Ward 5 NPA — Burlington, VT
Date: 2025-03-20
Time: 18:30

Ward 5 Neighborhood Planning Assembly (NPA):
 Agenda
 Thursday March 20, 2025
 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM​

 Join in person: 645 Pine Street (DPW Building)
  ​ Join virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89574495720
​
Facilitator: Jak Tiano Note Taker: Cathy Foley


6:30 PM​ Community Dinner​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ | 30 Minutes


7:00 PM​ Welcome + Public Forum​ ​ ​ ​ ​ | 20 Minutes
 ●​ Introductions
 ●​ Open floor for community concerns


7:20 PM​ Pine Street Updates​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ | 10 Minutes
 ●​ BCA’s Community Room and Exploration of Music Venue
 ●​ Presented by BCA’s Doreen Kraft


7:30 PM​ Community Climate Conversation​ ​ ​ ​ | 60 Minutes
 ●​ Following our NPA conversations about important topics like Safety and
 Affordability, we’ll moderate a community conversation around
 Burlington’s Climate goals to get a sense of our collective thoughts on
 both direction and progress


8:30 PM​ Adjourn

Neighborhood Planning Assembly Draft Minutes
 NPA: ​ Wards Wards Wards Ward Ward
 (choose one) 5

 Date of Assembly :_3/20/2025__ Start Time: (Commence): 7:03 PM

 Location: DPW building, 645 Pine St. Finish Time: (Adjourn): _8:30 PM
 Note taker: Cathay Foley Please forward these official minutes to: ____SH_____

Steering Committee Members in Attendance:​
Lena Greenberg, Jason Van Driesche, Joe Dery, Cathy Foley, Faried Munarsyah, Jak Tiano
 Actions Taken / Decisions Made
Discussion Topics
 ●​ Immediately following Agenda Item
●​ These can be copied from agenda
 ●​ Generally includes: electing a new steering committee member,
 items
 voting as a body to send a formal communication to the City,
●​ Content of discussion not required
 decisions to spend money.

Agenda Items and Actions:

6:30 PM​ Community Dinner​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ | 30 Minutes
 ●​ Commenced at 6:30 PM
7:00 PM​ Welcome + Public Forum​ ​ ​ ​ ​ | 20 Minutes
 ●​ Introductions - Start Time: 7:03 Jak Tiano did introductions and slides.
 ●​ Open Forum for community concerns.
 ●​ Jason V. -Announcement group of volunteers for online privacy workshop
 FFL 10-12 next Saturday March 29th, free to public.
 ●​ Jason V.- Read a blog post relating to what we do at NPA’s. One key point
 of blog was what gets people to engage with people different from them.
 Strongest driver…Perceived Community Norns of Connection.
 ●​ Fareid M - Plug for Peoples Kitchen, how to support and thanked those
 who have donated towards the ice fishing shelters used as cold weather
 shelter. Reminded about the late night food distribution at Beard St and
 South Meaow Ave.
 ●​ Lena G. - Spoke about things going on in Montpelier with unhoused
 population in VT and the hotel/motel program.
 ●​ David Foss - Talked about going to DC for Low Income Housing National
 Conference and what the NPA 5 does encouraging people to participate
 ●​ Greg Stepanski - Callahan Park Project. Still need volunteers paint picnic
 tables and benches. Also wants to organize a Summer picnic.
 ●​ Robin Skank - Hoping for a bigger turn-out with the NPA. How do we get
 more?
 ●​ Bram Kleppner - Update on what’s happening with the budget in
 Montpelier. Legislature gave the Governor 100% of what he wanted but
 he still vetoed the bill over the spending for the hotel/motel program
 extension through June 30. Legislature will rework the Bill. He mentioned
 the large and loud groups of protesters
 ●​ Cathy Foley - Reminded participants about the Blue Ribbon Commission
 vote coming up. Ben Traverse updated that the vote will be moved to
 April 14th City Council Meeting.
 ●​ Ludus Panavis - Not from Ward 5 but heard about the meeting through
 FPF. His group organizes a trash pick-up every other Sunday at 9:00 AM
 for an hour, and then get together at Vivid Coffee Shop for coffee.




7:30 PM​ Pine Street Updates​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ | 18 Minutes
 ●​ BCA’s Community Room and Exploration of Music Venue - Doreen did not
 show up.
 ●​ Presented by Ben Traverse
 o​ Higher Ground has interest in the north side of the BCA complex.
 Needs to have a zoning amendment to lift the 5000 sq ft. zoning
 restriction along Pine St. Then there would have to be conditional
 use permitting through the Review Boards. Council would also
 look into additional parking. Evan Peddlton from Home Ave.


7:48 PM​ Community Climate Conversation​ ​ ​ ​ | 42 Minutes
 ●​ Following our NPA conversations about important topics like Safety and
 Affordability, we’ll moderate a community conversation around
 Burlington’s Climate goals to get a sense of our collective thoughts on
 both direction and progress
 o​ Jak gave an overview of the state’s overall climate action plan.
 Overall, the state is not meeting the 2025 or 2030 Climate goals
 for reduction of greenhouse gases. Presented a slide show of
 current goals and progress to date and why the state is coming up
 short of the goals. (See YouTobe playback for slide details).
 o​ Lena G spoke about Mayor Mulvany-Stanak’s Climate Task Force
 that is just forming. She will report back at a future NPA meeting
 on the progress of the Task Force.
 o​ Zoe Richards from the Conservation Commission spoke onNature
 Based Climate Solutions. Specifically spoke about conservation
 and reforestation projects being done. Natural systems are the
 only way we can remove carbons out of the air. Emphasized that
 nature-based solutions are ways that can have almost an
 immediate effect and do it more cost effectively.
 o​ Lena G. led a general group discussion with the following
 questions:
 ▪​ How does climate change impact our daily lives? Asked
 participants to speak to the people next to them about this
 question. Then the group discussed some of the
 conversations.
 ▪​ What can we do as a city to prioritize climate action?


8:34 PM​ Adjourn
​