Preserve Amherst Lake Launches First Seed Funding Campaign

Dear PALVT Supporters:

PALVT has been working hard on a plan to restore the dam on Amherst Lake which we took possession of in December 2022. This has involved working closely with the state as well as a private engineering firm to begin the path to restoration. The restoration will be progressive and we are now able to anticipate phases which include:

1.     An immediate field survey, hydrology analysis and development of engineering drawings

2.     Applying the findings of step 1 to coordinate with the state to develop an RFP (Request for Proposal) that meets current dam requirements

3.     Seeking competitive bids and selecting a winner

4.     Restoration begins

We are approaching this restoration methodically, conservatively and transparently. During step 1, we will obtain key information that will result in the design and development of the construction documents for the dam restoration. With this in mind, we are launching our first round of fundraising against these and other known costs. This seed round will fund:

Task 1 Dam Inspection =$4000

Task 2 Field survey and base map preparation= $9000

Task 3 Hydraulics and hydrology analysis = $10,000

Annual cost of insurance: $6000

Annual operational costs: $2500 (post office box, closing fees, website hosting, printing, dam permits)

Our recent meetings with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation

Water Investment Division, Dam Safety Program hasindicated an encouraging environment and support for dam restoration. We are also encouraged by the precedent of other successful fundraising efforts to restore local dams such as Star Lake in Mt Holly and Curtis Pond in Calais, VT.   

This is a community effort for a community benefit that cannot be accomplished or sustained without a collective solution and shared commitment. We urge you to give what you can now against the identified costs of the initial round outlined above. Help us reach the seed stage goal. 

While the pressing question on everyone’s mind relates to total cost and time to restore, we cannot isolate the explicit figure at this time other than to reference informal past estimates between $350,000 - $450,000, and to let you know that the work we are asking for funding now will be subtracted from the overall cost as well as inform the total cost.  Further, no cliff or deadline would curtail restoration efforts and we will be working hard to move this project forward expediently.  

In closing, we share that as a board, we are buoyed by the interest and support to date both from the community and the state. You have all helped us get this far. We are more than pleased to be at a stage where we can announce the launch of a first round of funding and we are committed to leading this effort through restoration.  

We deeply thank those of you who have committed support and made donations to help us get this organization off the ground and to ensure PALVT’s ownership of the dam as a 501(c)(3) organization.

We seek support from all sources, businesses, government agencies and individuals and we ask for your support now:

Please donate through our fundraising platform:  https://givebutter.com/flDHCN

(We are using GiveButter because they charge less fees and a greater portion of your donation goes directly to dam restoration). ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE BECAUSE WE ARE A 501(c)(3) NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.

Add your energy and expertise to our organization: email us to get involved at board@palvt.org.

Thank you in advance for your support.  Please reach out with any questions to board@palvt.org and one of our board members will be pleased to speak to you personally. Find out more about the dam restoration and our organization on our website PALVT.org

Thank you,

PALVT Board

Richard Ruggiano, President

Paul Glynn, Treasurer

Betsy Neville, Secretary

Lora Bennett, Board Member at Large

Jess Glynn, Board Member at Large

Adam Zakarian, Board Member at Large