The town of Moretown, hard hit by Tropical Storm Irene's flooding two years ago, has won a $700,000 federal grant toward construction of a new town office building, Gov. Peter Shumlin announced Monday.
The new municipal building will be built a bit farther back from the current location on Vermont Route 100B, and will be slightly uphill.
The new, 2,000-square-foot building also is expected to use less energy than the 800-square-foot building that currently houses town offices.
Shumlin and other officials traveled to Moretown on Monday to announce the grant from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"This building has been flooded twice since 1998, and will continue to be damaged by future flooding that is certain to hit the region as a result of climate change," Shumlin said. "The grant will allow the town to rebuild in a more appropriate location, avoid the likelihood of future flood damage, and construct an energy efficient, accessible town office space for the future."
Moretown was one of the hardest-hit Vermont towns from Tropical Storm Irene of Aug. 28, 2011. The town hall, school, firehouse and several homes saw extensive damage when the Mad River spilled over its banks.
HUD already has awarded $22 million to Vermont towns affected by Irene, with another $18 million in the pipeline.
