ward ii voice - vol 1, no 8

8/12/2019 Ward II Voice - Vol 1, No 8

1/12

Busy MonthFor Assembly

The Ward II Neightx)rhoodAssembly has been involved in3 NPA meetings between itsnormal August and Septembermeetings. Most recently onWed. Sept 12 Ward II and WardHI sponsored a joint NPA meeting to protest the closing off ofArchiba ld S t . in f ron t o f Whee le r

School (see article). Earlier, onSept. 5, a citywide NPA washeld to discuss the proposedwaterfront park (also see article), and on Aug. 30 Wards 11and 111 held a joint meeting todiscuss the waterfront conceptual plan (sorry, no article, but callCEDO for minutes If you want toknow what happened).

This issue of the Voice is our

rst 12 pager. Its been a bear toput out. We hope you read itcover to cover, and we hope youparticipate in future issues. Ifyou want to write, take photos,help produce It, etc, come to thenext Assembly meeting (Wed.

Sept. 19, 7:00 pm. WheelerSchool) or write to the Voice orcall us up at 864-5202 (ask forEugene or Mike).

Finally, there are only a fewweeks left to submit your application for money from the Assembly for neighborhood improvement projects. Call Yiota atthe CEDO ofce (658-9300) formore info or to obtain an applic a t i o n .

Vol. I No. 8 Sept. 1990

" Ta k e D o w n t h e B a r r i c a d e s "Citizens Scrap Archibald St. Alteration

Eugene ResnickAbout 40 neighbors came to a meeting sponsored by the Wards II and HI

Neighborhood Assemblies to oppose a plan to close off Archibald St. in frontof Wheeler School. Angry residents claimed the changes would increase trafcin neighboring streets, create difcult and dangerous driving conditions aroundthe triangle in front of the school and make it more difcult for children tocross the street. Steve Goodkind, the City Engineer, told the crowd that as a result of the vote, which was nearly unanimous against the project, Public Workswould take down the temporary barricades and abandon the project

The Dept. of Public Works sponsored two public hearings before hand, butcontinued on page 3

Citywide NPA DiscussesProposed Waterfront ParkEugene ResnickAbout 120 Burlington residents came to a city-wide Neighborhood Planning

Assembly meeting on Sept. 5 to discuss the city's plans for a park to be built on11.5 acres of waterfront land between the Community Boathouse and the Mo-ran Generating Plant. Many long-time NPA participants said the meeting wasthe largest and most lively NPA meeting since the Alden Corporation's plansfor waterfront development were proposed in 1986.

Several residents criticized the park plan for being to formal and manicured.Bea Bookchin, a longtime waterfront activist, reminded the crowd the root oftwo of the adjectives earlier speakers had used to compliment the plan: "stately" and "majestic." "The straight rows of trees and the straight paths remind meof the state lining people up, and everyone knows where 'majestic' comesfrom." Brian Perkins also alluded to its royal pretentions, saying the park wasmore appropriate for a royal palace like Versailles than a community park. Another speaker criticized the park for not allowing for any wilderness. Severalparticipants suggested that the park was being designed with potential development on the waterfront in mind. It was described as a frontyard for condos.Claude Lehman read a quote from CEDO Director Michael Monte from theMay issue of Vermont Business:: "...[TJhe establishment of a major new waterfront park will act as a catalyst to new waterfront development."

Several people spoke in favor of the plan. One participant said that an openarea which is easily policed would make people feel safer. Another described

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Trees, Trees, TreesDoes your street need more

trees? Do you walk down a neighborhood street and wish that therew e r e m o r e t r e e s t o c r e a t e s o m e

shade and a more pleasing view?If either answer isyes, then WarrenSpinner, the CityArborist, wantsyou to call himwith your suggest ions . War ren i s

ateady makingplans for nextSpring's annualtree planting day and is seekingneighborhood input. You canreach Warren at the Parks and Rec

Depanment (862-1011).P a t P o t t e r

Community EffortsBuild Bus Shel ter

During a couple of hot sunnyweeks in August, when other teenagers were at the beach, Jamie Peters, Wayne Rich, Ed Bennett, andJoshua Highley were learningsome carpentry skills as theyhelped to build a new bus shelterat the Riverside Ave./Bright St. intersection. The project, which wasfunded in part by our Neighborhood Assembly, demonstrates howa neighborhood can work with local organizations to make im

provements.With many residents relying

upon public transportation year-round, neighbors recognized theneed for a handicap accessible busshelter. Our Assembly awarded a

City Scene$700.00 grant towards the busshelter project from CommunityDevelopment Block Grant(CDBG) money. The grant didnot cover the full costs of theshelter, so it became necessary toeither seek more funding or seekdonated mater ia ls and services .The latter method worked for us.

