Vermont Historical Society asks committee for $700,000 to fix roof, drainage after repeated floods

The Vermont Historical Society asked the House Corrections & Institutions Committee on Feb. 20 for $700,000 in capital funds to repair roof, masonry and foundation drainage problems at its building in Barre.

The request covers the most urgent repairs to stop water infiltration that affected climate‑controlled storage and other areas during flooding in 2023 and 2024, Executive Director Steven Perkins said. Perkins said the society estimates the full scope of needed work at about $3 million.

The money before the committee is intended to pay for immediate roof replacement over the building's southwest entrance, masonry and brick repair where loose bricks pose a safety hazard, and installation of a new foundation drainage system to protect collection storage. "We were able to clean it up and mitigate it," Perkins said of the water that entered storage areas, adding that the society saw inches, not feet, of water in those spaces.

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