The Headwaters Community Trust, a land trust serving Albany, Craftsbury, Glover and Greensboro, is exploring the acquisition of the Sterling College campus, the trust announced in a recent newsletter. The college is set to close this summer after 68 years.
“It is one of those generational opportunities,” said Linda Ramsdell, president of the trust’s board. “It’s really big and we’re a really young, new land trust and we feel we have to consider all the possibilities and fully explore and pursue the acquisition.”
The 166-acre campus in Craftsbury Common includes 12 primary buildings totaling about 65,000 square feet, plus 16 outbuildings, 110 dormitory beds, classrooms, a library, a dining hall, farm and forestry infrastructure, athletic fields and trail networks. The property sits near the town’s high school and library.
Under the community land trust model, the trust would own the land and sell or lease buildings, such as homes, at affordable prices, with resale restrictions to keep them affordable permanently. The trust’s board includes residents from the four towns.
Carey Crozier, a board member, spoke to legislators about the effort during NEK Day at the Statehouse in January. “This is the first time in probably the 10 years that I’ve been renting in the area that I feel like we’re actually getting somewhere,” she said.
Sterling College President Scott Thomas said via email that the college is encouraged by the community-led exploration, which aligns with the college's mission. “Headwaters’ Community Land Trust model offers an innovative framework to help ensure continued alignment between the campus and the needs and values of the community,” he said. Discussions remain exploratory, and any sale requires approval from Sterling’s board.
Childcare provider Craftsbury Saplings, which currently operates in the East Craftsbury Presbyterian Church, is looking to renovate a dormitory on the campus to expand its capacity from 19 to 42 children and add infant care. The center has raised about $885,000 from donors plus $2 million in federal funds. Executive Director Melissa Jacobs said the site offers cost savings and would bring educational resources closer together. Renovations could start by late summer if the trust acquires the property.
Sterling has also begun an external process through the Preservation Trust of Vermont to identify viable successor uses.
Originally reported by VTDigger.
Photo: Austin via Unsplash. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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