HARTFORD — Planning and Development Director Lori Hirshfield was honored this week with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns for her 30 years of service to the town of Hartford.
“It is a remarkable achievement to serve one community for three decades. But Lori’s career stands out not simply because of the number of years she has served, but because of what she accomplished during those years and the lasting impact of her work,” according to a press release from the town.
“We appreciate the thought, leadership, persistency, and commitment to community engagement she has demonstrated throughout her years of service, qualities reflected in the revitalization of downtown, the strengthening of our land use policies, and many, many other accomplishments,” the Hartford Selectboard told the league.
Hirshfield’s notable achievements since taking the reins in 1996 include helping secure funding for and overseeing the development of the Quechee Visitor Center, and playing a significant role in the transformation of White River Junction, according to the release.
“Downtown revitalization does not happen overnight. It happens through countless meetings, workshops, and conversations. It happens through budgets and grant applications, infrastructure projects, and community engagement. It requires listening to residents, working with businesses, collaborating with state leaders, and staying committed to a vision over many years,” the release stated.
The impact of that vision and commitment is evident today in the shops, restaurants, arts organizations and housing now present in downtown White River Junction.
Hirshfield was also instrumental in supporting numerous housing initiatives in town, as well as the Hartford Business Revolving Loan Fund. That fund helped provide $1,694,500 in loans to Hartford businesses and contributed to the creation of 117 start-up positions, 168 new jobs at existing Hartford businesses, and retention of 204 employees, according to Mark Cogdon of Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation.
The fund also provided support to 49 Hartford businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the release.
“We need to work closely with each other and build those relationships and friendships and community, because when I look back at my 30 years, that’s really what got me excited and kept me in planning not only 30 years here, but I was 16 years in the Washington, D.C., area as well. So, it’s been a long career,” Hirshfield said while receiving the award Oct. 7 at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns’ Town Fair in South Burlington.
“And some people asked, ‘why are you continuing doing this all these years?’ Because it’s not always easy to be a municipal employee, but it’s really the relationships and the connections that I made.”
“I’m really proud to have been a member of the Hartford community, a member of the state of Vermont. The connections that we’ve been able to make all the way from our community all the way up to the state level has always been what I think makes us a really good community within a great state,” she said.
Hirshfield was nominated for the recognition by Senator Becca White.