HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Steering Committee - 11/02/2023 STEERING COMMITTEE 2 NOVEMBER 2023
The South Burlington Steering Committee held a meeting on Thursday, 2 November
2023, in Room 301,South Burlington City Hall, 180 Market Street, and via Gotomeeting
remote technology.
MEMBERS PRESENT: City Council: H. Riehle, City Council and Steering Committee Chair;T.
Barritt, A. Chalnick, L. Kupferman;J. Baker, City Manager; School Board: K. Bailey, School Board
Chair; A. McHenry, C. Tillinghast, T. Warren; V. Nichols, Superintendent of Schools
ALSO PRESENT: Chief S. Locke, Deputy City Manager; Chief S. Burke, Police Department; T.
DiPietro, Director of Public Works; T. Jarvis, School District Director of Finance; E. Fitzgerald
1. Welcome and Introductions:
Ms. Riehle welcomed members and thanked Carol McQuillen for the dinner provided by
Common Roots before the meeting.
2. Additions, deletions or changes in order of agenda items:
No changes were made to the agenda.
3. Comments & Questions from the public not related to the Agenda:
No issues were raised.
4. Minutes of Steering Committee Meeting of 10 July 2023:
Mr. Barritt moved to approve the Minutes of 10 July 2023 as written. Mr. Chalnick seconded.
Motion passed with all present voting in favor.
5. School Board Directors and City Councilors to introduce themselves and share what
brought them to service in South Burlington:
Mr. Barritt: Served on the Development Review Board and Library Board of Trustees prior to
being elected to the City Council. He decided to join the Council because of what was planned
in City Center, including Marcotte School.
Ms. Bailey: Moved to South Burlington from New York City in 2017. Graduate of St.
Michael's College. Wanted to run for the School Board because of COVID and how policies
related to health and global warming are interacting.
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Ms. Emery: A City Council members for 14 years. Raised in a very political family in Chicago.
Teaches French Literature and French Philosophy at UVM. Was active in the PTO, then on the
City Charter Committee. Serving on the City Council is one of the most rewarding things she has
done.
Mr. Warren: This is his first day on the School Board. Grew up in Milton. Has a degree in
German Studies. Served as a paraprofessional in South Burlington schools, then worked for IDX
developing training materials related to radiology technology. Began to attend School Board
meetings and decided to apply for the vacancy on the Board.
Ms.Tillinghast: Has 2 young children and an overwhelming sense of responsibility for children.
Grew up in northern Vermont, attended UVM studying microbiology.
Mr. Chalnick: Came to South Burlington in 2018. A day after he moved in, a big development
was proposed down the street from him, and he got involved. He realized there is a chance to
make a difference and make things better. Has been an attorney and an engineer.
Ms. Nichols: Shares the belief that South Burlington is an incredible place and the concern
with the future of its children. Grew up in Vergennes. Began her career teaching math in
California, Peru and Vermont.
Mr. McHenry: Attended school in South Burlington. Was on the School Board in Barre, and
when he moved back to South Burlington and an opening occurred on the School Board, he
decided to run for it.
Ms. Baker: Has served as South Burlington City Manager for 2-1/2 years. Was a foster care
social worker before starting to serve in municipal government in Massachusetts and Vermont.
She moved back to Vermont in 2011. Served as Winooski City Manager. Both of her parents
were involved in education, her mother supervising college age student teachers at both
Marcotte and Orchard Schools.
Chief Locke: Vermont native with 32 years in Professional Fire Service, 7 as Chief in Burlington
prior to becoming Chief in South Burlington. Married to an educator. Feels privileged to work
with Ms. Baker.
Mr. Kupferman: His first meeting as newly appointed Interim City Councilor. Moved to South
Burlington in 1976. Was active in Burlington prior to that. His main interests are affordable
housing and conservation. His 2 daughters went through South Burlington schools.
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Ms. Riehle: This is her twelfth year on the City Council. Worked in health care non-profits,
encouraging young people to think of health care as a career and helping health care
professionals stay in Vermont. Served in the State House and Senate and was a middle school
teacher for 10 years. Her husband encouraged her to run for an opening on the City Council
which she has enjoyed more than the Legislature because it is more immediate and more
efficient.
