Relate to Your Tourists
Thanks to Pomerleau Real Estate, the Church Street Marketplace and Alliance Françoise of the Lake Champlain Region, you can communiate better with your French speaking visitors for only $50.
ISSUES
BBA Advocacy Update FEB 2012
We are less than 30 days out from the March 6th Burlington mayoral election. Based on news headlines such as "Wright would replace CEDO head" in the Burlington Free Press, it looks like a new mayor won't be the only change in the city this spring. The BBA is continuing to follow the key issues that are a part of our 2012 Strategic Plan:
Candidates Admit Mistakes
In a Burlington Free Press online debate on February 9, mayoral candidates discussed their different management styles and how they have worked to fix mistakes they’ve made while being in leadership position.
Weinberger and Wright both described themselves as “tough” and “fair” while Hines noted that she is a hands-on manager, but one who recognizes the skills that employees have to offer. Each candidate also discussed that City Hall needs to be a place of accountability.
Along those lines, candidates were asked to refer an example of a mistake made in their career. Weinberger discussed an oversight error during an economic downturn that cost his company jobs and money, while Hines talked about becoming negatively engaged with an executive director from the Vermont Food Bank and Wright mentioned his decision to call the police to a city council meeting.
Listen to the candidates explain how they corrected their mistakes here.
As Election Day draws nearer candidates will have at least 6 more chances to debate each other and discuss their qualifications, including two more live-streamed Burlington Free Press debates on the 14th and 29th.
(Photo from Burlington Free Press Live-stream)
Parking abounds in Burlington
Did you know that there nearly 9,000 parking spaces in Burlington?
Even when Burlington is at its busiest, there are still over 1180 available parking spaces downtown...
Burlington Planned?
Last week, over 300 people stopped into 1 Cherry Street to visit the home base of and participate in the planBTV Charrette. Throughout the week, businesses and citizens weighed in on the changes they would like to see occur in the Queen City. The charrette was the culminating effort to finish Phase II of planBTV – Downtown and Waterfront. The comprehensive planning project, which began last winter, wants “to identify, understand, and address current barriers to the creation of new infill development.”
TruexCullins has a Busy January
TruexCullins seems to be in the news quite a bit lately. From contract awards, to new hires, to personal announcements/achievements, it's hard to read a local news source without picking up on some of the buzz.
BBA to Hold Safety and Security Summit
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On Thursday, March 8 the BBA will hold their annual Safety and Security Summit at the Burlington Police Station.
This year the BBA and the BPD, in partnership with the Church Street Marketplace plan to discuss a number of different issues concerning safety, security and the overall experience in Burlington. Join us at 7:30 AM to hear from
During the event, which is free for members and includes breakfast from City Markets, participants will be able to learn about, provide feedback and voice concerns about the following issues:
While this is just a preliminary agenda, you can help set the tone and direction of the meeting by taking our Safety and Security Survey.
Click here to take the survey and give us your thoughts on the downtown experience.
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Burlington Bears Its Art for Cots
During 2010's tourist season, visitors to the Burlington area enjoyed a creative outdoor art exhibit featuring nearly 40 painted cows dotting the region. This coming May, Citizens Bank, The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, Church Street Marketplace and The Burlington Business Association are at it again. This time around, these organizers won’t be putting cows on display, but bears.
No Tax Increase on Ballot
On Monday, January 25, City Council rejected a proposal by Mayor Bob Kiss to place a property tax increase on the March ballot. According the Burlington Free Press, the tax proposal would have raised about $700,000 to support the police and fire departments.
Sculpture by Kat Clear
BBA Advocacy Update Jan 2012
Its a new year and with upcoming elections and on-going Burlington Business Association initiatives, it is a an exciting time to be involved in Burlington politics. The BBA is continuing to follow the key issues that are a part of our 2012 Strategic Plan:
- The Mayoral Race
- City Hall Park Revitalization
- Exploring a Downtown Business Improvement District
- Safety and Security in the Downtown.
Read about BBA advocacy in each of these areas.
BBA Hosts First Mayoral Debate of 2012
BBA Holds Mayoral Debate
Mayoral candidates Miro Weinberger and Kurt Wright kicked off the campaign season at the 10th Annual BBA Business Summit at Champlain College on January 5, 2012.Nearly 200 people registered for the event which featured the first debate between the two candidates and a networking breakfast, which the candidates also attended.
During the debate, Wright and Weinberger faced questions from all sides...
UPDATE: Kiss Vetoes Smoking Ban
Four days after City Council narrowly voted in favor of implementing a Downtown Smoking Ordinance, Mayor Bob Kiss vetoed the ordinance, calling it "bad public policy."
