Burlington Downtown & Waterfront Plan

05/25/2021

Congratulations to our former and returning colleague Brian Pine as he takes the helm at CEDO!! We look forward to working with him again!

CEDO is excited to share the great news that the City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Brian Pine as the new Director of the Community & Economic Development Office (CEDO) yesterday evening! Brian brings decades of community development experience to the role, including 18 years as the Assistant Director for Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization in CEDO. He also worked as a Senior Consultant at the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC) and started his own consulting firm, Pine Consulting, to assist nonprofit and public sector organizations with project planning, financing and development. Pine has also served as a Ward 3 City Councilor from 1991-1995 and was elected again in 2018.

“Brian Pine is the right person to lead CEDO at this challenging and promising time,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “He is uniquely qualified, and has a proven dedication to City of Burlington…. I have every confidence in Brian’s ability to lead this important work.”

“Serving the community that has been my home for 40 years is a real honor. For me, there is no higher calling than public service in terms of making a positive difference in the community, and I look forward to joining the Mayor and his team with that goal in mind. I am grateful for the opportunity to rejoin the CEDO team in support of the mission to engage the community in finding solutions to achieve our collective vision for an equitable, safe, and truly inclusive City with real opportunities for all.”

The CEDO team is excited for this new chapter of CEDO leadership and looks forward to the projects ahead!

04/19/2021

Just like they say - “last set, best set!!” Everyone step up / we got this!

Find information about getting your COVID-19 vaccine.

02/25/2021

Get tested - not based on how you feel but where you’ve been and done that may have exposed you to the virus. If we all pull together we will all stay safe and healthy.

Between Burlington and Winooski, there are more than 6,000 open appointments to get tested for Covid-19 between now and March 7!

Getting tested allows you to know if you have the virus so that you can protect yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbors. Please consider taking advantage of the free and available testing resources in our community if you have attended any small gatherings, traveled, or are experiencing any symptoms (even mild ones).

We are seeing higher case growth in Chittenden County, and in Burlington and Winooski specifically. And while we are making good progress in distributing the vaccine, there is still a long way to go. We need to make a final push to hold case growth down -- and getting tested for Covid-19 is an important part of how we do that.

Free testing is available seven days a week at sites in Burlington and Winooski. Learn more about Covid-19 testing locations in our area: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/covid-19/testing

(Photo of Mayor Weinberger at a Covid-19 test site over the summer),

02/12/2021

The City's Wastewater Monitoring Program has detected mutations associated with the Covid-19 variant that first originated in the U.K. We anticipated that this would happen, and this information is not cause for alarm, but it is an alert for Burlingtonians to exercise extra caution. Learn more: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/Press/city-of-burlington%E2%80%99s-wastewater-monitoring-program-has-detected%C2%A0mutations%C2%A0associated-with%C2%A0a

“By identifying this early, while there appear to be very low levels of the new variant, we have an opportunity to heighten our vigilance and slow the spread of this more contagious form of the virus in the weeks ahead," said Mayor Miro Weinberger. "It is now more important than ever that Burlingtonians practice the public health strategies that have served us so well over the last year."

It is estimated that the B.1.1.7 variant spreads 30 to 40 percent more quickly than the strain of Covid-19 that is currently prevalent in the community. If the variant is now present in Burlington, this means that it will be even more important for Burlington residents to be vigilant in implementing all of the tactics that we have learned over the past 11 months. These include:

> Sharing this news with friends and neighbors so that everyone is aware that this is a period of higher risk, and can make decisions accordingly.
> Continuing to avoid gathering with other households and following State guidance.
> Wearing high-quality face coverings that are well-fitted to reduce gaps around the face and have two or more layers.
> Getting a test for Covid-19 if you have any symptoms, have traveled, or have attended a social gathering.
> Getting a vaccine for Covid-19 if you are eligible, and reaching out to family and neighbors to make sure that those who are eligible have the information and assistance that they need to register.

Learn more about this news: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/Press/city-of-burlington%E2%80%99s-wastewater-monitoring-program-has-detected%C2%A0mutations%C2%A0associated-with%C2%A0a

12/16/2020

Thanks to all of our planBTV Downtown followers over the years! We've enjoyed using this platform to keep you in the loop on the creation of the plan, and work being done in the City to implement it!

We also used our planBTV South End page for similar updates.

In the New Year, we'll be merging our social media presence into one planBTV-Office of City Planning page! You shouldn't have to do anything to continue following our updates, but if you want to get a head start following the new page, like and follow Planbtv- Office of City Planning!

12/10/2020

12/10/2020

Recently, the Burlington Country Club stated that it was going to restrict public access to its grounds during the winter months. I was disappointed to hear this, especially because during the pandemic, outdoor activity and access to open space is vital. I thought the action was out of step with the coordinated and collaborative efforts that so many Burlington and Vermont institutions have taken to support public health during the pandemic.

Accordingly, I met on Monday with the President of the Board and General Manager of the Burlington Country Club. I listened to the Club's concerns and decision-making process about public access and then expressed my strong views that they should immediately revert back to the former policy of not restricting the public use of their grounds in the winter. On Tuesday, the Burlington Country Club took action to remove the ‘No Trespassing’ signs by the end of the week, and agreed not to prohibit public access to their grounds this winter in support of public health during the Covid-19 pandemic.

I’m appreciative of all of the Burlingtonians who raised this concern with my office. Thank you to Ward 6 City Councilor Karen Paul, who has been working for months with neighbors and the Club leadership to allow residents to access the grounds in the winter. Thank you to Joan Shannon City Councilor for her advocacy for public access as well. And lastly, thank you to the Board of the Burlington Country Club for their willingness to quickly reconsider this change. I recognize that Burlington Country Club has concerns about the use and treatment of their property and remind all Burlingtonians that if they access that property they should treat it respectfully, be mindful of any areas that are roped off, and avoid damaging this winter outdoor resource.