Chief Burke: Has served in law enforcement for 30 years, 22 of which were in Burlington. He
was hired by South Burlington in 2018. Is married to a nurse and has 2 sons. He likes local
government because you can "move the ball down the field."
P. Burke: This is his 27th year at the High School, 23 as principal. Feels very strongly about
the education that is provided to young people in South Burlington and feels students deserve
the best.
T. Jarvis: South Burlington native who now serves as Senior Director of Finance and
Operations for the School District. His father was on the first South Burlington City Council.
Noted that the city has become much more complicated since then. Served in Peace Corps in
Africa. Has spent 34 years in the finance field. Loves the city and decided this job was the next
step in his career.
T. DiPietro: Has worked for the City for 18 years, the last 2 as Director of Public Works. His
mother has been active in the PTA, his father in sports. He enjoys working with the community
and taking on a project and seeing it through to the finish.
6. Discuss shared values around community and school safety:
Mr. Chalnick said everyone wants children to be safe. He hoped the two boards could break
through some stalemates at this meeting.
Ms. Bailey thanked Mr. Chalnick for working with her on how to get on the same page. She
noted that when safety issues were raised by students, parents and staff, particularly outside
Marcotte School, a community member mentioned "complete streets" and "safe routes to
school." She then reached out to see what other communities are going and contacted Local
Motion. They have a level of expertise and coordination that South Burlington should take
advantage of. They have a "safe routes to school" task force which they facilitate and manage.
It includes crosswalks, crossing guards, and an education effort. This has budgetary
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implications. Ms. Bailey suggested that the City and School District form a task force and lean
on those experts.
Superintendent Nichols said she had a conversation with Ms. Baker, Ms. Riehle and Ms. Bailey
and said they all have the same goals and all want students to be safe. She hoped they can
continue to come together and make progress. She has also had meetings with parents who are
concerned with safety including lighting and school zones. Ms. Baker shared information
regarding the Bike/Ped Committee and Safe Routes to School.
Supt. Nichols said they are "burning through" crossing guards and need to find people trained in
traffic management. They are willing to talk about cost sharing. They are particularly looking
for this at Marcotte School. She liked the task force idea.
Mr. Kupferman raised the question of the responsibility of the people doing the building near
Marcotte School. Ms. Emery asked whether the path is still being used. Supt. Nichols said
Snyder-Braverman has been fantastic. The path varies between open and closed. Kids are going
to school different ways because a lot of sidewalk is closed during the construction. Snyder-
Braverman is concerned with the lack of control on Market Street and student safety. Ms.
Riehle asked whether Snyder-Braverman is looking to have "flaggers." Supt. Nichols said they
haven't discussed that.
Ms. Emery asked why the driveway on the west side of Marcotte isn't being used. She said if
traffic can be moved one way, it would be more comfortable. Ms. Baker said they should think
about that.
Mr. Chalnick said there are other hot spots as well. He would be happy with expense sharing.
There needs to be conversation as to who would hire, train, etc., away from the Council and
School Board.
Ms. Emery said students need to learn how to navigate crossing lights as 12 year olds, before
they start driving at 16. She explained how she trained her children to walk to school safely.
Ms. Tillinghast said that may not be representative of all parents, and some kids have to get up,
make breakfast, and leave for school on their own.
Ms. Baker said the joint task force is an exceptional idea. She felt the infrastructure is safe, but
there is a perception that it is not safe. What is on the street now will change in coming years;
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there will be a shared use path; Garden Street will be open; there will be bridge to the park. It
would be powerful to walk through those stages together.
Ms. Riehle asked about next steps. Ms. Bailey said Local Motion has worked school by school.
The last one they did was in 2012, and South Burlington has changed a lot since then. She
suggested the task force include a Council member and a School Board member. She was
willing to volunteer to represent the School Board. Supt. Nichols said Local Motion can facilitate
putting together that group. She felt that would relieve a lot of parental anxiety.
Mr. Barritt noted that some school buses are half empty and parents are driving their kids to
school. Supt. Nichols said there is a national shortage of bus drivers. They have looked at
enrollment and routes and have been able to maximize capacity of buses. There are buses at
different times of day (e.g., half-time students), and the driver shortage has made things
difficult. There are also equity issues as to who is prioritized re: getting kids to school. One bus
largely serves marginalized students, and parents can't get the kids to school if that bus is
canceled.
