Ward 6 NPA

Ward 6 NPA Meeting Minutes Thursday, September 12, 2024 Location: Champlain College, Joyce Learning Center, 387 Maple Street, Room 102* 6:30 Call to Order, Announcements, Public Forum (Mills Forni moderating) • Introductions of Steering Committee members, guests, and invitees o Mills Forni o Nancy Harkins o Dale Azaria o Anita Rapone, on zoom • Call for any public comments or announcements -- share your news, events, questions, concerns o Greg Epler Wood:  Sept 18 public hearing regarding reducing speed limit in downtown. As it is, on S. Union St we see many people speeding (50 mph). Question about speed limit enforcement  As Ward 6 Clerk, Nov 5 is the general election. We expect to have enough workers. Greg would like to see a bake sale in the Edmunds Gym! Any connection to the PTO or other groups would be great! o Nic Anderson, Champlain College  Welcome to this new space! o Nancy Harkins  Upcoming meetings to be aware of: • Sunday, House Reps are hosting a zoom café on climate and environment • Wednesday, CEDO hosting Memorial Block open house at Fletcher Free Library • Thursday, public forum on Community Safety at City Hall o Megan Epler Wood  7 Days article today said that COTS will be responsible for winter shelter for homeless people in our community. This is promising  Supporting COTS is one way to help o Charlie Giononi, Ward 2  Recently City Council approved expansion of the CEDO NPA support position. Charlie is opposed to this, believes that the NPAs should hire our own person, who is loyal to us, rather that someone who answers to the city.  This is how it was before the pandemic and the NPAs were much stronger then.  He’ll be talking about this at the upcoming Community Development Committee meeting and the City Council meeting. • City Council Members are not available, but we will relay any input to them • Bruce Wilson, Arts so Wonderful 6:49 Ward 6 Traffic and Safety Issues  • Phillip Peterson, DPW Senior Transportation Planner • PlanBTV Walk Bike Action Plan o This is not a re-work, just an update to show the federal government that we’re still committeed to the plan, what we’ve done and what we still want to do. Local Motion did a review for us. o Public Meeting 10/21, 6 pm, Contois Auditorium o Survey • Downtown Speed Limit decrease to 20 mph o Within designated downtown o Tried to do this in 2013 but it didn’t pass o Also try to achieve design speed to slow traffic (as we redevelop streets, eg Saint Paul, Main Street, Cherry St) o Question: how can we support this? Send an email to the DPW Commission, come to the public meeting • Traffic Calming o Many requests, working on them as they can, limited funds and staff o Rubber speed humps – much less expensive than asphalt, but need to collect data on performance  Noise can be a concern, esp on arterial streets  Question about these: are vehicles damaged by going over them at speeds higher than 5 mph?  Also, what is the impact on volume, and on volume on neighboring streets? • Ans: Still collecting that data.  These have a 15-year warranty o Also looking at curb extensions, etc. o Question about how to get a project in the queue (like South Union Street).  Send an e-mail to Phillip, they’ll investigate and collect data.  Priorities include crashes, speed, usage, etc. • Question: S. Winooski used to have a “no trucks” sign, but it’s gone. Given the bike usage this is a problem. What happened? o Answer: send me a note to remind me and we’ll check it out. • Question: Has the City considered closing streets for a day? o Ans: We’ve talked about it. We’ve talked about extending the Church Street Mktplace into other areas. o We can also consider a community-led demonstration project. o Comment: Burlington had Ciclovia a few years back. Also called “Open Streets.” This stopped during the pandemic. Burlington Walk Bike Council is a small group, meeting 1st Wednesdays, Mayor is coming in October, there would be a lot of interest and support. • Question: 7:15 Green Infrastructure, Stormwater and Water Quality Issues – Follow up from May meeting • Eleonore Walker, DPW Water Resources • Amelia McClure, DPW Stormwater Program • “One Water” – integrated water cycle (water supply to clean water, gets used and becomes waste water, gets treated and released, to join with rain and become part of the water supply) o Looking at water, wastewater, and stormwater all as part of one system • Distinction between a separated system (wastewater and stormwater in separate pipes) or Combined Sewer System. We have both in Burlington • Water quality concerns in Burlington: Phosphorus, erosion/sedimentation, Combined Sewer Overflows • Problems: aging infrastructure (we did a lot of work about 30 years ago), costs are higher (esp. since COVID), increased development (more people means more wastewater, also businesses like microbreweries present wastewater challenges), climate change (more extreme storms) o We’ve already done everything that’s easy in terms of separating the systems o Pine Street CSO is the main persisting problem o Need to address aging infrastructure  Take a tour of the Main Plant 9/19, 9/24 (at 5:30) • Tour on the 24th is focused on CSO • There will be a sign up link • Or show up at 5:30  They have a plan and funding for certain parts of it  But there’s still a need for better Phosphorus treatment, ability to accommodate growth o Need to use green infrastructure  Creating a “gravel wetland” in public private partnership with Pomerleau and CHT. Location is near Market 32. Treating 16.2 acres of impervious area, using $2 million of ARPA funds  Southwind Ledgewood neighborhood pond o Working with planning Department to incentivize green infrastructure  Based on size of project, extent of impervious surface, existing runoff • Jill Sarazen, Lake Champlain Sea Grant (UVM Rubenstein School) o Blue BTV  Free for residents, provide a comprehensive report about how to reduce stormwater runoff from your property, and info about incentives to pay for it  To sign up, go on the city’s website • Proposal to investigate green infrastructure opportunities and projects in Ward 6 o Megan Epler Wood and Nancy Harkins  Interested in an NPA initiative related to this  Put together some ideas, shared it with Eleonore and Jill  Interested in educational programing led by NPA Volunteers; zoom workshops over the winter, perhaps tours of key areas that require attention. Where are the real trouble spots? What are model projects that could be replicated?  Connect to the Barge Canal?  Also interested in commercial projects   Work with Ward 5 (Calahan and Barge Canal) and Ward 8 • Question about use of salt on sidewalks o Ans: meeting with UVM, City, SoBU, and Williston about reducing salt on roads and sidewalks o They’re working on it . . . • Question about adopt-a-drain o Website will show what drains are available. o They provide info o • Question about springs bubbling up on South Union o They are working with the property owners to find a solution 8:10 NPA Business • Request for input about this year's schedule and meeting topics • October Meeting Date (Rosh Hashanah) – we will not meet • • Combined meeting with Ward 8? o They meet on 4th Thursday; we could use that date. o Third Wednesday is also an available date for CEDO and CCTV. • Discussion of meeting location and cost ($120/session) • Anita: We could meet at BED, City Market, or other community spaces, which would be free • Greg: We no longer vote within Ward 6, so there’s precedent for meeting outside the ward. • 8:20 Adjourn What is the NPA? Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (NPAs) are grassroots, neighborhood organizations that were established in each of Burlington's eight Wards to encourage resident participation in City government. Working as neighborhood advocacy groups, Neighborhood Planning Assemblies help improve communication between the residents of Burlington and City government through regular meetings scheduled in each Ward. For more information, click here.