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Fair organizers tell appropriations panel capital grants and stipends spur local economic activity, urge help with 3‑acre rule
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Summary
Representatives of county and state fairs told the committee capital grants and stipend programs (capital and premium payments) are essential to their survival, return millions to local economies, and that a $2M legislative fund has been targeted to fairs struggling with a 3‑acre impervious-surface requirement.
Several fair organizers and volunteers addressed the Senate Appropriations Committee during public comment on Feb. 18 to describe how capital grants and stipend funds help sustain fairs and local economies.
Jackie Colson, lobbyist and secretary for the fairs association, said the program is not always about asking for more money but recognizes the return fairs provide: "When you consider that we're getting $410,000 as an investment from the legislature, these fairs put $9,000,000 back into the economy of the state of Vermont over the entire year," she said, describing the capital grant and stipend program uses for premiums and operational support.
Scott Sheehy, representing a regional fair, detailed capital projects used to update electrics and repower infrastructure and said capital grant dollars allowed them to complete a multi‑year plan with improvements that increased public support. Lana Contwarski and other fair officials described repairing barns, sewer and water lines, and noted premiums and stipends support prize money and participant incentives (one fair reported nearly $22,000 in premium payouts in the past year).
Speakers raised a pressing compliance challenge known as the '3‑acre rule' that affects fairgrounds with impervious-surface limits and can force costly engineering work or relocation. Commenters said a past legislative allocation of $2,000,000 was set aside to help fairs under that constraint, with distributions of roughly $550,000 to several fairs (Champlain Valley, Orleans and others) and a smaller feasibility allocation reported for Rutland ($175,000) to study options.
Speakers emphasized that many fairs are volunteer-run nonprofits reliant on seed capital from the state to carry out capital improvements and pay premiums that draw participants and visitors. Several said projects are 'shovel-ready' but constrained by engineering timelines and permit backlogs; some cautioned that multi-year construction could threaten a fair's continuity.
Committee members asked clarifying questions; no formal committee action was taken during the public comment period.
