George Demas has been named VHFA's new General Counsel. He'll start Aug. 10.

George is currently the Assistant General Counsel with the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA) in Montpelier.

Before that, he worked for Bombardier Capital as Assistant General Counsel and Vice President, Legal Services, for nine years.

We'll issue a more formal press release in the coming weeks.

Welcome, George!

As planners for the town of Wilmington consider the next scheduled revision to their town plan, our friends at Smart Growth Vermont are encouraging a plan for growth that preserves the character of the town.

During a presentation to the planning commission last night, Smart Growth Vermont Executive Director Noelle MacKay said the town should be encouraging people to agree they should have safe, decent housing people already living in their community can afford.

Read the Brattleboro Reformer's story about last night's meeting.

Today VHFA began our annual ritual of naming our top mortgage loan originators for each county.

Kelly Deforge of Universal Mortgage Corp. in Colchester takes the 2009 honor for Chittenden and Grand Isle counties. You can reach her at 802.654.7896.

We'll be announcing the rest of our top originators throughout the summer.

The National Housing and Rehabilitation Association (NH&RA) is accepting entries for its 5th annual J. Timothy Anderson Awards for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation.

The "Timmy" awards honor outstanding rehabilitation and preservation projects in eight categories based on overall design and quality, interpretation and respect of historic elements, impact on the community, and financial and market success.

Categories include: