Press Release

Welch Delivers for Communities in Northwestern and Central Vermont 

Feb 6, 2026

Welch secured federal funding to help build new affordable housing, support education opportunities, improve infrastructure, and recover from floods 

Welch secured nearly $60 million total for Vermont communities 

BURLINGTON, VT – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, today announced that he has secured $58.68 million in federal funds to support 38 Vermont projects, including projects in Northwestern and Central Vermont, following the passage of eleven annual appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2026. Senator Welch nominated project recipients through the Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) process.   

“I’m fighting every day for Vermont families, businesses and farmers—and I’m excited to see how this new federal funding improves our communities. This Congressionally Directed Spending invests taxpayer dollars right back into our cities and towns, helping jumpstart projects to build more housing, create new jobs, and recover from the 2023 and 2024 floods. I’ll keep working with our Delegation and state and local leaders to support Vermonters,” said Senator Welch. 

These funds will support all Vermont communities, including communities in Northwestern and Central Vermont:  

  • $5,250,000 for Ascend Housing Allies Incorporated to help construct a 21-unit, fully affordable, rental apartment building in Middlebury. 
  • $4,600,000 for the University of Detroit Mercy and the Vermont State Dental Society to establish and support clinical dental training in Vermont for up to 64 dental students from the University of Detroit Mercy School. (shared project)
  • $2,700,000 for the University of Vermont (UVM) to create a Wet Lab Technician Certificate Program to foster a local and regional skilled workforce and expand UVM’s research enterprise.   
  • $2,000,000 for the Vermont Army National Guard to complete construction of a general-purpose administration building on Ethan Allen Force Base. (shared project)
  • $1,700,000 for the City of Montpelier to accelerate drinking water system upgrades. (shared project)
  • $1,350,000 for the Town of Richmond to upgrade the 50-year-old Richmond Wastewater Treatment Facility. (shared project)
  • $1,200,000 for Addison County Community Trust to address the aging and failing water systems infrastructure in Hillside Manor, a 29-unit affordable housing community in Starksboro. (shared project)
  • $1,000,000 for the City of Burlington for new infrastructure upgrades for the South End Wastewater Storage. (shared project)
  • $1,000,000 for the City of Burlington to improve drinking water quality and increase the usable volume of the emergency back-up water supply of drinking water. (shared project)
  • $664,000 for the Lamoille County Regional Planning Commission to add ten streamgages and two precipitation sensors in the Lamoille River basin.   
  • $600,000 for the Town of Berlin to improve the town’s drinking water system and expand service along the Water Main System Loop.  
  • $557,000 for Norwich University’s School of Nursing Teaching and Simulation Center to enhance the center with additional equipment and medical infrastructure.   
  • $996,000 for UVM to expand and sustain its Bridges to Health Community Health Worker program across all rural Vermont communities. 
  • $850,000 for Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTRANS) to help fill the state’s funding gap for the ongoing $49.5 million Winooski River Bridge replacement project. (shared project)
  • $814,000 for Vermont Youth Conservation Corp (VYCC) in Richmond to help families struggling with food insecurity.   
  • $694,000 for UVM Health Network for hospital safety improvements.   
  • $500,000 for the Intervale Center’s Conservation Nursery in Burlington to expand the statewide riparian restoration and land conservation projects.   
  • $500,000 for the Town of South Hero to restore and upgrade the Old White Meeting House, the oldest municipal building in Grand Isle County. 
  • $500,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers for a new flood control study of the Winooski River watershed in Montpelier and Barre following the 2023 and 2024 floods. (shared project)
  • $250,000 for Spectrum Youth to expand school-based mental health services for middle and high school students in Chittenden and Franklin counties.   

Senator Welch’s CDS wins also include projects that will benefit Vermonters in the NEK and across the State, including:    

  • $12,000,000 for the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) to support the creation of permanently affordable rental housing and the development of shelters in Vermont. (shared project)   
  • $2,000,000 for the Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity for home repair and remediation. This is expected to support 120 homes over a five-year period.    
  • $1,187,000 for the Vermont Department of Corrections for peer recovery coaches at six correctional facilities and 12 probation and parole offices across Vermont.    
  • $750,000 for VHCB to expand the Vermont Farm and Forest Viability Program’s capacity to serve working lands businesses, with a focus on beginning farmers and businesses.    
  • $375,000 for the American Association of State Climatologists to prepare Vermont’s first comprehensive drought plan, create an inundation flooding platform to better predict flood risks, and more.    
  • $250,000 for the Vermont Department of Economic Development to provide technical assistance to small and medium enterprises in responding to an increase in costs associated with tariffs.    

View the full list of projects championed by Senator Welch here.    

Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) funding was included in a $1.2 trillion bipartisan funding agreement that included 11 of the 12 annual appropriation bills, including Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; Financial Services and General Government; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.   

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