State officials ask for $3 million more to complete phased repairs of Vermont Building at the Big E

On Thursday, Feb. 6, Agency of Agriculture and Buildings and General Services officials told a capital-budget panel they are seeking $1.5 million in fiscal 2026 and $1.5 million in fiscal 2027 to continue phased repairs of the Vermont Building at the Eastern States Exposition (the Big E) in West Springfield, Massachusetts, after completing an exterior restoration design and securing funding for a first construction phase.

For the record, Abby Willard, director of the Ag Development Division at the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, outlined the building’s role and the market the state reaches at the Big E. “The Vermont Building … is on the Avenue Of The States and was built in 1929,” Willard said. She said the building hosts roughly 27 vendors in a typical year, is open about 17 days during the fair and that sales in 2024 topped just over $2.2 million.

The briefing said the state-owned Vermont Building attracts out‑of‑state customers (a market assessment cited roughly 89 percent of attendees from Massachusetts or Connecticut) and presents a concentrated marketing opportunity for Vermont businesses: with about 1.5 million fair attendees annually and an internal estimate that roughly 94 percent of those who visit the Avenue of the States enter the Vermont Building, officials estimated more than 1.4 million visits to the building across the 17‑day run.

Why it matters: committee members pressed that the building combines high public exposure for Vermont products with long‑deferred capital needs that limit vendor capacity and raise safety or accessibility concerns. Officials described constraints that reduce the number of usable vendor stalls today and limit the types of vendors who can participate because of electrical, plumbing and accessibility shortfalls.

What officials asked for and the phased plan

Jessica Tang, project manager and architect with the Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS), said the agency secured design and planning money and is funded for a phase‑1 exterior restoration that will go to construction this summer and be complete by fall. “We have been looking at this building since 2021,” Tang said, describing years of deferred maintenance and repeated leaks.

Tang and other presenters outlined a multi‑phase approach: phase 1 (exterior restoration) was funded and design‑to‑construction procurement is underway; phase 2 (mechanical and electrical deferred maintenance) is the FY2026 request for $1.5 million; and phase 3 (interior rehabilitation, ADA restroom and kitchenette relocation to the first floor, floor repairs and vendor‑experience upgrades) is the FY2027 request for $1.5 million. The presenters also noted roughly $300,000 of remaining design funds from prior appropriations that will be applied toward the multi‑year work.

Officials gave multiple cost estimates for a full master plan scope: earlier planning produced a broad estimate “somewhere between $8.5 million and $12 million,” and during discussion representatives said the overall project the state has described to the legislature is approximately $13 million, depending on final scope and code requirements.

Infrastructure, code and contractor constraints

Officials described several technical constraints that drive scope and cost. Willard and BGS staff said the building lacks an elevator to second‑floor restrooms and dry storage, which makes the second‑floor restroom area inaccessible for some vendors. Tang pointed to long‑standing roof and skylight leaks, water damage, exterior trim rot and deteriorated brickwork that require restoration and, in places, lead‑paint remediation and asbestos abatement where historical materials remain.

BGS Director of Design and Construction Joe Aja warned that work in Massachusetts must meet Massachusetts code (plumbing work, for example, cannot use PVC) and that many Vermont contractors are not licensed in Massachusetts. “Part of that reason is for Vermont migrants who are down there … you have to be licensed in Massachusetts,” Aja said; committee members and staff noted that Massachusetts licensing, union labor and local market conditions are likely to raise contractor costs and complicate scheduling.

Electrical capacity was repeatedly cited as a limiting factor for vendors: presenters said the building’s distribution panels are antiquated, many panels are full and the main service includes aluminum feeders that constrain capacity (the panel condition effectively limits usable amperage). Officials noted an existing service of roughly 400 amps and described the need for upgrades to the main transformer and distribution so more booths can receive reliable power and refrigeration.

Operational and vendor economics

Willard described how the building functions as a concentrated market for Vermont products. The state manages vendor selection through a competitive request for proposals that opens annually (the RFP for the coming season closes March 2 in the presentation). Officials said the building hosted 27 vendors in 2024 (inside and outside) and that the management team has been expanding use of an outdoor “shed” and food‑truck area to add vendor capacity and increase sales.

The presentation summarized vendor economics and the commission structure that helps fund building operations. Officials said commissions paid to the state were 12 percent historically, rose to 13.5 percent and will be 15 percent for all vendors in 2025. The team reported an average daily sales figure across vendors of about $4,700 on an average fair day and confirmed total vendor sales of roughly $2.2 million in 2024; earlier, 2023 was cited at about $2.0 million. Willard said commission revenue pays for staff, cleaning, utilities, Internet and other operating costs and that the state hopes to reach a point where commissions cover routine operation and maintenance once deferred capital work is complete.

Other budgeted items noted in the briefing included a separate request to install an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for postal/print operations; presenters cited about $250,000 for the UPS and indicated existing funds of roughly $38,000 for a total near $308,000 in that line.

Timeline and next steps

Presenters said the long‑range objective is to complete major renovations before the Vermont Building’s 100th anniversary in 2029. For now, construction on the exterior restoration (phase 1) is scheduled for the next construction season, subject to the procurement timeline and contractor availability. Officials asked the committee to consider the FY2026 and FY2027 requests (each $1.5 million) to continue the prioritized sequence of mechanical/electrical upgrades and then interior/ADA work.

Committee members asked about code, contractor availability, prevailing wage application for capital‑bill funded work, supply‑chain timing and how many vendor stalls the plan would ultimately support. BGS said the master plan would allow the building footprint to be reworked from about 18 current indoor stalls to roughly 29 vendor stalls after interior reconfiguration, improved electrical distribution and relocated restrooms and kitchenette.

No formal vote was taken during the presentation; members requested additional details about design and procurement timing, anticipated bid packages and refined cost estimates prior to any appropriation decision.

Ending

Agency and BGS staff left the committee with a plan and a timeline: exterior repairs already funded to move forward this construction season, and a request to the legislature for $3 million across FY2026–FY2027 to complete prioritized systems and interior work. Staff said final contractor bids, Massachusetts code clarifications and the FY2026 budget process will determine schedule and total out‑year requirements.