Infrastructure

Recap 2012: State builds mental health system from scratch

VCF Staff — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:42:43 +0000

The Shumlin administration and lawmakers had to put the state’s psychiatric system back together after Tropical Storm Irene damaged the Vermont State Hospital in August 2011. Rather than restoring the existing mental health infrastructure, Gov. Peter Shumlin decided to build from scratch.

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State of Vermont receives EPA Smart Growth Assistance

VCF Staff — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:01:10 +0000

EPA recently announced that Vermont has been one of five selected recipients of the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program nationwide. This program will offer assistance to help understand new or cutting-edge development issues. With this SGIA assistance EPA will help communities in the Mad River Valley recover from flood damage, become more resilient to future natural disasters, and plan for future growth.

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Vermont House panel recommends big bucks for roads, bridges

VCF Staff — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:10:00 +0000

The House Transportation Committee proposes a record-breaking $639.4 million spending package on roads, bridges and other modes of transport next year. Much of the increase comes from federal funding the state has been able to tap because of the flood damage Tropical Storm Irene wreaked in August to roads and bridges.

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Report: Vermont's infrastructure needs major improvements

VCF Staff — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:19:38 +0000

The Vermont Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released the first "Report Card" of its kind in Vermont. The Report Card provides an evaluation and letter grade for Vermont’s roads, bridges, dams, municipal drinking water, and municipal wastewater systems. Of the five areas of infrastructure, grades ranged from a “C” to a “D-“, with roads and municipal wastewater scoring the lowest.

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VTrans grants help establish four new bus routes

VCF Staff — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:03:53 +0000

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has awarded grants totaling nearly $285,000 to help establish four new bus routes under the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) Program. The competitive grants were awarded to Chittenden County Transit Authority (CCTA), Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR), Deerfield Valley Transit Association (DVTA), Green Mountain Community Network, Inc. (GMCNI) and Rural Community Transportation (RCT).

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Report: Vermont ranked first in nation for pedestrian safety

VCF Staff — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000

ermont earned top honors when it comes to pedestrian safety, according to a new report from the Alliance for Biking & Walking. The state ranks first among states for pedestrian safety, and third among states for walking to work. Investment in bicycling and walking likely explains the high rankings.

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Vermont firms team up to spread smart grid, broadband Internet

VCF Staff — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:46:12 +0000

Up to 250,000 smart-grid meters, which allow energy consumers to monitor their electiricy use, are coming to under-served areas of Vermont during the next two years. Their success will depend on expanded broadband technology to transmit information. Green Mountain Power Corp, Central Vermont Public Service Corp., and Vermont Telephone Co. are all partners in the deal.

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Draft horses bring fiber optics to remote locations

VCF Staff — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:07:12 +0000

FairPoint is one of a handful of companies that is working to lay fiber-optic cable to homes even in the most remote areas of the state.

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Vermont lags in making roads safe for all

VCF Staff — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:02:57 +0000

Vermont ranked just 34th in the nation for being bike-friendly last year, according to the League of American Bicyclists.

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A netbook for every student

VCF Staff — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:35:25 +0000

For the students in Hannah Estey and Rebecca Zavadil’s fifth-grade classes, Christmas came a bit early this year. On Thursday, the Bristol Elementary School fifth-graders all received new Dell netbooks to use at school and at home through the end of the school year as part of the education portion of the “e-Vermont” grant awarded to the town earlier this year.

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