Lawmakers weigh $3.5 million for Vermont Agriculture & Environmental Lab heating after campus boilers falter

The Vermont Agriculture & Environmental Lab, located on the Vermont Technical College (VTC) Randolph Center campus, is the subject of a request for additional capital funds after staff and facilities engineers told a legislative committee on Feb. 19 that the campus steam plant cannot maintain a steady steam pressure needed for lab operations.

The lab performs a range of agricultural and environmental testing — including microbiology, pesticide residue, chlorophyll and metals testing — and requires consistent steam pressure and humidity control for instruments and autoclaves. The governor’s FY2026 recommendation includes $3,500,000 to address the heating system; the project previously received $300,000 (FY2024) and $1,500,000 (FY2025), all currently unencumbered, officials said.

Committee members heard from Joe Adrich, Design and Construction, Buildings & General Services, who explained that the lab was built after the Waterbury facility was lost to flooding during Tropical Storm Irene and was connected to the campus steam plant instead of a standalone heat plant. “During the design of the lab, the engineers believed that the campus system could provide…