Ward 6 NPA

Regular Meeting

Burlington, VT · May 7, 2026

Minutes

Ward 6 NPA Meeting Minutes Thursday, May 7, 2026 Location: Department of Public Works, 645 Pine Street 6:00 Community Dinner – another amazing meal and time to connect with neighbors 6:30 Call to Order, • Introductions : Steering Committee Members (Nancy Harkins and Dale Azaria) • Announcements o Kevin Bloom, candidate for Chittenden County sheriff o Pike Porter, appreciation for food o Rep. Bram Kleppner. The Governor is insisting on forced school mergers, and threatening to veto our budget if we don’t have them. The best information is that these forced mergers will not save money or improve outcomes. Please contact the Governor and tell him not to insist on this. • Steering Committee Membership o Looking for new members 6:45 Department of Public Works, Summer Construction Plans Chapin Spencer, Robert Goulding) • Main Street, finishing up soon • Almost completed design for reconnecting Cherry Street – will start in 2027 or2028 • Champlain Parkway, interstate connection should open in mid- to late-June • Coming up this summer: o Improving sidewalks, 3 miles per year (this puts all sidewalks on a 40-year schedule) o Re-paving, 3.5 miles. Got more competitive bids this year so can do a little more than expected o Upgrades to wastewater treatment plants • Question about connector from Pine Street to Battery Street (Railyard Enterprise) o They need to acquire right of way. Expect the project to cost $55 million for a ¼ mile connection, because of the need to accommodate the railway. • Question about lack of attention to stormwater and flood risk in Plan BTV 2050 • Question about private roads and unaccepted roads. o DPW is doing research on ownership and responsibilities, working to resolve these issues. • Question about trucks on South Winooski, which used to have a “no trucks” sign. o They’ll check and reinstall sign. 7:00 350.org on MacNeil Generating Plant (Pike Porter, Nik Persampieri) • The science has changed since 1984 when MacNeil was built. At this point we know that burning wood is not a viable way to generate electricity. • MacNeil is very old and is running into lots of expensive maintenance issues. • Largest source of electricity in VT and also VT’s biggest stationary source of greenhouse gases • Also emits other pollution, like PM 2.5. • And it’s a very expensive source of energy. MacNeil has generated losses for 8 of the last 10 fiscal years. • MacNeil claims to use waste wood, but there’s evidence that they use whole trees. Also, any burning of wood adds CO2 to the atmosphere, regardless of what part of the tree it’s from • Old North End, near MacNeil, has higher rates of asthma than other parts of Vermont, and Vermont has higher rates of asthma than many other states • It’s a problem that we’ve put the largest polluter in the state in charge of our climate planning. • They’re asking folks, if they agree, to contact City Council Members and State Reps to move forward with investing in clean energy. • They have a sign-up sheet for people who would like more information. • Question about the cost of developing an alternative energy source that would provide similar power: o BED could replace MacNeil with energy from another energy source on the New England grid o Could install more solar; install batteries; invest in wind o BED should issue a request for proposal for energy sources, and see what they get in response • Rep. Bram Kleppner notes that BED is part of the New England Grid and has ample power, including HydroQuebec, Nuclear, and some gas plants (which emit less CO2 than wood). But we also need to bear in mind that demand for electricity is going to grow. • Pike: We need new clean power, not just moving to natural gas. 7:30 Parallel Justice Commission and Burlington Police Department (Hannah Brislin, Deputy Chief JohnYoung) • Overall BPD incidents went down from 2016 to 2021, but has gone back up • Discretionary Traffic Stops from 2021 to 2025 o 957 this year, has gone down quite a bit, trying to emphasize more time in communities and on foot • Community Justice Center, Parallel Justice o Conflict Assistance Program (e.g. neighbor disputes) o Victim Services and Restorative Justice (court diversion) o Parallel Justice Program ▪ Receive referrals from BPD about crimes and those who were impacted to provide support to them ▪ This is separate from the criminal justice system, to make it