(This story is by Chris Mays of the Brattleboro Reformer, in which it was published Aug. 2, 2017.)
[G]RAFTON — By Gov. Phil Scott’s count, about half of the state’s government was here Wednesday.
“There’s a lot of exciting things that are happening down in this area,” said Scott, who created the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative via an executive order in June. “The focus of the initiative is to leverage our outdoor and recreational resources and networks to expand in this sector. And I truly believe that this will be beneficial to support our economic growth access across Vermont.”
Scott and a bunch of industry stakeholders gathered with government officials at the Grafton Inn. Windham Foundation President and CEO Liz Bankowski estimated over 60 attendees came to the conference. Her organization operates the inn and Grafton Village Cheese, including a trail network in Grafton.
The efforts are expected to bring organizational and economic benefits. Scott said he hopes the collaborative will help promote the industry, grow the economy, and provide an opportunity to review state laws and policies to encourage expansion of outdoor activities and businesses. The goal also is to strengthen networking and create partnerships.
“I know this industry is dedicated, persistent and ready to get to work,” Scott said. “There is a lot of excitement, and I think that with this attitude, truly good things will happen.”
Thanks to the recreation industry, Vermont gets 51,000 direct jobs and $5.5 billion in consumer spending annually, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. Scott cited that number but also a grim “6-3-1” figure for the state.
“There are six fewer workers every day when we wake up,” he said. “There are three fewer kids in our public education system and nearly one baby born to an addictive mom every single day. That sums up our challenges and opportunities.”
These issues, he added, are driving his policy decisions.
Michael Snyder, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, said he was grateful to be on the team to tackle this project.
“Early on, when Gov. Scott came in, he had already been hearing about these possibilities,” Snyder said. “He had his own interests and he just grabbed it. And he asked us to prioritize this and then he empowered us further with this executive order.”
Scott is known as a race car driver but also has a passion for cycling, Snyder told attendees.
“That’s a big bag of tricks here, with real personal connections for outdoor recreation,” Snyder said. “I think he’s lived it, he’s seen it. And so that’s helpful, too.”
The conference was sponsored by the Windham Foundation, Vermont Community Foundation and High Meadows Fund. Similar events have been held in Grafton for 30 years, according to Bankowski.
“This conference is particularly pertinent to us because we have an outdoor trail and recreation center, and we see it as a great potential resource for bringing visitors to southern Vermont, to this area, to enjoy mountain biking and road biking and trail biking,” Bankowski said. “It’s a great initiative and we’re glad to be part of it.”
She hopes to make the local trail network more accessible to other parts of the state.
