RamaSchneider/test huggingface dataset:
The Alliance for Climate Action/14% Challenge Community energy organizing and programs.
www.10percentchallenge.org
To get contact info for any energy committee, either click a marker on the map, or scroll through the list of committees. To learn more about starting an energy committee click here:
http://www.vecan.net/index.php/energy-committees/
Apollo Alliance Vermont Coalition of labor, business and community groups dedication to energy independence
www.apolloalliance.org/state
Biomass Energy Resource Center Consults on biomass and cogeneration
(802) 223-7779
Renewable Energy Vermont Trade association for renewable energy dealers.
www.REVermont.org
School Energy Management Program Provides free energy assessments for schools.
www.vtvsa.org
Sustainable Energy Resource Group Consults with communities on energy planning/programs.
http://www.serg-info.org/
Vermont Bio-Diesel Project Collaboration designed to help accelerate emergence of industry in VT
www.vtbiodeiselproject.org
Vermont Green Building Network Promotes green building in Vermont
www.vgbn.org
Vermont Energy Education Program. Provides in school energy curriculum.
www.veep.org
Vermont ranked fifth in the nation for energy efficiency. A large part of Vermont's success comes from the work of Efficiency Vermont, Vermont's nonprofit 'energy efficiency utility'.
Efficiency Vermont helps all Vermonters to reduce energy costs, strengthen the local economy, and protect the environment by making homes and businesses energy efficient.
Efficiency Vermont provides technical assistance, rebates, and other financial incentives to help Vermont households and businesses reduce their energy costs with energy-efficient equipment, lighting, and approaches to construction and major renovation. Additionally, we partner extensively with contractors, suppliers, and retailers of efficient products and services
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 74
Vermont Energy Investment Corp Promotes energy efficiency and renewable technologies
www.veic.org
Vermont Energy Star Homes Technical assistance to build energy efficient homes.
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=new homes partners.showStateResults&s_code=VT
Go Vermont: Go Vermont is a resource for Vermonters who want to reduce the cost and environmental impact of driving. We offer free carpool matching and vanpool services, and statewide bus routes, as well as free Go! Vermont resources to help you promote more efficient travel options at work or at home. Call our Q/A hotline and a real person can answer your transportation questions. 800-685-7433
http://www.connectingcommuters.org/
Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network Collaborative of organizations involved in energy and climate issues.
http://www.vecan.net/
Vermont Fuel Dealers Association Trade association of fuel marketers.
http://www.vermontfuel.com/
Vermont Biofuel Partnership Resource for producers, wholesalers, retailers and users of Bio-Heat and bio-diesel fuel
www.vtbio.org
header: What Is Energy Used For?
"Use", "Transportation", "Residential", "Commercial", "Industrial"
"Percentage", "41%", "33%", "17%", "9%"
footer: Source: Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan 2011
header: Statewide Energy Demand
"", "Electricity", "Natural Gas", "Fuel Oil", "Petroleum", "Renewables"
"Residential", "46%", "7%", "25%", "13%", "8%"
"Transportation", "--", "--", "--", "77%", "--"
"Commercial and Industrial", "64%", "10%", "--", "23%", "4%"
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 75
E. Energy: Goals, Policies & Tasks
Goal 1: Encourage energy conservation and the development of renewable energy resources
A. Williamstown should consider forming a town Energy Committee and appointing a Town Energy Coordinator
B. The Committee/ Coordinator will review The Town Energy and Climate Guide, (Vermont Energy and climate Action Network, 2006) for ideas on energy conservation and development http://www.vecan.net/resources/publications/
C. Support demand side management conservation programs designed to reduce demand for electricity through enhanced energy efficiency and conservation
D. Conduct energy audits of Town buildings
E. Reduce Town expenditures by considering the cost of energy over the life of equipment purchased purchased by the town
F. Support home weatherization programs http://dcf.vermont.gov/oeo/weatherization
G. Encourage the establishment of local, publicly owned and operated bulk storage fuel facilities, as authorized under 24 VSA, Chapter 107, Section 3701, as a means of containing fuel costs for Williamstown residents
H. Support the use of biofuels and electric power in government and public transit vehicles
I. Promote the design and construction of energy efficient buildings
J. Encourage development of small scale wind, solar and hydro power by individuals or groups of individuals, to offset fossil fuel consumption and promote self-sufficiency
K. Encourage land use planning that concentrates civil and social services, housing, employment opportunities within or adjacent to Williamstown's villages; support expansion of telecommuting, teleconferencing and public transit; provide for pedestrian transportation options and promote self- sufficiencv
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 76
Chapter VIII. Economic Development
A healthy economy is essential to maintaining Williamstown's quality of life. A diversified and dynamic economy provides employment, stimulates social and cultural interaction, and generates income to provide for a wide variety of community services, including education, health care and physical infrastructure. A diversified economy offers greater opportunities for people to engage in satisfying and meaningful occupations and pursuits.
