Eagle Times Staff
MONTPELIER, VT — The Vermont Arts Council announces more than $300,000 in Cultural Facilities Grants to 19 Vermont arts and community organizations, providing critical funds to enhance, create or expand the capacity of existing buildings that offer cultural activities for the public.
Each year, the Cultural Facilities Grant Program supports grants of up to $30,000 in capital improvements to town halls, theaters, library buildings, museums, community centers and other public spaces where Vermonters gather for arts and cultural activities. Qualifying improvements include bringing public buildings into compliance with fire codes, supporting the installation of new HVAC or ventilation systems and increasing accessibility through elevators, assistive listening systems and ramps, among others.
Cultural Facilities Grants have enabled critical improvements. For example, the new sump pump and drainage system that was installed at the Capital City Grange Hall in Berlin as part of an FY20 Cultural Facilities Grant kept the basement dry during this year’s historic floods.
“We used to experience water coming into the basement during big storm events. Thankfully due to the sump pump and drainage that we installed that no longer happens,” said Friends of Capital City Grange Hall board member Nancy Turner.
Among the projects funded this year are replacing the more than 100-year-old wooden floor in the Brandon Town Hall; mitigating severe mold at the historic Four Corners Schoolhouse in East Montpelier; and installing or replacing accessible lifts at the Vergennes Opera House and at town halls in Franklin and Starksboro.
The grant program is part of the Building Communities Grant Programs established by the Vermont Legislature to help communities preserve important historic buildings and enhance community facilities.
Since the program began 20 years ago, grants totaling $4 million have enabled more than 350 arts and cultural institutions across Vermont to make essential improvements to their buildings.
Grant funds also support local Vermont contractors, such as electricians, plumbers, and construction crews, who are typically hired to complete the projects.
“Investing in Vermont’s cultural infrastructure helps to ensure buildings are safe and welcoming, enables more programming to reach more people, and adds vibrancy to our downtowns and village centers. We are proud to partner with the state to support these critical projects,” said Vermont Arts Council Executive Director Susan Evans McClure.
For more information about the Cultural Facilities program, visit online at vermontartscouncil.org/grants.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.