After being contacted by theAssembly, the Lake ChamplainHousing Development Corporation donated the bus shelter plansthat it had used at the Salmon Run

housing development. Then wemet with representatives from the

Chittenden County TransportationAuthority (CCTA), BurlingtonHousing Authority (BHA), andBurlington Youth EmploymentProgram (BYEP).

Everyone agreed that this was a

Oscar Wizner (BYEP supervisor), Jamie Peters, and Wayne Rich workingon the bus shelter.

great neighborhood project andtheir enthusiasm was demonstrated in their willingness to donatetime and materials to the project.Since the site of the shelter was inthe front of BHA-owned housing ,

BHA agreed todonate cement

for the pad onwhich the shelter would bebuilt and somea d d i t i o n a l

building materials. They alsooffered to maintain the shelter

throughout the winter months,BYEP thought this would be anexcellent carpentry project foryouths who would be, workingwith them over the summer, sothey agreed to donate the labor.

After securing all necessary permits, BYEP youths constructedthe handicap accessible bus shelterlast month. Members of the NPAextend their appreciation to theCCTA, BHA, and BYEP for supporting this project.

To see the new shelter, walk ortake the bus (North End Loop)over to Riverside Avenue.

P a t P o t t e r

Credit Union Serves

NeighborhoodSince the Vermont Develop

ment Credit Union opened itsdoors in October, 1989, we havebeen serving the low income population with banking services thatwere unavailable before. We havebeen able to offer small loans for

such things as Security Deposits,car repairs, and used-car purchases. Most of these loans have beenfor under $1000.(X).

One of the rst loans that wegave out was to a retired gentie-man who needed a loan to purchase a motorized wheelchair.With the wheelchair he could bemore independent. This loanmade us feel that we were reaching our goal of helping the com-

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continued from page 2

munity.We keep the Credit Union per

sonal by offering specid help tothose groups who need it, such asC.O.T.S. and Vietnamese immigrants. The Vietnamese have a

hard time understanding bankingprocedures. Sometimes we musthelp them ll out their money orders so that they can pay their billsand rent. One person was even soafraid of his money being spentthat we had to physically showhim that his money was still there.To this day he is still using our serv i c e s .

Not all of our loans go for justpersonal purposes. We have givenout a few business loans to pur

chase business equipment. Thisallows the borrower to becomeself-sufcient while helping themto expand their potential business.

Only members can use theseservices. If you are interested in

Arch iba ld S t .continued from page 1

neither was very well attended.

The posters for one of them did notgo up until the actual day of themeeting. Citizens began complaining about the project in early August, and the Ward II Neighborhood Assembly, at its Augustmeeting, criticized Public Worksfor not coming to the Assemblyand not holding an adequately advertised meeting.

In response to these criticisms,Public Works Director GeorgeCrombie sent a memo to the City'sCommunity and Economic Development Ofce asserting that theDepartment had received enoughpublic input. Micheal Monte,CEDO's director, told the CityCouncil on Aug. that he supportedPublic Works and made i t c learthat Ward II ' s resolut ion was notCEDO's position.

The plan was supported by theschool and the School Deptart-ment. Wheeler Principal JosephVoci said that the project came

becoming a member you can reachus at 64 North St. or by calling usat 865-3404.

V D C U S t a f f

Greene Street Neighborhood Crime Watch

A n n o u n c e m e n tRecentiy Greene Street has become a much darker place, because fewer of us are leaving ourporch lights on all night. Welearned last year that lighting canbe one of the most cost effectiveforms of crime prevention. Leaving your porch light on all nightwill only cost approximately 10cents. It also gives the street anappearance of a united effort incombatting would-be prowlers.

