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I thought you were going to sell the church to the town of Waterford, VT…what happened?

The LWCC congregation offered the church to the town of Waterford at the March 2022 Town Meeting per the information in the town warning. The town was not prepared to decide at that time and voted to table the issue. In the meantime, we were presented with the option to sell the building to someone with extensive experience in restoring historic buildings for adaptive reuse. Among other reasons, we supported this option to ensure the building did not continue to deteriorate further. 

 

If you sell the building to a private buyer, don’t you risk losing control of the buildings use?

 Yes and no. Yes, a private buyer can do whatever they want with the building, within the constraints and covenants placed on the building as stated in the deed upon transfer of title. The church is placing covenants on the building that will protect some key historic traits. Also, the town of Waterford has specific zoning and use rules for buildings in the village. Beyond this, a private buyer has flexibility to create a use for the building that can help sustain the maintenance and upkeep costs. This building, like all buildings, needs to be actively used to be preserved.

 

What if the building gets sold again to an entity that doesn’t share the mission of the WPT?

We have included restrictions in the transaction that give the WPT first right of refusal if the church is being sold.  

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The WPT has raised money and has already completed work. Won’t this work benefit a private buyer financially?

The WPT has been using the funds we’ve raised to complete work that was most pressing and to present a more attractive opportunity for a new owner. This was an important step in the process. However, this work is just a fraction of the scope required to meet current building use and safety codes. A private buyer will need to raise or invest considerable additional funds to continue this work and manage the risk associated with the project.

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What was proposed for the voters of the town of Waterford VT?

The LWCC congregation offered to sell the church building to the Town of Waterford for $1.00 and to donate its $140,000 endowment to cover the cost of its maintenance. The following article covering this proposal was successfully petitioned to be on the warning for the March 2022 Town Meeting

 

Article: Shall the town of Waterford vote to approve the purchase of the church building in Lower Waterford for $1.00 from the Lower Waterford Congregational Church with the understanding that

1) the congregation will donate $140,000 of its endowment to the Town of Waterford to be used for the upkeep and maintenance of the building; and

2) the non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Waterford Preservation Trust, LLC, will continue raising funds for and oversee the maintenance, restoration, rental and use of the church building.

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Outcome:  The voters decided to table the proposal in the Town Meeting 

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What efforts have been made before Waterford Preservation Trust was established to preserve the building and find an adaptive reuse?

Work with the Preservation Trust of Vermont began in 2017 when a committee of concerned citizens- consisting of a town selectman, town librarian, members of the Waterford Historical Society and church leaders- was formed. The goal of the committee was to find sustainable ways to preserve the church building and to expand its use.

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In 2019 the town of Waterford received a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Development Grant to cover the costs of a feasibility study. A link to the report from that study by Black River Design, Architects, can be found on the town’s website (link). The purpose of the study was to determine what it would take and how much it would cost to bring the church up to code for various public uses.

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Why is the building important to the town of Waterford?

A town-wide survey was conducted during the summer and fall of 2017 that garnered responses from 130 households (a 22% response rate).  The survey results indicate a strong community interest in the rental of a commercial kitchen and space for concerts, dances, exercise classes, a café, after-school programs, watercraft rental and art classes.  Another possible use of the building is the creation of a collaborative workspace providing high speed internet in the lower level of the church. Ninety-six percent (96%) of survey respondents agreed that the church building is an important part of our community identity and 97% agreed that it is an historical building worth preserving.

 

Also, in 2019, the church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in time for the celebration of the church’s 160th birthday. As Waterford Selectman Fred Saar stated in his letter in support of placement of the church on the National Register:

 

The Waterford Select Board is actively engaged with the Church in exploring avenues for adaptive reuse that will insure the long-term use and maintenance of the church building. The Church is a central component of Lower Waterford, and coupled with the historic Rabbit Hill Inn, forms the center of the Lower Village.

The church building has a long history of serving the needs of the community. Up until at least the 1930s much of the activity in the community was centered in the church which was used regularly for social functions and town meetings as well as religious services. Because Waterford has never had a town hall, the church served that purpose until the new elementary school was built in 1957. Town meetings were held in the vestry until 1957 and voting in the November general elections took place there until 1984. Prior to the pandemic, the church joined forces with the Waterford Historical Society to host numerous community events: a bluegrass concert, poetry readings, an historic house and garden tour, an historic barn tour and sale of barn-to-table food items, and the annual Rhubarb Café in June. The Community Room in the lower level of the church has been available for use by the town selectmen for meetings involving large crowds and for events sponsored by the Davies Memorial Library.

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In short, this building has played a vital role in the religious and social life of the community and has made an important contribution to town government and the democratic process in Waterford. As Waterford’s former local historian, David J. Carpenter, has written: "The Church stands with quiet strength and grace as a reminder of the hardships, faith, perseverance and dedication to God, community and country of those who came before us in the town of Waterford."  

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Why is the Lower Waterford Village an important part of the Town of Waterford?

The church is located in the heart of historic “White Village” which also contains the Rabbit Hill Inn, post office, library and town clerk’s office.    As historian Allan Hodgdon noted in 1980, both the historic quality of the church and the village of Lower Waterford have been well preserved, “so that today, as in 1867, the village retains the form it achieved during the period it was associated with the Burlington to Portland stage route, a route that opened the interior of Vermont to the seaboard.”

 

The Waterford Town Plan recognizes the importance of preserving our historic village, stating on page 52, that White Village is “an historic and classic Vermont scene which is much photographed and frequented by many vacationers and tourists. It is a fine example of functional historic and scenic preservation as an appropriate land use.” One goal in the Town plan is to “encourage the retention of older buildings [in the Lower Waterford village] for village-scale commercial use.”

 

In a letter supporting the application for the assessment grant, the Waterford Historical Society board and the Davies Memorial Library trustees stated:

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Lower Waterford also called White Village has been a tourist attraction for the town for years.  The Lower Waterford Congregational Church, Davies Memorial Library and Rabbit Hill Inn represent a three-legged stool that can create economic activity in a small town that is in danger of becoming a bedroom community for St. Johnsbury and Littleton, New Hampshire.   We are excited to have the village known as the center of activity for the town and support the assessment of the church building.

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