Register.  Over 10,000 buildings in Vermont are pre-qualified for this program with many eligible buildings in downtowns and village centers. With the added state incentives, Vermont ranks among the top ten nationally in use of the federal rehabilitation program and typically leads New England in the number of projects ($22 million federal tax credits to Vermont taxpayers in the past ten years).   

This federal-state partnership creates a robust investment incentive which has returned to productive service numerous deteriorated, abandoned, and fire damaged buildings destined to become cellar holes or parking lots. This new  investment in buildings results in increased local property and sales taxes and brings new vitality to our traditional historic centers. In addition, these programs promote economic development by stimulating the construction industry and the employment of local architects, engineers, contractors, and craftsmen.

While strong demand for the state credits has already used up the $1.5 million available this fiscal year, it’s anticipated the programs will have at least that much available again on July 1, 2007.  Because it often takes some lead time to become a Designated Downtown or Village Center , and for a project to mature into a tax credit application, this fall and winter are ideal times to start working towards a summer project. 

Additional details and application guidelines are available at www.HistoricVermont.org. For questions or additional information about tax credits or assistance with a local project, contact Chris.Cochran@state.vt.us  (802) 828-3047.  For information on Downtown or Village Center designation, contact Joss Besse Joss.Besse@state.vt.us  (802) 828-5212 or Nate Bailly Nate.Bailly@state.vt.us  (802) 828-3220

 

 

Record Round of Downtown Development Incentives: Projects Boost Affordable Housing, Commercial and Rental Spaces

Governor Jim Douglas announced that the Vermont Downtown Development Board has awarded more than $800,000 in tax credits to 13 communities to support the redevelopment of older and historic buildings, far surpassing any previous round of awards. The awards support projects to rehabilitate buildings, help meet elevator, sprinkler and other code requirements, and improve building facades in designated downtowns and village centers for use as office, retail, and housing space.

The $837,039 in awards is the largest total awarded in a single round of grants, and the 13 towns is also the largest number of recipients ever, said Kevin Dorn, chairman of the Downtown Development Board and Secretary of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.

The following communities were awarded Downtown or Village Tax Credits

St. Johnsbury/ 1222 Main St. (Dean Hale Block): $ 119,637
Fair Haven / 41-43 Main St : $76,626
Wallingford / 289 South Main St. (Perry's) : $ 53,600
Bradford / (6 properties/affordable housing) : $ 107,000
Hardwick / 41 South Main St. (Bemis Block) : $ 112,449
Vergennes / 360 Main St. (Grist Mill) : $ 61,693
Hardwick / 35 South Main St : $ 75,816
Middlebury / 68 South Pleasant St. (Town Hall Theater) : $ 160,640
Montpelier / 1-3 Cliff St : $ 20,000
Vergennes / 94-96 Main St : $14,011
Proctorsville / 437 Main St : $ 24,050
Bellows Falls / 5 Canal St : $ 4,500
Bennington/409 Main St : $ 7,019

TOTAL = $ 837,039

The board also noted that the Town of Hartford recently met all conditions set at their previous meeting and formally named White River Junction the state’s 21st Designated Downtown. South Strafford and Stowe were designated as Village Centers, and Montgomery and Montgomery Center were both renewed as Designated Village Centers. 

There are now 68 Designated Village Centers in the state, all eligible for state benefits to help in their revitalization.

Finally, the Board adopted the application guidelines for New Town Centers.  This process has gained the interest of communities because of its link to the new Growth Centers Program.  Having this Town Center program in place will make it possible for some communities to apply for Growth Center designation.

 

Brattleboro Passes Landmark Store Size Law 
Brattleboro recently passed a landmark law that requires developments larger than 65,000 square feet to prove that they will not be detrimental to the local economy.  The new law requires that an applicant must pay a consultant chosen from a list approved by the Development Review Board that would look at how the "big box" would affect employment, public costs and social services, its effect on property values and local revenues generated, and more.  

The ordinance amendment was approved after more than a year of work by the store-size caps subcommittee of the Planning Commission. It is meant not to keep out big box stores, but to ensure new developments are in the best interest of the town's health.