Some of you may want to askyour landlord for extra light bulbs.The most cost effective are the

High Pressure Sodium lights.They have a golden light and lastabout 7 years. You can also install

about to satisfy parking needs andto create a safer and more attractivefront yard for the school. He alsodescribed long range plans to restore the original front entranceway to the school (which will stillhappen if voters support a bond issue).

Many residents felt like the plancreates a dangerous situation because all the trafc which normallygoes in front of the school wouldhave to negotiate around the triangle. Since the street has been temporarily blocked, people have seenthe problems caused by the different trafc pattern.

Joan Beauchemin of St. LouisSt. said buses have an especiallyhard time getting through. ButchParizo, who circulated a petitionopposing the project which 196people signed, said one bus drivertold him "it was the most ridiculousthing he has seen."

Parizo, who has lived most of his54 years right across the street fromthe triangle at the comer of Archibald and Walnut, said cars in winter would pose a threat to children

driving around all those tight cor-

timers so that you don't have to remember to turn the light on and offevery night. Anyway, it would bewonderful to have our bright streetb a c k

Get involvedIt really does make a differenceIf any individual or couple is in

terested in being this year's GreeneStreet Neighborhood Crime WatchCoordinator, please give OfcerJim Marrier a call at 658-7658.(Leave a message if he is unavailable, and he will return your call assoon as possible). The portion ofGreene Street now in the Neighborhood Crime Watch Program isthe block between Loomis Streetand Hickok Place. We desperatelyneed someone to update our membership list, introduce new neighbors to the program, etc., and Jimwould assist you with all of this.Thanks a lot

Down with crimeGreen St. Neighborhood Crime

W a t c h

ners in icy conditions, Beaucheminalso cited child safety. She said thechanges would have given schoolchildren more access points to crossand would have made it more difcult for crossing guards to controlthe situation.

Representatives from the Neighborhood Assemblies of Ward II,and Ward III as well as Yiota Alha-das of the CEDO ofce organizedthe Sept. 12 meeting to give citizensa chance to let their opinions bek n o w n .

The meeting was heated. Citizenscould barely contain their dislike forthe project, often interrupting Good-

kind and Voci with comments suchas "If it ain't broke, don't x it."Ward n Councilor, Terry Bouri-cious stepped in to moderate the enthusiastic crowd. After the meetingvoted down the project he encouraged people to go outside then andthere to remove the barricades, butGoodkind assured the group thatemployees would take care of it inthe morning.

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The Public Works-UVM Plan for Main StreetReport from the Main Street Task Force

By Michael Sheridan

The so-called Main Street Improvement Project is

very complex. In the limited space provided me by theWard II Voice, I will try to present most of the majorfeatures, as I understand them. I would beg the readerto patiently sift through the various elements of the project and try to imagine the cumulative effect of thewhole plan. I hope that this article will help citizens toreach their own well-informed positions.

Most Burlingtonians have seen the long line of trafcsnaking along Main Street from the Spear Street "jughandle" all the way to South Union Street. The snakegoes west in the morning, and east in the afternoon. Itis this trafc problem that the Department of PublicWorks, cooperating with the University of Vermont, is

determined to x with its "Improvement oject."The rst thing you nd when you look into the City'splan (a makeshift map of which is on page 5) is that itrequires extensive construction along the .82 mile corridor of roadway from Willard Street east to the jug handle. Alterations will include:

1. slapping a new automobile lane onto Main Streetfrom the crest of the street (at about UniversityHeights) west to Prospect Street. Presently, whenyou're going west on Main Street the whole street narrows from four to three lanes at the crest of the hill,then fans back out into four lanes, after the bend. Thenew lane will make four lanes at the crest and ve atthe intersection of South Prospect. After South Prospect, Main Street will become four lanes again. Toachieve this, the diagonal parking spaces located between Willard and Union will be eliminated. The objective of the entire project is, of course, to get trafc inand out of the city more efciently. So the new lane isthe central feature and should not be lost sight of.

