Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
County fair leaders tell legislature grants keep events running but infrastructure remains costly
Summary
Leaders of Vermont county fairs told the agriculture committee in Montpelier that annual stipends and capital grants—typically about $35,000—have helped keep events operating and fund projects, but aging sites, engineering needs and deed or conservation restrictions limit relocation and require further investment.
Leaders of Vermont county fairs briefed the Agriculture Committee in Montpelier about how state stipend and capital grant funding has been used and the limits those funds face when applied to aging fairgrounds.
Robert Convent, representing the Rutland fair, said capital grant money paid for a permanent restroom building that eliminated an ongoing $2,000-a-year porta-potty rental expense and reduced environmental impacts from sewage pumping and chemical handling. “With our capital grant money, we were able to build the last restroom, and we don't have to rent porta-potties anymore,” Convent said.
Convent told senators the fair secured grant funding to study a three-acre compliance issue and expects…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