Local officials may approve the big box store only if they conclude that it "shall not adversely affect the Town’s financial health and its ability to serve its residents as evidenced by the projected impact on the local economy." 

For more information, please visit: http://www.newrules.org/retail/brattleboro.html  and http://www.brattleboro.org/

 

Group Wins Post Office Court Battle
Reprinted from the Rutland Herald
December 15, 2006
By ED BARNA Herald Correspondent

After seven years of battling a plan to move the post office out of the center of town, the Friends of Pittsford Village has won its Supreme Court appeal of an Environmental Court decision.

South Burlington developer Frank von Turkovich and his associates had proposed to build a new post office to replace the existing facility on Arch Street not far from where it joins with Route 7. A group of Pittsford residents opposed this plan, although other residents favored it and the local Zoning Board approved it.

The opponents contended that the post office, the public library, the town's largest supermarket, a tavern and a laundromat formed a cluster that encouraged pedestrian travel, and gave the town a sense of community. The town offices had been in that neighborhood, but were moved to a new building along Plains Road.

The developers likewise proposed to move the post office to where Plains Road joined Route 7. That led opponents to add pedestrian and traffic safety issues to their opposition.

The case came before the Environmental Court in 2002, which overturned the Zoning Board decision without prejudice because of problems with soil erosion, traffic volume and traffic safety that still needed to be addressed. The Zoning Board approved the new application with revisions in 2003, and this was again appealed to the Environmental Court.

The Environmental Court's second decision in 2004 approved the new post office location, saying the erosion and traffic volume issues had been addressed. In particular, the court said moving the entrance and exit for the new post office farther away from Route 7 on Plains Road would resolve most of the traffic issues.

But the Environmental Court's decision, under Justice Meredith Wright, said its approval was given on the condition that the developers take additional steps to assure traffic safety. The opponents had argued that traffic turning left from Plains Road onto Route 7 would deteriorate traffic movement to an unacceptable level during the peak hours that are the key to determining a project's impact.

Arguing for the opponents, Plainfield attorney Stephanie Kaplan appealed to the Supreme Court on grounds that the Environmental Court should never have taken up the developers' proposal, because all the issues raised previously by that court had not been addressed. Without covering all those issues, the developers' case ran afoul of the legal principle collateral estoppel, which states that the same case cannot be argued twice, she said.

In a decision written by Associate Justice Brian Burgess released Nov. 9, the Supreme Court agreed with Kaplan and reversed the Environmental Court's decision. The conclusion was that "the revised application should not have been considered absent changes that addressed all areas in which the previously denied application did not comply with regulations, as opposed to merely offering different evidence on a matter settled by the earlier decision."

Kaplan said afterwards that she was pleased, but "it wasn't surprising. What's surprising is that we had to go to the Supreme Court over it."

Vincent Paradis of Essex, the developers' attorney, said his clients were disappointed.

"We're disappointed in the decision, obviously," Paradis said. "(It) means we're going to have even more difficulties before us."

But von Turkovich is determined to find a solution to the last traffic problem rather than give up on the Plains Road site, Paradis said.

"We think Pittsford needs a new post office, and this is a good site," he said.

Paradis said an analysis of how to address the problem of congestion on Route 7 was underway.

With the help of Jeremy Matosky of Trudell Consulting Engineers in Williston, they will make "changes that are significant enough to meet the court's requirements," he said.

Opponents of the plan were happy with the decision, but know there is work to be done.

"It's a great relief," said Margaret Armitage of Pittsford, the lead applicant in the Supreme Court case. "Now our work is just beginning."

Armitage said the present post office is obviously inadequate. There's no room to use a forklift to deliver bundles and packages get stacked everywhere.

Armitage said it's time for those who support village-centered development to look for an appropriate site.

"We'd better get cracking," she said.

There is such a site, said Joseph Kamuda, from whom the U.S. Postal Service is leasing its current location. He said he would work with the Postal Service if it was willing to commit to the site.

"I would add on to the building, or whatever they wanted," he said.

