Omega honored for Delta Campus project

By DARRY MADDEN, Reformer Staff
Brattleboro Reformer

Tuesday, April 18
BRATTLEBORO—A local company is being recognized by the governor today for its outstanding community achievement in economic development.

Omega Optical Inc., a manufacturer of precision optical products and filters, and the town of Brattleboro will be honored for their work in coordinating the project which kept the 30-year-old company in town and retained 25 jobs.

“It was a very creative use of our funds,” said Molly Dugan, director of the Vermont Community Development Project (VDCP), which administered the $250,000 grant.

Omega Optical relocated from downtown to the site of a former junkyard on the Guilford-Brattleboro line last year. In addition to cleaning up the site to stringent environmental standards, the architects and designers at Omega erected a new factory which runs completely off the grid.

Omega was nominated for the award by Sarah Friedman, grants manager for the town of Brattleboro.

“The reason I nominated them is because they demonstrated that economic development and environmental sustainability go hand in hand,” said Friedman, adding the word “cool” to the characterization of the project.

Dugan said that the Delta Campus, as the resurrected junkyard is now known, was unique not just in the use of design and materials, but also in that it was only using its grant to fund a portion of the total cost. Their grant provided 12 percent of the necessary money.

“That's one of the key things we look for. It wasn't relying solely on us,” said Dugan.

Dugan said that, in terms of “green” building, her organization is seeing more around the state, particularly in housing developments.

“But certainly not to this extent,” she said.

In addition to producing its own electricity, the site maintains 82 percent of its area as open space, practiced on-site sustainable wood harvesting and recycles its cooling water, cutting its water consumption by about 80 percent.

Gordon Bristol, who directed the project, said that the expansion came from a realization that they actually had too many employees. They wondered if, by stretching the company a bit, they couldn't retain those jobs.

And in that process, Bristol said they did look at other possible locations all together.

But they opted to stay.

“The success is that we created more jobs above the 25 we retained,” said Bristol. “We've added at least 15. They are primarily production jobs, but everything explodes a little when you grow.”

Bristol pointed out that the money from VCDP was a grant to the town of Brattleboro, but a loan to Omega, which will pay it off with interest. It is ultimately a net positive cash flow for the town.

The city of Rutland and the Rutland Redevelopment Authority are also being honored for the rehabilitation of the Tuttle Block in downtown Rutland, as is the Town of Pownal and the Oak Hill Children's Center for the renovation of a derelict space into a child care center.

Darry Madden can be reached at dmadden@reformer.com, or (802) 254-2311, ext. 273.


HOME DEVELOPMENT PLAN LOTS FOR SALE DIRECTIONS CONTACT US PRINCIPALS CASE STUDY GREEN-BUILT HOMES NEWS LINKS	Omega honored for Delta Campus project By DARRY MADDEN, Reformer Staff Brattleboro Reformer Tuesday, April 18 BRATTLEBORO—A local company is being recognized by the governor today for its outstanding community achievement in economic development. Omega Optical Inc., a manufacturer of precision optical products and filters, and the town of Brattleboro will be honored for their work in coordinating the project which kept the 30-year-old company in town and retained 25 jobs. “It was a very creative use of our funds,” said Molly Dugan, director of the Vermont Community Development Project (VDCP), which administered the $250,000 grant. Omega Optical relocated from downtown to the site of a former junkyard on the Guilford-Brattleboro line last year. In addition to cleaning up the site to stringent environmental standards, the architects and designers at Omega erected a new factory which runs completely off the grid. Omega was nominated for the award by Sarah Friedman, grants manager for the town of Brattleboro. “The reason I nominated them is because they demonstrated that economic development and environmental sustainability go hand in hand,” said Friedman, adding the word “cool” to the characterization of the project. Dugan said that the Delta Campus, as the resurrected junkyard is now known, was unique not just in the use of design and materials, but also in that it was only using its grant to fund a portion of the total cost. Their grant provided 12 percent of the necessary money. “That's one of the key things we look for. It wasn't relying solely on us,” said Dugan. Dugan said that, in terms of “green” building, her organization is seeing more around the state, particularly in housing developments. “But certainly not to this extent,” she said. In addition to producing its own electricity, the site maintains 82 percent of its area as open space, practiced on-site sustainable wood harvesting and recycles its cooling water, cutting its water consumption by about 80 percent. Gordon Bristol, who directed the project, said that the expansion came from a realization that they actually had too many employees. They wondered if, by stretching the company a bit, they couldn't retain those jobs. And in that process, Bristol said they did look at other possible locations all together. But they opted to stay. “The success is that we created more jobs above the 25 we retained,” said Bristol. “We've added at least 15. They are primarily production jobs, but everything explodes a little when you grow.” Bristol pointed out that the money from VCDP was a grant to the town of Brattleboro, but a loan to Omega, which will pay it off with interest. It is ultimately a net positive cash flow for the town. The city of Rutland and the Rutland Redevelopment Authority are also being honored for the rehabilitation of the Tuttle Block in downtown Rutland, as is the Town of Pownal and the Oak Hill Children's Center for the renovation of a derelict space into a child care center. Darry Madden can be reached at dmadden@reformer.com, or (802) 254-2311, ext. 273.