Parks, Arts, and Culture Committee — Burlington, VT
Date: 2025-01-23
Time: 12:00

City Council - Parks, Arts and Culture Committee



 Thursday, January 23, 2025, 12:00 PM, 645 Pine St., Front Conference Room

MEETING TO BE HELD IN PERSON AT 645 PINE ST FRONT CONFERENCE ROOM AND VIA ZOOM
When: Jan 24, 2024 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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1. Call to Order
 Subject 1.1. Call to Order
 Meeting January 23, 2025 - Parks, Arts and Culture Committee Meeting - Thursday, January 23,
 2025, 12:00 PM, 645 Pine St., Front Conference Room
 Category 1. Call to Order
 Department


 Type

2. Approve Agenda & Minutes
 2.1. Motion to amend/adopt agenda
 2.2. Motion to adopt previous meeting's minutes

3. Public Forum
 Subject 3.1. PUBLIC FORUM - Verbal Comments
 Meeting January 23, 2025 - Parks, Arts and Culture Committee Meeting - Thursday, January 23,
 2025, 12:00 PM, 645 Pine St., Front Conference Room
 Category 3. Public Forum
 Department
 Type

4. Agenda
 Subject 4.1. BCA Funding and Staff Updates
 Meeting January 23, 2025 - Parks, Arts and Culture Committee Meeting - Thursday, January 23,
 2025, 12:00 PM, 645 Pine St., Front Conference Room


 Category 4. Agenda

 Department City Arts


 Type

 Recommended Action

 Subject 4.2. BPRW Update - Public Spaces Survey
 Meeting January 23, 2025 - Parks, Arts and Culture Committee Meeting - Thursday, January 23,
 2025, 12:00 PM, 645 Pine St., Front Conference Room


 Category 4. Agenda

 Department Parks, Recreation, & Waterfront


 Type

 Recommended Action

 Subject 4.3. BPRW Update - Moran Plant
 Meeting January 23, 2025 - Parks, Arts and Culture Committee Meeting - Thursday, January 23,
 2025, 12:00 PM, 645 Pine St., Front Conference Room


 Category 4. Agenda

 Department Parks, Recreation, & Waterfront


 Type

 Recommended Action

 Subject 4.4. BPRW Update - Ordinance Review
 Meeting January 23, 2025 - Parks, Arts and Culture Committee Meeting - Thursday, January 23,
 2025, 12:00 PM, 645 Pine St., Front Conference Room


 Category 4. Agenda

 Department Parks, Recreation, & Waterfront


 Type

 Recommended Action

 Subject 4.5. FFL Update - Friends and City Capital Campaign MOU (TENATIVE)
 Meeting January 23, 2025 - Parks, Arts and Culture Committee Meeting - Thursday, January 23,
 2025, 12:00 PM, 645 Pine St., Front Conference Room
  Category 4. Agenda

  Department Fletcher Free Library


  Type

  Recommended Action

5. Adjournment
  Subject 5.1. Motion to adjourn
  Meeting January 23, 2025 - Parks, Arts and Culture Committee Meeting - Thursday, January 23,
 2025, 12:00 PM, 645 Pine St., Front Conference Room


  Category 5. Adjournment

  Department Council and Board


  Type

  Recommended Action

6. Informational and Non-Discrimination Statements
 The City of Burlington will not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or religious
 affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
 marital status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive status, crime victim status or genetic information. The City
 is also committed to providing proper access to services, facilities and employment opportunities. The programs
 and services of the City of Burlington are accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals who require special
 arrangements, auxiliary aid, service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to
 participate in a program, service, or activity of the City of Burlington, should contact the office of the Title II
 Burlington ADA Coordinator at 802-865-7000 as soon as possible but no later than 48 hours before the scheduled
 event.