SOME FACTS AND FIGURESON MAIN STREET

Vo l u m e o f t r a f c / d a y 3 0 , 0 0 0Yearly reported accidents involvingUVM students, faculty and staff on Main St..... 100

Estimated cost of project $7-8 millionS h a r e o f F e d e r a l G o v e r n m e n t 9 1 %S h a r e o f S t a t e G o v e r n m e n t 8 %Share of UVMS h a r e o f C i t y 0 %Yearly trafc growth on Main St 3-4%Number of pedestrian crossings/day acrosst o p o f M a i n S t 1 1Width in feet of ve paved lanes 60

2. shaving several feet of earth from the crestof Main Street, at University Heights. The Cityand UVM are strongly supportive of the costlyprocedure of excavating more than 15 feet fromthe top of Main Street so that a more level drivingplane can be achieved, and so that an overpasscan be constructed.

3. construction of a major pedestrian - shuttlebus - bike overpass across Main Street at University Heights. This spring UVM built a campus-wide shuttle bus network. The project was perfectly illegal because the university never bothered to apply for a zoning permit. Nevenheless,the shuttle bus project is UVM's attempt to solvea problem that it claims dates from the sixties.At that time. Interstate 89 Exit 14W was built,adding a ood of trafc to Main Street. Since thevast majority of UVM students live east of MainStreet and attend classes on the west side, there'sa massive surge of students crisscrossing thestreet on any school day. UVM and the city wantto upgrade the shuttle crossing into a full-scaleoverpass. They are partial to the above-groundcrossing solution, though an underground solution, too, is being considered.

4. construction of retaining walls along lengthof "shaved" corridor, beneath overpass;

5. erecting two islands, one separating east-and westbound trafc between Prospect Streetand University Place, and a second at the mouthof University Place;

6. blocking off University Place from PearlStreet to the turnaround in front of Royall TylerTheater;

7. blocking off Un iversity Terrace at thepoint where it feeds into Main Street, and rerouteit eastward into Maple Street;

8. installing a row of fences and hedgesalong the Main Street side of the UVM green.

9. constructing a pedestrian overpass acrossMain Stree at the intersection of Prospect andM a i n ;

10. eliminating the two driveways connectingCarrigan Hall (the Dairy Bar) with Main Street;

11. improving existing drainage system.These 11 items are the main features of the

plan requiring construction. In the next issue ofthe Ward II Voice , expect to nd a report on theprogress of the Task Force as well as a discussionof the political and economic interests involved.Michael is the Ward IINPA representative on theMayor's Task Force on Main Street.

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E L E V E NM A J O RF E A T U R E SO F T H E

M A I NS T R E E T" I M P R O V E M E N TP R O J E C T "

2. SHAVE 15 FEET FROM /T O P O F H I L L / /

3OVERPASS FOR PE-**"*"DESTRIANS, SHUHLE BUS AWA N D B I K E S " " " 7 / / ^

1. NEW AUTO LANEFROM U. HEIGHTS TOW I L L A R D S T R E E T-

4. RETAINING WALLSALONG GRADE SEPARATION

6. BLOCK OFF U. PLACEEXCEPT FOR TURNAROUND HERE.

7. BLOCK OFF U. TER-

y RACE, RE-ROUTE TO MA-^ PLE STREET

10. ELIMINATE DAIRY/ BAR DRIVEWAYS/-n. IMPROVE DRAINAGE

TWO ISLANDS

^9. PEDESTRIAN OVER- BPA S S ^

8. ROW OF FENCES'AND HEDGES


6/12

S t r e e t Ta l kBy Ann Barbano and Michael Sheridan

Ward II Voice posed the following question to neighborhood

residents one rainy evening in August:

"How effective is your Neighborhood Crime Watch program?"

Most of the people who had at least heard of Crime Watchwere happy to speak with us. While some were camera shy, thepeople here were denitely not We thank them for participating.

Tasha Henderson

"Well, I just had a window broken outof my car. The Neighborhood CrimeWatch hasn't been very effective forour house. We've had people come inand walk through our house. Whenpeople walk in at midday with peoplehere, it's not very effective."

' V

Arno ld Rod ie r

"It's made a big improvement. Ithasn't solved anything. I found a

set of tapes in front of Jan's place.One day I found a walkie talkie inthe driveway. Having (Neighbor

hood CrimeWatch) signs on thedoor (pause)... The primary problem is noise and college students.

By and large it's about 90%e ffec t ive . "

The following opinions werdid not wish to be identi

"It 's O.K. Somewhat effectnoise. A lot of college kids them but they get real drunk a

"My house was robbed three were robbed, too. It certainlyknow other people are lookinneighbors. There's a nice mixhave your house robbed. Crirobbers out."

