WOODSTOCK – Sept 9, 2014:  The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) and the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) invite Woodstock businesses, employees and homeowners to attend an October 2 community forum to learn about a project studying Ottauquechee River and to gather community input on ways to protect business and the local economy from future floods.
When: October 2, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Where:  Billings Farm and Museum Theater
Who:  Anyone who lives or works or owns a business in Woodstock is invited

Light Hor d’oeuvres provided by Woodstock Farmers Market

The meeting will be facilitated by Department of Housing and Community Development Commissioner Noelle MacKay.  The community forum is the first step in a project called the  or VERI.   The VERI project is designed to help Woodstock evaluate the flood risk to business and infrastructure (roads, bridges, utilities), and identify the steps Woodstock and the state can take to minimize rebuilding and recovery costs and ensure businesses stay open — saving jobs and protecting the economy.  “Woodstock residents and business showcased their resourceful, self-reliant, community spirit in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene,” said Commissioner MacKay. “However, the ongoing recovery taught us that no one individual, business, organization, town or state agency can tackle a crisis alone – -and input from the Woodstock community is critical to the success of this project.”

VERI is funded by the US Economic Development Administration (EDA), led by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, in partnership with the Regional Planning Commissions, Agencies of Natural Resources and Transportation.