Sen. Patrick Leahy and Gov. Phil Scott were in Hardwick Thursday to announce over $2.2 million in Northern Border Regional Commission grant awards in Vermont. Ten projects throughout the state received grants, ranging from $46,000 to $425,000.
Among the awards is $250,000 going to the town of Hardwick to buy the old barn on Route 15 that used to house Greensboro Garage. In addition to supporting Hardwick’s agritourism businesses, the barn will serve as a welcome center at this gateway to the Northeast Kingdom.
Northern Border Regional Commission grants are intended to address common challenges in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Scott serves on the Northern Border Regional Commission. He credited Vermont's congressional delegation with supporting the federal grant program, which distributed a total of $10 million this year to projects across all four states.
"And we’re fortunate that the most senior member of the United States Senate, and a leader of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is from Vermont," says Scott. "That’s always helpful."
Leahy says he has taken steps to grow the grant program.
"In the bill that’s before the Senate, I just included – and the committee agreed to it – a $5 million increase in the Northern Border Regional Commission, for a total of $15 million," says Leahy, who cited this inclusion as "one advantage of being vice chairman of Appropriations."
