Waterbury lands two state grants of nearly $300k

July 8, 2025 | By Lisa Scagliotti 

The Town of Waterbury recently received news that it’s landed two state grants totaling nearly $300,000 to fund improvements to part of the downtown business district and a new effort to make a core commercial area in Waterbury Center more pedestrian-friendly. 

The larger grant of $200,000 comes from the state’s Downtown Transportation Fund which directs funds to municipalities such as Waterbury with designated downtowns. The money will be spent on additions to Foundry Street and Bidwell Lane, work that town officials say could begin this year. 

Plans for the grant funds include adding a sidewalk along the south side of Foundry Street. Bidwell Lane will be paved and it will get new lampposts that match other downtown lighting. Signs highlighting Bidwell businesses also will be included in the project. 

Municipal Manager Tom Leitz said that the grant requires a 20% match from local government. In this case, Waterbury’s contribution will be town staff time on the various elements of the work involved, he said.

Bumper-to-bumper October foliage season traffic along Vermont Route 100 in Waterbury Center. File photo by Gordon Miller

Envisioning a ‘better-connected’ Waterbury Center  

While the downtown grant aims to fund physical improvements, the second grant totaling $97,500 focused on Waterbury Center is intended to pay for the initial steps toward creating a plan for improving safety and accessibility of the village center and surrounding area for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other road users. 

The funding is from the state’s Better Connections Grant Program, an effort of the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Agency of Natural Resources.

It calls for assembling a community engagement process to identify needs and brainstorm solutions to address the lack of connectivity among shops, services, homes and recreational areas in Waterbury Center. 

Waterbury has sought funding from the program several times and was successful this year. Planning Commission member Kati Gallagher and Duncan McDougall, who chairs Waterbury LEAP (Local Energy Action Partnership, a nonprofit and the town’s energy committee), worked on the latest application. They made the successful case for funding to develop a “multi-modal transportation safety and accessibility plan for Waterbury Center to strengthen connections among the village assets through a smart growth approach and will incorporate stormwater mitigation planning to improve water quality.”

The push to put a focused planning effort on the Waterbury Center part of town comes from necessity, McDougall and Gallacher explained in announcing the grant. 

“Despite being one of the most popular destinations in the state and one of Waterbury's two growth centers, the core of Waterbury Center has virtually no accommodations for pedestrians, bicyclists, or those with mobility challenges – making it difficult and unsafe to navigate, even by vehicle,” they said. 

The appeal landed funding this year from the state program that aims to “help towns build stronger communities that are more livable and walkable,” according to the state’s award announcement. 

Vermont Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn noted that having transportation options is vital for “economic vitality and overall health of our communities.” 

The Better Connections grants help communities plan for “inclusive and resilient” transportation systems, putting them on a path to making those systems a reality. 

Housing and Community Development Commissioner Alex Farrell stressed that improving diverse transportation systems “spurs economic development and is integral to revitalization efforts in our downtowns and villages.”

Adding a consultant and community members  

A key part to this project will be to hire transportation experts who can help shape the upcoming study, McDougall and Gallagher said.

They will start by documenting existing conditions and engaging community members and stakeholders to gather ideas and suggestions. Ultimately, the consultants will gather all of the information collected to produce a conceptual plan with recommendations on elements such as wayfinding and signage, streetscape improvements and traffic-calming measures, stormwater issues and infrastructure, pedestrian accommodations, and improvements that address ADA requirements. 

The Better Connections grant process also calls for creating two new groups: a steering committee and an advisory committee. An initial call for individuals to get involved yielded a number of applicants.

On Monday, the Waterbury Select Board appointed 12 of those applicants to the Steering Committee for the project. The committee will meet monthly to help guide the project. 

Those members appointed to the Steering Committee are: Charity Baker, Ken Belliveau, Monica Callan, Marcie Gallagher, Rod Lamothe, Sille Larsen, Pegeen Mulhern, Heather Parker, Chris Pazienza, Owen Sette-Ducati, Daniel Snyder and Chad Ummel. Grant writers Gallagher and McDougall were also included on the committee. 

A larger group of 20-30 people will act as an Advisory Committee, which will meet just several times over the next year to weigh in on the project as it moves forward. Its gatherings will include at least one walking tour of the area to generate input for the process, organizers said. McDougall said the process to select Advisory Committee members has not been set yet. Anyone interested in that opportunity who has not volunteered yet may still apply using the online application at this link. 

The Waterbury Center project will have a target deadline of June 30, 2026 to deliver a report to town officials with recommendations.