Waitsfield Village Meeting House Awarded a $264,182Community Development Grant
The Vermont Community Development Program has awarded a $264,182 Disaster Recovery Implementation Grant to the Waitsfield United Church of Christ Village Meeting House. The funds will go towards enhanced flood proofing, safety and accessibility measures over and above those identified as part of the Building to Serve Capital Campaign currently underway.
Background
The building has been lovingly cared for over the years through dedicated volunteerism and financial resources of its 94 congregants who have provided a range of in-kind services to maintain the physical infrastructure and financially support the church. The church’s leadership has diligently consulted with numerous professionals to assess infrastructure needs and improvements that would make the building more accessible, inviting, flexible and structurally sound for continued use as a community meeting space. “As the costs are beyond the ability of the church itself to fund, the congregation decided to launch the Building to Serve Capital Campaign to invite the community to join in this important effort to preserve and enhance this irreplaceable element of the Valley’s landscape,” said Jon Jamieson, co-chair of the capital campaign committee.
To facilitate the effort, the church elected to work with Partners for Sacred Places, a national, non-sectarian, nonprofit organization focused on building the capacity of congregations of historic sacred places to better serve their communities as anchor institutions. Originally, close to $700,000 in necessary building improvements were identified. Through extensive research that included a series of fact-finding interviews, Partners for Sacred Places determined that the community could reasonably support a campaign to raise $375,000. As a result, critical needs were assessed and prioritized, and the project was scaled back to include the following:
- $19,000 Install fire alarm system to meet state code and improve safety
- $36,000 Reduce the invasion of flood waters into the basement toprevent further weakening of foundation’s structural integrity
- $27,000 Improve moisture and air quality control by covering the dirt floor in the basement with a moisture barrier and concrete slab
- $25,000 Create a new unisex ADA accessible bathroom within the existing building footprint
- $72,000 Repair historic slate roof
- $142,000 Improve and expand community dining and meeting space, providing flexible venue for both large and small gatherings and private meetings
- $54,000 Renovate communal kitchen to accommodate Community Suppers and other community group dinners
Grant Provides Additional Funding
Recognizing that more could be accomplished with additional revenue sources, the community and church members comprising the Building to Serve Capital Campaign Steering Committee decided to apply for a Community Development Disaster Recovery Implementation Grant. These are funds made available to community non-profit organizations and municipalities to mitigate the danger of flooding and to make ADA and Life Safety improvements to their community facilities.
"I am pleased and not at all surprised the Village Meeting House was selected to be among this round of Community Development Block Grant recipients. The steering committee successfully demonstrated the growing role played by the Village Meeting House in the Mad River Valley community," said State Representative, Adam Greshin of Warren.
The grant funds add to the anticipated $375,000 that will be raised by the Building to Serve Capital Campaign, and allow for flood mitigation, accessibility and safety measures that could not be accomplished under the capital campaign. Enhancements include:
- Insulation of basement walls and installation of an air and moisture barrier system
- Removal of all mechanical and electrical systems from the previously flood-prone basement and installation of new systems located well above the 100-year flood level
- Enlargement of the back wing of the building to accommodate separate men’s and women’s accessible bathrooms
- Replacement of the steep and non-compliant exit stair in the back wing of the building with a new safe exit stair
- Enlargement and renovation of the second floor level of the back wing to create a new administrative office that will be available for community use
These additional improvements were estimated at $275,000. The $264,182 Disaster Recovery Implementation Grant comes close to covering the complete cost of these flood and safety enhancements.
Building to Serve Capital Campaign Status
To date, the Building to Serve Capital Campaign is about halfway to its $375,000 goal through generous pledges from congregants, community members and visitors who recognize the importance of the church in the community. Serving on the Steering Committee are Jon Jamieson (Co-Chair), Bill Gallup (Co-Chair), Anne Bordonaro, Andrew Cunningham, Vince Gauthier, Susan Graham, Adam Greshin, Roy Hadden, Gary Kingsbury, Nancy McHugh, Peggy Stokes, Josh Schwartz, and Liza Walker.
Contributions can be made through the church’s website, or by mailing a check to Waitsfield United Church of Christ, Village Meeting House, Building to Serve, P.O. Box 16, Waitsfield, VT 05673. For additional information, please contact the church at 802-496-3065.