By Brett Yates
Municipal officials have long wanted to install a wheelchair-accessible ramp at the North Chittenden Grange Hall, and thanks to a recent grant from the Vermont Dept. of Buildings and General Services, they finally have the money to do it. But one last hurdle has emerged.
The state’s Municipal Energy Resilience Program intends to help town-owned buildings go green while also subsidizing compliance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). Having accepted the award, the Chittenden Select Board discovered that approved projects undergo scrutiny from the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. On grounds of historical appropriateness, the latter has rejected a plan to build a ramp, alongside new steps, for the Grange Hall’s front entrance.
“Originally, we were trying to find the cheapest way to do it that would meet ADA requirements,” Selectman Andrew Quint explained. “Now the goalposts have moved.”
The town hasn’t given up. On Jan. 23, the Select Board voted to spend $1,980 on a feasibility study that, according to Brandon-based Naylor & Breen Builders, will “explore the possibility of putting a ramp on the south-side entrance of the building, near the lift, in lieu of the front entrance, based on information received from Historic Preservation.”
Built as a church in 1833, the Grange Hall now operates as a community center. Funds for the feasibility study will come out of Chittenden’s grant, which totals $431,672.
