The State is has several grants available to communities through the "Building Communities Grants Programs." Most of these are available to towns and nonprofits. They are for historic preservation, cultural facilities, recreational facilities, human services, health care, education, and agricultural fairs. One grant program is available to private citizens (Historic Barn & Ag Buildings).
Here is a link to descriptions of the grants: http://bgs.vermont.gov/sites/bgs/files/pdfs/BGS-Grants-Summary.pdf
This and other materials are at this state website under "Grants": http://bgs.vermont.gov/formsandpublications
If your nonprofit can utilize any of these, go for it!
Or, if someone sees a Town need, and will volunteer to do the grant, talk to us! As a Selectboard, we are busy with previous grants, applications to FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program and so on, but if someone wants to lead the charge and take responsibility for another grant effort that could benefit the town, let us know.
UPDATES, ANNOUNCEMENTS and NEWS from the TOWN OF PEACHAM. (If you want to be notified of blog updates, submit your email address below - it will remain confidential.)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Road Update of 7/14/2011
- Hollow Road is now open.
- We anticipate work opening Rake Factory Road Friday or next week.
- There has been more work on Macks Mtn. Road this week. We finally have more road material.
- Yes, we realize a lot of the roads and repairs are rough with large stones. The road crew will be cleaning and smoothing these areas by adding top layers of finer material that eventually packs hard. They will also be doing more ditching.
- Since the storm, we have had 6 trucks and 5 private contractors working 50-hour weeks along with our own town road crew. Thank you for your patience. We have been borrowing funds to pay for this with the town's line of credit, and hope to start recouping most of those funds from FEMA and state assistance now that Caledonia County has been included in the disaster declaration.
- The road construction on Route 2 through Danville has been put on hold for now. If you still try to bypass it via Keiser Pond Road, remember the speed limit is 35mph.
- We anticipate work opening Rake Factory Road Friday or next week.
- There has been more work on Macks Mtn. Road this week. We finally have more road material.
- Yes, we realize a lot of the roads and repairs are rough with large stones. The road crew will be cleaning and smoothing these areas by adding top layers of finer material that eventually packs hard. They will also be doing more ditching.
- Since the storm, we have had 6 trucks and 5 private contractors working 50-hour weeks along with our own town road crew. Thank you for your patience. We have been borrowing funds to pay for this with the town's line of credit, and hope to start recouping most of those funds from FEMA and state assistance now that Caledonia County has been included in the disaster declaration.
- The road construction on Route 2 through Danville has been put on hold for now. If you still try to bypass it via Keiser Pond Road, remember the speed limit is 35mph.
NOTICE to those with damage from the 5/26-27 storms
EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROTECTION FUNDS:
There is a one-time possibility for federal financial assistance for relieving imminent hazards caused by natural disasters such as repairing blocked streams, unstable streambanks, jeopardized dams, etc. It is through the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The Town of Peacham has its foot in the door to sponsor private projects if they qualify -- however time is short.
If you are interested, a NRCS engineer needs to talk with you and assess the property with a site visit PRIOR TO JULY 26, 2011. This assessment and meeting with you does not cost anything and does not obligate you to anything. However it is absolutely necessary if you have any hope of accessing these EWP emergency funds.
To begin the EWP process with the necessary (but no-obligation) assessment, please contact:
Michel Lapointe, P.E., Civil Engineer with the USDA-NRCS
1193 South Brownell Road, Suite 35, Williston, VT 05495-7416
(802) 865-7895 Ext. 118 TEL (802) 324-0377 Cell (802) 865-7947 FAX
1193 South Brownell Road, Suite 35, Williston, VT 05495-7416
(802) 865-7895 Ext. 118 TEL (802) 324-0377 Cell (802) 865-7947 FAX
FEMA FUNDING:
Two Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) have opened (Barre and Newport, VT) to assist individuals, households and businesses with disaster-related damage caused by the storms and flooding. The DRC is staffed with disaster recovery specialists from various federal, state and local agencies and organizations who can provide information and answer questions about storm-related assistance.