Throughout the local group's efforts, the Preservation Trust of Vermont has helped with money, expert testimony during Act 250 proceedings, and general support.

Paul Bruhn, the trust's executive director, said a post office "is such an important element in every village center or downtown."

"I feel bad that the developer has had to go through all of this," Bruhn said. "But you know, it was the wrong site. This was a very courageous bunch of folks in Pittsford that took on this battle. They really stuck with this case for a lot of years. They should be congratulated."

 

Chimney Point, Vermont Public Television and Bixby Library Awarded Prestigious National Grant
The Chimney Point State Historic Site in Addison, Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, Vermont Public Television, and the Bixby Memorial Free Library in Vergennes will embark on a two-year project, “Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery: Bringing History Home,” thanks to a $250,000 Partnership for a Nation of Learners grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).  In 2009 Vermont , New York ,and Quebec will commemorate the 400th anniversary of Frenchman Samuel de Champlain’s visit to the lake that now bears his name.  The project, to take place in 2007 and 2008, will use a multi-layered approach to discover and present new information about the Champlain Valley in the 17th and 18th centuries, a place and time of international significance. 

“Bringing History Home” will actively engage area residents, teachers, students, archaeologists, historians, library patrons, visitors, internet users, and television viewers through: 

 

  • a community-based archaeological walk-over survey in 2007 of Addison County lakeshore towns near Chimney Point, the first, long term French settlement in the Champlain Valley ;
  • archaeological field investigation of a French settlement site;
  • a one-hour television documentary on the era by filmmaker Caro Thompson and her company, Broadwing Productions, in partnership with Vermont Public Television, that will encompass the region's indigenous Iroquois and Abenaki cultures, Samuel de Champlain and early French settlers, and later immigrants from Britain and elsewhere; 
  • an interactive web site with a virtual experience of the archaeological investigations and other historic places from the time;
  • a Chimney Point exhibit on the archaeological discoveries;
  • the development of educational materials for Champlain Valley schools;
  • and public programs and discussions at the Bixby Library, Chimney Point, and around the region. 

 

The Partnership for a Nation of Learners is a leadership initiative of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  It encourages libraries, museums, and public broadcasters to work collaboratively to address local needs, increase civic engagement, and improve the quality of life in communities across the country.  To learn more about this grant program, visit:  www.partnershipforlearners.org, www.imls.gov, and www.cpb.org.

 

For more information about this grant, contact project director Elsa Gilbertson at Elsa.Gilbertson@state.vt.us or (802) 759-2412.  For more about the Vermont State-owned Historic Sites, contact John Dumville at John.Dumville@state.vt.us, (802) 828-3051, or visit www.HistoricVermont.org/sites. 

 

Mount Independence Receives Museums for America Grant
The Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell, Vermont, has received a $28,500 Museums for America grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services for a project to create and install interpretive signage on the 1-¼ mile-long trail being constructed this fall. The new trail, which meets outdoor standards for handicapped accessibility with gentle grades and packed surfaces, reworks the old Red and White trails on the southern half of the Mount. The signage project will draw in visitors to experience and learn about the beautiful landscape and historic, archaeological, and natural features at one of the best-preserved Revolutionary War archaeological sites in America. The signage will complement the story of the site as told in the state-of-the-art visitor center. The trail, with the new signage, will be opened in early summer 2007.

Mount Independence, a National Historic Landmark, is located in Orwell on Mount Independence Road, six miles west of the intersections of VT Routes 22A and 73 near Orwell village. It is open daily through Columbus Day. Regular admission is $5.00 for adults and free for children under 15, and includes access to all the trails and a visit to the air-conditioned visitor center with its exciting exhibits. Call (802) 759-2412 for more information or visit: www.HistoricVermont.org/mountindependence. For more information about the Vermont State Historic Sites, contact John Dumville at (802) 828-3051 or john.dumville@state.vt.us.

 

Senate Passes Jeffords’ Champlain Valley Heritage Bill :  
Measure would authorize $1 million to the region annually
The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership Act is on its way to the President’s desk for signature after passing the Senate before the chamber recessed for the fall campaign season.  The law, which passed the House in July and was written by Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., recognizes the historic resources of the Champlain Valley in Vermont and New York and authorizes $1 million each year for 10 years to be spent promoting and protecting the region's history and culture.