more welcoming to those who might be reluctant to work with the police ▪ Help with costs (eg replacing key fobs or repairing broken windows), help in dealing with insurance companies, etc. • Question: What can we do to dissuade repeat offenders? How does that work with restorative justice? o This is often for people who have mental health or substance abuse, and the goal is to get them to agree to treatment in lieu of punishment. • Comment: appreciation for the work that the Community Justice Center does, and the fact that there’s a space for healing the victims and hearing from the offenders about what they need • Question: does this system enable more crime, because of the “squishiness” of the consequences? o Hannah works with people who are impacted by crime, who often feel very dismissed by the criminal justice system o Also, we need to make a collective decision about what the statutes require. It’s not for the CJC team to make those decisions. o If people don’t finish the program they’ve agreed to, they get sent back to the criminal justice system. • Question about relative recidivism rates. o Information online was released in February. It’s a standardized program overseen by the Attorney General • Question: what is the success rate based on your experience? o She focuses on victim services, not really court diversion, so she can’t speak to this. o She’ll encourage her colleague in court diversion to come talk to us. • Question about traffic enforcement and concerns about dangerous driving (for Deputy Chief Young). What can be done to address this? o There’s been an uptick on proactive enforcement over the last few months. There’s a little more funding for this. Please let them know about places that need extra patrolling to address the problems. They hear a lot from the North End, from Lake Street. People should e-mail him. • Question about the ICE enforcement raid. He hasn’t been involved. • 8:00 City Council Report (Becca Brown McKnight, invited) • Guns in Bars Burlington Charter Change did not get out of the Legislature • Annual City Budget Process is underway. They hear Department presentations. • Becca asks that we be in touch about city services that we value and/or could do without. They don’t hear much about that and it would be very helpful for her and Buddy. • Ash Tree removals. There are a lot of questions about this. Contact her for answers and she can help connect to the City Arborists • Major trash pickup in the Urban Reserve. And need for a more sustainable process for discouraging camping, e.g. in the Urban Reserve. Need to be able to connect people to resources. One agreement was “no tents on the west (lake) side of the bikepath” to reduce impact on lake, but even that isn’t being enforced. 8:20Adjourn

Agenda

Packet

Ward 6 NPA Meeting Agenda Thursday, May 7, 2026 Location: Department of Public Works, 645 Pine Street Or on zoom: https://zoom.us/j/81027856568 6:00 Community Dinner – join us for great (free!) food and a chance to connect with your neighbors 6:30 Call to Order, • Introductions • Announcements • Steering Committee Membership 6:45 Department of Public Works, Summer Construction Plans (Chapin Spencer, Robert Goulding) 7:00 350.org on McNeil Generating Plant (Pike Porter, Nik Persampieri) 7:30 Parallel Justice Commission and Burlington Police Department (Hannah Brislin, Deputy Chief Young) 8:00 City Council Report (Buddy Singh and Becca Brown McKnight, invited) 8:15 Adjourn Page 1 of 47 DPW: 2026 CONSTRUCTION Our Mission is to steward Burlington's infrastructure and environment by delivering efficient, effective, and equitable public services. Chapin Spencer, Director Cspencer@burlingtonvt.gov/802 - 863 - 9094 Robert Goulding, Public Information Manager RGoulding@burlingtonvt.gov/802 - 881 - 2278 Page 2 of 47 THE TWO BIG PROJECTS Main Street & the Champlain Parkway are both anticipated to wrap up in early summer. Both projects are on - time, and on - budget. These projects are unlocking the potential for additional housing & commerce while providing enhanced infrastructure for residents Page 3 of 47 CHAMPLAIN PARKWAY • 25MPH road • Connects South End with Downtown • Stormwater improvements • Pedestrian enhancements: signals, shorter crossings, new sidewalks Page 4 of 47 WHAT’S LEFT TO DO (tentative schedules below) Pine Street • Roadway sign installation • Signal activation (week of May 4) • Pavement (Main Street) and sidewalk repairs (misc. along Pine) (upcoming weeks) • General clean up Champlain Parkway • Overhead sign structure installation (continues) • Roadway sign installation (starting next week, continuing) • Final wearing course of pavement onto I - 189 and the ramps • Pavement markings and line striping installation • Traffic signal modification intersection of Home Avenue at the Champlain Parkway • Full Parkway opening logistics (early Summer) • Signal timing adjustments for final condition along Champlain Parkway Page 5 of 47 MAIN STREET • A welcoming gateway into Vermont’s Queen City • Wider sidewalks for pedestrians & commerce • More trees & gardens • Enhanced lighting • Abandonment of ravine sewer Page 6 of 47 WHAT’S LEFT TO DO • Sidewalks • Signals • Tree plantings • Paving • Public Art Page 7 of 47 CHERRY ST Near final design Construction could start in 2027, though may begin later Page 8 of 47 Ward 6 Work Since 2017 *Paving in orange *Sidewalk in red Page 9 of 47 SIDEWALKS The season has started! $1.65M contract + additional work with in - house crew 3.1 miles planned overall - hitting our annual target Contract largely funded by 2025 Town Meeting Day Bond Page 10 of 47 SIDEWALKS • Developed using the City’s 2021 citywide sidewalk inventory, • Prioritizes based on utilization, location, and sidewalk condition. Utilization refers to both the expected level of use and the types of users. • Location considers the sidewalk’s proximity to schools, neighborhood activity centers, employment centers, etc. • In addition, staff review resident requests, perform field inspections, and coordinate sidewalk improvements with other City projects. • This information is combined and considered to create a work plan that makes sense for effective mobilization of a contractor Page 11 of 47 SIDEWALKS** **Short run segments not all included, but does include W6 adjacent Sidewalk and bumpout on St Paul St in front of Decker Towers to improve pedestrian safety and drainage at the existing crosswalk Page 12 of 47 PAVING Asphalt plants are open! $1.7M contract + remaining work from CY 25 Total ~3.5 miles planned for the year Largely funded by 2025 TMD Bond Larger workplan being developed for 2027 - 2030 Page 13 of 47 PAVING BACKGROUND • Street network consists of over 96 miles of streets. • Classified as Primary/Arterial, Secondary/Collector and Tertiary/Residential. • Each street type has different anticipated lifespan generally based on average daily traffic volumes. • In order to keep pace with the anticipated lifespan of the Burlington Street network, minimum target is 4 miles/year. PRIORITIZATION • There are a number of factors DPW Staff consider when selecting streets to pave and patch. • Funding, street condition, street type/traffic volume, nearby projects and resident requests HEADWINDS While this year we had our most competitive bid environment in awhile, inflation & fuel prices have eaten into available construction funding Page 14 of 47 PAVING* Remaining 2025 contract streets College Union - Willard Pearl Battery - Winooski *Includes patches on lower North Ave, Lake St, Archibald St, Intervale Rd Page 15 of 47 WATER WORKS! Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades • Stage 0 remains on target for completion this summer/fall. This is a major first step to begin comprehensive upgrades funded by 2025 TMD bond • Screening & grit equipment being installed at all 3 plants Water main improvement project • Includes: Pine St (from S Crest to Home Ave), Summit St (Maple to Main), and all of Bennington Court (coordinated with paving) Manhattan Ave Stormwater Outfall: late summer/early fall Page 16 of 47 Page 17 of 47 WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR WATER: https://vt.adopt-a-drain.org/ https://seagrant.w3.uvm.edu/blue/ Page 18 of 47 STAY INFORMED STAY IN TOUCH Maintenance Construction Customer Requests Impacts Service • Front Porch Forum See Click Fix: 802 - 863 - 9094 • Signage burlingtonvt.gov/dpw • VT - Alert: dpw - pinecustomerservice burlingtonvt.gov/ @burlingtonvt.gov construction Page 19 of 47 THANK YOU Page 20 of 47 Burlington’s McNeil Plant: A CASE FOR CLOSURE A presentation to Burlington’s NPAs By 350 Vermont’s Chittenden Node & Stop VT Biomass SPRING 2026 Page 21 of 47 Page 22 of 47 McNeil Plant Basics • Commenced operation June 1984 • Located in Burlington’s Intervale • Burns wood to generate electricity • 50 MW (largest electricity generator in Vermont) • Jointly