Preservation Trust of Vermont 
In This Issue
News from the Preservation Trust
Vermont News
National News
Resources
Grants
In the Media
PTV Resources
Support PTV
Help us to help communities throughout Vermont by making a donation today through our on-line giving program. 
 
Join Our Mailing List
News from the Preservation Trust 
 
Leahy Announces Downtown Redevelopment Projects
To Increase Public Access To 5 Vermont Historic Buildings
 
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and the Preservation Trust of Vermont announced that five historic downtown buildings will receive federal funds to help spur village redevelopment.  Historic buildings in Putney, Readsboro, Poultney, Richmond and Shoreham will get restoration work using a $425,000 federal grant Leahy secured for the Preservation Trust of Vermont's Village Revitalization Initiative.

"These historic buildings are at the very heart of the identity and economy of our communities," said Leahy.  "These grants do more than ensure the stability and aesthetics of a building, they also open these buildings to the public and help to keep our villages healthy."

"Our Village Revitalization Initiative has now provided significant funding for 25 community-based  projects across Vermont," said Paul Bruhn, executive director of the Preservation Trust of Vermont.  "Each of these projects is a key piece in each community's effort to build a successful village center.  We're most grateful that Senator Leahy is so committed to this effort."

Since 2005, Leahy has secured more than $2 million in federal funds to help rehabilitate more than 25 buildings across the state of Vermont, creating new indoor public spaces and reopening long-shuttered public spaces to Vermonters.  The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board assists in the administration of these grants.

Putney General StorePutney General Store - $100,000.  Funding will be used by the town of Putney and the Putney Historical Society to continue restoration of the general store destroyed by fire in May of 2008. 

 
 
 
 
Bullock Building, ReadsboroReadsboro Bullock's Store - $100,000
.  Funding will be used to acquire and begin rehab on the 1880's era Bullock building in the village of Readsboro.  The rehab work will make the space available to mixed use and community use.

 
 
 
Bentley Hall, PoultneyPoultney Bentley Hall- $100,000.
  Funding will be used to restore Bentley Hall on the edge of campus and in the center of Poultney to make the space available to the community.  
 
 
 

Round Church, Richmond.  Photo by Sanders Milens.Richmond Round Church - $25,000.  Funds will be used to make restorations to the 195 year-old National Historic Landmark Richmond Round Church. 

 
 
 
 
Newton Academy, ShorehamShoreham Newton Academy - $100,000.
  Funds will be used to restore the 1810 federal style building on the town green in Shoreham.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chandler Center for the Arts, RandolphIn June, Leahy announced that the Chandler Center for the Arts received a $250,000 federal grant through the Village Revitalization Initiative to fund the rehabilitation of the Chandler Music Hall and Gallery in Randolph. 

 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
 
Preservation Retreat, Grand Isle Lake House, Grand Isle, VTFinal Preservation Retreat of the Season
The Preservation Trust of Vermont is hosting the final 2-day retreat for 2009 at the Grand Isle Lake House on Monday and Tuesday October 26-27 for Community Development projects, with a special focus on fundraising.  

Participating groups should be prepared to present a ten minute case study about a project they're working on.  The case study should frame a question or problem that needs to be solved to advance their project.  Two to three people should attend from each group.  The whole idea is to share ideas, identify funding opportunities and technical assistance resources, and move projects forward.

Cost for dinner, overnight, breakfast and lunch is $50 per person for a shared room or $75 for a single (first come basis).  Space is limited, so reservations should be made as early as possible.  Deadline is two weeks before each retreat. 
For more information, please visit our website http://www.ptvermont.org/RETREATS/retreat_program.htm
or call (802) 658-6647.
 
 
Pierce Store, Shrewsbury, VTPierce's Store Opens Under New Owners
By Bruce Edwards, Rutland Herad - Published: September 7, 2009
It would make Marjorie Pierce proud and then some.

After a long hiatus, the general store that bears the family name and was the hub of this small community of 1,100 for more than 150 years is open for business once again.

