Vermont officials say the state has received approval from FEMA to start demolition of the state office complex in Waterbury. Many of the buildings had to be abandoned after flooding by Tropical Storm Irene.
Administration Secretary Jeb says state officials received verbal approval last week and they're expecting written approval later this week.
Spaulding says the demolition work can begin in a couple of months.
And he says they expect to hear from FEMA in the near future about how much the state will be reimbursed in all for the $124 million project.
“They are in the final stages of approval of the language in Washington, and however long that takes them, we’re going wait," Spaulding says. "We think it will provide us the ability to spend our money more efficiently, and we’ll have some influence on maximizing the amount of assistance we’ll get from them.”
The work plan includes the demolition of some of the damaged buildings, renovation of others and new construction of flood-proof structures.
