A lot has happened in the Northeast Kingdom over the past year, says regional advocate Katherine Sims, and she wants legislators to get the scoop.
Sims, director of the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, is spearheading a daylong event in Montpelier highlighting the successes and struggles of the three-county area. More than 100 Kingdom residents have signed up for NEK Day at the Statehouse,
“The goal of the day is to highlight the region as a place where there’s really exciting innovation happening for rural communities,” Sims said.
“Our coworking spaces have cropped up, really filling the need for meeting spaces and high-speed internet and modern technology,” she said. “Our leadership initiatives are launched and running to effectively attract and train new leaders. Outdoor-recreation projects continue to thrive and grow.”
The Jan. 28 meetup will be the second year Kingdom residents have come to Montpelier to offer legislators perspectives on the region.
Attendees plan to testify before about nine committees, and Sims said they’ll focus both on supportive state programs and areas for improvement.
The director said her group wants to celebrate the benefits provided by funds from the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and the Northern Border Regional Commission.
She also wants to focus on last year’s broadband bill, which created funding mechanisms for communications union districts — at least one of which is planned for a rollout in the Kingdom.
“We’re moving full steam ahead with the communications union district, so we’re excited,” Sims said. “Thanks to the statute created by the state, we’re able to work with towns to form this municipal entity.”
Advocates anticipate pinpointing three problems that need solving, too: the survival of Northern Vermont University-Lyndon, the lack of infrastructure that would help retain residents and tweaks to Act 250 that would keep outdoor recreation at the state’s largest biking center booming.
Sims said the Kingdom may be one of the few — and perhaps the only — region of Vermont mobilizing to lobby the Statehouse with “a unified aligned story.”
“We think that’s powerful model to share with communities across Vermont and beyond,” she said.
The day’s activities begin at 7:30 a.m., and people can register online.
