BURLINGTON — A $2.9 million federal grant for residential lead paint remediation is expected to pay for work at 162 older homes in Burlington and neighboring Winooski, according to officials.
The grant was awarded to Burlington’s Community and Economic Development Office, which will receive an additional $400,000 to leverage its lead program in order to address other residential health hazards.
The federal grant will pay for assessment and remediation work.
Using lead-based paint funds, the CEDO Lead Program replaces old windows with new energy-efficient ones and helps pay for interior and exterior repainting and siding.
Lead poisoning is a serious hazard for children. It can cause significant damage linked to behavior and learning impairments. CEDO’s Lead Program has made 584 homes lead-safe since 2003. The newly awarded grant money will allow improvements at home built before 1978.
In a joint statement, Vermont’s members of Congress said they worked hard to prevent cuts to the federal lead hazard control program in an appropriation bill, and were actually able to increase that program’s funding by $10 million.
“As Vermonters, we have been proud to call our state one of the healthiest in the nation, which is in no small part due to our efforts to ensure that everyone has access to safe, affordable housing,” the joint statement reads. “Now, more than ever, we need to be investing in programs that make this critical link between health and housing.”
Mayor Miro Weinberger said in a statement he was grateful for the help of Sens. Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch.
“This grant will allow CEDO to continue its outstanding work making our homes and communities safer,” Weinberger said.
