Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Developer Eric Farrell purchased the 27 acres of forests and meadows earlier this year. At a meeting Tuesday night about potential development, members of Save Open Space Burlington complained repeatedly that the session's format was designed to squelch democracy. They tried unsuccessfully to hijack the proceedings to hold an open-mic, public forum-style discussion.
Instead, the event, cosponsored by the city, started with a presentation. Then attendees broke up into smaller groups for discussions as planned, despite the vocal objections of several of the 100 or so people who gathered at the Sustainability Academy on North Street.
"It's a pretense of democracy," said Charles Simpson, a Save Open Space member.
Ruby Perry was also frustrated. "It's totally managed," she said. Breaking into small groups didn't allow people to hear each other and get "inspired to collective action," she said.
July Sanders agreed. The format seemed designed to prevent critics of development from building any momentum or rising up as a group, Sanders said. The city needs to preserve accessible green space that people can walk to, Sanders said, adding: "It's what makes Burlington a great place to live."
Tags: Burlington , development , save open space , Image , Web Only
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Sanders officially announced late last month that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, and he then made a quick trip to New Hampshire. He has yet to visit Iowa as an official candidate but made several trips there before his announcement.
Sanders’ campaign released plans Thursday for these events in the two states that hold the first 2016 presidential caucus and primary:
- May 27: Noon at New England College in Concord, N.H.; 5 p.m. house party at the home of Kathryn Williams and Brant Hardy, 277 Main St., Epping, N.H.; and 7 p.m. at the South Church in Portsmouth, N.H.
- May 28: 7 p.m. at the Rogalski Center, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa.
- May 29: 3 p.m. at Strahan Hall, Muscatine Community College, Muscatine, Iowa; 7 p.m., House party at the home of Dave Johnson and Jennie Embree, 326 N. 4th St., West Branch, Iowa.
- May 30: 10 a.m. at Robert A. Lee Community Center, Iowa City, Iowa; 5 p.m. at Kensett Community Center, Kensett, Iowa.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Iowa caucus , New Hampshire primary , 2016 presidential race , Presidential Campaign , campaign trail , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Lawyers are pursuing two avenues to obtain a work visa for Yaw Obeng, the incoming superintendent, but it could be as late as October before he obtains legal permission to work in the U.S., school officials say. Howard Smith, the interim superintendent of schools, is under contract until June 30, but says he's willing to work longer if needed.
Obeng is one of six superintendents in the fast-growing Halton school district in suburban Toronto. He oversees 27 of the roughly 116 schools there and reports to a director of schools who runs the entire 60,000-student district.
The Burlington School district is seeking a visa for Obeng and has hired outside lawyers to submit the paperwork. So far the school district has spent $7,954 on two different types of visa applications, according to Smith.
He says the legal expenses thus far will be covered by funds left over from the superintendent search process. Only $17,500 of a $40,000 search budget was spent, Smith says.
Obeng's contract calls for him to earn $153,000 annually. See a copy of the contract here:
Tags: Burlington , schools , superintendent , education , Yaw Obeng , Image , Web Only
Two 14-story residential towers that would be the tallest buildings in Burlington are being proposed as part of the $200 million makeover of the Burlington Town Center mall. That was the news at a meeting about its proposed redevelopment Tuesday, although it was buried in the fine print of a handout at the session, which drew about 100 people.
City zoning would have to change for the towers to go up. Burlington is a low-rise city. Current height limits allow buildings of up to 105 feet, which usually translates to 10 or 11 stories tops, said David White, the city director of planning and zoning, during a break at the presentation.
The 14-story buildings would be built on the Cherry Street side of the project that could refashion the heart of Burlington's downtown. The mall renovation would create new street entrances for retailers on Bank and Cherry streets and a redesigned Church Street entrance to better blend in with surrounding historic buildings. The mall's interior would accommodate both large retailers and small boutiques.
The project calls for 320,000 square feet of new office space, several rooftop parks, a two-level underground parking garage with about 450 spaces and new pass-throughs for pedestrians on St. Paul and Pine streets.
Tags: Burlington , Town , Center , development , retail , shopping , Image , Web Only
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Four were transported for medical attention, and another person was lightly injured, said David Roberts, a deputy chief with the Burlington Fire Department.
