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Fairs seek help as stormwater rules, costs and lost sites squeeze events
Summary
Jackie Folsom, representing Vermont’s fairs, told the Senate Agriculture Committee that new stormwater rules, delayed ARPA grant disbursements and rising project costs threaten the viability of several county fairs.
Jackie Folsom, lobbyist and secretary for the Vermont Fairs and Field Days Association and president of the Vermont Farm Bureau, told the Senate Agriculture Committee that dozens of Vermont fairs are struggling with the state’s implementation of a federal stormwater rule, capital needs and volunteer shortages.
“We probably are gonna ask to go to the governor and have a conversation,” Folsom said, describing delays and uncertainty in releasing ARPA-funded capital grants that the legislature intended to help fairs meet new stormwater requirements.
Folsom said the federal “3-acre” rule — a stormwater requirement implemented through state permitting — was not originally conceived to apply to agricultural fairs, but state interpretations treat certain gravel and parking areas as impervious surface, bringing many fairgrounds into compliance obligations. She said Champlain Valley Expo, Addison and Rutland fairs have faced engineering costs and project estimates that can exceed hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Folsom described the program of state stipend and capital grants: a $110,000 annual stipend pool distributed by the Agency of Agriculture (formula-based) and a separate capital appropriation (about $300,000 in the last biennium) for multi-year facility projects. She said the legislature also secured $2 million in ARPA funds to help fairs with stormwater compliance, but an MOU among the agencies delayed distribution and left some shovel-ready projects without approval.
Folsom said the Franklin County Fair lost its lease and will not operate this year, though organizers are searching for a new site and have some grant money reserved for a down payment. She warned that once volunteer capacity and a fair's site are lost, revival becomes difficult.
Committee members and witnesses also discussed practical problems specific to fairgrounds: peak electric-billing charges tied to event loads, recycling enforcement that can penalize fairs even when vendors comply, and the operational difficulty of meeting stringent mitigation fees and on-site treatment options in constrained sites such as the Vermont State Fair in Rutland.
Folsom urged flexibility in eligibility and interpretations so small fairs can remain viable and noted that many fairs are eligible for a $35,000 average stipend but must provide matching funds and documented progress to receive capital awards. She also said some fairs have spent $50,000 on engineering work, of which $30,000 was reimbursed, and that some mitigation-fee estimates for sites exceed $800,000.
No formal legislative action was taken during the session. Folsom said fair officials will present further details during a scheduled “legislative day” on Feb. 19 and that she will return to testify before other committees as warranted.