CITY OF BURLINGTON Councilor Becca Brown-McKnight, Chair, Ward 6
PARKS, ARTS & CULTURE COMMITTEE Councilor Mark Barlow, North District
 Councilor Carter Neubieser, Ward 1

 Staff: Holli Bushnell, Office Assistant
 Lakeview Cemetery
 hbushnell@burlingtonvt.gov
Minutes
Parks, Arts & Culture Committee Meeting
Thursday, January 23, 2025, 12:00pm
MEETING CONDUCTED IN PERSON AT 645 PINE ST, FRONT CONFERENCE ROOM, AND VIA ZOOM

Attendance:
Committee Members: Chair Becca Brown-McKnight, Councilor Mark Barlow, Councilor Carter Neubieser

City Staff: Cindi Wight – BPRW, Sophie Sauve – BPRW, Dan Cahill – BPRW, Scott Gustin – P&I, Doreen
Kraft – BCA, Colin Storrs - BCA, Holli Bushnell – BPRW

Meeting called to order at 12:12 pm by Chair Becca Brown-McKnight

Approval of Agenda
Brown-McKnight called for a motion to amend/adopt the agenda with the following modification.
Remove item 4.5. FFL Update - Friends and City Capital Campaign MOU (TENATIVE) and add Community
Sailing Center to item 4.3. Mark Barlow moved to approve the agenda as modified, Carter Neubieser
seconded, and all were in favor.

Approval of Draft Minutes from 10/24/2024
Barlow moved to approve the minutes, Neubieser seconded, all were in favor

Public Forum
Public forum was opened at 12:14pm. As no one present wished to speak public forum was closed at
12:14pm.
BCA Staffing and Update –
Doreen Kraft started by asking Colin Storrs to provide an update on the Chief Greylock statue in Battery
Park. As of the morning of the meeting he and representatives from BPRW met with the Abenaki
Council to discuss the substantial deterioration of the statue and the fact that in its current condition it
poses a threat to public safety and may need to be deaccessioned. Staff was able to get an idea of what
the council’s wishes are concerning the piece as well as an idea of what they would like to see come
next should the statue need to be decommissioned. A BCA staff member will be attending the regular
Abenaki Council meeting in February for further discussion, but the Abenaki Council was happy to be
involved at this early point in the process and have their wishes taken into consideration. Ultimately,
BCA does not see a path forward that does not involve deaccessioning the piece, and that process will
involve BCA board of directors, PACC, and City Council approval.
Brown-McKnight appreciated the update. Kraft shared that this is a very sensitive project, as, even
though the artist was not native, the piece still holds a lot of significance to the Abenaki community. It’s
a very piece, and that shape is meaningful to the Abenaki people. The council members asked that if the
piece does need to be decommissioned, something of similar stature be placed there temporarily as a
holding place that would show BTVs intention of keeping that space sacred. Some funding was set aside
CITY OF BURLINGTON Councilor Becca Brown-McKnight, Chair, Ward 6
PARKS, ARTS & CULTURE COMMITTEE Councilor Mark Barlow, North District
 Councilor Carter Neubieser, Ward 1

 Staff: Holli Bushnell, Office Assistant
 Lakeview Cemetery
 hbushnell@burlingtonvt.gov
for the work years ago, and Kraft asked Cindi Wight if those funds were still available. Wight confirmed
they were. Kraft also asked if the reinvisioning of Battery Park is on track to align with the statue
decommissioning. Sophie Sauve shared that the plan for Battery is in 2026, however there is a city wide
plan that will be in the works sooner.
Kraft went on to share that, generally, BCA is working on their service inventory. The new
administration and CAO Schadd asked them to look at each program they offer and determine the
impact in community, a cost benefit analysis, which communities are impacted, and if there are other
organization that hold similar programs that could serve instead of the city. At this point they have
completed the inventory and are waiting for the administration to respond. They will come back to BCA
with questions as they advance in the budgeting process. It has been hard work but very eye opening.
Barlow asked if there is a timeline for the Chief Greylock statue. Storrs shared that the timeline is
dependent on securing funding for the work and getting assessments from contractors. After spring
may be the best time, but they may start sooner. The assessment showed that it’s unsafe, and currently
BPRW has fenced it off. The issue is that it will be fairly expensive work and that will direct when they
are able to complete the work.
Brown-McKnight asked if the service inventory will be available to public or the city council, and if so
when? Kraft was unsure of that but will try to find out. Brown-McKnight asked if BPRW is doing the
same thing, and Wight confirmed that they have been working on a service inventory as well.
Kraft continued to talk about the budget cuts BCA has made and the lack of programing in City Hall Park
for the month of June. She has been feeling from downtown businesses that there is a critical need for
programing in CHP to bring visitors to downtown. She’s very concerned with the state of the city and
the downtown challenges. BCA will continue to fundraise, but has not found funding to cover the
missing programing. She asked the committee for additional ideas on how to acquire more funds for
CHP programing in June.
Barlow thanked Kraft for her work on the service inventory and shared that he understands how difficult
it is find funding.
BPRW Public Spaces Survey –
Wight shared a slide presentation of the open space plan. She passed the presentation over to Scott
Gustin, Dan Cahill, and Sophie Sauve. Gustin added that Sarah Morgan and P&I and Zoe Richards from
the conservation board have also been involved in their work. The city’s current open space plan is 25+
years old. This plan, amongst other things, provides the basis for the city’s conservation legacy fund.
The plan was updated last in 2018 mostly around trails and natural areas, and that became the
standards for nature based climate solutions. This re-write is to build on that, not replace it. This is a
collaborative effort between multiple departments. They did a kick off in summer of 2024. They’ve met
with a variety of stakeholder groups, and the evening of the meeting they will be starting their public
outreach with an event at St. Marks. Over the weekend they will be at the winter farmers market as
well to connect with the public. They’ve utilized a multiple online sources to reach out to the
community as well.
CITY OF BURLINGTON Councilor Becca Brown-McKnight, Chair, Ward 6
PARKS, ARTS & CULTURE COMMITTEE Councilor Mark Barlow, North District
 Councilor Carter Neubieser, Ward 1