owned by Burlington Electric Department (BED) (operator and 50% owner),Green Mountain Power (31%) and Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (19%) • Provides 32-45% of BEDs total power supply (FY 2015-2023). Page 23 of 47 The Case Against McNeil Plant • Largest stationary source of greenhouse gas emissions in VT • Harmful to health - particulate matter and other pollutants which leads to or exacerbates health conditions • Negative impact on forest ecosystems and the benefits they provide. • It costs a lot- the power it produces is expensive. • It’s old and inefficient Page 24 of 47 McNeil’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions “Burning wood to generate electricity emits more carbon dioxide per kilowatt- hour generated than fossil fuels- even coal, the most carbon intensive fuel.” -John Sterman, William Moomaw, Juliette N. Rooney-Varga & Lori Siegel, Does wood bioenergy help or harm the climate?, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Vol 78, No. 3 (2022) 130. McNeil emitted 316,405 tons of CO2 in 2025 (EPA). It also emits lesser amounts of the greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide. Fossil-fuel powered equipment and vehicles used to pull wood feedstock from the forests and transport it to the plant emits additional greenhouse gases. Page 25 of 47 The Carbon Neutrality Myth BED claims that McNeil is carbon neutral because BED engages in sustainable forestry and the carbon dioxide emissions from its stack are re- sequestered by trees as they regrow. This is a myth. When trees are burned the carbon dioxide is released immediately creating a carbon debt which takes decades to centuries to eliminate through tree regrowth. Also, regrowth is uncertain. Harvested areas may be converted to other land uses or trees may succumb to insects, disease or drought. John Sterman, et al.; EU Bioenergy, Bioenergy Accelerates Climate Change, https://www.eubioenergy.com/the-5-issues/it-accelerates-climate-change/ Page 26 of 47 BED Theory : “Closed Loop” Carbon Cycle NASA carbon cycle model Page 27 of 47 Reality: Wood burning power plants emit more CO2 per unit energy and also degrade the forest carbon sink. The result is higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations. Page 28 of 47 Ecological Harm • Burlington Electric claims: “McNeil’s wood supply is primarily 88.4% in-woods chips/residues such as the tops and limbs left over from higher-value wood products, with an additional 9.7% from sawmill residue and 1.6% from waste-wood yard wood.” (Bold added) - McNeil, Climate and Forestry, BED website. • The reality: McNeil’s burns “Whole Tree Chips,” which include chips generated by cutting down and chipping whole trees. -PUC Dkt. No. 4450, Certificate of Public Good for McNeil, 9/14/81 § 87; 6/22/83 Order Amending Certificate of Public Good. • The plant burns 400,000 tons of woodchips per year -April 29, 2022 VEIC Summary Memorandum. Page 29 of 47 This impairs forest ecosystems and erodes important benefits forests provide, including flood protection, & has a destructive impact on forest ecology and wildlife. Page 30 of 47 Carbon Rock Stars: Large, Older Trees & Forests How many oak trees does it take to store 8 tons of carbon? Page 31 of 47 Human Health McNeil emits particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, including benzene and formaldehyde, and other pollutants which are known to be harmful to human health. McNeil releases these pollutants in proximity to racially diverse, low and middle-income neighborhoods of Burlington’s Old North End and Winooski, whose residents face greater environmental risks than residents of other areas. Page 32 of 47 Expense $$ $ • BED Financial statements show that McNeil has generated losses for 8 of the last 10 fiscal years (2016-2025) totaling more than $34 million over the 10-year period. (This figure includes depreciation, but does not include interest.) • As 50% owner, BED bears 50% of these losses. • The average real-time price for wholesale power in New England in 2024 was $39.50 per megawatt-hour. www.iso-ne.com/about/key-stats. • Wholesale prices were forecast to increase to $55/MWH in 2025. U.S. Energy Information Administration. • The net cost of generating power from McNeil was $96.42/MWH in fiscal year 2025 and $98.70/MWH in fiscal year 2024. McNeil Joint Owners Operating Committee Materials. Page 33 of 47 Age & Efficiency of the Plant • The plant is 