ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – The Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission is happy to announce that it has been awarded two 2021 Certified Local Government Grants in the total amount of $19,750. This grant funding will be used to support commission programing and for the analysis of the painted finishes at the Rockingham Meeting House to help conserve interior and exterior woodwork of this National Historic Landmark.
“The rich historical resources of Rockingham continue to attract well-deserved support from our local community, the state of Vermont, and the national government,” said Dr. John Leppman, Commission chair. “The dedicated work of the Historic Preservation Commission and its staff are a great investment of time, energy, and funds.”
The Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation awarded the grant at their meeting Jan. 21, 2021. Eight applications requesting $94,200 in grant funding were submitted, and a total of $73,750 was awarded. This was the most competitive grant round to date, and applications for two projects were not funded.
“It’s very encouraging to see so many great applications for historic preservation projects in our CLG communities,” said State Architectural Historian Devin Colman. “These grants encourage preservation projects at the local level, with input from a broad range of community members.”
“Our local historic preservation community takes this as a vote of confidence in efforts to conserve the rich historic landscapes and steward the historic resources of Rockingham Town and our villages,” said Walter Wallace, Historic Preservation Commission Coordinator. “These are investments from which future generations will reap rewards.”
Established by the National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1980, the CLG program is a partnership between local governments, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, and the National Park Service, which is responsible for administering the National Historic Preservation Program. Seventeen communities in Vermont are currently designated as CLGs.
For more information about Rockingham’s 2021 CLG grant projects, email clg@rockbf.org. For more information about the Certified Local Government program, please visit the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.