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Barre trims flood-recovery grant plans after state feedback; North End gateway remains focus
Summary
City staff revised several CDBG-DR pre-applications after state reviewers advised scaling or reclassifying projects. The city will hold a public hearing Sept. 23 and submit full applications by Sept. 30, with a priority housing package for the North End that includes buyouts, acquisitions and elevations.
Barre City officials said Aug. 26 they have revised an initial slate of Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR, referred to in meeting materials as "CDBG Doctor") pre-applications after receiving state review comments and will proceed to a Sept. 23 public hearing and a Sept. 30 full-application deadline.
Why it matters: The program’s funding is intended primarily to support flood recovery from 2023, and state reviewers signaled the most competitive proposals will be those that clearly match program purpose and are sufficiently developed. The city’s housing proposals — including a North End gateway concept — remain central to the application package.
What was changed: City staff said the state asked the city to scale down or reframe some requests. The North End gateway concept was requested to be scaled down to a $10 million total, and reviewers advised removing daycare and grocery-store components from that application as not clearly aligned with the CDBG-DR scope. For stormwater and Potash Brook projects, state reviewers asked the city to shift some requests from construction to planning and design grants because reviewers want identifiable, shovel-ready projects. The state also suggested smaller planning grants rather than larger construction asks for some infrastructure items.
North End package: The manager outlined a housing-focused North End package made up of clustered actions that have come from property owners’ requests: the city would pursue property buyouts in flood-prone parcels (manager described seven buyouts), acquisitions that would allow future redevelopment (seven acquisitions), and elevations (seven elevations) where owners have asked for elevation engineering and construction. Staff said those property actions were offered only after owners requested relocation, acquisition or elevation assistance.
Timeline, team and process: The state’s first funding round decisions are expected Nov. 20; the city’s pre-applications were returned with comments and staff are preparing full applications for Sept. 30. The manager named a core support team that includes the city manager’s office, Josh Jerome (ADC), Jim Levinsky (hired grant writer), and Pat Moulton; Janet (planning) has been engaged as well. The city will hold the required public hearing Sept. 23 during a council meeting and will send required public notices.
City caution: Staff said the CDBG-DR program is highly competitive — they reported $160 million in applications statewide — and that applicants should follow state feedback to keep proposals competitive. The stormwater package was suggested to be reframed as a planning grant (staff used a $1 million placeholder figure) to fund design and engineering for prioritized projects identified through hydrology and stormwater studies.
Taper: City staff said they will reach out to affected property owners in the North End quadrant and solicit decisions quickly because of tight grant deadlines. Staff also said they will consider a second application round at the state if money remains but will prioritize strong first-round submissions.