Coast to Coast: Best of Burlington Reaches San Francisco
Burlington businesses are always looking for different ways to spread the word out about the great things this region offers to residents, students and/or visitors. With that in mind, eighty businesses recently donated items to the BBA’s Best of Burlington on-line auction.
The auction, which ran from November 11 to December 12 on biddingforgood.com, generated quite a buzz, due in part to the promotion efforts of the BBA, who ran ads for the auction on the WCAX and Burlington Free Press websites and sent out over 5000 auction emails.
All told, between people following, watching or bidding on items, the action had 412 active users who placed 663 bids on 109 items. After the bidding was complete, there were 80 winners from three cities in Canada and five states in the U.S., including eight winners from Massachusetts and a lady from San Francisco who won a stay in a Burlington hotel! In Vermont alone, 28 different zip codes were represented by bidders.
“We view the auction as a success,” said BBA Executive Director Kelly Devine. “Our goal was to get the word out about the great things in Burlington and 77% of our bids came from outside of the city.” Devine also said that restaurant gift certificates, hotel rooms and entertainment tickets were among the best sellers. “People will have to come to Burlington to redeem those items. We could be seeing the benefits of the auction for quite some time.”
planBTV Seeks Input
The City of Burlington is in Phase II of planBTV – Downtown and Waterfront. This comprehensive planning project, which began this past winter, seeks “to identify, understand, and address current barriers to the creation of new infill development.” With that in mind, the organizers of the project have created several ways for the public to interact with the planning process and share their ideas.
In addition to holding an art contest and offering a chance to win $50 by completing a survey, project planners are also holding a number of events that the public can participate in this January. The next community meeting will take place on January 19 at 7:00 p.m. Maura Colling of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency will speak at the Williston Town Hall about two recent housing studies.
The contests and community meetings will culminate in the planBTV Design Charrette. This is a week-long, intense participatory process where all members of the community work directly with a multidisciplinary design team, including town planners, architects and engineers, to define a collective vision for the future and create the final plan for the Downtown and Waterfront. The Charette will use the old Ann Taylor storefront (1 Church Street) as a headquarters from January 24-30. For a full list of the weeks events, check out the planBTV website.
BEFORE YOU GO: Get up to date on some of the research that has been done on downtown recently. Watch David White, Director of Planning and Zoning, talk about future parking and the Downtown/Waterfront plan. Also, you can see Tripp Muldrow, a retail market consultant, explain the results of a zip code analysis.
“International” Flights Begin
In October, Porter Airlines announced they would offer twice weekly flights between Toronto and Burlington. They named December 15 as the first day the shuttle service would begin and they held true to that commitment as the first flight landed on its scheduled day and time in Burlington on Thursday.
The Burlington Free Press reported that four different ski resorts have helped pay to market the flights and are offering special packages for passengers. Porter has committed to run the service through April of 2012, but their President and CEO said he may consider adding more flights to the schedule because the flights have been well received by both cities. Over half of the tickets for the season’s flights have already sold and while Thursday’s inaugural flight into Burlington was a mix of people associated with the partnership, the return flight was scheduled to take off with several Vermonters.
Santa? Is that you?
If you were out and about on December 4 and thought you saw several Santas run past you, you weren’t going crazy. Over 1,500 people registered for and participated in the Inaugural RiRa Santa 5K Run and Walk, according the Burlington Free Press.
For $30, each participant was given a Santa suite, a medal, and admission to an authentic Irish breakfast prepared, donated and served by RiRa after the event. The fundraising event raised over $1,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont.
The race started and finished on Church Street in downtown Burlington. Organizers hope next year's event will draw 2,000 participants.
2012 Mayoral Race: Triple Caucus
Sunday, December 11 was a busy day for the three major political parties in Burlington, as each held its 2012 Mayoral Candidate Caucus.
Region continues to earn recognition
On December 6, 2011 America’s Health Rankings released their annual report which had Vermont at the top of their list as the healthiest state in America.
The report comes on the heels of some impressive honors for the region over the past year...
BBA Pop-Up Surprises in More Ways Than One
The Burlington Business Association held its Annual Holiday Social on December 1, 2011 with a bit of a twist. “out of the blue” was marketed as a 'pop-up' event, which is an event that takes a vacant space and converts and repurposes it for a very short period time.
During the evening, nearly 150 guests were surprised by the event's location and an announcement by JL Reality.
BBA Executive Director Featured in Business People Vermont
“This woman makes the term ‘high-energy’ seem wimpy.” -BPV
Kelly Devine, Executive Director of Burlington Business Assocation, was featured in (and graced the cover of) the December issue of Business People Vermont. The feature article, which spans the first three pages of the publication, offers an history of the BBA, from how it started to where it is going. It also gives readers some inside information about Kelly’s personal life and the journey she took to become the Executive Director of the BBA.