Ms. Emery noted that Local Motion was brought in when Market Street and Williston Road
designs were being considered. Ms. Bailey asked about Shelburne Road. Ms. Emery said that is
a State highway, and the City has no control.
Mr. Jarvis noted that of the 2600 total students, 2000 are registered to take the bus. That is
70%.
Ms. Riehle said the issues regarding Marcotte will not go on forever. She felt it makes sense to
see if the Williston Road entrance can be used. Supt. Nichols said she fully supports that. She
also felt it would help if the School district had knowledge when developments are planned so
they can troubleshoot before there are problems. Ms. Baker said the city is happy to share that
information. She added that "issue spots" will ebb and flow, and the task force can help with
that.
Supt. Nichols said it is not safe to have children crossing Shelburne Road. Mr. Barritt asked how
many 3, 4, and 5 year olds are crossing Shelburne Rd. Ms. Emery said if there are 3 year olds
crossing Shelburne Rd., the schools need to work with those families.
Ms. Riehle noted that the city is having traffic studies done so there can be school zones. That
just doesn't happen. Ms. Emery said she would favor 25 mph on a Dorset St. school zone. Mr.
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DiPietro explained the new work that is being done on Dorset Street. There will be exclusive 4-
way stopping phases. They are trying to move the engineering study done as quickly as
possible. This may require a more complex school zone, and with complexity comes cost.
Ms. Riehle said that sharing information with the PTO cold be a helpful way to educate and
change perceptions. Supt. Nichols said she was happy to work with Ms. Baker and Ms. Bailey on
shared messaging.
Mr. Barritt asked if the 4-way stop on Market Street is working. Supt. Nichols said she is hearing
good things and it is much appreciated. There are still challenges with crosswalks being
blocked. Mr. Kupferman said he felt it is up to the developer/construction people to help
provide for safety. Ms. Riehle said she thought a 4-way stop at Kennedy/Dorset Street would be
helpful.
Mr. Barritt noted that some bike/walk routes for kids are not aesthetically pleasing, and he
wouldn't want a child to have to walk down Shelburne Road.
Mr. Chalnick said he was willing to be on the Task Force. Ms. Emery suggested Nic Anderson.
Mr. DiPietro stressed working in conjunction with the Bike/Ped Committee so there are no
conflicts.
7. Discuss future community conversations the two elected bodies want to have in
the future:
Ms. Riehle noted the importance of discussing future growth plans, bonding, big cost items that
have to go to the voters.
Mr. Chalnick asked if it would be helpful to have a more predictable growth rate in the city.
Supt. Nichols said it would. She noted that Mr. Conner has had some good projections that he
has shared with them. Having a growth cap could allow planning for schools. He felt this would
be a good discussion to have. Ms. Emery noted that demographers have been wrong in the
past, so you can't know what the future will hold.
Supt. Nichols said the School district would like to partner on a Recreation Center with the city.
South Burlington schools are the eleventh most deteriorated in the State. They have been
"patching" for a long time. There could be a bond as early as FY26, and they need envisioning
work, then architectural work, and critical community engagement. They need to plan now.
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Ms. Emery asked if the focus will be to add to elementary schools. Supt. Nichols said they now
have the ZEMs which given them time at the elementary schools so they can focus on the
Middle and High Schools. If the community doesn't support moving 5th graders to the Middle
Schools, they may need an elementary school sooner.
Ms. Bailey said she envisions schools as a community resource, a place where people can go
when there is an emergency. She thought there should be "true shared ownership." Ms. Riehle
said there is a City Emergency Plan that includes the schools.
Ms. Emery noted schools in Europe are adding heat pumps, insulation, etc., for$7,000,000, and
they are net zero afterwards. She stressed that there are solutions out there and hoped they
can have that conversation. Supt. Nichols said they were happy to do that.
8. Other Business:
No other business was presented.
As there was no further business to come before the Steering Committee, Mr. Barritt moved to
adjourn. Ms. Bailey seconded. Motion passed with all present voting in favor. The meeting
adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
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