Dear Neighbors,
Monday, March 24 there will be a public hearing on theCity of Burlington's proposed amendment to its act 250 permit regulating the use of the Waterfront Park. It will be held at the Department of Public Works, 645 Pine street, at 6 pm. Make no mistake----if the City is approved to make the changes it wants, there will be more, louder, more frequent, later, and longer events on the waterfront----YOUR PARK. You will be restricted from using the park for your own recreation as the City bans us to make money for private enterprises. The City proposal shows permanent fence stakes around the perimeter of the Park so that we can be fenced out during events.This is your only chance to tell the State of Vermont that you want a balance between money-making events, festivals, private parties, races, and quiet times. The City has requested that it receive a permit to do events up to 365 days per year, from 7 am to 11 pm daily, with strikes til midnight, and overnight with additional permitting. They further propose to change the way sound is monitored, allowing for spikes in noise levels which would then be averaged over a period of time. The City's proposed solution to increased noise? Tell people to close their windows ( I am not kidding.)The end result will be that we will have to contend with louder noise than we have now. Increased Traffic is not addressed, nor is parking. Please stand up for our collective rights to The People's Park. The Waterfront is ours, governed by public Trust doctrine. Don't let it be taken from us!