[W]ATERBURY — More than four years after the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene, the state has completed what officials say is the largest construction project ever: the $130 million rebuild of the state’s massive office complex.
At a ceremony Monday, Gov. Peter Shumlin praised the collaboration between local, state and federal officials, as well as the community response, that he said made the project possible.
“This is a symbol of Vermont’s incredible perseverance and our promise to rebuild our state stronger and better than Irene found it,” Shumlin said.
Recalling the days and weeks that followed Tropical Storm Irene, Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said there was no greater example of Vermonters’ resilience than the response to the crisis in Waterbury and beyond.
“When our moment came, we rose to the challenge,” he said.
The storm, which hit Vermont in late August 2011, caused widespread flooding in Vermont and left three dead. Waterbury and many communities in the central part of the state had severe damage.
Welch said Shumlin’s response to Tropical Storm Irene was “his finest hour” and presented him an American flag that until recently had flown over the Capitol in Washington D.C. That flag will now fly over the state office complex in Waterbury, officials said.
Construction in Waterbury took roughly 18 months and included the construction of an 86,000-square foot office building, a 20,000-square foot maintenance facility and 115,000 square feet of historical preservation work, as well as renovations to 13 core buildings.
The $130 million for the new complex came from state coffers ($82 million), FEMA ($31 million) and insurance proceeds ($17 million). Negotiations with FEMA took months of back and forth.
Shumlin said it was an honor to welcome back state workers, who “through the mud and the muck and the hardship” continued to deliver government services. The first employees will arrive at the new office complex next week.
Both Shumlin and Welch recalled that many questioned the wisdom of rebuilding in Waterbury. However, the importance of state workers to the local economy was critical, they said.
By next spring, 900 state employees, mostly from the Agency of Human Services, are expected to move in. More than 1,100 state employees were displaced because of the storm.
The complex was built with the flood risk from the nearby Winooski River in mind, Shumlin said. Nineteen “flood prone” buildings were knocked down and every new or renovated structure is elevated above the 500-year flood level, according to state officials.
Chris Nordle, chair of the Waterbury Selectboard, said the town is excited to see the parking lot fill up as state employees return, bringing new life to the downtown businesses, many of whom struggled during the transition.
State Curator David Schutz, one of roughly 50 state employees, elected officials and others who played a role in the project and attended the ribbon cutting, praised the architectural design work of Jesse Beck of Freeman French Freeman.
Beck, who was also on hand, recalled that officials with the historic preservation program had questioned whether the historic buildings would clash with the modern design he presented them.
Schutz said he thought Beck and those that brought his vision to life had brought the old and new together “gracefully.”
