by Liz Royer
This article was published in the spring 2025 issue of our newsletter.
Federal Funding
As I write this in mid-February, Vermont Rural Water is in the midst of very uncertain times in terms of our federal funding. We will share additional information with our members as soon as we know more, but be assured that our top priority is continuing to provide top-tier training and technical assistance to Vermont’s drinking water and wastewater systems.
Right now, we want to give an extra thank you to our members and sponsors. Your membership dollars and donations are especially important given the current insecurity of federal funding.
Left to right: Kurt Motyka, Margaret Dwyer, Liz Royer, and Jon Thornton in Washington, D.C.
Rural Water Rally
In early February, a contingent from Vermont Rural Water visited Washington, D.C. for the Rural Water Rally. I was joined by board president Margaret Dwyer (Winhall-Stratton) and national director Jon Thornton (Bradford), along with Kurt Motyka, Montpelier’s public works director. The City of Montpelier was there to represent Vermont in the Great American Water Taste Test.
Along with Rural Water representatives from every state, we headed up to the Hill to meet with Vermont’s congressional delegations. Our meetings with staff members from the offices of Senator Welch, Senator Sanders, and Representative Balint were all positive. Vermont’s delegation continues to be very supportive of Vermont Rural Water and our work.
During the luncheon for the Great American Water Taste Test, we found out that Montpelier was not one of the finalists, but we were excited to celebrate with Hooksett, N.H. which placed second nationally.
Staffing Changes
In other news, Vermont Rural Water has had a recent staffing change with our Circuit Riders (known as Water Systems Specialists). After eleven years with Vermont Rural Water, Paul Sestito moved to Connecticut to be closer to family.
Harry Dunn-Davenport joined us at the beginning of February to fill that position. He will be assisting municipal and other USDA RD-eligible systems in southern Vermont. Aaron Perez, who has been covering southern Vermont as a Circuit Rider for 17 years, will be shifting his services to northern Vermont. As always, please reach out to our main phone number or email address if you aren’t sure who to contact.
Dan Whipple teaching at the first Disaster Response Training in January.
Finally, Vermont Rural Water has received funding from USDA Rural Development to put on three Disaster Response Trainings during 2025. These trainings are designed to guide communities in preparing for and responding to emergencies and natural disasters, with a focus on safety and resilience for water and wastewater systems. We hosted the first class on January 22 at the Association of General Contractors building in Montpelier.
We were excited to have Dan Whipple return as one of the instructors for this class. Dan worked as a trainer and manager for the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) for many years and taught numerous trainings for our industry. He is now providing training through his new company, Integrity Safety Consulting Services, LLC.
We will be holding this 6 TCH (water and wastewater) class twice more this year. The next date for this training is Tuesday, July 15 at the Vermont State University Campus in Randolph. The third session will be at the Williston Fire Station on Thursday, December 11. Registration for the July session is now open on our website, and the December session will be open in a few months.