Pierce's store opened quietly late last month, its wooden shelves once again stocked with everyday staples - bread, milk, cheese, meat and sundry items - just like the days when Pierce and her family ran it.

The store closed in 1992 but before she died eight years ago, Pierce entrusted the white, wood-frame building and property to the Preservation Trust of Vermont with the express purpose of reopening the store one day....
 
 
 
Harvest Festival of Foods, Sunday October 11, 2009
Hudak Farm in St. Albans, VT
A day of discussion, entertainment and regional dining around the farm table. George Schenck of American Flatbread will be the key note speaker.  Morning and afternoon workshops and musical entertainment.  Includes a delicious luncheon featuring organic and local products presented by Jeff's Maine Seafood and Chow!Bella.  Tickets $30/person or $50/two.  Sponsored by the Northwest Citizens for Responsible Growth and the Preservation Trust of Vermont.  For more information, call (802) 370-9249 or email [email protected].
 
 
Charlie Hunter Isle LaMotteIsle La Motte 2009 Commemorative Prints
Each year, Bellows Falls artist Charlie Hunter creates an image commemmorating the location of PTV's conference in the style of old-time travel posters.  His 2009 image depicts the Fisk Quarry Preserve on Isle La Motte.  The original oil on panel is available for purchase, and reproduction prints are available with and without typography at $119 each.  25% of the proceeds are donated to PTV.  Previous years (Brandon, Bennington and Bellows Falls) are also available.  For more information and to order, contact Charlie Hunter at Hunter Studio, 802-463-3669, www.hunter-studio.com, [email protected].
 
 

 
Vermont News
 
VT Downtown ConferenceVermont Downtown Conference, Friday November 6, 2009, Middlebury Inn and Town Hall Theater, 9 am to 4 pm
The 2009 Vermont Downtown Conference...Taking your downtown or village center revitalization to the next level.  Gather together with downtown and village center professionals and volunteers to network, learn and be inspired to restore and sustain your downtown - no matter what size it may be!  Learn everything from leadership development to simple and easy PR techniques for Non-profit organizations to Branding strategies for your community.
 
Also join us for the Green Mountain Awards - honoring the best in downtown and village center revitalization.  It is not too late, if you are interested in nominating a project, contact Leanne Tingay at the Vermont Downtown Program 802-828-3220 as soon as possible. 
Middlebury Inn and Town Hall Theater 
9:00 am - 4:00 pm

 
 
 
Champlain BridgeLake Champlain Bridge Urgent Announcement
Please mark your calendars to attend the October 8th Lake Champlain Bridge public information meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Addison Central School. New York Department of Transportation has formed a Public Advisory Committee to help gather public input about the fate of the bridge: whether to rehabilitate the historic bridge, build a new bridge at the same location, build a new bridge on another alignment, or replace the historic bridge with a ferry crossing.  Your input matters!  For more information, please contact Ann Cousins at [email protected].  To join the Friends of the Lake ChamplainBridge, please contact Josh Phillips at [email protected].

City of Montpelier Presents: Historic Preservation Week, October 19 -22.  Free and open to the public.
 
Monday, October 19: Keynote speaker...well-known historic preservationist Donovan Rypkema at 7:00 p.m. at the Pavilion Office Building Auditorium on State Street (enter from Governor Davis Avenue.)
 
Mr. Rypkema has quipped "A Broadway producer who once told an aspiring playwright, "If you can't write your idea on the back of my business card, you don't have a clear idea."  So I'm going to begin by giving you this entire presentation at a length you can put on the back of a  business card. 
  1. Sustainable development is crucial for economic competitiveness.
  2. Sustainable development has more elements than just environmental responsibility.
  3. "Green buildings" and sustainable development are not synonyms.
  4. Historic preservation is, in and of itself, sustainable development. Development without a historic preservation component is not sustainable."

For more information about our speaker: http://www.preservation.org/rypkema.htm
 
Tuesday, October 20: "You Have Seen Montpelier's Historic City Scape; But, Do You Know it History and Architecture?"  One noontime and two staggered evening walking tours at 4:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. will be lead by Jessie Brakenwagen a graduate student of the University of Vermont Historic Preservation Masters Degree program and a current student, Britta Fenniman.  Tours start from the Information Booth on State Street, adjacent to Christ Episcopal Church.
 
