Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, for The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus
BARRE – Two years after floods devastated downtown, the leader of Barre Area Development Inc. says the group is starting to make progress, although much work remains to be done.
Executive Director Josh Jerome has been in this position since May, but has been in the economic development field for 15 years, working in central Vermont.
Jerome lived in Barre growing up, and spent four years as executive director of The Barre Partnership, whose goal is to sustain a vibrant downtown.
After much uncertainty surrounding the hold on federal funding, Jerome says housing and flooding mitigation are mostly back on track.
Q: What is still to be done?
A: What I’m focusing on is the housing in Barre. We want to be able to buy and acquire properties in order to evaluate them, making them more resilient. Our goal is to get people out of dangerous areas through a project called Prospect Heights.
It was originally designed for about 128 housing units, comprising multifamily and single family homes. We want to focus on that because it will give housing to so many residents, giving them rental and ownership options.
There will be other housing options downtown for rent, giving people affordable housing. These structures will be able to withstand future flooding because they will be built more concretely as well as being elevated.
Q: What has caused the delays in rebuilding the town?
A: We kept asking state officials if we should be concerned that (federal) funds for community development block grants would be held up.
We know state officials have met with (federal) Housing and Urban Development officials, so they feel confident the funds are secure and will be made available.
Q: There are tensions in the town about trying to prevent flooding rather than waiting and dealing with it. What are some ways Barre Area Development Inc. has helped prevent flooding?
A: One huge project they are working on is the storm water system, being able to manage that better so it doesn’t come up in lowland areas.
(Another initiative is) mitigation of the brooks behind people’s houses that grow when there is a large amount of rain, causing damage. This could include protecting structures and making sure there aren’t any implements to the flow of water.
Q: Can you give an overall update about where the organization is in the recovery of Barre?
A: Our organization has been working with the city, some additional stakeholders from the state, and a grant writer on Community Development Block Grant projects. We are working towards a submission for these projects on Sept. 30.
Q: Why do you care about community development?
A: We have to invest in ourselves to grow our communities and be more resilient economically but also in terms of natural disasters and climate change. I find this work very challenging but also very rewarding.
Q. Why is flood prevention important to you?
My mother lives downtown and the brook that runs through her backyard is really tiny, probably dry right now. But when there’s a big rainstorm, it grows and grows, and overtops its bank.
I love our downtowns. They are extremely important to our economic resiliency and ecosystem. I think it’s crucial to protect them because climate change is here and flooding won’t go away.