The Mad River Valley Conservation and Recreation Visioning (CRV) project, which is part of the Vermont Outdoor Recreation and Economic Collaborative (VOREC) grant, has received an additional $30,000 in funding to extend and expand its work.
The CRV project is part of the VOREC grant that was received in 2022. All of the VOREC work and funds were to have been completed and used by the end of this year, but organizers report new funding and a three-month extension. The VOREC grant of $409,000 was to create a recreation hub in Irasville along with a bridge connecting The Valley’s business district to its recreation trails. That work has moved steadily along, culminating this fall in the opening of the new bridge over the Mill Brook.
Partners in the VOREC project, led by Mad River Valley Recreation District (MRVRD) include the Mad River Riders, Friends of the Mad River, the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Mad River Path. The partners have had a busy fall implementing the VOREC grant. The bike and pedestrian bridge went in behind the Welcome Center (home of the MRV Chamber of Commerce) at Localfolk Smokehouse in Waitsfield, the parking area was largely finished and the riparian buffer was planted. "We had an amazing ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 20, 2024 combined with celebrating the recreation district’s 30th anniversary. The VOREC grant for the Recreation Hub is 90% complete and we thank our many partners and volunteers for making this happen,” said Laura Arnesen, executive director of the Mad River Valley Recreation District.
The additional funding for the CRV project came from Warren’s ARPA funds, the Fayston Conservation Commission and the MRV Recreation District. Each group donated $10,000. The VOREC grant covered approximately half of the expected CRV expenses, and organizers expected to raise additional funds.
