Planning

From Melinda Moulton:

Ann Pugh is an American Politician who served in the Vermont House of Representatives since 1993 and recently retired her seat in 2023. Rep. Pugh was lead sponsor on Act 47, a 2019 law that codified the right to abortion in Vermont. She began her work as a social worker and for 26 years was a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at UVM. Ann was the Chair of the House Committee on Human Services in the Legislature. She was selected as a Toll Fellow, a council of State Governments that is recognized nationally for its leadership and development programs for state officials.  

From the Business & Workforce Development Office:

A new kiosk made its way to Burlington’s City Hall Park from Brooklyn, New York earlier this summer. The food and beverage kiosk, designed by RENZ + OEI and operated by Sherpa Foods - Himalayan D’Lite, originally included in the design for the reconstruction of City Hall Park in 2020 concluded this month. A grand opening celebration will take place on Wednesday, August 14th at 12 noon in City Hall Park. Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and other project partners will be in attendance.

From FreeHer VT:

We are calling on community members to join us on Monday August 12 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM in Burlington for a noise demonstration calling on local architects to drop out of designing a new women's prison in Vermont!

In these times of suffering, the state should be extremely cautious about how they allocate community resources. Yet, there has been no indication of postponing or canceling the upcoming women’s prison project, which is currently estimated to cost over $70 million. In fact, the Department of Corrections plans to announce the site of the new women’s prison before the end of the summer! In response, FreeHer is preparing to take action so please stay tuned and be ready to plug in!

The first step we are taking is to urge the subcontractor, Freeman French Freeman, to drop the contract! FFF is the local architectural firm contracted to design the women's prison. They have been unresponsive to our communications and requests for meetings, so we are going to make some noise outside of their office in Burlington!

Join us to pressure Freeman French Freeman to DROP THE CONTRACT.

We will be protesting outside Freeman French Freeman on August 12th from 11am-1pm, the local architectural firm contracted to design the new prison, to urge them to withdraw from the project. We will have speakers, music, activities, and more. Please bring pots, pans, instruments, or any noise makers you'd like. 

For more information visit: www.freehercampaign.org/vermont

For more information on the Essex Planning Commission and their current procedures and meeting dates, please visit essex.org/425/Planning-Commission.