Wednesday, October 21: Montpelier's  Planning and Development Department and its Historic Preservation Commission will hold a public presentation concerning the recent documentation and expansion and preservation of Montpelier's historic district to be lead by Lyssa Papazian, Historic Preservation Consultant and Nancy Boone, Acting Vermont Historic Preservation Officer.  They will explain to property owners of homes and commercial properties of the benefits and responsibilities of owning historic properties in the historic districts. 
 
Thursday, October 22: Workshops and presentations for building owners.  Information from preservation organizations to help preserve historic buildings. 
 
For more information, contact Program Coordinator Anthony Otis...(802)229.5299, email [email protected] 

Putney General StoreGovernor Douglas Announces $1.7 Million in Downtown Tax Credits
Governor Jim Douglas has announced the allocation of $1.7 million in tax credits for a dozen Vermont communities to assist in the renovation or repair of buildings in downtowns and village centers. 
 
"These tax credits are especially important as we seek to rejuvenate Vermont's economy," Douglas said.  "These projects help revitalize downtowns and village centers; preserve Vermont's historic buildings; enhance the tourism industry; and make good use of existing infrastructure while fighting sprawl." 
 
2009 Downtown and Village Center State Tax Credits Awarded
  • Brandon, Seminary Hill School, Tax Credit: $139,350  
  • Putney, Village Store, Tax Credit: $93,750
  • Craftsbury, Village School, Tax Credit: $137,500
  • Barre,Beck & Beck Granite Shed, Tax Credit: $93,713  
  • Brattleboro, Barber Building, Tax Credit: $96,700  
  • Hardwick, Hardwick Inn, Tax Credit: $192,000 
  • Hardwick, Marshall Block, Tax Credit: $82,949
  • Readsboro, Bullock Building, Tax Credit: $108,750  
  • St. Albans, Former Fishman's Store, Tax Credit: $195,000  
  • St. Johnsbury, Catamount Arts, Tax Credit: $163,500  
  • St. Johnsbury, 1867 Building, Tax Credit: $50,000 
  • Springfield, The Cobb & Derby Mill, Tax Credit: $60,000  
  • Springfield, Ellis Block, Tax Credit: $209,200  
  • Windsor, Evarts House, Tax Credit: $45,000  
  • Vergennes, Vergennes Opera House, Tax Credit: $32,588 
For more information about each individual project, Read On Here...
 
 
Cummings Barn, East Montpelier2009 Barn Preservation Grants Announced
 
Governor Jim Douglas recently announced $161,000 in Historic Preservation Barn Grants for 19 farms to help preserve their barns for future generations.
 
The grant program, administered by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, provides owners of agricultural buildings with matching funding of up to $10,000 for a variety of capital repairs. Eligible projects include repairs to roofs, foundations, walls, sills and overall stabilization.
 
  • Cummings Farm Barn, East Montpelier: $10,000
  • Damkot Barn, Jericho: $10,000
  • Davitt Farm Barn, Maidstone: $1,900
  • Elm Brook Farm Barns, Ryegate: $10,000
  • Fish Farm Barn, Tinmouth: $10,000
  • Gaylord Farm Barn, Waitsfield: $10,000
  • Harlow Brook Farm Barn, Hartland: $10,000
  • Kittell Farm Barn, Sheldon: $9,350
  • Lamoille Farm Barn, Cambridge: $10,000
  • Mix Barn, Tunbridge - $10,000
  • Morey Farms Barn, Troy: $2000
  • Pratt Barn, Richford: $9500
  • Regier Barn, Cavendish: $6,250
  • Simplicity Farm Barn, Brookfield: $10,000
  • Vermont Woodworking School Silos, Fairfax: $7,250
  • Weathervane Barn, Greensboro: $4,500
  • Willowell Foundation Barn, Monkton: $10,000
  • Woodlawn Farm Barn, Royalton: $10,000
  • Ziegler Barn, South Londonderry: $10,000
 