"When we rst had Crime Wwas a good three years ago. IMillie (Plummer) coordinateIdea if it worked. We've hadinto two or three times."

"I ave no way of knowing hood Crime Watch program ference in stopping crime. I hwhere I think the program hamunity building tool, I feelthe neighborhood and I thinkt h a t . "

"We joined about three years whether it's done any good. Wat our house, but I understandthe street. I couldn't see any

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Lor i Weed

"My car has been borken into threeI times. Neighborhood Crime Watch is

good to have. We need more people involved."

Joe MulhoUand

"It's not very good. Amotorcycle was stolenacross the streetabout six weeks ago."

ssed by citizens who

problem) is basicallyand I basically likeeam all night."

go. Several othersme feel better to

or me. I know all mypretty devastating toch has helped push

was terribly active. Iteffect ive now. When

went well). It's a goodthat have been broken

ctive the Neighbor-ding if it makes a dif-o sense of that. But

effective is as a com-nnected to people ina general sense of

ut I don't knowen't had any problems

Ve had problems downant difference with it."

Margaret Hebert

"I think it's really splendid. I have asticker on my back door and one onmy front door and one on my window.I've been thinking of calling ofcerMerrier and thanking him. I feel verypositive about it."

Ryan Sales

"I don't think it's effective. I justcame back this weekend and my

mailbox was stolen..."

Ryan's mailbox was located herebefore it was stolen.

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8/12

Neighborhood Assembly BusinessBy-law changes

The following changes to the by-laws were votedon at the August meeting. The minutes from the lastmeeting contain much of the debate over these motions. For a copy of the minutes or of our by-laws, callthe CEDO ofce, 658-9300.1) Statement of Purpose:

Motion to eliminate the current wording and replace it with: "The Ward 11 Neighborhood Assemblyis an autonomous forum of freely associated Ward IIresidents. The Assembly shall discuss and act as itsees t on issues facing the City, the Ward and theAssembly. The Assembly shall choose its manner ofrelationship and cooperation with other NeighborhoodAssemblies," Mover withdraws motion after discuss i o n .

2) Name change:Motion to change name from Ward II Neighborhood Planning Assembly to Ward n NeighborhoodAssembly. Passes, 9 for, 2 against, 1 abstention. Assembly aMrms that it will remain functionally aNeighborhood Planning Assembly, but with a newn a m e .

3) Membership:Motion to eliminate current wording and replace

with: "Participation in the deliberations of this Assembly will be open to all. Voting privileges will be extended to all residents of Ward n." Passes, 10 for, 1against, 2 abstentions.4) Agenda:Motion to eliminate current wording and replace itwith: "The coordinating Committee shall compile aproposed agenda. The Assembly shall have the opportunity to make additions to or deletions from the proposed agenda at the beginning of each meeting."Fails, 2 for, 9 against, 2 abstentions.5) General Considerations^ Section 3 (voting):

Motion to eliminate current wording and replacewith: "All decisions (other than amentoents to theby-laws) will be made by simple majority vote." Fails,4 for, 8 against, 1 abstention.6) Positions:

Motion to eliminate current wording and replace itwith: "A coordinating committee will be elected by asimple majority to ll one (1) year terms. The coordinating committee will consist of no less than three (3)and no more than 5 (ve) people. One member of thesteering committee will serve as liaison (with theCity) and will be responsible for calling steering committee meetings.

"The steering committe will be responsible for ensuring there is a moderator for each Assembly meeting. TTie moderator may be a member of the steering

committee or any other member of the Assembly."The steering committee will be responsible for

ensuring that accurate minutes are taken. Minuteswill include accounts of all votes taken, and will bemade available for public inspection."

Friendly amendment made and accepted to include a treasurer as a position within tiie steeringcommittee.

