Statewide fair organizers urge continued capital grants as $300,000 proposal faces competing needs

Representatives of Vermont’s state and county agricultural fairs told the Corrections & Institutions Committee on Feb. 19 that state capital grants pay for aging infrastructure and accessibility upgrades and asked lawmakers to keep the program funded.

The governor proposed $300,000 for agricultural fair capital grants this year and $300,000 for 2027, and the Agency of Agriculture divides the appropriation among eligible fairs, speakers said.

The money is typically used for building repairs, electrical upgrades and sanitary improvements that organizers said keep events operating. “Our grants went to improving our bathrooms in our 4‑H building. They are ADA accessible,” Christie Davis of the Vermont State Fair in Rutland said. She said the fair is also adding showers, improving its water system and making a second‑floor exhibit area accessible.

Why it matters: county fair buildings are often decades old and recurring maintenance needs — roofs, wiring, access upgrades — exceed what many volunteer boards can pay. Organizers told the committee that a predictable state grant helps projects move forward and leverages local and donated labor and materials.

What organizers said - Christie Davis, Vermont State Fair (Rutland), said her fair used its grant money for ADA bathrooms, showers and water‑system upgrades and plans continued accessibility work for displays on the second floor. - Tim Chey, Champlain Valley Exposition, said capital grants must support projects with a useful life of 20 years and that his exposition used a $33,000 grant to replace the Blue Ribbon Pavilion roof as part of larger work. - Jeff Goodwin, Caledonia County Fair, described rebuilding several barns over three years and said a newly named Lawrence Arena will allow safer separation of animals and spectators following an overfull show ring. - Jason Secart, Orleans County/Owens County Fair (Barton), said three consecutive capital grants funded a new horse barn project that energized volunteer fundraising and enabled additional rodeo and high‑school events. - Ken Button, Addison County Fair, and Peggy Sherlock, Tunbridge Fair, described electrical upgrades, crushed‑stone road repair after 2023 damage, and a recent $162,000 bathroom project that required multiple years of matching funds.

How the grant is distributed: Agency staff and an agricultural fair board review applications and then divide the available appropriation as equally as possible among applying fairs. Committee members said the program typically yields grants of roughly $25,000–$37,000 per fair when about 10 fairs apply to a $300,000 appropriation; speakers noted that some fairs request less and unclaimed funds are redistributed to larger projects. Organizers said the program requires a minimum local match of 15 percent (cash or in‑kind) and that actual matches commonly exceed that minimum.

Concerns and follow‑up: Committee members pressed agency staff about Franklin County Field Days, which is not holding a fair this year while seeking new land. Committee members said roughly $90,000 of prior appropriations earmarked for Franklin remains unresolved and reported that the Agency of Agriculture has held some funds pending resolution of the site and ownership questions. Committee members directed staff to follow up with the agency to clarify how much committed grant money is being held and whether it should be reallocated.

Context and background: Speakers emphasized that the grants support volunteer boards and long‑lived capital work that private donations alone would not fund. Several speakers described volunteer labor and donated contractor time as common means to meet the local match requirement.

Outlook: Organizers asked lawmakers to maintain the grant program at current levels to keep routine capital maintenance and accessibility work moving. Committee members said they would check with the Agency of Agriculture about the Franklin County funds before making funding decisions.

Ending: Committee staff thanked the fair representatives and said the committee would follow up with the Agency of Agriculture on held grant money and on whether language or administrative changes are needed to protect committed funds while keeping the grant program available to the rest of the state.