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State preservation grants fund hundreds of community buildings; demand outpaces available funds
Summary
Division for Historic Preservation staff told the Senate Institutions Committee that historic preservation and barn preservation matching grants support rehabilitation of community buildings and agricultural structures, but demand exceeds current allocations and recapture is common due to contractor shortages.
The Division for Historic Preservation told the Senate Institutions Committee on Feb. 11 that its matching grant programs — the historic preservation grants (part of the Building Community Grants) and the barn preservation grants — continue to support rehabilitation projects across Vermont, but demand exceeds available state funds.
State Historic Preservation Officer Laura Trisham said the historic preservation grant program (established in 1986) has supported rehabilitation of 676 community buildings totaling more than $7 million in state awards; the program provides matching grants that typically support projects such as roof and foundation repairs, window restoration and stabilization work. Trisham said the $20,000 awards are generally a portion of multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar project costs and are intended to leverage local investment.
On barn preservation, Trisham said the program (established in 1992) now provides $20,000 matching grants for historic agricultural buildings — not limited to barns but including related structures such as sugar houses — and that the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation will review 31 barn grant applications this month with about $340,000 available due to recaptured funds. Trisham said recapture is higher in the barn program partially because individual applicants sometimes begin projects before contractors are in place.
Trisham said the division provides application help through webinars and one‑on‑one sessions (coordinated by staff including Caitlin Corkins, the tax credit and grant coordinator) so applicants can improve competitive submissions. She said awards are announced each December to enable winners to contract before construction season.
Committee members asked whether awarded projects are returned to active use; Trisham said most awardees rehabilitate and reuse the buildings and some projects return to the program for subsequent phases. She said the division would welcome increased funding but that it recaptures and reallocates prior year funds when projects do not proceed.
Ending Trisham asked lawmakers to consider the cumulative effect of contractor shortages on project timelines and recapture rates and said division staff are available to brief the committee on program details and applicants’ needs.