 Staff: Holli Bushnell, Office Assistant
 Lakeview Cemetery
 hbushnell@burlingtonvt.gov
Brown-McKnight noted that their online communications is the reason they’re on the agenda for this
meeting. She was impressed by what she saw. Gustin explained that they’re taking a different tactic for
public outreach. Instead of asking the community to come to a public meeting, staff is going to public
events and meeting people where they are. Looking ahead, they will continue public outreach in the
month of February. They will pause between the first and second rounds of public comment to
incorporate ideas.

Brown-McKnight asked Gustin to define open space. Gustin explained that that’s part of what he’s
doing. It’s generally thought of as city parks, but it can also include things like the south end seaport
redevelopment. This update also hopes to address how the conservation legacy fund is used to support
conservation infrastructure in addition to direct land conservation. From an inventory standpoint,
Burlington is considered 49% open space. One of the largest pieces of this open space is private
property – back yards. This plan seeks to address how those spaces can become activated in terms of
canopy growth and ecosystem resilience.

Brown-McKnight shared that she feels that Burlington citizens are deeply invested in conservation.
Other departments offer programs to better the ecological impact of households. She’s interest in
seeing BPRW do something similar.

Barlow asked when the last update to the open space plan was made. Gustin explained that there was
an addendum for nature based climate solutions about 3 years ago, but the majority of the plan is 25
years old with a small update on urban agriculture and trails in 2014. Barlow asked if there will be any
kind of policy discussions around preservation of existing open spaces for things with passive
recreational use? Gustin shared that the plan could include that sort of information, but it’s more
intended to provide guidelines around green design standards on all manner of properties. Sophie
Sauve added that the tree canopy study is intended to develop ordinances around tree. Currently the
only ordinance about trees states that you cannot hitch your horse to them. Dan Cahill shared that arms
forest is a good example of the kind of reassessment the open space plan can provide. Gustin concluded
by sharing that they’re wrapping up phase one and will be kicking of phase two of stakeholder
discussions and public outreach in the spring with the aim to bring it to council before the summer.
There is also a survey available online.

BPRW Moran Plant and Community Sailing Center –

Owen Milne from the Community Sailing Center shared a few slides of proposed plans for kayak and
paddleboard storage on adjoining property. This is a service they previously offered but had to
discontinue when the moved to their new location. This would provide the community greater access to
the lake as parking and transporting large equipment such as a kayak or paddleboard prevents
community members from making use of their facilities. They have an ideal sloped access point to the
lake which they built into their facility specifically so small crafts can launch. They are proposing using a
small parcel of land to the north of their facility in the urban reserve and developing it into small craft
storage. They’ve review the 1998 waterfront plan as well as the conservation easement on the
property. The new area they are looking at is comparable in space to the area they previously used back
CITY OF BURLINGTON Councilor Becca Brown-McKnight, Chair, Ward 6
PARKS, ARTS & CULTURE COMMITTEE Councilor Mark Barlow, North District
 Councilor Carter Neubieser, Ward 1

 Staff: Holli Bushnell, Office Assistant
 Lakeview Cemetery
 hbushnell@burlingtonvt.gov
in 2019. They intend to keep as much greenery around the area as possible to limit visual impact of the
project. Since they previously provided this service, the sale of paddleboards and kayaks has exploded,
and they are expecting a significant increase in demand for this service from previous rates. They think
they can provide access to over 700 people by adding this service back in. They’ve been to NPA
meetings at ward 2, 3, 4, and 7, held community events in their building, and have been incorporating
feedback into their design throughout the process. They will be presenting to the planning committee
next week and will be taking their feedback into the next step of the process.

