Burlington Gets $500K To Build Park At Lake Champlain

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vermont's congressional delegation says the city of Burlington is getting a $500,000 federal grant to help create a new park on the Lake Champlain waterfront.

The grant from the National Park Service will help the city acquire 12 acres (4 hectares) of land along Lake Champlain to develop the park and, eventually, a trail connecting two other park properties.

Gil Livington of the Vermont Land Trust says the grant is the final critical piece to create the park that he calls "an oasis of special importance to residents of Burlington's Old North End."

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic U.S. Rep. Peter Welch say parks contribute much to the quality of life in Vermont.