Resolution passes.Walnut and Archibald StreetC o n s t r u c t i o n

The assembly briey discussed the proposed construction to take place in x)nt of Wheeler School(see article in this issue) and unanimously passedthe following resolution:"Whereas, the members of the Ward 11 Neighborhood Assembly (and neighbors who will be effected), just learned that a project is scheduled to beginimmediately that calls for the closing off of the triangle in front of H.O. Wheeler school to trafc; and"Whereas, these plans will apparentiy result in amajor change in the trafc pattern in the neighborhoods arround Wheeler School; and"Whereas, no adequately warned public meetingswere called to discuss what very well might be agood idea;"Now, therefore, let it be resolved, that the Ward nNeighborhood Assembly condemns the lack of pub

lic scussion in the recent decision to proceed withthe above mentioned project, and urges the Department of Public Works to more effectively seek public input when planning and deciding to proceedwith neighborhood improvement projects in the fut u r e . "

Zoning ChangesWe did not have time to discuss the three zoning

possibilities for the Winooski/Archibald area (seearticle in the last issue of the Voice). Butch Perizovolunteered to give input to the Zoning Board ofAdjustment.

N e w s l e t t e r :We agreed to give Debbie Bowen $50 to designthe new masthead which will be used starting withthis issue of the Voice.

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L e t t e r s t o t h e

C E D O D i r e c t o r

Refutes VoiceCommentary

D e a r Wa r d n N PA :I am compelled to respond to Mi

chael Sheridan's commentary onthe Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (August issue of theVoice).

On a positive note, it is important that citizens actively discuss

and debate the structure and purpose of the NPA's. I, too, supportthe position that NPA's should "articulate positions on all majorquestions facing the City." It isprecisely for these reasons that Iinitiated the resurgence of neighborhood groups in the late 70's andearly 80's and developed the position paper and resolution whichcreated the NPA's. Throughout the80's, I supported the funding ofNPA's, proposed that the NPA'sshould elect members of the Conservation Board of the City, andsupported the NPA's becomingpart of the City Charter so thatthey could become more "legitimate" and part of the policy decision-making process.

However, the article is incrediblycynical on the current role of theNPA's and is highly objectionableto me on a personal basis. It is forthese reasons that I question themotives of the author.

It's important to understand thecontext within which the NPA'swere created. The neighborhoodgrassroots movement of the 70'sand early 80's was an excitingtime. They were responsible inlarge part to a change to a moreprogressive government; I remember fondly tiie Mayoral debatehosted by the seven neighborhoodorganizations in the 1981 election,attended by hundreds of people

and aired live on radio. Former

Mayor Paquette was not responsive to the needs of the neighbor

hoods, and it was apparent by theresponse of the audience.

The NPA's were created as anext step in the evolution of greater neighborhood control and power. They were created as a middleground: part of City government,but independent; grassroots based,but legitimately pan of the deci-sion-making process. They arenot, however, independently-basednon-prot organizations, but astructure which fosters a processof governance at the neighborhoodl e v e l .

Throughout the 80's, CEDO hasbeen steadfast in its support forthis concept. For instance, whileCEDO's housing staff was proposing affordable housing projects inthe north end and south end of tiie

city, NPA staff were organizingthe meeting which were highlycritical of these projects, resultingin changes and modications to

the original development proposals .Most importantly, it is the au

thor's opening paragraphs that wasmost alarming.

First, the governance of the Citydoes reside with elected ofcialsand appointees (administrators andcommissions). This "small group"numbers in the hundreds.

Second, CEDO has involvedhundreds of citizens in the development of its programs and policies. The CDBG Advisory Group,our efforts on Convent Square andJohnson Street, and the numerousother advisory boards and housingnon-prots are all noteworthy examples.

TTiird, perhaps the author has"shed all pretense of democracy."We are accountable to the electorate, through Burlington's democratically elected ofcials and tothe citizenry of this city.

Further, the notion that we sim-9

ply "administer" the City using"mar nal standards of efciency"is ludicrous. Our support for theNPA's, the Land Trust, HousingCo-ops, antispeculation and rentcontrol efforts, bike paths, waterfront parks, minority and women-owned businesses, locally-owned

and worker-owned businesses, energy efciency, recycling, transportation alternatives, affordablehousing, homeless programs, alternative careers for youth and women, the Credit Union, etc., y di-rectiy in the face of this assertion.

Thank you for your time.Sincerely,

M i c h a e l M o n t eCEDO Director

The author responds:Nowhere in last month's Com

mentary did I mention eitherCEDO or its director, yet Mr.Monte feels "compell to respond" with a self-defense and adefense of the role of CEDO incity politics.