Brown-McKnight asked about the cost implications, and Milne shared that the sailing center will be
paying for it. There are existing funds from Rep Ballint as well as some from the great lakes fishery
committee. A portion of the revenue generated will be returned to the city through a revenue sharing
program. Brown-McKnight asked how much space the project would take up, and Milne confirmed that
it will be roughly the same size as the space they previously used.

Gustin added that Milne presented to the conservation board and the board voted unanimously to
reject the plan. Brown-McKnight asked if there will be revisions. Milne shared that there were 5 areas
of concern that the conservation board identified and the sailing center has looked at their concerns.
They’ve reviewed the concerns.

Moving on, Brown-McKnight explained the addition of the Moran Plant to the agenda so that there is a
public record of the process, decisions, and possibly concerning the encampments. Wight provided a
brief slideshow presentation. First, BPRW confirmed that they will be activating the space for events in
no later than May 1. It will be ready for visitors by then. CEDO is still generally helming the Moran
project as they have since the beginning. Currently they are working on phase 1b which will increase
safety, improve accessibility, and develop performance space. The performance space will require the
most work which includes removing a beam, adding more electric, and adding a water source. They also
will be working on hardening (paving?) the gravel path that runs to the building and slicing the hoppers
so that people can no longer use them to climb to the top. They are not planning on doing any formal
programing over the summer due to the construction work, but hope to have events starting in
September. Some of the events that were attempted last year did not work, and they are switching
things up to improve the use.

Brown-McKnight asked what the process is for turning FRAME into a park. Wight explained that there
are a number of steps. For example, the existing road needs to be turned in to an actual road, not part
of a parcel. Currently there are several parcels that make up the area that will ultimately become the
FRAME park, and each parcel is owned by separate entities. This makes it complicated, but BPRW has
been doing a lot of prep work to turn FRAME into a park in name while it remains under the ownership
of DPW who is currently the parcel holder. This would be similar to what BPRW and DPW have worked
out at Perkins Pier. The whole parcel would include A-Dog, Moran/FRAME, the tiny additional
park/fishing pier would be then called Waterworks Park. The first step is establishing the road. Brown-
McKnight asked for a timeline and Wight was not able to provide one as work is dependent on DPW.
CITY OF BURLINGTON Councilor Becca Brown-McKnight, Chair, Ward 6
PARKS, ARTS & CULTURE COMMITTEE Councilor Mark Barlow, North District
 Councilor Carter Neubieser, Ward 1

 Staff: Holli Bushnell, Office Assistant
 Lakeview Cemetery
 hbushnell@burlingtonvt.gov
Barlow asked why there needs to be a street in order for there to be a park. Wight explained that in
order to be a park, all areas of the parcel need to be included. The greenway is considered a formal park
and the fence is considered a firm boundary, but the road isn’t part of either parcel. DPW will need to
turn that part of their parcel into a road to unite the parcels as well as make use of streets funding.
Barlow asked if we could name it something different from the road adjacent to it, as there appears to
be 2 Lake Streets.

Finally, in terms of unhoused encampments, as it is not officially a park Urban Rangers can’t simply
trespass them. They need to involve a CSL and CSOs and work with DPW to clean the space. If it were
officially a park it would be much easier to handle the unhoused situation and figure out who is actually
responsible for the space.

BPRW Ordinance Review –

Wight explained that BPRW has been going through Appendix D which is the rules and regulations for
city parks. These need to be approved by parks commission and council, but they also come before
PACC for their support (and the possibility of ending up on consent agenda). None of these ordinance
have been updated in at least 20-25 years. Working on section 1 which includes permitting information
and section 2 is being examined by the waterfront team. There will be opportunities for public input at
Parks commission and city council. There have already been some instances of public commenting on
events in parks (a concert happened at Pomeroy which caused some discourse), and the conversation
was extremely civil.

Barlow asked if the cat forum could be recorded. Brown-McKnight shared that she would request it be
recorded.

Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 1:29pm. The next meeting to be held on 2/27/2024 at 645 Pine St and
via Zoom.