Southeastern Vermonters increase investment in regional economic development
Each year Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) asks voters in Windham regional towns to invest in coordinated regional development efforts. This year at March Town Meetings funding requests were approved in Brattleboro, Dover, Dummerston, Grafton, Guilford, Londonderry, Marlboro, Newfane, Putney, Rockingham, Stratton, Townshend, Weston, Whitingham, Wilmington, Brookline, Winhall and Vernon. The SeVEDS funding effort, which asks regional towns to invest $3 per resident, raised over $111,905 for regional planning and economic initiatives from these 18 communities, with more than 82% of Windham residents supporting SeVEDS through municipal funding requests, a critical metric for this grassroots regional collaboration.
Municipal investment through SeVEDS is utilized by the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation to implement pro-active, innovative regional economic development in a way that rural regions typically do not have the capacity to do. The baseline state funding for regional development corporations which do this type of regional development work supports approximately one staffer. Funds raised by SeVEDS are not simply plugged into programming but are leveraged 5-20 times by securing outside grants. Municipal support for SeVEDS is matched with philanthropic, private, state and federal dollars, as well as funding from BDCC revenues.
SeVEDS was formed in 2011 to organize and connect regional resources and increase our capacity to reverse economic and demographic decline. SeVEDS makes possible a regional approach to problems that no single town can overcome, such as reversing population decline, attracting and retaining young people, and improving wages and opportunities for people. SeVEDS annual strategic priorities guide staffing to implement programs and initiatives. SeVEDS identifies an area of need, such as helping connect young people with high-demand high-wage jobs. BDCC translates that need into programs like the Pipelines and Pathways Program which conducts career awareness and skill-building among high schoolers here in the Windham region.
BDCC’s SeVEDS-led initiatives are made possible by municipal investment, and by the contributions of volunteers and partners. SeVEDS’ 13 board members come from 10 different towns across the region. SeVEDS-led programs involve nearly 200 partner organizations of all sizes from the local state and federal, public and private sector. BDCC staff run SeVEDS-led programs and initiatives and meet throughout the year with Selectboards and community groups in the 27 towns that comprise the Windham Region.
For more information on BDCC & SeVEDS programs, planning, research and please visit www.brattleborodevelopment.com or contact BDCC directly.
