EAST HARDWICK – A report of the master plan for East Hardwick’s future was presented to the Hardwick Select Board by Peter Fairweather from Fairweather Consulting, April 17,
According to Tracy Martin, Hardwick’s community development coordinator, “The presentation that was made to the select board on April 17 was purely informational. We wanted to have our consultant Peter Fairweather give an overview of the Better Connections process and present the main priorities that appear in the draft report while he was still under contract with the town. At the time of his presentation, our state partners were reviewing the draft and we knew that some revisions were likely.”
At the East Hardwick Neighborhood Organization’s annual meeting in October 2023, the community got their first look at the process to create a master plan for the Village of East Hardwick.
Martin shared plans to use two Better Connections Program grants totaling $97,500. She explained that the year-long project would bring the community together to create a vision and master plan for East Hardwick’s future, covering everything from stormwater management and sidewalk upgrades to parking, traffic calming, parks and more. She also noted the program is designed to move projects forward quickly and make it easier to apply for more funding to finish the work.
The Better Connections grant, obtained by the Town of Hardwick, is sponsored by the Vermont Agencies of Transportation and Commerce and Community Development in collaboration with the Agency of Natural Resources. Those agencies, along with a Regional Planner and Economic Recovery Specialist from the Northeastern Vermont Development Association, teamed up with a local steering committee to find ways to boost development and revitalize East Hardwick Village.
The steering committee was led by David Upson and Tracy Martin from the Town of Hardwick. It included David O’Brien representing East Hardwick Fire District No. 1 (EHFD), Meredith Holch from Caledonia Grange No. 9 (The Grange) and Irene Nagle and Kathleen Hemmens from the East Hardwick Neighborhood Organization (EHNO).
The first meeting of the Better Connections Steering Committee was held at the Hardwick Community Center, December 11, 2023, with subsequent meetings held monthly. The committee was advised by Fairweather and Andrea Day a professional engineer from the Dufresne Group.
The committee initially reached out to the greater population of East Hardwick at the 2024 Children’s Parade, and later by hosting a pizza supper at the Grange Hall in July, 2024. The supper was well attended by the community with ideas shared through a survey and conversations.
In March, 2025, a soup supper at the Memorial Building was accompanied by a presentation and discussion of the draft report.
The 69-page report outlines a master plan for East Hardwick Village and recommends actions. The top priorities are replacing the sidewalks on Main Street, improving the streetscape there, replacing sidewalks on Brick House Road, reworking the Main Street and Brick House Road intersections, and studying safety improvements at the Vt. Rte. 16 and Main Street intersection. Each action lists a responsible party, with the select board and VTrans taking the lead on the top projects.
Assigned to the Town of Hardwick are improvements to stormwater collection on Main Street, East Church Street, Brickhouse Road and at the School Street intersection with Vt. Rte. 16.
High priority tasks assigned to other entities include evaluating the village water system (EHFD), continuing to improve Overlook Park (EHNO), removing the former library/firehouse building to create a small green space (EHFD) and adopting a Village Center District (Hardwick Planning Commission).
Other priority items, identified as either intermediate or long-term, include paved or striped pedestrian lanes on School and Pleasant Streets, reconfiguring the Cedar Street intersection with Vt. Rte. 16, developing the LVRT trailhead on Stevens Lane, along with creating way-finding systems to the trailhead, pursuing opportunities to access the Lamoille River and considering potential new solutions to community waste water treatment.
The committee looked at the history of East Hardwick Village, the community interest in enhancing the vitality of the village and at outdoor recreation and arts in the village.
Socioeconomic data was collected on population growth rates, average home values and more. The many previous studies were collected and attached to the report: an AARP Walkability Audit, a Local Motion Bike Safety Study, the Steven’s Lane LVRT Trailhead Scoping Study, a Stormwater Infrastructure Mapping Project and the Stormwater Master Plan.
The report is extensive and provides detailed recommendations, with graphs, drawings and photographs, accompanied by potential funding resources for each area addressed.
The committee specifically recognized The Grange for providing a community building and the East Hardwick Neighborhood Organization as a major contributor to the vitality of East Hardwick.
The project used the Public Spaces model to help think about how to build better connections in and around East Hardwick. This model looks at four key areas: Uses and Activities, Sociability, Comfort and Image and Access and Linkages. The report encourages the community to focus on all four areas to help keep the village lively and thriving.
Specific village features are organized under each key area. For Uses and Activities, the report highlights houses and businesses, along with river access, the LVRT trailhead, green spaces and the arts. Sociability includes community strengths like neighborliness, pride, friendliness and a welcoming atmosphere, with community use of the Grange Hall as a key element. Comfort and Image covers features like the water system and the overall look and feel of the village, with a focus on making the village safe, clean, walkable and preserving its historic character. When it came to Access and Linkages, the report found that poor sidewalks, badly designed intersections and limited options for cyclists are major problems making it harder and less safe for people to get around.
The final report will be brought to the Hardwick Planning Commission. If they approve it, it will then be brought back to the select board for further attention.
The Better Connections Master Plan, as presented to the select board, can be found on the Resources page of the EHNO website at ehno5.wordpress.com.
Editor’s note: This story was updated May 12, to show the master plan for East Hardwick’s future was presented to the Hardwick Select Board by Peter Fairweather from Fairweather Consulting, April 17.
