ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Catamount Arts is finally making some headway to get back into their building in downtown St. Johnsbury. Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury was forced to close last year after environmental testing during an expansion project discovered traces of toxic chemicals in air samples. For the past year, the organization has been working with Stone Environmental to come up with a solution to secure the building. The group is planning to put in a system that detects toxins coming into the foundation, and vents and environmental sealant. The non-profit received $190,000 from the Agency of Commerce and Community Development for the project. But catamount officials say they still have a long way to go, and the expense of this project has been a huge financial burden on the organization.
The state has been amazing in helping us find the funding to help pay for the construction piece. But the impact to our business of lost revenue and of being displaced is a completely different story. We have had to just had to scrap our way through.” said Jody Fried, the Catamount Arts Director. He added his team should be back in the building sometime in the spring.