The grant program, administered by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, provides owners of agricultural buildings with matching funding of up to $10,000 for a variety of capital repairs. Eligible projects include repairs to roofs, foundations, walls, sills and overall stabilization.  For more information, visit the Division for Historic Preservation site at: www.historicvermont.org/financial/barn.html 
National News  
 
Significant Spans: Bridge Projects and Threats Abound in the Northeast
While it is not unusual for the National Trust for Historic Preservation to work to save historic bridges, over the past several months the Northeast Office has been contending with a host of threats related to significant spans. The NTHP is responding to these issues in coordination with our statewide and local partners, using legal tools and advocacy strategies. The following are a few examples of the issues they are dealing with more and more.
 
 
Pocantico Proclamation
This past November the Friends of NCPTT and the National Trust for Historic Preservation convened a small group of experts to discuss historic preservation and environmental sustainability.

The group affirmed preservation's important role in efforts to improve the sustainability of the built environment and resolved to face head-on the global ecological crises that threaten both built and natural resources. After two days of intense discussions, the group developed the core of the Pocantico Proclamation on Sustainability and Historic Preservation.

This proclamation provides a good starting point to further discussion on sustainability of the built environment. Follow the link below to review the Pocantico Proclamation and add your comments. Input from the broader preservation community is critical. We appreciate your participation.
 
 
Resources 
 
Weatherization Guide for Older and Historic Buildings
New from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, this on-line guide includes the following:
  • Whole House Resource Bank- An online portal to five full sections of approximately 200 online resources - General Weatherization, Windows, Roofing, Insulation, Mechanical Systems, and Homeowner Training/Workshops
  • Windows- FAQs and advice on retrofitting old windows and key facts on the question of whether to repair or replace your windows, including:
    • Love Your Windows photo database
    • 10 Reasons to Repair Your Old Windows (PDF)
    • Repair or Replace Old Windows: a Visual Look at the Impacts (PDF)
    • Window Types - Residential Field Guide (PDF)
  • Insulation- FAQs and explanation of the right and wrong ways to add insulation
  • Roofing- FAQs and suggestions for ways to go green, including "Start with the Roof: A Guide for Keeping Weather Tight" (PDF)
  • Mechanical Systems - FAQs and advice on active and passive measures
  • Conversation with an Energy Auditor - Counsel for homeowners from professionals around the country on their experiences 
  • Incentives- Listing of funding resources available for weatherization

 
 
Fletcher Free Library, BurlingtonLibraries at the Heart of Our Communities
by Wayne Senville, Planning Commissioners Journal, No. 75, Summer 2009
The most recent issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal offers an excellent discussion of something near and dear to most downtowns and village centers in Vermont: libraries. "Libraries at the Heart of Our Communities," reports on the increasingly important role public libraries are playing in our cities and towns, and focuses on how libraries can strengthen downtowns and main street districts.

 Check out their Libarary Resources page, too: http://pcj.typepad.com/planning_commissioners_jo/libraries.html

 
New from Preservation Books:
Fundraising Basics for Preservation Organizations, By Martha Vail
Preservation organizations need money to carry out the work that they do.  And to be effective in raising funds, everyone in the organization-board members, volunteers, and staff-needs to understand essential fundraising principles and practices.  This new publication from Preservation Books, Fundraising Basics for Preservation Organizations will empower all the "accidental fundraisers" in your organization to understand the importance of fundraising and how to be successful in building support for your organization's programs and activities.  Written by Martha Vail, a nonprofit consultant and trainer, this booklet covers fund development plans, strategic planning, fund development tools, and  fundraising from individuals, foundations, and corporations.  An extensive resource guide is also included.
 

Teaching Preservation
School is officially back in session! In addition to a class full of new (hopefully smiling) faces, the first day of school brings with it an opportunity to explore fresh ideas and creative strategies for bringing your curriculum alive. From art to social studies, lessons that incorporate historic preservation go beyond typical textbook activities by teaching your students to recognize and appreciate the rich heritage that surrounds them. Please bookmark this growing website as your resource for bringing preservation into the classroom.
 
