Two established Montpelier organizations are partnering to create a new flood recovery fund for downtown businesses affected by last week’s disaster.
The Montpelier Strong Recovery Fund has already raised $250,000 in grants, city officials said at a press conference Monday morning. They were joined by representatives of Montpelier Alive and Montpelier Foundation coordinating the effort.
The money raised so far is only a fraction of the “millions of dollars” Mayor Jack McCullough said the city would likely need to rebuild.
“I lived here through the 1992 floods and the 2011 floods, and this is much worse,” he said.
Katie Trautz, executive director of Montpelier Alive, said downtown businesses had been devastated.
“Most businesses have lost so much — and it’s not only their business. It’s their livelihood, it’s everything they’ve put their heart and soul into, and it’s Montpelier’s downtown. It’s our economy,” she said.
Trautz said it was still unclear how many area businesses had been damaged by the flood. Montpelier Alive, a nonprofit that aids the city’s businesses, has moIre than 500 members listed in its directory, many of which are located downtown, where floodwaters reached several feet in height. Some businesses had lost more than $1 million in inventory, Trautz said.
She said that federal aid appeared limited for the time being to loans from the Small Business Administration. But “many businesses are already in debt, and they don’t want to take on more debt,” she said.
Sarah Jarvis, board chair of the nonprofit Montpelier Foundation, which focuses on investing in city projects, said small businesses depend on day-to-day sales to stay afloat.
“Every day that they’re closed is a day they get further into debt,” she said. “There will be some long-term resources available to these entities. But what they need is a patch right now.”
The two organizations’ joint committee plans to meet Monday afternoon to set up grant criteria, according to Jarvis. She said it’s not clear yet whether nonprofits will qualify.
The fund got a head start this week with the donation of $100,000 from one “civic-minded” anonymous local, Jarvis said.
Montpelier Strong is one of several funds that have been set up to provide relief in the wake of statewide flooding that damaged or destroyed homes, businesses, infrastructure and community buildings.
The Vermont Flood Response and Recovery Fund, created by the Vermont Community Foundation, donated $50,000 to the Montpelier Strong fund. “Our goal is to support a broad statewide recovery by working through organizations like this,” said Dan Smith, president of the foundation.
He said his organization was “conscious” of the differences between Montpelier and smaller, lower-income communities such as Johnson and Wolcott, for example, that were also damaged by the storm. But “all giving matters right now,” and equity concerns shouldn’t “chill” Vermonters from donating to their local communities, Smith said.
As of Monday morning, only a handful of stores were open in Montpelier. Debris lined the sidewalks, in places reaching above 5 feet. Main and State streets were still closed to traffic.
Trautz thanked the more than 2,000 people who had signed up to help businesses “dig themselves out” by clearing debris and removing damaged drywall and other infrastructure.
Jen Roberts, co-owner of Onion River Outdoors on Langdon Street, also spoke at the event. She said the outdoor gear store had been “overwhelmed” by water and mud during the storm. But she’d also been overwhelmed by the community support the store had received since the waters receded.
“An army of volunteers showed up downtown day after day, and no job was too muddy, slippery or disgusting,” she said.
Roberts said New Englanders’ frugality and determination were on display as volunteers washed skis, bikes and “bin after bin” of bike parts in hopes of salvaging some merchandise to sell.
The trash piles that lined the streets showed the extent of what could not be saved, she said. “Inventory, tools, counters, furniture, computers, floors and walls are all headed to the landfill.”
“Rebuilding Montpelier will be a long and expensive process,” Roberts said. “We will need the financial generosity of our greater community, those who are not impacted this time, to help us get back on our feet so that we can live to help everyone on another day.”
