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Montpelier, Newport leaders press committee for state support to acquire and remediate federally impacted downtown properties
Summary
Preservation groups and city officials urged the committee to use S 3 27 funds to help acquire and remediate flood‑damaged, federally owned or receiver‑controlled downtown parcels. Testimony focused on 87 State Street (Montpelier) and a distressed three‑block parcel in Newport, citing PCB contamination, remediation cost ranges and an imminent GSA auction.
Local leaders told the committee that state flexibility in S 3 27 would allow rapid state support to prevent long-term downtown blight.
Ben Doyle, president of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, and John Copan, executive director of the Foundation for Resilient Montpelier, laid out a due-diligence summary for 87 State Street (the former federal building/post office). They said the General Services Administration (GSA) announced in December 2024 it would dispose of the property and that GSA had completed some remediation work but intends to list the building for auction in the spring. "There was about 4 feet of water on the first floor after the flood," Doyle said, describing the 2023 flood damage. Copan said the site has roughly 50,000 square feet of usable space on 1.6 acres and is a…
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