The South Burlington City Council has approved using $250,000 of federal relief money to staff three city positions that have gone unfilled for the past seven years.
The funds will go toward the salaries of a city planner, a parks laborer and hybrid deputy finance and benefits administrator. The positions will be funded entirely through the American Rescue Plan Act this current fiscal year, which began on July 1. Over the succeeding five years, the salaries will be supplemented by revenue from the general fund, which will begin covering them entirely in 2027.
So far, South Burlington has received $1.8 million under ARPA, a Biden administration program that Congress passed in March to help the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
At Monday’s session, the council also: approved a license for the Old Post Pub to provide outdoor music; allocated $11,000 of seed money to the Trinity Educational Center for an after-school program; signed on to a letter approving a plan by Summit Properties to build two affordable and mixed-income housing complexes in the city; and finalized a climate change resolution, which the council plans to approve Friday in conjunction with the grand opening of the community’s new City Hall and Public Library building on Market Street.
Old Post Pub outdoor music license
The proposal for an outdoor music license at the Old Post Pub, located on Queen City Park Road, generated the most discussion at Monday’s session.
Some nearby residents expressed concern about the prospect of loud music throughout the week. However, pub owner Kim Rouille sought to quell those worries, emphasizing that she had communicated with her neighbors and planned to limit the music to certain nights and hours.
Following those assurances, the council approved a license for music at the Old Post three days a week with a 10 p.m. cutoff on weekend nights and 9 p.m. on weeknights.
Affordable housing
Councilors had a lengthy discussion about a request by Summit Properties that the council write a letter to the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, endorsing the for-profit company’s plans to build two affordable housing complexes at O’Brien Farms.
Summit CEO Tom Getz said the letter would be essential in obtaining tax credits from the state board so the firm can move forward with the project.
Overall, the project would provide 94 housing units — 79 affordable and 15 market rate. Twenty-eight units would be available to people earning less than 60% of area average income; 33 would be set aside for those earning less than 30%; and the 18 remaining would become part of a housing partnership with the Committee on Temporary Shelter. For those remaining units, COTS would provide low rental rates and access to services related to mental health and substance disorder.
Getz, who attended the meeting on Zoom, said he hopes to break ground next April and have the buildings ready for move-in by June 2023.
City Manager Jessie Baker encouraged the council to back the endorsement letter, and the council voted to approve it, although some members expressed concern over the project’s carbon footprint. Baker pointed to her former work with Summit Properties while in her previous role as Winooski city manager.
Summit is the developer of Pines Senior Living in South Burlington, the Residences at Great Cedars in Winooski, and 95 North Ave. apartments in Burlington, among many others in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Climate change resolution
Though the council clearly supports a proposed climate change resolution, it deferred action Monday so it could be adopted at Friday’s grand opening of the new City Hall and library on Market Street.
Broadly, the resolution vows that South Burlington will join the state and other communities in the Vermont Climate Pledge Coalition and work to meet or exceed obligations under the Paris Agreement on climate change, which the U.S. rejoined in February. Under President Trump, the U.S. had withdrawn from the accord.
The resolution is aimed at reducing carbon emissions and directs the city to work with the state to combat climate change and to encourage community participation.
“This issue is so important to many of our community members and I think it’s worth our time,” said Councilor Thomas Chittenden, who also is a Democratic state senator.
Under the resolution, Paul Connor, the city’s director of planning and zoning and its chief sustainability officer, would report annually on how the municipality is progressing with its sustainability initiatives.
“It’s always good to measure exactly where we are, if we’re making progress and if we’re meeting our goals,” said Councilor Meaghan Emery.
Trinity Center funds
The council awarded the Trinity Education Center $11,000 of seed money to finance a drop-in center and after-school program that would be largely free for youth ages 12-19.
Trinity is a nonprofit that outlines its mission as providing youth and young adults a “safe, inclusive, educational, and empowering space.” The group’s business plan says the new “INFINITE center” would stay open late on Fridays and Saturdays to offer cultural events, poetry and comedy performances.