Hans van Wees, the hotel's general manager, had just headed into his office off the lobby when the ceiling fell. He arrived at the scene quickly. "Everybody was fully conscious, standing up," he said. Within five minutes, he said, emergency medical responders arrived.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
The gun restrictions present significant legal questions that make them unlikely to pass the legislature, said Rep. Donna Sweaney (D-Windsor), chair of the House Government Operations Committee.
“I have a feeling Burlington would spend a lot of time in court if these pass,” Sweaney said.
Her committee is scheduled to hear from legislative lawyers Thursday morning about the three gun-related charter changes, but the committee's agenda includes no other meetings on the subject, signaling that no further action is planned. Vermont municipal charter changes are subject to legislative approval.
Tags: gun-control , charter changes , Vermont legislature , Burlington , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
He presented the price tag to the city council Monday evening: $211 million. More than half of the costs are road and sidewalk repairs. City buildings, vehicles, parks and the bike path make up most of the rest.
During the same 10-year period, the city expects to bring in roughly $150 million in revenue devoted to these projects. In other words, there's a shortfall of more than $60 million.
Weinberger gave the councilors what they jokingly referred to as "the mother of all spreadsheets" — a document outlining costs and revenues on a line-item level.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Burlington , city council , Image , Web Only
Monday, April 6, 2015
The "new" council features 10 returning members, plus independent Adam Roof and Progressive Sarah Giannoni. As expected, Progressive Councilor Jane Knodell was elected president of the council. After the March 3 election, she quickly secured seven votes, and Democrats decided it didn't make sense to challenge her. In the end, every councilor voted for Knodell, who replaces Democrat Joan Shannon in that seat.
Elected to a second term in March, Mayor Miro Weinberger began his State of the City address on a familiar theme by recapping the “dramatic financial improvements” he oversaw during his first term. Among other signs of “progress and momentum,” he pointed to bike path upgrades, the opening of Burlington’s fourth hotel (the Hilton Garden), and the success of tech companies like Ello and Dealer.com.
Unlike Gov. Peter Shumlin, who's taken to single-theme inaugural speeches, the Democratic mayor touched on a myriad of topics. He identified three broad goals: addressing longer-term financial issues, modernizing city government and expanding opportunity for all residents. High on Weinberger's priority list, he said, is tackling Burlington's underfunded pension fund, collecting and analyzing more city data, and building more housing.
Much of Weinberger's speech focused on plans already in the works, which were also discussed in detail during the months leading up to his reelection. For instance, he mentioned his early learning initiative, housing plan, diversity and equity plan, and his soon-to-be-unveiled 10-year capital plan.
Tags: Burlington , Mayor Miro Weinberger , city council , Image , Web Only
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Go! Chittenden County, a partnership of government and nonprofit groups, has installed BikeLink lockers outside Champlain Mill in Winooski and at the Burlington Town Center. Each locker, accessed by a keycard for registered users, has space for four bicycles. They cost five cents an hour to use.
Go! Chittenden County leaders say the lockers will strengthen the region's burgeoning demand for alternative transportation methods. The Burlington-Winooski area is the most densely populated part of Vermont, supporters said.
The locations are near Chittenden County Transportation Authority bus stops and in downtown locations where CarShare Vermont often has vehicles available for use. "Building roads is not going to be an option for walkable and really cool communities," Winooski city manager Katherine Decarreau said. "Hopefully, 'alternative transportation' will no longer have to bear that moniker 'alternative.'"
Tags: Burlington , Winooski , bicycle , transportation , Image , Web Only
Friday, March 20, 2015
For the past few years, Jennison — unable to pay off several hundred dollars in fines — has made only occasional trips from her Colchester home, for fear of accruing additional tickets.
“It’s completely isolating,” Jennison said. “You feel awful because you can't do much. My kids always complain that they’re bored because we can’t go out. It’s degrading. I made the bad choice, but if I could have done it, I would have taken care of it. It’s not that easy.”
Jennison was one of more than 1,000 people who waited in line for several hours in downtown Burlington Friday morning to take advantage of Driver Restoration Day, during which suspended drivers could pay $20 for each unpaid ticket and get on the road to license reinstatement.
The event, the first of its kind in Vermont, was the brainchild of Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan, who said he wanted to stop low-income people from having to choose between regaining their license by paying off tickets and other daily necessities.
Tags: T.J. Donovan , Chittenden County , license , Image , Web Only