- Barre Municipal Auditorium, 16 Auditorium Hill, Barre, VT 05641. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.
- Newport, VT (may be less busy), Newport City Hall Gymnasium, 222 Main Street, Newport, VT 05855. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Disaster officials also encourage those affected by the storms to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency before visiting a DRC. See former posts about FEMA below.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Caledonia County (finally) qualifies for federal Disaster Assistance
DISASTER ASSISTANCE TOPS $1 MILLION FOR VERMONT
(News Release from VT Emergency Mgmt.) (7/12/2011) – More than $1 million in federal disaster aid has been approved for eligible applicants affected by the spring storms and flooding that occurred from April 23rd to May 9th.
Since President Obama issued a major disaster declaration on June 15th for these storms in the counties of Addison, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin , Grand Isle, Lamoille, and Orleans
The grants include $1,050,536 in housing assistance, such as rental and home repair assistance, and $25,820 in other needs assistance, such as replacement of personal property.
Caledonia and Washington counties recently received federal declarations on Friday, July 8, for storms and flooding that occurred May 26th to 27th.
FEMA assistance to individuals and families may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and families recover.
Those who have experienced damage or loss from the flooding in the designated counties can register for disaster assistance at 800-621-FEMA (3362). Multilingual registration assistance is also available. Those with a speech disability or hearing loss who use a TTY can call 800-462-7585 directly, or 800-621-3362, if using 711 or Video Relay Service. Registration can also be done online anytime at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or through web-enabled mobile phone devices at m.fema.gov.
The following is a recap of activities and assistance provided by FEMA and its partners:
- Community Relations: To help identify and assist those who have flooding damage, FEMA Community Relations field specialists have visited more than 2,500 homes, businesses, local agencies and community-based organizations, and houses of worship, and reached out to local officials, the visually impaired, deaf and those with limited English proficiency.
- Disaster Recovery Centers: Currently, four DRCs are open throughout the state, where those with questions about assistance after the floods can visit with a federal recovery specialist face-to-face. Those looking for the nearest disaster recovery center can check online at https://asd.fema.gov/inter/locator/drcLocator.jsp or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-FEMA (3362).
- Low-Interest Loans: The U.S. Small Business Administration offers low-interest, long-term disaster loans to homeowners and renters as well as businesses. Find more information at www.sba.gov.
· Job Loss Due To Disaster: You may be eligible for disaster unemployment assistance if the storms and flooding affected your ability to work. For more information call 877-214-3330 or visit www.labor.vermont.gov.
- Legal Services: If you need legal assistance with home repair contracts, insurance claims and other disaster-related issues, you can call 800-889-2047 for free legal advice. The service is a partnership between Vermont Volunteer Lawyers Project, the Vermont Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and FEMA.
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New Release from VT Emergency Mgmt. (7/9/2011) – A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) has opened in Barre to assist individuals, households and businesses with disaster-related damage caused by the storms and flooding in late May in central Vermont
The DRC is staffed with disaster recovery specialists from various federal, state and local agencies and organizations who can provide information and answer questions about storm-related assistance.
The DRC is located at: Barre Municipal Auditorium,16 Auditorium Hill, Barre , VT 05641
Disaster officials encourage those affected by the storms to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency before visiting a DRC by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362), online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or via a web-enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. Multilingual registration assistance is available. Those with a speech disability or hearing loss who use a TTY can call 800-462-7585 directly; or call 800-621-3362 if using 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS).
Once someone is registered, staff at a center can quickly review and update applicant information and provide specific answers to individual questions and concerns. Center specialists can also identify possible help from voluntary agencies or provide disaster-related information to reduce future damage risks.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Road update 7/3/11
County Road is now open through to Great Road.
Work has begun on Willow Brook Road.
Lots of work still to do. Most of the shoulders and ditches still need to be cleaned up.
Work has begun on Willow Brook Road.
Lots of work still to do. Most of the shoulders and ditches still need to be cleaned up.
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