Gov. Phil Scott announced on Friday that an additional $15.5 million has been awarded to manufactured home communities throughout Vermont for water infrastructure projects.
Forty-six manufactured home communities are recipients of the latest round of funding, benefiting more than 5,600 residents, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
These communities, which applied for the funding in the fall, hope to address issues such as inadequate or failing wastewater, drinking water and stormwater systems. They can spend the money on assessments, technical and permitting assistance, and construction costs associated with these projects, according to the release.
Marjorie Klark, supervisor of the Agency of Natural Resources’ Healthy Homes Initiative, said officials hear anecdotally about “residents in parks who are getting trickles of water out of their faucet” and other problems accessing clean drinking water.
“We have parks that have discussed the fact that they have pooling septic, creating a health hazard,” she said. “Very serious issues are facing these parks and the living conditions, which the residents are facing.”
While water infrastructure challenges are not new, recent waves of flooding have exacerbated these problems. Manufactured home communities are disproportionately affected by environmental concerns in the state, according to the Agency of Natural Resources.
“A majority of the manufactured housing communities here in Vermont were built in the late ’60s, early ’70s, and just have not seen a lot of ongoing infrastructure maintenance,” Klark said.
The funding comes from two projects created by the federal American Rescue Plan Act passed in 2021: $13.3 million from the Healthy Homes Initiative and $2.2 million from 3-acre Stormwater awards.
The agency has thus far awarded $28.1 million total to 67 manufactured housing communities to address persistent water infrastructure issues through the programs, according to the release.
Scott said the project shows the importance of distributing such federal funding across the state.
“These investments support safe, affordable housing for historically underserved or economically disadvantaged communities, and help residents in manufactured housing communities overcome barriers to fixing water infrastructure issues,” he said in the release.
Still, Klark said, “I think it’s also important to note that we recognize that the need is probably greater than what we are awarding at this point.”
Projects must be completed by 2026 to comply with American Rescue Plan Act funding requirements, she said.