Ward 2 NPA

Meeting Notes Ward 2 Neighborhood Planning Assembly (NPA) April 10th, 2025 | 6:30-8:30pm | All are welcome Join in person: O.N.E. Community Dinner ONE Community Center, 20 Allen Street 5:30-6:30pm | Free | Donations welcome Guest Chef: José Ureña of Casa Birria​ Join remotely: Menu: Taste of Central Mexico with Veggie Morisqueta, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85860854764 Spring Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing, Spiced Roasted Roots, and Bizcochitos​ Music: Ana Ruesink & Arlo Bolles​ Facilitator: Marc Stannard​ Notetaker: Kason Hudman 6:30 pm Introduction 5 min 6:35 pm Public Forum (2 minutes max per person) 10 min -​ Lucy (Ward 2 Resident) mentions the resolution coming up before city council about free speech. Encourages folks to keep an eye out for the resolution -​ Roxanne (Ward 2 Resident) mentions the idea of a “news club” to help process the overwhelming pace of the news. She is doing this with her friends. Instead of getting overwhelmed by every headline, every two weeks her and her friends get together and go over some news that they individually went in-depth on. -​ Charlie mentions that Ward 3 polling places need volunteers to help work at the polling locations. Asks residents to volunteer/work if they are able to do so. -​ Megan Humphrey, wanted to remind everybody that Green Up Day is on Saturday, May 3rd and she encourages folks to get involved to clean up the winter garbage -​ Chris from Decatur Street wanted to congratulate Megan Humphrey on an award she just received from the Vermont State House for starting HANDS. -​ Marc Stannard wanted to mention that tax day is on Tuesday April 15th. 6:45 pm Pomeroy Park Update 20 min Sophie Sauvé - Parks Comprehensive Planner, Burlington Parks & Recreation -​ Sophie starts with a refresher over what she covered during the January Ward 2 NPA meeting, including the Penny for Parks project and why they are updating the park playground now. She then goes over the history of the site, including the history of Pomeroy School and the structure of the current site. There are curb cuts that still exist due to the existence of the school in the past. The path exists in the park where it currently exists due to a 1970s investment, and much of the current structure of the park happened during that time. The playground itself has visibility issues, and the wood chip surface makes the playground not entirely accessible. There are benches around the playground, but there are no paths around the playground, so the benches remain inaccessible. There ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 1  have been safety concerns due to the playground being a darker, hidden location, particularly during the winter. -​ For the playground redesign, they are using 7 essential principles: Equitable Use, Flexibility in Use, Simple and Intuitive Use, Perceptible Information, Tolerance for Error, etc. The playground will remain enclosed in the back of the park. There will be areas for toddlers, older kids, and adults. They will change the ground from wood chips to a more accessible material for folks who need to roll on the ground. They are also working with an arborist to plant new trees, planning for the mature sugar maples that currently provide the canopy to eventually decline. A light fixture already existed in the playground, which has been repaired and put back in working order to provide additional safety. -​ Noah, Booth St resident, loves Pomeroy Park, mentions that most of the neighbors love the shrubbery around the playground because it acts as a sound barrier between the playground and the basketball court. Noah wants to see if the shrubbery can stay. Also wants to know if the light can be replaced with a warmer light. -​ Sophie answers that she will check on the light to see if it can be warmer, and she also hears the concern that the divide between the playground and basketball court, and she will see what can be done to ensure that the divide can be upheld to some degree, even if the shrubbery is replaced. -​ Hannah, Ward 2 resident, commends Sophie and the Parks Department for replacing the light, which Hannah mentions has significantly reduced illicit drug use in the park. Hannah lives close to Pomeroy Park and has noticed a big difference. Sophie answers that she will let the Parks Department know that Hannah commends the light switch. -​ Charlie wanted to quickly mention that he is on the team working on the Route 127 Bike path expansion, and he passed out a flyer detailing the proposals. He encouraged folks to reach out to them if they have questions or concerns. 