Issue Preview
This coming week provides some important opportunities for public engagement.
The City Council 5/10/23 Meeting Agenda, alone is packed with items that should be of critical interest to Montpelier residents:
feasibility study for improvements needed to use the Barre St. Rec Center building for cold-weather overnight sheltering
Assessor update on reappraisal process
a resolution from the Montpelier Homelessness Task Force (MHTF)
regarding a needed state and regional response to the coming motel emergency housing exodus
proposed changes to an existing Ordinance addressing drinking alcoholic beverages in unlicensed places
consideration of results for Montperlier from the (2022) National Citizen Survey
City Council summer schedule.
(See below the Calendar of Events for time/place/Zoom link and Agenda Packet link for the Regular City Council Meeting)
And on May 8, alone, please consider attending one or both of these important public engagement events:
Country Club Road Site, last of 3 spring public engagement sessions 12 PM-2 PM Remote only meeting
NOTE: To date, these excellent public engagement sessions have been attended by disappointingly small numbers of mostly older residents who also attended and raised the same sorts of concerns and objections as they did in the winter sessions. The City needs to hear from a wider range of voices--- younger people, families with children, renters, people with lower- incomes, and others who might benefit enormously from the housing and recreational facilities being considered.
(See below the Calendar of Events for time/place/Zoom details for the above.)
Barriers to Benefits: Everyday Hurdles to Getting Help 6:30 PM-8:00 PM at Kellogg-Hubbard Library
Also in this issue, two requests for public input (yours), neither of which will take you more than 5 minutes and will be of enormous help.
Take the Spring 2023 Country Club Road Site Survey!
The survey itself should take you no more than 1 minute; it simply requires you to choose one of three conceptual designs that will be presented to the City Council in May. Here is the link to the survey.
However, in order to make a thoughtful choice, you should first take a few minutes to understand the difference between these three models by looking at the three concept maps and City cost estimates for each that are provided with the survey. (This could be difficult to do on the small size of a phone screen, so it would be better to do so on a computer screen.)
Please complete the PEN survey
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Calendar of Upcoming Civic Engagement Opportunities
May 8 County Club Road Project: third and final public engagement session
12 PM-2 PM Remote only meeting
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85188776794
Meeting ID: 851 8877 6794 Phone: 929-205-6099
May 8 Barriers to Benefits: Everyday Hurdles to Getting Help
6:30 PM-8:00 PM at Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Main Street, Montpelier, VT
People with low income or lacking housing face a daunting variety of impediments to seeking and obtaining assistance. Indra J. Acharya, Consultant/Integrator for THRIVE, will facilitate a discussion with several unhoused people about the difficulties they encounter on a regular basis. These include problems connected with earning too much money, having excessive savings, no transportation, and/or an inability to apply online for help. These are compounded by the fact that each assistance program has its own limits and requirements.
This presentation comes from the Montpelier Homelessness Task Force and is supported by a THRIVE – Vermont Community Health Equity Partnership grant.
To protect participants’ privacy, no recording of the event will be made.
May 10 Regular City Council Meeting
6:30 PM City Council Chambers, City Hall
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86031930516?pwd=UlJKNGoyTVlwNzYxcXQ3aDVlNFYyZz09
Meeting ID: 860 3193 0516 Passcode: 732079 One tap mobile: (301)-715-8592
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