Wards 4 & 7 NPA — Burlington, VT
Date: 2025-06-25
Time: 18:00

Wards 4 & 7 Neighborhood Planning Assembly (NPA):
 Draft Agenda

 Wednesday, June 25th, 2025
 6:00PM-8:00PM

 Join in person: Robert Miller Community & Recreation Center
 Join virtually: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85494151752

 Facilitator: Sarah Note Taker: Annie Time keeper: Stephen Greeter: Joanne


6:00 Free Community Dinner | 30 mins

 ● Enchiladas with vegetarian option
 ● Dessert


6:30pm Welcome & Introductions | 10 mins
 ● Thank you Charlie! & CCTV
 o Find all open city meetings including NPA and city council
 meetings on the CCTV Youtube channel,
 ● Adopt the agenda+ Ground Rules:
 o Listen to each other
 o Treat others respectfully
 o Share your opinion politely
 o Respect the agenda and process
 ● Introduce - Name, pronouns, ward

6:40pm Open Forum | 10 mins
 ● Invite residents to make short announcements, share neighborhood
 updates and upcoming events
6:50pm Sophie Sauve - Open Space Plan & Leddy Park updates| 25 mins
 ● Update on the Leddy Park projects and the Burlington Open Space Plan
 ● Questions

7:15pm Melo Grant - BPD recruitment updates | 25 mins
 ● Update to the community about BPD's recruitment plan including a
 review of Chief Burke's Recruitment memo
 ● Questions


7:40pm Sarah Morgan - Plan BTV NNE updates | 20 mins
 ● Update about the New North End neighborhood plan and inform of
 upcoming engagement opportunities in July.
 ● Questions
8:00pm Adjourn
 ● Next Meeting will be Wednesday, September 24th. Have a safe and
 healthy summer season. Stay Cool!



 Ward 4&7 Steering Committee:
 Annie Lawson
 Joanne Hunt
 Sarah Diaz
 Stephen Brown
 Jane McDonald
 To email the full steering committee: wards4-7npasc@googlegroups.com

Wards 4/7 NPA Meeting June 25 2025
Minutes
Notetaker: Annie Lawson (she/her), Ward 4

Community Announcements:
  -​ Bo shares that they co-run a bike-powered compost-hauling service; Info can be found at
 bo@soilcycleBTV.community
  -​ Linda from Odd Fellows/NNE Food Pantry shares that there is a clothing and food drive;
 donations can be dropped off this coming Saturday
  -​ Carole Ode shares updates from legislature, including H. 51, which gets rid of income
 tax on social security benefits, up to a certain threshold; also expands child tax credit;
 qualifies caregivers to get paid for the care that they give family members, up to 20
 hours per week.

Presentation from Parks Dept staff, Daniel and Max:
 -​ There will be a pop-up roller rink in Leddy Park parking lot, bear the beach, in the
 northeast corner of the lot. It should be installed for the first time this summer/fall 2025. It
 will be assembled and disassembled each year, and is made of interlocking tiles, and will
 have blocking structures to prevent cars from entering.
 -​ Kids/Beginnings Mountain Bike Park update: first pitched to city in 2017; will be at the
 southern end of Leddy Park, based on the ecological study there showing that that area
 would have the lowest ecological impact of any city parks available for this project.
 -​ Some neighbors share their concerns about impact on residents living close to
 the park
 -​ Parks Dept employees share that they expect an age-appropriate culture to be
 developed and protected by users, parents and families.
​ -Dan Schmidt shares on mapping of current trails, and the planning of new trails to avoid
disruption of more sensitive/threatened plant species. Also shares plans for more multi-use trails
as well as walking-only trails.

To find out more about these projects: visit:

 https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/Parks-Recreation-Waterfront
 -​ Click on “projects” in the top menu bar
 -​ Click on “active improvement projects”

Next Presenter: Sarah Morgan, on Open Space Plan:
 -​ Shares update on what has been done so far, including needs and values assessment;
 review of prior and related city plans; review of tree ordinance (the current one is very
 outdated and references rules regarding where you can tie your horse); and staff and
 stakeholder meetings.
 -​ More info can be found at burlingtonvt.gov/planbtv/openspace
 -​ People can also email Scott Gustin at DPI, or Sophie Sauve at BPRW
 -​ People can weigh in on neighborhood-specific elements in the NNE at planBTV.NNE
 -​ Sarah encourages folks to get involved and take the online survey, being offered at
 Beach Bites, Odd Fest (July 5), and at a neighborhood design workshop (date TBD but
 either July 23 or 24).
 -​ Email smorgan@burlingtonvt.org for more info, or visit burlingtonvt.gov/[lanbtv/nne

​
Next Presenter: Councilor Melo Grant, sharing an update on recruitment strategy for BPD
 -​ She reports that there were $350,000 of unused funds for recruitment efforts in the last
 police budget. These dollars are now being allocated, with a more focused strategy. This
 is largely through targeted online ads as well as strategic in-person outreach that draws
 on existing relationships between officers and their larger communities, including as
 alumni of academic institutions. New strategy also involves the creation of officer
 ambassadors, who will be a bridge between the department and other communities of
 which they are part.
 -​ Councilor Grant suggests that Wards 4/7 consider inviting the interim police chief to an
 upcoming meeting in Fall 2026, to get an update about recruitment efforts at that time.
 -​ Councilor Grant also encourages folks to check out the Mayoral Community Safety press
 conferences
 -​ For more information, folks can reach out to Councilor Grant directly at
 megrant@burlingtonvt.gov