BGS asks committee for more time on state-building naming, details ARPA energy grants and revolving funds

Buildings and General Services Commissioner Wanda Manoli told the Vermont House Committee on Corrections and Institutions on Jan. 15 that the department has filed a consolidated packet of statutorily required reports, asked for extensions on two studies and will supply additional detail on several energy programs funded with federal and state revolving funds.

Manoli asked the committee to accept BGS’s Jan. 7 request to extend the deadline for the report on naming state-owned buildings to April 15, 2025, and said the department also requested an April 15 extension for an interim study, led by Fish and Wildlife, of a possible land transfer around the Windsor Correctional Facility. “We’ve actually asked for an extension of April 15, 2025 to be considered,” Manoli said.

The committee and BGS agreed to schedule more detailed briefing time: Manoli said BGS would try to return during the week of March 10 to present background material tied to the capital bill timeline so committee members could consider any language changes before crossover.

Why it matters: the building-naming study has recurred in previous sessions and raises policy questions about whether the legislature or another entity should decide names for buildings in the Capitol Complex. Committee members worried that opening a process for naming buildings in the complex could prompt politicized requests and a cascade of naming proposals.

Beyond the naming and Windsor items, Manoli walked the…