City Council

City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Winooski City Council Meeting Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 6 PM Attend in person: Winooski City Hall (27 W Allen St) Attend online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84364849328 Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656 Webinar ID: 843 6484 9328 Members Present: Mayor Kristine Lott; Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner, Councilor Aurora Hurd, Councilor Bryn Oakleaf and Councilor Charles Judge Officers Present: Elaine Wang, City Manager; Jon Rauscher, Public Works Director; Paul Sarne, Communications Director; Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning; Ryan Lambert, City Engineer; & Jenny Willingham, City Clerk Others Present: Trey Polk, Vermont Agency of Transportation; Rosa Benoir, Vermont Agency of Transportation; Mike Smith, Zoom User; “NBC5” Zoom User; “kbarany” Zoom User; Lucas Martin, Christian Chorba, Robert Klinefelter, Carolyn Cota and Josh Olund. I. Call to Order at 6 PM II. Pledge of Allegiance led by Deputy Mayor Thomas Renner III. Agenda Review Minutes: Mayor Lott asked if the Council Reports and City Update be omitted for this meeting. Motion: All Councilors Agreed IV. Public Comment Minutes: None V. Consent Agenda A. Approval: City Council Minutes of June 16, 2025 B. Approval: Liquor Control Minutes of June 16, 2025 Minutes: None Motion: Motion by Councilor Oakleaf seconded by Councilor Judge. Voted and passed 4-0 VIII. Regular Items A. Discussion/Approval: Right of Way Condemnation Public Hearing- Christian Chorba, Downs, Rachlin & Martin PLLC, (Representing the City of Winooski)  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Minutes: An overview of the Municipal Condemnation of a parcel of land (WI004) consisting of .18 acres between the Champlain Mill & the Road. This is a temporary easement necessity hearing. This particular parcel is identified for storage & staging and more for the upcoming Burlington/Winooski Bridge project. VSA 24 § 2805 is the Statute that authorizes the City to take land if necessary for public use and benefit. An overview of the following presentation: • Necessity to condemn • Compensation Additional information was provided as an overview of the process as well as specifics regarding the estimated timeline and project requirements. There are many factors to consider when planning a project of this magnitude (including traffic congestion points as well as the inability to utilize the historic buildings and more). The proposed bridge project has an estimated start date of the middle and/or late season of 2027. The estimated project will be completed by the middle of 2030. Comparison projects that had similar construction challenges were presented. Some questions were raised by Council members regarding the worker safety as well as clarifying the construction timeline (seasonal, etc.). The Necessity portion of the hearing closed at 6:44 PM. The Compensation portion of the hearing began at 6:45 PM with the Agency of Transportation detailing their role in acting on behalf of the Municipalities. The technical assistance as well as the property acquisition process is vital to the project. Next, Fee Appraiser, Lucas Martin presented an Appraisal Report of determining a value of the subject property. The Appraisal Report detailed the market analysis of the subject property including comparisons, sales and the various methods used for appraisals. The final opinion of value of the subject property in “as is” condition is $370,000. The Appraisal was dated October 3, 2023. The Compensation portion of the hearing closed at 7:30 PM. Mayor Lott called for a 5- minute recess of the meeting until 7:35 PM. Rosa Benoir, Vermont Agency of Transportation Right of Way (ROW) Appraisal Chief reviewed the subject property and provided an Appraisal Review Statement & Certification on November 9, 2023 stating she was in agreement with the Fee Simple Market Value of $370.000. The Just Compensation for temporary rights is $188,400.00. Ravi Venkataraman, Director of City Planning stated there are no active city permits for the subject property. Josh Olund said the property would be returned exactly as you see it today. Discussion ensued regarding remediation of the subject property. The Agency of Transportation is committed to work with Federal Highway Administration to try and seek participation to deal with the contaminants of City owned properties or City acquired property for this project.  City of Winooski 27 West Allen Street Winooski Vermont 05404 Vermont’s Opportunity City 802 655 6410 winooskivt.gov Motion: Motion by Deputy Mayor Renner seconded by Councilor Judge to close the hearing temporarily at 8:00 PM and reconvene on July 14th, 2025 at 6:00 PM. Voted and passed 4-0 Motion: Motion to adjourn by Councilor Bryn Oakleaf and seconded by Councilor Aurora Hurd. Voted and passed 4-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM Attest: ________________________________________ Jenny Willingham, City Clerk