The Heritage Partnership includes the Champlain Valley and linked waterways in Vermont and New York , from the Canadian Border to Saratoga .  Most of the $10 million that is authorized will be provided in grants to local communities and organizations for education, tourism and preservation projects such as:

  • Work on the underwater heritage trail

  • Unified heritage tourism marketing efforts

  • Signs and exhibits

  • Events related to the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s arrival in the valley

The area was found by the National Park Service to meet the criteria to be a Heritage Area in a 1999 study, which projected $50 million a year of increased economic activity in Vermont and New York as a result of gaining Heritage Area status.

“We are so fortunate to have such a rich history in the Champlain Valley , and I look forward to sharing that history as we promote this great region,” said Jeffords, the ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.  “This will be a huge boost for our tourism industry and a great benefit for communities up and down the lake."

The Heritage Partnership will be administered by the Lake Champlain Basin Program and is expected to work closely with the Quadracentennial Commissions established by the governors of Vermont and New York in preparing to mark the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain's arrival in 1609.

Ancient Roads Grants Funded
$100,000 was recently awarded to communities around the state as part of The Ancient Roads Research and Mapping Grant program.  The grants are for the purpose of researching and mapping town highways, trails and unidentified corridors. The grant program is administered by the Planning Division, Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The following regions received funding:

Addison: Bristol $4,360; Lincoln $5,000
Bennington: Pownal $5,000
CVRPC: East Montpelier $1,500; Middlesex $5,000
Chittenden: Hinesburg $4,328; Huntington $5,000
Northwest:  Fairfield $5,000; Fletcher $5,000
Lamoille: Belvidere $3,325; Morristown $5,000
NVDA: Craftsbury $4,650; St. Johnsbury $5,000
Rutland: Mendon $5,000; Proctor $5,000
South Windsor:  Ludlow $4,810; Springfield $4,735
Two Rivers: Bethel $4,840; Pittsfield $2,452; Sharon $5,000
Windham: Readsboro $5,000, Wilmington $5,000

For more information, please visit: http://www.dhca.state.vt.us/Planning/AncientRoadsGrantProgram.htm

 

National Register News
The National Park Service has recently listed the following Vermont properties on the National Register of Historic Places: 

The Toll House, Burke
This 2 ½ story gable roofed, stone and clapboard building and attached garage wing was built in 1940/41 as an administrative building and toll house for the Darling Forest State park by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  The Adirondack Rustic design of the building was developed in 1937 by W.F. Baker of the US Department of the Interior, National Park Service, with input from the Vermont Forest Service.  It is an excellent example of CCC construction and the Adirondack Rustic style as expressed in association with the Vermont state park and ski area development in the 1930s and 1940s.

Bridge No. 31 ( Winooski Street Bridge ), Waterbury and Duxbury
Built in 1928, this bridge is a 202 foot Parker through truss which carries traffic along Winooski Street across the Winooski River between Waterbury and Duxbury. It is one of two Parker truss bridges remaining in the Winooski River corridor and the crossing has provided an important link between rural Duxbury and Waterbury village since the last quarter of the 19th century.

The bridge was built in the aftermath of the 1927 flood, on earlier bridge abutments, and its size reflects advances in steel manufacturing seen in bridges constructed after 1927. At this time, improvements in rolling mills and steel alloys allowed production of rolled I-beams which required no assembly and therefore made production of larger, stronger, components more economical.

Newport Downtown Historic District
This district encompasses the commercial core and immediately adjacent residential neighborhoods of Newport and runs along Main Street and flanking side streets. It contains 121 contributing buildings and 17 non-contributing buildings.

While largely commercial, there are examples of domestic, institutional, fraternal, industrial and ecclesiastical structures. Most buildings were built between the 1840s and 1955 and represent a range of styles from Greek Revival and Italianate to Colonial Revival and more recent modernist expressions of the American International style. The buildings have experienced very little loss of their distinctive materials and features and reflect the growth and evolution of Newport as an important economic and social center in northern Vermont with a thriving economy based on the lumber industry, maritime activity, the railroad, and tourism. 

