More than $8 million in federal grants is headed to Vermont, with a large share going to Newport for infrastructure and downtown redevelopment, according to the Northern Border Regional Commission.
Newport is receiving $3 million to replace undersized water and sewer lines and make streetscape improvements to support housing and commercial growth. Separately, the Northeastern Vermont Development Association is receiving $500,000 to help acquire the long-vacant downtown property known as “the pit,” a site cleared more than a decade ago for a redevelopment project that collapsed after accusations of EB-5 visa program misuse.
“It’s a pretty big deal for us,” Newport Mayor Rick Ufford-Chase told VTDigger. “It’s not just the money. It’s a sign of investment and belief that Newport is turning a new page, and so we are extremely excited about what the money represents.”
The mayor said the city received its full $3 million request, which will also be used for sewer and water revitalization and development preparation on Main Street. However, he noted that additional funds are still needed to fully redevelop the pit, and details on that grant are not yet worked out.
Loralee Tester, executive director of the Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, called the investment “critical and long overdue,” adding that Newport has a working waterfront on Lake Memphremagog, border access and rail, but “lacked the patient, foundational public investment that unlocks private capital, housing, and business growth.”
In total, Vermont projects received $7.6 million through the Catalyst Program, $695,062 through the Forest Economy Program, and $110,000 through the Timber for Transit Program, per NBRC data. Other awards went to the University of Vermont and Vermont Agency of Transportation, covering at least five counties: Caledonia, Essex, Franklin, Orleans, and Windham.
The funding is part of a $45.4 million round for NBRC member states Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, and New York, with 56 awards across three programs.
Originally reported by VTDigger.
Photo: User:Dismas (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain). Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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