South Hero’s Meeting House, the oldest municipally owned building in Grand Isle County, is up for a vote at Town Meeting on Tuesday, March 1. Article 7 will provide the funds to match a $100,000 grant from Preservation Trust of Vermont’s Paul Bruhn Grant program, which is through the National Parks Service to construct a new foundation and stabilize the east wall of the building.
The first Phase of the planned renovation and revitalization of this building will include jacking up the building so a full cellar and new foundation can be poured as well as stabilization of the east wall, which has sagged considerably over the years from the garage bay doors installed in the 1950s.
Without this foundation and stabilization work, the future of the building is unclear. Several years ago, the Granny’s moved heavy objects out of the east side of their shop as the roofline began to visibly sag.
Your vote in favor of Article 7 will start us on the path to bringing this great building back to a full life. Winterization, heat, plumbing, and an addition to provide accessibility as well as office space, which are proposed for future Phases of revitalization, will create a vibrant community asset that will be a complement to the proposed recreation park adjacent to the Meeting House.
This first step in a long revitalization process will ensure that the Granny’s have a safe space for their shop. The full basement, which is part of the project, will create storage for the Town and the restored subflooring will create a useable shell on the first floor.
Please vote yes on Article 7 on Tuesday, March 1. Without your support of this Article, the Town may not be able to fulfill the obligations of the $100,000 grant. Your donations to this project (with checks made out to the South Hero Foundation, Inc., PO Box 441, South Hero, VT, or made online through this site) will also help round out the full match for this project, which has a $275,000 budget. Thank you!