Plainfield’s closed Goddard College campus was not as empty as usual on Monday. Just over 100 residents showed up in-person and online to talk about the issues facing their community.”People have been through stuff. They’ve been through it together. Bonds have been forged and neighbors really matter,” said Jessica Savage, the director of programs & strategic initiatives at Vermont Council on Rural Development.Organizers of ‘Plainfield Forward’ called on their neighbors to take action after two devastating years of summer flooding wreaked havoc on their streets and washed away their homes.”When the flood waters are lapping on my doorstep, I’m going to start reading the Bible again,” said Plainfield resident Steven Farnham.Farnham saw the damage that was done to his neighbors’ homes, which was more than enough reason to come out and show his support.”There was a huge washout on the hill adjoining my property. There was probably a long stretch of road where half of it was washed away. What washed there went across the road and into my neighbors’ yard and made a mess there and so on” said Farnham.Together, the community workshopped solutions to the problems that Plainfield faces like building a resilience hub, a building that would have extra food and essentials on standby for flood victims. That was just one of the many ideas thrown around on Monday, as residents continue to reel from their losses these last few years.”Since the pandemic, there’s been the closure of Goddard College, multiple devastating floods, the co-op moving out, we are in a time of searching for who we are, what can we be now?” said Plainfield resident Frances Rose Subbiondo.Some suggested looking at other Vermont communities to see what they have been doing to weather the storm.”Somewhere this has already been done and somewhere else it has been done again,” said Farnham. “Maybe we should get out and get ideas from somewhere.”Organizers plan to launch task force groups once this process is over that will take action on the solutions that residents have brought to the table.”They may sound like isolated ideas, but they really come together in a cohesive space that brings out the community voice of what they want to see in their future,” said Laura Cavin-Bailey, the climate economy program manager with the Vermont Council on Rural Development.If you did not make it on Monday night, this was only the first of three sessions planned for Plainfield Forward. The next one is Sept. 17.
Plainfield’s closed Goddard College campus was not as empty as usual on Monday. Just over 100 residents showed up in-person and online to talk about the issues facing their community.
“People have been through stuff. They’ve been through it together. Bonds have been forged and neighbors really matter,” said Jessica Savage, the director of programs & strategic initiatives at Vermont Council on Rural Development.
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Organizers of ‘Plainfield Forward’ called on their neighbors to take action after two devastating years of summer flooding wreaked havoc on their streets and washed away their homes.
“When the flood waters are lapping on my doorstep, I’m going to start reading the Bible again,” said Plainfield resident Steven Farnham.
Farnham saw the damage that was done to his neighbors’ homes, which was more than enough reason to come out and show his support.
“There was a huge washout on the hill adjoining my property. There was probably a long stretch of road where half of it was washed away. What washed there went across the road and into my neighbors’ yard and made a mess there and so on” said Farnham.
Together, the community workshopped solutions to the problems that Plainfield faces like building a resilience hub, a building that would have extra food and essentials on standby for flood victims. That was just one of the many ideas thrown around on Monday, as residents continue to reel from their losses these last few years.
“Since the pandemic, there’s been the closure of Goddard College, multiple devastating floods, the co-op moving out, we are in a time of searching for who we are, what can we be now?” said Plainfield resident Frances Rose Subbiondo.
Some suggested looking at other Vermont communities to see what they have been doing to weather the storm.
“Somewhere this has already been done and somewhere else it has been done again,” said Farnham. “Maybe we should get out and get ideas from somewhere.”
Organizers plan to launch task force groups once this process is over that will take action on the solutions that residents have brought to the table.
“They may sound like isolated ideas, but they really come together in a cohesive space that brings out the community voice of what they want to see in their future,” said Laura Cavin-Bailey, the climate economy program manager with the Vermont Council on Rural Development.
If you did not make it on Monday night, this was only the first of three sessions planned for Plainfield Forward. The next one is Sept. 17.