7:05 pm Archibald St Traffic Calming Construction Update 30 min Calvin Wuthrich - Seasonal Associate Public Works Transportation Engineer, Dept. of Public Works -​ Calvin mentions that Archibald St has a history of high vehicle speeds and high crash rates. Archibald is close to Integrated Arts Academy, Roosevelt Park, the Boys & Girls Club, etc. The pavement needs to be repaved, and traffic calming would help make the street safer. Archibald St meets the criteria for traffic calming. -​ The goals of the project would be to reduce vehicle speed and increase safety for all users of the road, improve pedestrian safety, etc. -​ They will add speed tables to Arcibald St, Curb Extensions at intervale Ave, Crosswalks and Curb Extensions at St. Louis St, Curb Extensions could add street trees, all in coordination with the paving team. -​ You can learn more about the project at https://burlingtonvt.gov/archibaldtc -​ Calvin also mentions some other projects that are currently in the pipeline for the DPW, including a project on Rose St and other areas of the Old North End. -​ Comment from Ward 2 resident, mentions that a section of Walnut St where it intersects Archibald St could become a parklet, since there are no houses in that area. Wants to ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 2  know if any discussion about that possibility has happened. Calvin mentions that he always appreciates community input and will pass along the word -​ Gene Bergman mentions that any closure of Walnut St might push car traffic to another street, which is always a consideration. Gene then asks Calvin if he has spoken to Judy and the owners of J&M Market, which Calvin mentions that he has. -​ Ward 2 resident wants to know more about the potential for trees. Calvin says that he can’t guarantee any numbers, but basically wherever there will be curb extensions could have potential for trees. -​ Trav Fryer mentions that he appreciates the trees. Trav then also asks about the bus stop on Intervale near the intersection with Archibald St, and wonders if this creates an opportunity for a bench on the bus stop. Calvin answers that he will be in coordination with GMT to discuss that as the project moves along. -​ Ward 2 Resident wants to know about the additional work on Rose Street. Calvin mentions that they just recently got the grant so the project hasn’t been determined yet 7:35 pm HomeShare Vermont Info Session 20 min Ric Cengeri - Outreach and Communications Specialist, HomeShare Vermont -​ Ric mentions that HomeshareVT is a program where people who have homes offer a portion of their home to someone who is looking for an affordable place to live. Ric mentions that the background check for both the person looking to move-in and the host is extensive. There are also case managers that ensure the preferences of the person seeking a homeshare guest and the person seeking a homeshare tenancy are matched, including in things like lifestyle habits and expectations. A case manager is always available to the HomeshareVT hosts in case any issues arise during the length of a guest stay. You can go to https://www.homesharevt.org for more information -​ Question from Ward 2 Resident, wants to know about how long the waitlist is, and wants to know how extensive the character reference issue is, since they know many homeless folks who could benefit from this program. Ric answers that the wait can be as long as six months, but they try to move as quickly as they can. They try and ensure that every match is suitable and well vetted. 7:55 pm Updates from City Councilors 20 min Gene Bergman (Ward 2) and Melo Grant (Central) - Burlington City Council -​ Melo mentions that the budgeting sessions are coming up in May, and all the sessions will be filmed by Town Meeting TV that folks can watch at their leisure. Melo also mentions that Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak is continuing to do weekly meet-ups, which you can find the schedule for on the city website: https://burlingtonvt.gov under the Government-Mayor tab. On the April 14th City Council meeting, there will be discussions about the Overdose Prevention Centers, the construction in the old YMCA building, discussion about municipal recycling, discussion about the neighborhood code, and a public safety update with interim police chief Shawn Burke. -​ Gene mentions that the City Council meeting is at 6:00pm on Monday, public forum starts at 6:30pm. If you want to sign up for public forum online, you have to sign up by 5:30pm. There is a scoping study going on for the redevelopment of Battery St, but Gene