- Miro

https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/Press/statement-regarding-winter-access-for-the-public-to-the-grounds-of-the-burlington-country-club

(Photo of Oakledge Park today)

12/06/2020

Neighbors,

This is a challenging time. We are all fatigued from living in the Covid-19 pandemic for almost nine months, and yet our vigilance is needed more than ever as cases are surging to record levels throughout the country. Right here in our community, we are grappling with another tragic outbreak at a long-term care facility in the New North End, and the economic pain that accompanies this crisis is again worsening.

There are three important things I want to share with you today: 1) This is a critical time for us to come together and bring our case growth back under control , 2) There are many new testing resources in our community that I encourage people to consider using (and more we are trying to help bring online soon), and 3) Though the weeks ahead may be tough ones, the vaccine coming means that there’s a light at the end of this tunnel – and we are going to get through this and be stronger on the other side.

First, I want to share all of our current information about how critical this moment is. We’re now a little more than one week out from the Thanksgiving holiday, and we know that this is a time of high risk for our community. One imperfect, but important, metric that we have for the prevalence of the virus in Burlington is our program that monitors our three wastewater treatments plants for markers of the virus. We got our first readings from this program since Thanksgiving back this week, and they show a major increase – which indicates significantly higher prevalence of the virus in Burlington.

So what are we going to do about it? We know a lot more about this virus than we did in the spring, and the information that we have from the State’s contact tracers tells us that the virus is spreading through private social gatherings and long-term care facilities across the State. That means that the critical way to slow the spread of the virus is for everyone – all of us – to change our typical behaviors and stop gathering with friends and family outside of our household. These casual social settings, where people are close together for extended periods of time and without face coverings, are one of the reasons the virus spread rapidly in Vermont in November. It is clear that the great majority of the community has heard and responded to the call to stop these gatherings – this is not easy, and I am so grateful to all those who are making sacrifices to keep our community safe.

The other thing that we can do about it is to expand testing availability and utilization so that we can identify, trace, and contain positive cases of the virus. Please consider getting tested if you have gathered with others outside of your household over the last week. There are now multiple ways to get tested:
> 405 Pine Street: Free tests every day from noon-8:00 pm through December. More than 250 tests per day. Register on the Department of Health website.
> 294 N Winooski: Free pop-up testing on Friday, Dec. 11 and Friday, Dec. 18. Register on Department of Health website in coming days.
> UVM students and staff: UVM will be continuing to offer free weekly testing to all UVM students, faculty, and staff who remain in Burlington during their winter break.
> Other: Other testing is available at Garnet Health at the Airport, at many pharmacies, and at other State testing locations in surrounding communities. Please note that some of these additional locations may have a charge and insurance reimbursement may vary. See details on Department of Health website: https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/testing/where-get-tested. The City also is supporting efforts to bring even more testing options online in our area in the coming weeks.

Even as the public health crisis of this pandemic remains my top priority, I also am gravely concerned about the economic crisis that has disrupted the lives and livelihoods of so many. I will continue to call for the new round of federal aid that is critically necessary, and the City is deploying all of the resources that we can – and particularly to BIPOC-owned businesses to ensure that our recovery is equitable and racially just. I also want to encourage Burlingtonians to meaningfully contribute to our local recovery by seeking out local businesses for safe shopping and dining options. Burlington businesses have used the last nine months to transform their offerings and expand alternatives to in-person shopping, and many of them now offer takeout, curbside pickup, and home delivery. Learn more about local offerings at the new website built by the City and local business: www.loveburlington.org.

Lastly, I want to share some hope. Though the weeks ahead may be tough ones, we also have a lot going for us right now. First, thanks to our collective efforts to date, we are entering this surge with lower case numbers than almost any other community of our size in the country. Second, unlike many medical centers around the country, our hospital has capacity and is still in a strong position (hear more about this from Dr. Stephen Leffler on my briefing this week). And third, we know that the vaccine is coming. This pandemic won’t last forever – but we need to come together for a final push to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors.

Warmly,
Miro

Sign up to receive updates like this by email: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/mayor/mayorsupdates
Follow local updates on Covid-19 on the City website: www.burlingtonvt.gov/covid-19

12/04/2020

The City's latest Covid-19 wastewater readings are back, and they show a major increase -- indicating significantly higher prevalence of the virus in Burlington.

“The days matter in our response to this pandemic,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “That’s why we’re releasing these initial readings from our wastewater monitoring program today. I hope that all Burlingtonians will look at this graph and see what I see: a call to action. We must remember that it’s in our collective power to bring this surge back down. We need everyone to cease social gatherings outside of your household and to get tested if you have participated in a social gathering over the last week.”

Wastewater surveillance for Covid-19 is a leading indicator, and increased levels of Covid-19 RNA can show up in wastewater monitoring up to seven days earlier than testing results.

It is important to note that the readings are based on only one sampling at each of the City’s three wastewater treatment plants after Thanksgiving. Additional sampling will be conducted in coming days to confirm the readings. However, given the potential consequence of the elevated levels that the readings show and the fact that all three plants are indicating the same significant upward trend, the City is sharing this information now.

“Though these numbers suggest that the weeks ahead may be tough ones, the vaccine coming means that there’s a light at the end of this tunnel," said Mayor Weinberger. “This pandemic won’t last forever – but we need to come together for a final push to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors.”

Learn more on the City website: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/Press/mayor-miro-weinberger-announces-findings-from-first-covid-19-wastewater-monitoring-reading

12/01/2020

Learn about when to get tested, and where to go for testing.