Adam Lougee

Bristol, Monkton, Middlebury, Starksboro, Orwell

Katie Raycroft-Meyer

Addison, Bridport, Ferrisburgh, New Haven, Lincoln, Salisbury

Danelle Birong

Panton, Shoreham, Vergennes, Waltham, Weybridge

Rebecca Elder

Cornwall, Goshen, Leicester, Ripton, Whiting

Local Emergency Management Plans (LEMPs) are important resources for responding to a disaster and keeping contact information and resource lists updated and at hand. Having a current plan is also required for municipalities to receive federal preparedness funds and increased state reimbursement through the Emergency Relief and Assistance Fund.

Annual LEMP adoption will be due for update and Select Board signature after Town Meeting Day and before JUNE 1st. This year, VEM Regional Coordinator Harry Schoppmann will be reaching out to municipal officials about updating and adopting LEMPs. 

Each municipality has an appointed Emergency Management Director (EMD), who has direct responsibility for the organization, administration, and coordination of local emergency management. Some municipalities have an appointed Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) to support their work.

If you are interested in learning more about this position in your city or town, please reach out to Andrew L’Roe at ACRPC (alroe@acrpc.org) 

Did you know your yard can save you money, support pollinators, and slow down stormwater runoff?

The Addison County River Watch will host this event to help you discover new possibilities for your yard. You'll be able to connect with pollinator experts, contractors, and funding sources.

What You'll Learn

• Creating mini meadows in your yard
• Raising your mower blade and how to mow less
• Building & funding a rain garden
• Using rain barrels and creating flood-resilient yards
• Supporting pollinators

Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 1 -3 PM

UU Church, 2 Duane Ct, Middlebury

The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) that are used to designate the 100-year floodplain regulated by municipalities are based on paper maps that date back to the 1980s. FEMA and USGS have been working on updating these maps for approximately five years and are nearing completion.

The next step is a presentation of draft Work Maps at a Countywide Work Map Meeting. 

Our Addison County Work Map Meeting will be combined with Franklin and Orleans Counties.

The Workmap meeting advertised in our March newsletter was postponed until April 8.

Here's the current schedule:

• Tuesday 4/8 at 9 a.m. – Workmap meeting (on Microsoft Teams and will be recorded)
• Thurs 4/10 – Breakout meeting slots #1 for towns if requested
• Wed 4/16 – Breakout meeting slots #2 for towns if requested

One or more of officials or your municipality may have received notification from the VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), US Geological Survey (USGS), or USGS contractor (T and M Associates) recently about updates to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). 

We don’t know who (or if) the USGS/FEMA

contacted at town-level, nor do we have access to any draft maps yet.

Once any appeals have been resolved, FEMA will notify the town of an Effective Date (at least six months later) for the new maps, with a Letter of Final Determination. Maps will go into effect for the entire county at once. 

When the new maps go into effect, FEMA requires that town bylaws meet current standards for participation in the NFIP. If your bylaws are not sufficient, residents will no longer be able to purchase nor renew flood insurance through the NFIP.

We hope that a representative from each municipality will attend the meeting- RPC staff will also attend. Municipalities are also able to meet one-on-one with USGS to discuss the maps in more detail.

Questions? Contact Andrew L'Roe

Association of Vermont Conservation Commissions (AVCC) is now accepting applications for 2025 Tiny Grants.

The Tiny Grants program provides seed money and/or matching funds to conservation commissions for specific projects in the broad categories of land conservation, education and outreach, stewardship and management, and planning.

The maximum award amount is $700. AVCC looks forward to disbursing twice as much funding as last year. 2025 sponsors: The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) and Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC). 

For more details on eligibility, timeline, and application instructions, visit Tiny Grants

Applications are due April 18, 2025.

Porter Medical Center seeks to address the top community health priorities by investing in local organizations. Top community health priorities identified in Addison County’s 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment are Healthcare Access, Housing, and Mental Health and Substance Use.

Applicants for funding must be non-profit, municipal or other government organizations.

Join an information session to learn more about the funding on Friday, April 18th at 12pm.  

Additional information here.

Applications are due May 8, 2025.

The Community Tree Fund is a collaboration with the Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO).

This partnership is dedicated to supporting Vermont’s communities by addressing the need for more flexible funding for small-scale tree planting projects.

Through this collaboration, VT UCF can provide resources for projects under $5,000, which are often restricted by traditional grant structures.

Applications are due April 18, 2025.

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