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 committee through three recurring report groups BGS files: an annual State Energy Management Program report (SEMP), items tied to several energy revolving funds managed with the Treasurer’s Office, and a set of new and one-time reports linked to federal stimulus and infrastructure dollars.

Energy programs and ARPA-funded municipal grants

Manoli and BGS staff described SEMP as the department program that scopes and finances energy efficiency projects for state-owned buildings. She said the program has produced measurable projects and reinvests first-year and lifetime savings into further upgrades. “This is a program that was created in this committee,” Manoli said, noting the department jointly produces the SEMP report with Efficiency Vermont.

Manoli also summarized the Municipal Energy Resilience Program (MERP), funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars. According to BGS, MERP had roughly $45,000,000 authorized at the federal level and BGS was assigned approximately $36,600,000 of that share to support municipal energy projects. Manoli said the MERP application round was competitive and that more than 100 grants were awarded; she referred to 126 municipalities receiving awards in the program’s rollout. She told the committee BGS will share a spreadsheet with the full list of awarded projects.

BGS told the committee that ARPA-funded grants have contract and completion deadlines tied to federal requirements and that projects must meet federal timelines for obligation and completion.

Revolving funds, payback and reporting

Manoli said BGS and the Treasurer’s Office maintain several related revolving credit facilities used to finance energy upgrades. She cited a combined “SERF”/revolving-fund structure invested in energy projects, reported $3,700,000 in investments from a named revolving fund and said a balance of the authorized authority remains (Manoli said approximately $4.5 million remained available for approval). BGS staff acknowledged the reporting and fund structures are presented in multiple places across annual reports and offered to consolidate the information to make it more digestible for the committee.

On the topic of fleet and property-management reporting, Manoli and staff described an annual fleet-management report required in statute (Title 29) and a separate property-management revolving fund (fee-for-space) report. BGS said these reports are used operationally — for example, to flag agencies with high mileage to consider dedicated fleet vehicles — and that the department is open to working with the committee and Legislative Counsel to streamline which reports remain required.

Committee response and next steps

Committee members voiced support for more background briefings, particularly on the Windsor site (BGS estimated about 100 acres remain attached to the closed Windsor Correctional Facility and said BGS previously transferred roughly 800 acres near the site to the Department of Fish and Wildlife for a wildlife management area). Members also discussed the politics of naming state buildings in the Capitol Complex; one member said they would support a drafting request for a moratorium on new naming until policy recommendations are settled.

BGS committed to provide the committee with the MERP awards spreadsheet and to return with a focused briefing in the week of March 10 to align any report or bill language with the capital bill schedule. The department will also follow up with Fish and Wildlife so the interim commissioner can confirm whether the agency wishes to pursue additional Windsor-area acreage.

What was not decided

No formal committee vote to change statutory deadlines or to adopt moratorium language is recorded in the Jan. 15 hearing. Manoli said formal extension requests were filed electronically; the committee gave BGS verbal agreement to return with supplemental materials by March 10 and to proceed with the April 15 filing timeline if needed.

Evidence and transparency

BGS indicated the department has posted its consolidated reports and supporting documents on the legislative reports portal and offered to provide the committee with detailed spreadsheets and presentation material for the March briefing. Manoli also recommended that the committee review past studies on the naming question — she said multiple studies dating back several years have reached similar options — before making a policy recommendation.

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