Listing of the downtown district on the National Register is one of the steps the City of Newport is taking in preparation for applying for Downtown Designation.

Giroux Furniture Company Building , St. Albans
The Giroux Furniture Co. building is a large two-story, brick veneered, wood frame commercial and warehouse. The structure consists of two distinct halves built nearly ten years apart, and intended for different purposes. The older half of the building, which originally housed a feed store, dates from circa 1896. The newer half of the building, first constructed as a carriage and wagon repair shop, dates from 1905 and has a 1955 projecting glass storefront that housed a furniture company for many years. 

The building, located adjacent to the rail yard and across a main thoroughfare from the passenger depot, has housed businesses throughout its history that thrived on the intersection of rail freight and people. It is being rehabbed using the RITC for commercial use.

NATIONAL NEWS

109th Congress Adjourns with Major Preservation Victories
The 109th Congress adjourned “sine die” on December 9th and the National Trust advanced or won on every one of its preservation/legislative agenda items that saw Congressional action.  Among the major victories scored by the National Trust were the successful defense of major statutory protections for historic resources; significant gains in securing a major disaster relief package for historic properties damaged by Hurricane Katrina; furthering the organization’s goals in building support for amending the historic rehabilitation tax credit so that it can be an even more useful community revitalization tool; and success in preventing Congress from weakening existing historic preservation safeguards.

For more information, please visit: http://www.nationaltrust.org/advocacy/takeaction/PPWB12152006.pdf

 

COMMENTARY

Now is the Time to “Think Local First”
By Chris Morrow, Owner of Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

One of the benefits of working in a bookstore is that I get to read books long before they are published. I am currently reading Bill McKibben’s new book, (due out in March) Deep Economy. As usual, Bill has written a compelling book – this time about the benefits of thinking and acting on a local scale. He points to climate change and peak oil as the compelling forces behind this proposed shift. We need to move towards localism to both stave off the worst effects of these circumstances and to cope with them.

But even without the looming changes brought on by our reckless use of energy in the last century, I find there are compelling reasons to support a 21st century localism, for shifting much of our purchasing of goods and services to locally-owned, independent businesses. This is not simply a self-serving agenda – there is substantial data to support this notion. And with the holiday season fast approaching, now is the time to think local first. 

As a way of preserving the character and prosperity of Vermont 's economy, community networks, and natural landscape, a group of citizens –local business owners, professionals, and non-profit leaders– have formed a new organization called Local First Vermont (www.localfirstvermont.org). Our mission is to preserve and enhance the economic, human, and natural vitality of Vermont communities by promoting the importance of purchasing from locally-owned independent businesses.  We envision a robust and sustainable economy fueling vibrant communities, built on a cornerstone value and practice of “buying local first.”

We are not advocating for the removal of all corporate stores from Vermont . We don’t want to shut down the internet. We are simply advocating for people to look locally FIRST when they are ready to purchase a good or service. It is in every Vermonter’s best interest to do so. Why? Here are 5 of the many reasons:

  1. Keeping dollars in the local economy. Compared to chain stores, locally-owned businesses recycle a much larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching the whole community. This “multiplier effect,” which has been proven by at least three comprehensive studies (see the web site), has a powerful impact on the health of local businesses and the tax base. 
  2. Local character and prosperity. In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage. As a tourist state, this is especially important for Vermont .
  3. Local decision-making. Local ownership ensures that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions. 
  4. Environmental sustainability. Local stores help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers which, in turn, are essential to reducing sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution.
  5. Jobs and wages. Locally-owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than chains.

In Phase 6 of the Vermont Job Gap Study (www.vtlivablewage.org) it was estimated that Vermont residents and businesses exported cash to the tune of $16 billion a year for goods and services – over $26,000 for every Vermonter. If we diverted only a small portion of this amount to local businesses, it would strengthen the roots of the tree of health – fostering greater economic health, community health, and environmental health. Feed the Roots – Think Local First!

