Senate committee hears NRCD and NICO seek $275,000 to buy and rehab house at Orleans County fairgrounds

The Senate Committee on Institutions heard on April 14 from the Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District and Northeast Kingdom Organizing (NICO) about a capital‑bill request to purchase and renovate a house on the Orleans County Fairgrounds.

Sarah, speaking for the NRCD, said the district is seeking roughly $275,000 to acquire the house and complete significant restoration work. She told the committee the property has been vacant for about 20 years, was donated to the fairgrounds in the 1980s, sits on a separate 0.6‑acre parcel with town water and sewer, and carries “a significant amount of deferred maintenance.” She said the district has obtained realtor comps, a contractor estimate and an inspection report, and that the contractor estimate includes mold remediation and roof repairs.

Audrey Grant, co‑director of Northeast Kingdom Organizing, told senators NICO runs the Barton Hub meal and pantry and leads flood‑recovery work in the Northeast Kingdom. “We mobilized 600 volunteers to muck and gut, around 450 homes across the kingdom,” she said, arguing that a stable, secure office and nearby storage at the fairgrounds would allow NICO, the NRCD and the fairgrounds to run larger trainings, store equipment for flood response and expand community programming.

Committee members pressed for more documentation before committing state funds. One committee member asked whether a purchase‑and‑sale agreement exists; Sarah said there is not a finalized purchase‑and‑sale but that she had provided a signed commitment letter from the fairgrounds to a committee staffer. Members also asked for the inspection report, contractor estimates, an updated one‑page project summary with square footage, and confirmation from the town on whether the proposed occupancy is permitted under local zoning and whether utilities have adequate capacity.

On timing, Sarah said earlier plans to lease the house and have the fairgrounds contractor handle some mold repairs for a June move‑in did not come together, and that if the committee appropriates funds the NRCD would need to line up a contractor this fall or next spring and expect remediation over the coming winter, with occupancy perhaps about a year after funding. Senators suggested reappropriation could be considered if immediate funding is not feasible.

The committee also asked NRCD and NICO to provide clearer estimates of how owning and co‑locating in the house would improve operational efficiency and reduce annual costs; both presenters agreed to provide that information and the requested documents. The committee recessed to continue deliberations on capital‑bill details.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the request during this session; senators asked staff and the presenters to return with the purchase‑and‑sale documentation, inspection and mold reports, zoning confirmation and a revised one‑pager tied to a clarified timeline.