26% efficient. (April 29, 2022 VEIC Summary Memorandum) • It runs only about 50-60% of the time, and is frequently off-line for planned maintenance, repairs due to operational problems, or because of market prices. • BED has invested in capital improvements to extend operation of the 42-year-old plant beyond its anticipated useful life. • In 2023, BED obtained City Council approval to move forward with District Energy Project which would depend on McNeil. • Additional capital expenditures are planned or under consideration. • BED has planned all of these major expenditures without evaluating whether the plant should continue to operate or whether alternative sources of power would be more effective. Page 34 of 47 Flawed Policies Flawed Policies BED has directed the course of Burlington’s overall climate policy, leading to flawed policies. • These call for reducing fossil fuel use rather than reducing GHG emissions from all sources (such as the McNeil Plant). • The Net Zero Energy Roadmap defines “net zero,” as eliminating fossil fuel use in the heating and ground transportation sectors, yet calls for pursuit of the District Energy Project, which would perpetuate McNeil’s massive GHG emissions to produce electricity. • The Carbon Pollution Impact Fee is applied to heating systems powered by fossil fuels but not to “renewable” systems and fuels with significant greenhouse gas emissions. Page 35 of 47 This undercuts the potential benefits of electrification of buildings and vehicles. To meaningfully reduce GHG emissions through electrification, we must electrify and obtain power from low carbon sources, such as hydropower, solar and wind. Page 36 of 47 Our Vision: Page 37 of 47 Advocate! Burlington City Government Should: • Place responsibility for development of the city climate policy in a city department or official independent of BED. • Develop a plan to close the McNeil Plant, preferably by June 2028. The plan should include measures for a just transition to other employment for affected employees, a plan to keep electric rates stable, and ensure adequate energy for future needs. Page 38 of 47 Actions We Can Take • Connect with our city councilors (email, phone calls, in person conversations). • Write to Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak. • Attend a city council meeting and speak during public comment. • NPAs to consider a resolution to send to City Council on this issue. • Attend Electric Commission meetings and speak during public comment. • Get involved with VT 350.org or Stop VT Biomass. Page 39 of 47 Questions Comments Discussion Page 40 of 47 Public Safety and Support Community Discussion on Public Safety in Burlington With: Deputy Chief Jon Young Victim Service Specialist Hannah Brislin Page 41 of 47 BPD Incidents, 2016 - 2026 Projections based on 30% of past years’ Data 1/1/2016 – 5/4/2026 incidents having occurred by May 4th. Page 42 of 47 BPD Discretionary Incidents, 2016 - 2026 Data 1/1/2016 – 5/4/2026 Page 43 of 47 Discretionary Traffic Stops, 2012 - 2025 Data 1/1/2012 – 12/31/2025 Page 44 of 47 Victim Services at the BCJC Parallel Justice Program Conflict Assistance Program • Emotional support/Care Planning • Empowers community members in • Safety planning talking through conflict and establishing • Systems advocacy • Resource coordination/referrals their own solutions • Limited financial assistance • 1:1 conflict coaching • Direct and Self Referrals without reporting to • Restorative dialogues police • Workshops • Mediation Victim Services in Restorative Justice • Impact statement support • Liason support in restorative process • Systems advocacy • Facilitation support for restorative process Page 45 of 47 Parallel Justice Program What do we How do we do it? do? • Emotional support • We are here to support you regardless of law • Information about enforcement responses and criminal justice system court proceedings • Safety and care planning • Validation for what happened, opportunities for • Systems advocacy support and community & accompaniment driven response • Referrals • Restorative Justice approach • Interpreter services ⚬ How were you impacted, and what do you need to • Financial assistance make things right? Page 46 of 47 TALK TO US: Deputy Chief Jon Young: jyoung@bpdvt.org Victim Services Specialist: Hannah Brislin: (802) 557-7232 Hbrislin@burlingtonvt.gov The key to a healthy community is our relationships to one other. Page 47 of 47