mentions ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 3  that, given all the construction going on around town, it is clear that the redevelopment of Battery St is somewhat far off. There will also be an update on the Net Zero road map on Monday. -​ Gene talks about the free speech resolution that he and Melo will be introducing before City Council, defending first amendment rights. Gene mentions that we need to do everything we can to defend people who are currently being attacked by the federal government, calling particular attention to folks involved in the Palestinian Solidarity Movement, including Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk. -​ Question from Ward 2 resident, wants to know about the Wifi access around the skatepark and why it has gone away. Gene says thanks and will pass it along -​ Question from Ward 2 resident, wants to share concern about the upcoming summer and amount of houseless individuals who just got exited from the motel program. Mentions that there has to be a balance between compassion and ensuring all Burlingtonians are safe. Melo mentions that Shawn Burke is a much more approachable police chief, and hopefully that will help with safety. 8:15 pm Door prize drawing + Adjourn! Scan the QR code (or click here) to: Email us • Go to our website • Watch meeting recordings on CCTV's website • Connect with us on Facebook or Instagram • Request a time slot with CEDO’s request form • Get to all links related to this meeting Appendix to the Agenda Ward 2 NPA Steering Committee To contact the entire Ward 2 NPA Steering Committee, email ward2npa@googlegroups.com Name Email Joined Term expiration Lauren Ebersol lebersol27@gmail.com 2023 2027 Kason Hudson kasonhudman@gmail.com 2024 2028 ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 4 Charlie Giannoni charliecpg@gmail.com 2024 2028 Marc Stannard Marc.Stannard@outlook.com 2024 2028 Vacancy Vacancy NPA Guiding Principles ●​ Operate through democratic principles and democratic procedures. ●​ Provide a safe and welcoming forum where residents can actively share their voices about issues that matter to them, and where they can learn from the voices of others. ●​ Cultivate involvement by a diverse spectrum of community members through active outreach and through eliminating barriers to participation. ●​ Operate in a manner that models respectful, inclusive, culturally, and economically aware practices. ●​ Be a fun, creative, and vital organization that provides value and benefit through the multitude of perspectives shared by those who participate. Ward 2 NPA Ground Rules ●​ Meetings should have clearly defined agenda and roles. ●​ Honor time limits: A best effort must be made to start on time, follow the agenda, and finish on time. ●​ Listen to others: Make efforts to be an open-minded member of the group. ●​ Respect the agenda and the process: Try to remain focused on the issue at hand. ●​ Share your opinion respectfully: Speak out, but not over, others’ comments. ●​ Treat people how you would like to be treated: Be respectful of everyone, including guests. ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 5 Elected officials representing Ward 2 Mayor Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak Progressive mayor@BurlingtonVT.gov City Councilors Central District (Wards 2 & 3) Melo Grant Progressive megrant@burlingtonvt.gov 802-310-0962 Ward 2 Gene Bergman Progressive gbergman@burlingtonvt.gov 802-598-3602 School Board Members Central District (Wards 2 & 3) Jean Waltz jwaltz@bsdvt.org 802-355-7856 Ward 2 Polly Vanderputten pvanderputten@bsdvt.org 802-578-8653 Vermont State House Representatives Chittenden-15 Troy Headrick Progressive/Democrat theadrick@leg.state.vt.us (802) 828-2228 Chittenden-15 Brian Cina Progressive/Democrat bcina@leg.state.vt.us (802) 828-2228 Chittenden-16 Kate Logan Progressive/Democrat klogan@leg.state.vt.us (802) 828-2228 Chittenden-16 Jill Krowinski Democrat jkrowinski@leg.state.vt.us (802) 828-2228 Chittenden-17 Abigail Duke Democrat aduke@leg.state.vt.us (802) 828-2228 Vermont State Senators Chittenden-Central Tanya Vyhovsky Progressive/Democrat tvyhovsky@leg.state.vt.us (802) 828-2228 Chittenden-Central Martine Gulick Democrat mgulick@leg.state.vt.us (802) 828-2228 Chittenden-Central Philip Baruth Democrat/Progressive pbaruth@leg.state.vt.us (802) 503-5266 ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 6 ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 7 ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 8 ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 9 ​ ​ Ward 2 NPA - April 10, 2025 - Notes - Page 10