Dear Neighbors,
This Monday, the City Council will convene its second of three meetings for the month of April. We will begin our evening from 6:30 to 7:20pm with two work sessions: one will be an update on the District Energy project and the other is on an update on the Champlain Parkway.
The District Energy project is being undertaken in collaboration with Burlington Electric, Burlington District Energy Service and Corix Utilities. The goal of realizing this project is to assist the City in fighting climate change, achieving greater overall sustainability by becoming a Net Zero Energy City and by giving BED customers the benefit of greater fuel diversity. This project is a long time in the making; it was underway when I was on the Electric Commission in the late 1990s and even before then. Ward 6 resident Jan Schultz has been working diligently on this project since long before my time on the Electric Commission and continues to play a very active role in making this a reality.
Following these work sessions and a brief Local Control Commission meeting, we will continue with the rest of our Council meeting at 7:30pm with the public forum.
We have three items on our deliberative agenda. The first is the approval of an indoor entertainment permit for Nepali Kitchen. Our second item is an update from David White, Director of Planing and Zoning regarding CityPlace Burlington (the former Burlington Square Mall).
Our last item is a resolution on City Hall Park. The resolution asks for further facilitated process on the Park redesign to address trees, sun and shade, and the water fountain and other features. It also requests that all permits approved through our DRB process be withdrawn. There is also an amendment to the original resolution that is posted online that acknowledges the work completed thus far and calls for the Administration to work through any appeal process seeking a settlement with the assistance of a mediator to work through concerns about trees as well as undertaking an additional independent soil study in order to better understand the best approaches to improving tree health and not commit to any further tree removals that was in the DRB-approved plan without public input. I would encourage you to read both the original resolution and the amendment.
You are always welcome to come to a Council meeting and speak on any topic you wish during public forum. This begins at a time certain of 7:30 at every Council meeting. You may access the Council agenda at http://www.boarddocs.com/vt/burlingtonvt/Board.nsf/Public Please note that all Council meetings are televised live on BT Channel 317 and streamed live to your computer or phone. Please go to youtube and type in "Burlington City Council meetings" and the live stream will come up.
As always, I welcome your questions and concerns. I hope you have a good weekend.
My best,
Karen
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