GREENSBORO BEND — The Bend Revitalization Initiative (BRI) was recently awarded one of seven statewide Village Trust Initiative (VTI) grants for a project to create new life for the town’s Methodist church and parsonage.
Greensboro Bend has assets, including a general store, a childcare center and access to the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT). The Methodist church and parsonage on Main Street recently closed and are for sale.
The VTI will work with the Bend community to identify needs that could be met through the reuse of the church and parsonage. The grant, applied for in June, 2024, includes funds to support renovation of the properties.
The Methodist Church in Greensboro Bend on Monday, Oct. 8. The Bend Revitalization Initiative has received a grant to help purchaser the church and its parsonage and renovate it to be a place for the community to once again gather.
The BRI plans to acquire the former Methodist church building and parsonage property. BRI members and the VTI believe the historic church building, along with the parsonage, present an excellent opportunity for the adaptive reuse of both properties to complement revitalization efforts currently under way in the Bend.
With the grant award in hand, initial tasks will include negotiating a purchase and sale agreement with the Methodist church, conducting due diligence of the properties with condition and environmental assessments and a legal review, beginning a community outreach initiative and raising funds to purchase the parcel.
The BRI is a non-profit organization founded in 2021 to help revitalize Greensboro Bend. A grant from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development created the Bend Comprehensive Plan in 2022. The first major project implemented after the plan was published is the Bend Trailhead, completed in September, 2024.
The Village Trust Initiative is a village revitalization program made possible by a Congressionally Directed Spending award from former Senator Leahy and a partnership between Preservation Trust of Vermont, Vermont Council on Rural Development and Vermont Community Foundation. The program is targeted to communities with a population of less than 2,500 that typically do not have the resources to rehabilitate old buildings for reuse.
