Royalton Buyout Committee seeks input

The newly-formed Royalton Buyout Committee (Committee) invites community members to provide input about public uses of the four FEMA buyout sites in Royalton by completing an online survey and attending a public meeting on September 17.

The Committee is chaired by Ernie Amsden and includes representatives from the Conservation, Planning, and Recreation Commissions. Committee members met in August to discuss potential improvements at each buyout site and to develop community input options.

Survey

The first input option is a short online survey that includes a list of proposed public uses by site and an opportunity to agree or disagree and to provide additional comments. The survey is posted on the Royalton website or can be accessed directly online.

Public meeting

The second input option is a public meeting on Wednesday, September 17 from 6-8pm at the Royalton Academy Building. The meeting will include a short presentation about the four sites, followed by a field trip to the Royalton Hill and Gilman Road buyout sites. The White River Partnership (WRP) and Vermont River Conservancy are co-hosting the meeting and providing light refreshments.

The four FEMA buyout sites in Royalton are located at 830 VT Route 14, 106 Bridge Street, 43 Royalton Hill Road, and 124 Gilman Road. All four sites were privately owned and severely damaged during Tropical Storm Irene. Royalton applied for FEMA buyout funding to purchase the properties from the private landowners, to remove the damaged structures and infrastructure, and to grade and seed the sites. Permanent deed restrictions will limit future development to reduce flood damages at the sites.

The state has set aside $750,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to help towns plan and construct buyout site improvements that meet community needs. Royalton has applied for CDBG funds to conduct a community planning and design process in 2014 and to construct site improvements in 2015.

For more information

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