Bringing new life to old buildings will be up for discussion at upcoming Bradford, Vt., and Barnard town meetings.

In Bradford, the Old Church Theater is requesting $19,198.96 from the town to fund an insulation project.

Restoring the building, located at 137 North Main Street, could mean more foot traffic in town.

“Like a lot of cultural things, having our building up and running means that we’re going to be bringing people into Bradford for artistic events,” Paul Hunt, one of the treasurers for the Old Church Theater’s board, said.

The organization occupies Bradford’s oldest public building which was completed in 1794.

 Since then, it’s been used as church, a meeting space, an impromptu cinema and, since the 1980s, a site for community theater.

In 2012, the theater became a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

In 2017, the theater’s board began a restoration project due to excessive mildewing, inefficient heating, among other concerns with the building’s structural integrity, which rendered it unusable.

In the meantime, performances have been held at a temporary stage at 176 Waits River Road and, later, at Bradford Academy.

The project is being completed in stages. For instance, the foundation was redone two years ago, said Hunt.

So far, the board has raised approximately 28% of its $1.7 million goal. The funds come from a myriad of sources, including the Preservation Trust of Vermont.

The National Park Service recently pledged $142,000 contingent on the Old Church Theater’s ability to match funds.

The town’s contribution would help aid that effort and enable the building to be insulated, which would pave the way for a sprinkler system to be installed, Hunt said.

The renovation project is part of a larger push to restore the town’s historic buildings, said Michael Wright, Bradford Selectboard’s vice chairman.

“We’re a small country town and the goal is to maintain that,” he said.

Bradford’s Town Meeting will take place at Bradford Academy at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 1.

From fire station to stage

In Article 7 of Barnard’s Town Meeting warning, BarnArts Center for the Arts requests to lease the old fire station for 15 years at $1 a year.

While BarnArts is entering its 14th year producing community theater in Barnard, it’s never had a home base. BarnArts’ executive director, Linda Treash, runs the nonprofit from her home, while plays are staged at Barnard Town Hall and outside at Fable Farm.

“This would allow us to have a dedicated rehearsal space which will be a huge improvement to our theater rehearsals,” Treash said in an interview.

Since the initial construction in 1977, multiple additions have been made to the old station, Treash said.

After the Fire Department moved to the new location eight years ago, the old station has been used to store the department and the snow mobile club’s extra equipment, which would be returned to people’s homes if BarnArts moves in.

The BarnArts proposal has been in the works since 2022. The town originally intended to sell the building, located at 6220 VT-12, until the Barnard Community Trust, a nonprofit that owns the Barnard General Store and works to protect the town’s historic buildings, recommended a lease agreement with a local organization instead.

From there, Treash brought the idea of BarnArts leasing the building to the Selectboard.

She envisions converting two of the station’s bays into a rehearsal area that could also be used for community events, as well as adding two public bathrooms, an office and a private space for storing costumes.

Expanding the building, which is currently about 1,600 square feet, is another consideration.

While the town would continue to plow the building’s driveway and install a pump tank that would be shared with the library next door, BarnArts would otherwise be responsible for sourcing the funds for the renovation.

At this point, Treash doesn’t know how much the renovations will cost, but she’s confident that BarnArts can raise the money.

“Basically, we are offering to build a really nice building that the town will own, all with our efforts to bring this arts organization home,” Treash said.

The specific conditions of the lease, such as how long BarnArts would have to raise the money, are still being discussed.

BarnArts initially requested a 99-year lease, but the Selectboard lowered it to 15 years, the same length as the Fire Department’s lease at the new station. The length of the lease as well as the possibility of extending it are both up for discussion at Town Meeting.

Bringing the issue to the meeting is an opportunity to gauge the public’s interest in the project, Webster said.

Town Meeting will take place at the Barnard Town Hall at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 4.

Marion Umpleby can be reached at 603-727-3306 or mumpleby@vnews.com.