Chris Morrow chairs the Steering Committee of Local First Vermont . For more information about the organization and this season’s “Think Local First” campaign, go to www.localfirstvermont.org.

SUCCESS STORIES

Corinthians Celebrate the New Piazza
by Louise Sandberg

The town hall’s new porch took several years of immaculate planning, a total of 120 donors and workers, and several months of methodical execution from start to finish. In spite of all the rain that fell during the early part of its construction, and notwithstanding the complexity of coordinating all those volunteer painters and carpenters, the process ran into amazingly few bumps—but when it came to taking the group photo that would celebrate the finished product, a bit of chaos reared its head.

It didn’t take long, though, on a recent Sunday afternoon, to get people seated on the steps and arranged behind them on the porch, and when “piazza!” was shouted instead of “cheese,” order had been restored.

With Ed Pospisil as the official photographer and half a dozen others also taking pictures, it was a grand photo op signaling the completion of a grand undertaking. Sue Poulin of the USDA, which had financed part of the project with a grant, was introduced by town hall neighbor Dina DuBois. With her husband Dan Wing, who put in more painting and carpentry hours than most of the other volunteers, DuBois had initiated and steered the piazza project through all its phases, and Poulin, after highly praising the work done by them and the community, presented her with a new American flag.

After that, it was ice cream, socializing, and dancing.

Renowned fiddler Harold Luce and his daughter Donna on the keyboard first set up in the hall, but with very few people joining them there, they ended up outside on one end of the piazza where they played great music to listen to, to dance to, and to have in the background. The musicians started with tunes for ballroom dancing, and a couple of old-timers swung each other around to that right there on the porch. Later, the music switched to contra-dancing, and with Luce doing the calling, two large groups performed quite a few intricate dances on the smooth gravel below the porch, while many others stood around in groups chatting and enjoying their cool treats in the late-afternoon shade of the building. Vanilla ice cream, handmade by Dustin and Jane White, and raspberry sherbet made by Katie Kramer from her own raspberries were served from a table on the other end of the pizza, while inside the town hall two tables in the selectboard room stood ready with a wide variety of store-bought ice cream, syrups, toppings, cones and juices donated by at least a dozen residents.

And so the painstaking process that started on April 29 with the demolition of the old, undersized, concrete porch, found closure in a joyful event. From here on passersby and visitors can fully enjoy the town hall’s new porch by either admiring its elegant beauty from a distance, or appreciate its practicality while standing, strolling or sitting on it. The old vinyl is gone, the clapboards have been restored, and the gray trim and the graceful lines of steps, roof and posts give the whole building a strikingly handsome new face.

 

GRANTS

National Trust Grants Available
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is currently accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations and public agencies for four grant programs:  the National Trust Preservation Funds, the Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors and the Hart Family Fund for Small Towns.  All four grant programs have a February 1, 2007 , postmark deadline.  The National Trust Preservation Funds grant program has additional deadlines of June 1 and October 1.

National Trust Preservation Funds are designed to encourage preservation at the local level by providing seed money for preservation projects focused on preservation planning or education efforts.  Support is offered for obtaining professional expertise in areas such as architecture, archeology, engineering, preservation planning and fundraising.  Grant funds may also be used to support preservation education activities.  Grants range from $500 to $5,000, with the average grant awarded ranging from $1,000 to $2,000. 

Grants from the Johanna Favrot Fund for Historic Preservation and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors range from $2,500 to $10,000.  The Favrot Fund supports preservation planning or education efforts. The Mitchell Fund assists in the preservation, restoration and interpretation of historic interiors.  In addition to nonprofit organizations and public agencies, individuals and for-profit businesses may receive grants from the Favrot and Mitchell funds if the project for which funding is requested involves a National Historic Landmark.

Grants from The Hart Family Fund for Small Towns range from $5,000 to $10,000 and are intended to assist small town preservation and revitalization initiatives around the country.  The fund focuses on towns with populations of 5,000 or less.