The purpose of this chapter is to guide and plan for economic development that will create employment in Williamstown which keeps pace with the region's labor force, provides an adequate flow of taxable economic activity to fund state programs, and increases the wealth and economic well being of its residents.
According to the Williamstown Historical Society, prior to 1840, most early residents of Williamstown worked on family farms. In 1888, the first train arrived in the Williamstown Village. An economic "boom", lasting for nearly 4 decades, followed. Quarries and farmers could finally ship their products to other parts of the country, and more and more goods and services streamed into Williamstown.
During this time-period the following quarries were established:
Pirie Quarry (1882)
Jones Brothers Quarry
Dr. Bailey Quarry
(All currently owned and operated by Rock of Ages {1882}.)
Newer businesses included: Burrell Roofing and Lacillade Lumber established in the 1940's. Other businesses included: Bruce's Garage (1892), Watson Hotel, Williamstown Inn, Hibbard House, Lotus Lake Camp (1952), Lynde Store (1952), and Smallwood Nurseries (1932). The late 1960's were a major period of road building in Vermont, making travel even easier. After that time, the entrepreneurial spirit came alive. The number of family farms began to decrease and tourism started to increase. In Williamstown, the following businesses were established after the 1960's: UniFirst (1972), Randolph National Bank (1979), now Lake Sunapee Bank, VEPCO (Vermont Electric Power Company - formerly VELCO) (1980), Hebert Excavation, Progressive Plastics, R.G. Paving, Pump N' Pantry, A&S Collections, Depot & Main convenience store, Farm & Country Hardware, Behind the Scenes Cafe, (1980's), Stillwater Graphics and most recently Dollar General and Poulin Lumber (2010). There are two new thrift shops in Town, Green Mountain Bargain Shop, located under Behind The Scenes and Thrift and Gift on Route 14.
C. Current Conditions
Overall, in the past 12-months, the private sector in Vermont has added an estimated 4,000 jobs. This growth in Vermont's economy has not been found in just one industry but across many business sectors. The industry diversity of the Vermont economy continues to be a source of stability as broad based growth is easier to sustain than following the ups and downs of any one particular industry. This diversity translates into employment opportunities for Vermonters of all skill sets, educational experiences and professional backgrounds.
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 77
Vermont's economy has shown many signs of recovery since the Great Recession. State revenues have rebounded, growing by $175 million between 2011 and 2014 after falling by more than $97 million between 2008 and 2009. This has coincided with increased job growth, a steady decline in the unemployment rate, and a drop in the number of foreclosures. While Vermont's economy continues to grow, the growth rate has not been as robust as economists had predicted. In early 2014, the consensus economic forecast was that State revenue would grow by 5 percent over the prior fiscal year. Revenue is now expected to grow by only 3 percent for this fiscal year and general fund revenue growth is expected to remain around 3.5 percent for the next five years.(15)
The economic corridor connects the Central Vermont region with Northwest Vermont. There will be a continuation of commuters from outside the Central Vermont region coming in to fill some of the jobs here. Outside of the urban area of Chittenden County, the job importing areas of the Central Vermont Region import the largest amount of employees in the Northwest Region. Since the urban areas of Chittenden County and the major job importing areas of Central Vermont are connected by 1-89, it fosters the commuting patterns that have grown over the past decade. It is becoming less unusual for people to live outside the Central Vermont Region and commute in to work and/or to live inside the Central Vermont Region and commute to work outside the region.
