Background
The Rochester High School (RHS) building was constructed in 1974 to house a growing student population and serve as a community center and rallying point for the whole White River Valley area.
Faced with precipitous declining enrollment, RHS bade farewell to its last in-house class in 2018. The Rochester Stockbridge Unified District (RSUD) closed the RHS building during the pandemic and subsequently determined it was no longer needed for educational purposes, closing the building permanently and dispersing our students to faraway schools of their parents’ choice.
The Greater Rochester community and our whole valley suffered a great loss. Sports teams, long treasured childhood friendships, community activities; all were lost with this painful economic decision.
The agreement merging the Rochester and Stockbridge elementary school systems into a unified district, per Act 46, stipulates the sale price of the RHS building to the Town of Rochester at $1.00, if the Town should seek to purchase it.
This presents a great opportunity to reuse and readapt an important physical landmark in our Valley. Its potential adaptive reuse has caused a great outpouring of emotion on both sides of the question.
Hopefully, the information contained on this site will keep you best informed when considering the ultimate outcome of the former RHS land and buildings. While still occasionally available to our community, a much greater vision is being planned to restore our community center and not have us suffer the fate of many small rural Vermont towns.
About the Repurposing Committee
In February 2020 a volunteer led RHS Repurposing Committee formed and by late spring began to meet regularly to explore adaptive options for the building. The work has been done with consent from the Rochester Select Board and RSUD Board. The goal of this community led effort is for the successful reintegration of a repurposed RHS building to become a viable and self-sustaining operation, continuing its legacy as a vibrant center for learning, the arts, and social engagement, serving this region and beyond.
This volunteer committee had as one of its objectives to clear away any obstacles that might stand in the way of its adaptive reuse.
In April of 2021 members of the committee wrote and submitted a planning grant to the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development to fund a feasibility study of a repurposed RHS building. This grant was awarded in the amount of $50,000. The Town utilized this grant to retain the services of Fairweather Consultants of New Paltz, NY, and GBA Architects of Montpelier, VT.
This initial study, completed in July 2022, included a projected profit and loss, a master space plan, a master facility capital improvement plan, and a high level assessment of possible funding sources.
Also evaluated were the pros and cons of Town ownership of the building vs. ownership by a local nonprofit corporation. The results of the feasibility study were presented at a Special Town Meeting on July 7th and can be read here (link to study in documents). The vote by Rochester residents on the question of Town acquisition of the building will be tentatively scheduled for November 5, 2024.
THIS VOTE WILL BE PRECEED BY INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS WITH THE VOTERS OF ROCHESTER, VT AND A PROPOSED MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH THE TOWN OF ROCHESTER.
ALL FAQ’S AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION WILL MAKE THIS A VERY TRANSPARENT PROCESS.
As part of the process the “Committee” has been reconstituted as VHI INC. (Village Hub Inc), a 501c3 not for profit corporation. It will be registered with the VT Sec of State and be subject to the laws of the State Of Vermont governing nonprofit corporations. Many of the initial committee members make up the new Board of Directors.
VHI Members