Potential applicants should contact Preservation Trust of Vermont Field Service Representatives Ann Cousins, ann@ptvermont.org or Doug Porter doug@ptvermont.org for more information.

2007 Preserve America Grants Available  
The Preserve America matching-grant program provides funding to designated Preserve America Communities to support preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education and historic preservation planning.

Through these grants project we, as a country, gain a greater shared knowledge about the Nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities.

The application deadline is February 14, 2007.  

For more information, proceed to http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/hpg/PreserveAmerica/index.htm

 

PUBLICATIONS & RESOURCES

Ten Tips for Managing an Historic Preservation Project
From the Staff of the Preservation Trust of Vermont

As you start down the path of saving and using your historic building, here are a few tips to help you along the way:

  1. Always thank your contributors.  Have you ever not been thanked by an organization you contributed to?  Remember how you felt?

  2. Keep careful records about your project.  Maintain a list of contributors and the chronology of your effort.  You'll need this information to tell the story of your success.

  3. Make sure that everyone connected with your effort knows the history and chronology of the project.  They should also know who contributed.

  4. Involve as many people as possible in the effort.  Teams do work!

  5. Saving great historic buildings is hard work, so be sure to find ways to have fun along the way. We can tell what other organizations have done.

  6. Find an important use for the finished building.  The more the building is used, the more people will appreciate it and help maintain it over the long term.

  7. When hiring an architect and contractor, be sure to get people who appreciate old buildings and have a lot of experience working on them.  Visit some of the buildings they have worked on.

  8. If you are lucky enough to receive a grant, be sure to understand and follow all of the conditions required by the donor.  If reports are required, mark the dates on your calendar and be sure to submit them on time. Be sure to say thank you!

  9. Keep in touch with your supporters. Let them know how the effort is moving along.

  10. Publicize your progress.  When you receive a grant or large donation, celebrate by letting the local paper, radio station, and television know.  Be sure to recognize the donor, and be sure to get their name right!

 

Beers Atlas OnLine
More than 150 years ago, very detailed maps were made of many New England towns. The Beers atlases of Vermont are a great resource for historians today.  There are 12 original atlases (actually 11 atlases and 1 wall map) of Vermont from 1869-1878. These reproductions are in PDF file format - full color copies of the entire atlas in each case.  For more information, visit the Old Maps website at www.old-maps.com

 

Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses
by Stacy Mitchell
In less than two decades, large retail chains have become the most powerful corporations in America. In this deft and revealing book, Stacy Mitchell illustrates how mega-retailers are fueling many of our most pressing problems, from the shrinking middle class to rising pollution and diminished civic engagement—and she shows how a growing number of communities and independent businesses are effectively fighting back.

Mitchell traces the dramatic growth of mega-retailers —from big boxes like Wal-Mart and Home Depot to chains like Starbucks and Old Navy—and the precipitous decline of independent businesses. Drawing on examples from virtually every state in the country, she unearths the extraordinary impact of these stores and the big-box mentality on everything from soaring gasoline consumption to rising poverty rates, failing family farms, and declining voting levels. Along the way, Mitchell exposes the shocking role government policy has played in the expansion of mega-retailers and builds a compelling case that communities composed of many small, locally owned businesses are healthier and more prosperous than those dominated by a few large chains.

More than a critique, Big-Box Swindle provides an invigorating account of how some communities have successfully countered the spread of big boxes and rebuilt their local economies. Since 2000, over 200 big-box development projects have been halted by groups of ordinary citizens, and scores of towns and cities have adopted laws that favor small-scale, local business development which limit the proliferation of chains. From cutting-edge land-use policies to innovative cooperative small-business initiatives, Mitchell offers communities concrete strategies that can stave off mega-retailers and create a more prosperous and sustainable future.

You can read more about the book at http://www.bigboxswindle.com  Big-Box Swindle is available at independent bookstores nationwide. To find one near you, search this directory. You can also order the book online through the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Email the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (info@ilsr.org) for information on discounts for multiple copy orders.

 

Vermont Gathering Places
In celebration of Preservation Trust of Vermont’s 25th Anniversary, Pe