Montpelier City and Berlin contain the majority of the imported jobs, with Barre City, Waitsfield, Warren and Waterbury forming the remaining areas of job importation. The remaining seventeen towns (including Williamstown) are 'job-exporting' towns. The job-importing towns contain the bulk of the employment, while the job-exporting towns contain the bulk of the people who fill these positions. Approximately 90 percent of the Town's workforce is employed outside of town, primarily in the regional jobs centers of Barre, Montpelier and Waterbury.
The chart below displays a breakdown of employment data for Williamstown from the 2010 Census and current figures from Vermont's Department of Labor.
header: Place of Employment of Williamstown Residents
"Location", "Percentage"
"Barre city (Washington, VT)", "21.70%"
"Montpelier city (Washington, VT)", "16.50%"
"Williamstown town (Orange, VT)", "9.50%"
"Barre town (Washington, VT)", "6.90%"
"Berlin town (Washington, VT)", "5.70%"
"Waterbury town (Washington, VT)", "4.10%"
"Northfield town (Washington, VT)", "3.80%"
"Hartford town (Windsor, VT)", "3.00%"
"Rutland city (Rutland, VT)", "1.70%"
"Randolph town (Orange, VT)", "1.30%"
"All Other Locations", "25.80%"
footer: Source: OnTheMap, US Census
Williamstown has the largest proportion of self employment income at 11.1% of the total and is ranked #1. Second, it has the largest proportion of investment and retirement income at 17.9% of the total and is ranked #1.
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 78
The vast majority, 20% of Williamstown's workers were employed in the Education, Health and Social Services, another 13.5% in Retail Trade, 12% in Public Administration Sectors, and finally construction at 8.20%. While Williamstown has displayed economic and job growth over the past several decades, there were some indications of economic hardship during the great recession.
According to the Vermont Department of Employment and Training (DET), however, the 2009-2013 unemployment figure for Williamstown was 5.4% (State average - 8 %). This represents a dramatic decrease from just a few years ago when it stood at a relatively unhealthy 10.2%.
D. Trends
Projections developed by the Office of Policy and Information of the Vermont DET help to identify the shifts that are occurring in the state and regional economies. National and international forces have a tendency to have greater influence on manufacturing, while state and regional market forces combine to influence the non manufacturing side.
According to these projections, future job growth will be concentrated in the service-provider sector of the economy, with education, health services, professional and business services growing the fastest. Healthcare practitioners are at the top of the list (i.e., registered nurses, medical assistant, and physical therapists). Construction will also continue to grow. Other projected increases are in the areas of professional and related occupations, which include architecture and engineering occupations, education, training and library services. Computer or information technology occupations should also see gains. Finally, tourism, particularly recreation based tourism, is projected to be a growth industry well into the 2040s.
Manufacturing continues to decline due to technological advances resulting in the need for fewer and fewer people to get the job done. Outsourcing continues to be an issue even as the call for made in USA and made in Vermont grows. Industries with the largest decline in employment will be the United States Postal Service (USPS), apparel manufacturing, textile mills, and computer and electronic manufacturing.
header: Common Industries Williamstown Residents are Employed, Vt. Dept. of Labor
"Category", "Percentage"
"Unemployed Residents", "5%"
"Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting & mining", "12%"
"Construction", "8.2%"
"Manufacturing", "6%"
"Wholesale trade", "3.3%"
"Retail trade", "7%"
"Transportation, warehousing, utilities", "5.1%"
"Information", "8%"
"Finance, insurance real estate, rental & leasing", "8%"
"Professional, scientific, management, administrative", "7.8%"
"Educational services, health care and social services", "20%"
"Arts, entertainment, recreation, hospitality industry & entertainment", "7%"
"Other services", "2%"
"Public administration", "12%"
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 79
The agricultural sector also is expected to continue its historical trend of decreasing employment, in part because the average wage earned by farmers remains lower than that of other sectors and because of fluctuating incomes.
