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Rutland begins two‑week public comment on updated hazard mitigation plan
Summary
Mountain Region Planning presented an updated draft of the Town of Rutland’s hazard mitigation plan; the Select Board was asked to review the draft and submit comments by Nov. 5 to inform a strategy scheduled for finalization in late February.
Stephanie Bork of Mountain Region Planning told the Town of Rutland Select Board on Oct. 22 that the town’s draft update to its 2019 hazard mitigation plan is now available for review and public comment. “This plan is going to eventually outline a long‑term strategy to reduce natural disaster losses,” Bork said, and she explained that FEMA’s 2023 guidance emphasizes broader community engagement in the risk‑assessment process.
Bork said the planning team completed the risk assessment during September–October and has shared the working draft so local officials and residents can comment on the town’s identified hazards and vulnerabilities. She asked that comments be emailed to her and noted that the public comment period closes Tuesday, Nov. 5. The draft available in the packet runs roughly 39 pages in total with the main text spanning pages 3–21 and appendices still in development; maps showing areas at risk from extreme winter storms and floods are included in the materials left at the town office for in‑person review.
Select Board members and department heads were asked to place discussion of the draft on the Nov. 4 meeting agenda so those comments can be entered into the record and shared with the planning team. Bork said it will be difficult to revisit the risk assessment later in the process, so early review is important if the board wants substantive changes before the team moves to strategy development; the planning team expects to advance the remaining plan sections for submission to state reviewers in late February.
The presentation emphasized that the current stage focuses on defining problems and local vulnerabilities rather than on specific mitigation projects. Bork said the working draft includes a crosswalk to document how the plan meets federally required components and that appendix C will summarize the public‑engagement activities completed to date. The town office will hold a hard copy of the draft and the planning team provided a short URL for reviewers to download the materials.
Next steps: the board will collect comments at its Nov. 4 meeting and the planning team intends to use community feedback to finalize strategy development and prepare the plan for submission to Vermont Emergency Management and other reviewers.