I do not wish to quarrel withMonte's background in grassrootspolitics. He was, I am told, agood grassroots organizer. Hewas a participant in the neighborhood movement of the late 70's.

Everyone knows that. However,today he is Director of an ofce of14 paid staff with control of atleast 8 million federal dollars.Whatever he was, today he is anadministrator.

My quarrel, rather, is withMonte's misleading picture ofC E D O .

CEDO is arguably the mostpowerful ofce in City Hall. Itdevelops public policies, accumulates and interprets valuable information on City affairs, cuts dealswith developers and the university, makes important housing recommendations and sets housingpriorities, funnels millions of federal dollars into Burlington businesses, performs research, coordinates the NeighborhoodAssemblies, and so on.

Now some of these are obvious

ly good functions, others obvious-continued on page 10


10/12

continued from page 9

ly bad. The problem is that theyare all mixed together in one central ofce that is accountable tonone other than the Mayor, whopersonally chooses staff members.

For these reasons, I believe thatCEDO should be dissolved and

only its best functions retained.To take just one example, the Cityshould stay actively involved inhousing issues. However, housingpolicy formation should be left upto a democratically-elected commission set up for that purpose.On the other hand, the city shouldget out of the business sector immediately. City governmentshould act on behalf of the citizen

ry, not grease the wheels of a so

cially and ecologically destructivemarket system.The main reason for CEDO's ex

istence is to be a "packed" ofcewherein the Progressive Party canstill set- and implement- their political agenda despite the Democrat-Republican majority on theCity Council.. Some of that agenda requires the City Council or

State Legislature's approval, andsome does not. To "remind" me,as Monte does, that "hundreds ofpeople make the political decisions in Burlington" is a lesson Idid not need. But by saying it, hecarefully slurs over the real issues:CEDO's lack of democracy and

centralization of power. By controlling huge sums of money, having convenient access to scarce information and marshallingnumerous resources, its staff isable to wield a tremendousamount of power and inuence inthe decision-making processes ofCity Commissions and the CityCouncil, not to mention the public. It has an unfair edge in anydebate .

As for the Neighborhood As

semblies, I would like to reafrmmy main argument that the assemblies have a wonderful potential, and that they are worthwhileexperiments in democratic neighborhood organization. However,today they bear only a faint resemblance to the politically powerfulmodel of the future, in which citizens make policy decisions that

carry both moral and legal force;in which assemblies have a formalized relation to the major citycommissions and are able to passjudgment on whatever issues theydeem important.

Monte chides me with being "incredibly cynical" about the presentstatus of the assemblies. Actually,as I think I've made clear, I'm onlyunhappy they're not more powerful than they are. I believe wehave to build condence in the assemblies by encouraging debateand decision-making, passing resolutions and publicizing decisions.Perhaps when people see that the

assemblies are places where theycan bring their legitimate concerns, attendance will rise and thetide will turn.

Lastly, by the way, I wish tocommend Mr. Monte for "support(ing) the NPA's becoming part ofthe City Chaner so that they couldbecome more legitimate and partof the policy decision-making process." 1 agree wholeheartedly.

Sincerely,M i c h a e l S h e r i d a n

In Old BurlingtonCan you guess where in Burlington this photo was taken. If you can, send your name to the Voice. We'll printthe names of the people who guess correctly, and one person will be drawn as the winner of valuable prizes.

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11/12

The "Old Bur

lington Photo"from the July issueof the paper was ofthe Van NessHouse, a swankyhotel that stood at the comer ofMain and St. Paul, where the Howard Bank now stands. Two people correctly identied the photo;Ruth Remillard and The Daig-n a u l t s .

We are not sure of the exactdate of the photo, but it had to bethe late 1800's or early 1900'ssince it is after electric line camein but before cars became prevalent. We apologize for not runninga photo in the August issue. Wewill do our best to continue thefeature on a consistent basis.

The Van Ness House was apparently built before 1825. Its Italia-nate facade and its sheer scale indicate a later date, but we found

In Old BurlingtonAnswer to last month's photo

the following anecdote in an 1889travel guide to Burlington, called

Burlington and Thereabout:"Many historical incidents and episodes are connected with it [theVan Ness House]; not least ofwhich, perhaps, is that Gen. La-Fayette, during his visit to Burlington, in 1825, held a levee in one ofits parlors. The room is still usedas a parlor, and remains today inessentially the same condition thatit was that eventful evening."