Williamstown still has about 10 working dairy farms, one potato farm, a tree farmer, and various other agricultural farms/businesses. These agricultural jobs are a very important part of our economy in their own right, as well for the intangible aesthetic benefits they provide.
Furthermore, agriculture also contributes to tourism. Putting out the welcome mat for visitors and residents by encouraging farmers markets, visits to the farm, cut-your-own Christmas tree, and fruit orchards in those out-of-the-way places can contribute immensely to the sustainability of our agricultural industry and our local economy. People like Vermont food products because they feel they are safe and fresh. Buying locally grown and manufactured products adds to the local economy. Hope lies with small farmers currently capitalizing on their natural advantages by diversifying and rotating crops, integrating livestock, and residents buying locally.
E. Williamstown Economic Plans
In 2003 the Economic Development Committee surveyed the community to gather ideas how the Town should proceed with Economic Development. Residents were reporting that their family members were leaving Williamstown in search of work elsewhere. Some residents reported that if they could find good jobs with good wages locally, they would have remained in Williamstown.
Most recognized attracting good jobs to Williamstown would not happen overnight. Most residents agreed that just attracting "any new business" was not the the answer for the long-term future of our Town.
Residents reported they did not want to exploit the environment in order to support economic sustainability saying: "Ruining the environment just makes for bad economics and bad ethics. Protecting our natural resources is critical for the economic well being of our future. The Town can have clean, safe and sustainable jobs if we all work together to shape the future of our Town.
header: Williamstown, VT Median Annual Earnings by Job Category VT Department of Labor
"Category", "Median Annual Earnings"
"Mgt., Business & Financial", "$57,504"
"Computer, engineering and Science", "$66,094"
"Educational, Legal, Community Sice, Arts & Media", "$46,692"
"Healthcare Practitioners & Techs", "$61,197"
"Protective Service", "$53,868"
"Sales and Office", "$37,187"
"Natural Resources, Construction, Maintenance", "$39.639"
"Production, Transportation & Material Moving", "$36,195"
According to the 2013 city data Census and Vermont Housing Data, Williamstown had an average poverty rate of 8% (representing 364 individuals and 30 families) in comparison to the statewide rate of 9.4%
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 80
The survey revealed the following following ideas and desires of town residents for improving Williamstown's economic attraction, particularly in the village downtown area:
A farmer's market
A laundry mat
A family restaurant
Health Care Practitioners
A Town common; other common areas i.e., a senior center building, hiking paths
Jobs that are clean and sustainable
Community activities and spirit
Sidewalks and crosswalks in both villages
Clean-up activities/ pride
Trees and landscaping
Fun activities for teenagers
The Planning Commission will be surveying residents to see if opinions and views have changed and new ideas generated since the last survey was taken.
F. Development Issues
Research has shown that community and economic development are best supported when local solutions and resources are brought to bear on local problems. Small, new businesses are the backbone of economic development and job creation. In Central Vermont, enterprises with less than 20 employees comprise 90% of total private businesses while providing for 38% of total private employment. (National figures are 87% and 26%, respectively).
Even though initial employment gains may be small, start-up businesses have immediate impacts on the local economy. Small companies tend to hire locally, buy locally and put more money into the local economy than they take out.
Over the past decade, Central Vermont has become a leader in small business formation, with Williamstown adding its share of new, small, innovative businesses to the list. In Williamstown, the vast majority of the more than 60 employers fit the definition of small business.
The quality of the work force and quality of life are directly related to community emphasis on education. Elementary and high school education are the basis of the human infrastructure. They provide the skills necessary for individuals to interact with one another in civil and meaningful ways. They are also the source of basic vocational skills in communications, mathematics, and problem solving.