 
Grants 

New PTV Grant Opportunity: Community Forestry Project  
The Preservation Trust of Vermont is offering matching grants for tree planting in Designated Downtowns and Designated Village Centers. Applications require Planting and Maintenance Plans.  Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend one of three Community Forestry Planning Workshops at a date to be announced that will be offered in September 2009 by the Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Urban and Community Forestry Program of the Agency of Natural Resources. Funding for this effort is being provided by Bruce Lisman.  For more information, contact (802) 658-6647 or [email protected].
 
2010 Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, Preservation Grants
State 50/50 matching grants for the repair and restoration of hsitoric buildings that are used by the public such as town halls, churches, grange halls, museums, etc. Deadline October 5th, 2009.

2010 Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Barn Grants 
State 50/50 matching grants for the repair and restoration of historic agricultureal buildings.  Deadline November 2, 2009
 
 
Vermont Arts Council Cultural Facilities Grants
To enhance, create, or expand the capacity of an existing building to provide cultural programming. Improvements such as wiring, heating, ADA accessibility features, lighting, and stage work are eligible. Grant amounts range from $750 - $20,000. Deadline October 9, 2009.
 
 
Conservation Assessment Program (CAP)
The Conservation Assessment Program provides a general conservation assessment of a museum's collections, environmental conditions and sites, including historic buildings.  Conservation priorities are identified by professional conservators (and preservation architect, if applicable) and travel costs up to a mseum's allocated amount.  Deadline December 1, 2009.  For more information, visit http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/conservAssessment.shtm
 

Vermont Community Foundation, Special and Urgent Needs Program (Unbudgeted, unforeseen, time-sensitive emergencies or opportunities)
The Vermont Community Foundation wants to be a responsive grantmaker, so we created the Special and Urgent Needs Program to address short-term needs where a relatively small amount of funding can help an organization through a significant leadership transition, develop a new piece of infrastructure, or take advantage of an unexpected but strategic opportunity. Rolling application.
http://www.vermontcf.org/sun
 
 
Click here for a complete list of Funding Sources for Preservation Projects in Vermont
In the Media 

Name Dropping
As local stores disappear, so does homegrown flavor
By Dwight Young | From Preservation | September/October 2009 
When I was a kid in Plainview, Tex., my retail world encompassed just four local establishments. One was the grocery store my Uncle Bryan owned, where I was allowed the occasional free candy bar and thereby became the envy of all my friends. Another was the drugstore with a soda fountain where we sat on spinning stools and gulped root beer floats until dizziness showed us the error of our ways. Then there was Anthony's, a department store both depressing (it was where we shopped for back-to-school clothes) and fascinating (it had a system of pneumatic tubes that sucked up little containers with a loud thoop! and sent them flying.....

http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2009/september-october/name-dropping_bp.html 
 
 
Fairy tale ending?
Wilson Castle needs cash infusion to stay alive
By BRENT CURTIS Rutland Herald Staff

PROCTOR - From a distance, Wilson Castle seems a timeless glimpse of the Old World, a brick and marble wonder of turrets and parapets, set atop a sloping verdant lawn.

But look closer and the wrinkles of age are apparent.

On the outside, the fa�ade is cracked and eroding and the slate roof is in need of repairs after 142-years of exposure to the elements. On the inside, the Far East and European antiquities, Oriental rugs, statues, paintings and stained glass windows are as perfect and preserved as ever.
 
Museum prepares for opening
By Gordon Dritschilo, Rutland Heral Staff Writer
 
BRANDON - The Stephen A. Douglas Birthplace Museum will be a work in progress when it opens Sept. 6.

"Not everything's going to be in place in terms of museum installations," Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Janet Mondlak said Wednesday.

Still, Mondlak says, there should be enough to whet the public's appetite for local history.

"We didn't want to build a museum of things," she said. "We built a museum, for the most part, of text and photos."

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009908290334