The hotel was named after Gov.Cornelius Van Ness, whose house

stood on the site of the hotel.The Van Ness House and the

hotel across St. Paul St. were the

pillars of the tourist trade in Bur-j

. i ^

n n rJ T T U n

Main and St. Paul, then and now

lington wellinto the currentcentury. TheVan Ness' sister hotel wasknown rst as

the American House and then asthe Hotel Vermont. For many

years both establishments wereowned by U.A. Woodbury. Thebuilding which housed the sisterhotel is still standing and currentlyhouses some of the highest pricedapartments in Burlington.

Both hotels maintained a senseof character and elegance that setsthem apart from the austere andempty pretention of today's Radis-son. Here is a description of therooms in the Van Ness from an1890 pamphlet Attractions in andAbout Burlington: "Rooms arelarge and airy, many being en suite[one room leading to another],with several ne parlors." Therooms were "supplied with awealth of piazza." A 1932 pamphlet describe a "glass enclosedroof garden with an outdoor promenade." Anyone who has had themisforutne of staying at the Radis-son will know that the Van Nesswas in another league.

The Van Ness came down in1951. In the 1950's the presentheadquarters of the Howard Bankwas built. The Howard was therst in a chain of banks whichopened up modem headquartersoff of Church St. Many banksmoved after land adjacent todowntown became available afterthe Urban Renewal bulldozer ofthe 1960's leveled an entire neighborhood. Vermont National, Chittenden, and most recently Bank

of Vermont have built headquarters in a similar cold, faceless, corporate style of architecture.

Compare the Bank of Vermont'sold headquarters (inside and out)at the comer of College and St.Paul to its new headquarters inCorporate Plaza a block north.(We can't take much solace in thefact that the bank's new parking lotwas funded by you and methrough federal HUD money.)

Eugene Resnick11


12/12

AgendaWard n Neighborhood

Assembly MeetingThurs. Sept. 27,1990

7:00, H.O. Wheeler School7:00 Announcements , ca l lTor^mt^ fa^ i tMorand keeper of the notes.

7:15 Reports on Old Business1. H.O. Wheeler School street construction/follow-

up on special 9/12/90 meeting.2. All NPA waterfront meeting follow-up.3. Archibald and N. Winooski area zoning chang

e s

7:30 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)p r o c e s s .

Update on number of applications for Ward IIfunds and further discussion about the process ofawarding the funds.

7:45 Ward 11 position on the Greyhound strike.

8:05 Ward n position on 1991 Reggaefest

8:25 Late evening noise in our neighborhoods: Isthere anything we can do to prevent it?

8:45 Plan for next NPA meeting; talk about ideas fornext issue of Ward II Voice.

Waterfront NPA Meetingcontinued from page 1

the plan as elegant. People also mentionedthat a linear feel to the park was expectedbecause it is a long straight piece of land.

The meeting began differentiy than traditional NPA meetings where city administrators present plans, and then the publiccomments on them. The rst part of thismeeting consisted of citizens giving theirvisions and ideas for what the park shouldlook like. This was followed by presentations by CEDO and by the Department ofPublic Works, questions from the publicand nally discussion and a series of closevotes on resolutions.

The resolutions failed to reveal a clearcut stance. A resolution condemning thepresent plan and one accepting the plan "asis" both failed. The rst resolution criticized the process used to develop the plan,its formal, manicured design, and its com-plentarity with dense development and gen-trication.lt was defeated, 33 to 37. Thethird resolution accepted the plan as is, andadvised the Planning Commission to incorporate the meeting's suggestions. It failedin another close vote.

The body did vote in favor of three resolutions. The second resolution of the eve

ning urged the Parks and Recreation Dept.not to make any decisions on the sculpture's in the proposed sculpture garden un

til a public process reviews the pieces. Thefourth resolution opposed erecting a plaqueto Central Vermont Railway in the park,which was part of the agreement betweenthe City and the Railway. The nal resolution empowered the steering committees ofthe city's six NPAs to organize another ci-tywide Assembly to discuss the entire waterfront conceptual plan.

Ward n Voice67 North Union StBurlington, VT. 05401

ward ii voice - vol 1, no 8

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