As our society becomes more technologically advanced, these elemental skills take on even greater importance. Complex manufacturing techniques require workers who can process information and manipulate advanced machinery. Information management requires the ability to identify, isolate and utilize a wide variety of data.
Institutions of higher education play an important role both as major employers and as support institutions for technology based industry. Central Vermont Region hosts six colleges and post-secondary schools. Spin off institutes and for-profit ventures undertaken by the higher education community have added substantially to the economic and cultural wellbeing of the region.
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 81
Advanced educational institutions also play a major role through the provision of programs that advance technical and problem solving skills. According to the 2009-2013 census approximately 89.2% of the work force has a high school diploma or better. While an elementary and high school education can provide the building blocks for an educated work force, individual advancement and technological improvement will depend on the development of life- long learning habits and opportunities for all workers. The public education system must expand to meet the vocational needs of adults. Public and private institutions and employers must take a proactive role in identifying the skills necessary for economic vitality in the future, and take the steps necessary to prepare and retain the work force.
Finally, continued economic vitality depends on the existence of a skilled, knowledgeable and innovative "next generation" workforce. With an older than average and rapidly aging population, along with the lowest percentage of people in the 25 to 29 age group in the nation, Vermont faces some serious challenges in this regard. Chief among them is the disincentives our relatively low wages and high cost of living provide to young people to stay in the State. Williamstown must recognize these trends and strive to support and cultivate opportunities for young people to stay in, return to, or discover our town as an exciting and affordable place to work and live.
The ability to transport goods and information, and be accessible to clients and customers is essential to business. With its own interstate exit and a major state highway, Williamstown is well situated to take advantage of its physical accessibility. It is also within 20 minutes of a state airport with business/cargo capabilities.
Of course physical access is not enough for businesses to prosper in this day and age. They need a network of telecommunications infrastructure that enables information-based industries to link into a worldwide telecommunications network. There remain challenges to both take advantage of this advanced technology, and to keep pace with the developments of this quickly changing industry. The town wide availability of the state-of-the-art telecommunications/ information technology infrastructure (including high speed internet access and wireless communications) would increase work options for residents and could potentially reduce commuting and its impacts on the transportation infrastructure and the environment.
"", "Williamstown", "Orange County", "Vermont"
"Less than 9th grade", "3.5%", "2.8%", "3.0%"
"9th to 12th grade, no diploma", "7.3%", "5.9%", "5.6%"
"High school graduate or GED", "47.9%", "35.5%", "30.8%"
"Some college, no degree", "19.7%", "16.4%", "17.3%"
"Associate's degree", "6.9%", "9.5%", "8.5%"
"Bachelor's degree", "9.0%", "16.8%", "21.0%"
"Graduate or professional degree", "5.7%", "13.1%", "13.8%"
footer: Source: DP02, 2009-2013 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
WILLIAMSTOWN TOWN PLAN JANUARY, 2016 PAGE 82
The Vermont Business Roundtable surveyed the state's businesses in 2003 and discovered that the top 2 reasons businesses located to Vermont were because of: 1) a high quality of life and, 2) the owners had ties to the state. Quality of life could be described as having a safe environment (clean air, water and land, transportation, and access to health care and emergency services), job opportunities, natural beauty, educational quality, and low crime rate.
The latest survey, which was conducted during the first two weeks of October 2015, achieved a response rate of 69 percent overall, and included a 50 percent or greater response rate from all sectors . The Information sector expressed the most optimistic outlooks on the general business climate; and, compared with their national counterparts, Vermont companies demonstrated similar caution with near-term prospects and plans for capital outlays. Also included in the survey was the opportunity for Roundtable members to express their opinions on other topics affecting their businesses. The greatest frequency of their responses expressed concern with the state's general business climate, high taxes/high cost of doing business, lack of skilled workers, healthcare and cost of living (16).