Said Kelly of the experience, “I am honored be featured in Business People Vermont. They are a great publication and I had a lot of fun being interviewed and talking about the BBA.”
The issue hit the stands on December 6, 2011.
City to Consider Reduced Downtown Speed Limits
UPDATE: City IMPLEMENTS Reduced Downtown Speed Limits
In October, Burlington announced that the city-wide speed limit would change from 30 to 25 mph in late November. It turns out that "late November" was an apt timeline as the law officially went into place today, the last day of November.
Click "read more" to read the story first published in October, complete with a detailed account of roads that are exempt from this new law. You can also read the Burlington Free Press story to see why Kelly Devine, Executive Director of the Burlington Business Association, advocated for the the speed limit reduction, but not for an additional lowering of speed limits to 20 mph in the downtown core.
2012 Mayoral Race Update
Burlington’s mayor since 2006 will not seek reelection.
On Wednesday morning, November 30, Mayor Bob Kiss made that announcement on the Charlie + Ernie + Lisa Show on WVMT Radio. The announcement comes less than two weeks from the scheduled Progressive Party’s Caucus which will be held on December 11. The Democrats will also hold their caucus that day.
Winners of each party caucus will be invited to attend the BBA Business Summit, January 5 at Champlain College, to participate in a mayoral debate focused around business in Burlington.
Schirling to Legislators: “we’ve had the worst year in history.”
Burlington Police Chief Michael Schirling discussed Burlington’s growing crime problem on a recent visit to Montpelier, noting that “we’ve had the worst year in history.” According to vtdigger.org, Schirling spoke about some of the issues at the Joint Corrections Oversight Committee at the Statehouse on November 28.
BBA Advocacy Update Nov 2011
The Burlington Business Association: The Voice of Business in Burlington
This month we are continuing to follow key issues that impact economic vitality. Of course the issue most in the news and on many minds is the Mayoral Race. The journey to select a democratic candidate has made for interesting reading while it still awaits a conclusion. The following issues were on the top of the BBA's Advocacy list for November:
- Smoking Ban Proposed in Downtown District
- City Hall Park Occupation
- Mayoral Race
- Street Repaving Project
BPD Receives Major Recognition
The City of Burlington Police Department (BPD) announced yesterday, November 14, that it has recently received major recognition.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has awarded the BPD the 2011 IACP Civil Rights Award as well as the Excellence in Victim Services Award.
Additionally, BPD announced that they, in partnership with the HowardCenter, were a semi-finalist for the Webber-Seavey Quality in Law Enforcement Award for the Street Outreach Interventionist Program.
2012 Mayoral Race: Democratic Caucus Update
And the 2012 Democratic candidate for Mayor of Burlington IS…going be to declared at a later date. On Sunday, November 13, the third round of voting at the Democratic Caucus resulted in a tie between Tim Ashe and Miro Weinberger. Jason Lorber and Bram Kranichfeld dropped out of the race after the first and second rounds, respectively.
The caucus lasted over 6 hours Sunday by the time a recount was conducted to confirm the tie. The Burlington Free Press reported on November 17th that the caucus will be resumed on December 11 at 1:00 pm and will be open to those who voted in Sunday's caucus.
Once the Democratic representative is selected, they will be invited to the 2012 BBA Annual Business Summit for a Mayoral Debate highlighting the Burlington business climate and each candidate's plan to support economic vitality in Burlington. The Summit is scheduled for January 5th at 7:30 a.m. at Champlain College.
“Occupy” Comes to an End in BTV
After taking a "wait and see" approach, it seems the city of Burlington has seen enough.
Campers in City Hall Park were asked on November 14 to take down their tents and vacate the park after 18 days of occupation.
BTV Featured on “Outside Television”
Outside Today is in the midst of compiling and ranking their list of the country’s Best Towns. This week they discussed BTV on “Outside Television,” a program featured on their website.
It’s easy to see how Burlington is in the running for this ranking, as the criteria Outside Today is looking at includes the combination of culture, scenery and access to the outside.
During the brief show, which you can watch here, the hosts noted that Burlington has been “a stand out town over the years.” They also noted some of the things that make BTV as great as including cheese-making, biking, farming and access to skiing and Lake Champlain.
Said one resident of BTV, “Why do I Iove Burlington? How much time do you have?”
Check out our facebook page to comment on the show!
Help needed for city hall park planning
Help us improve City Hall Park!
For the past two years, the BBA has focused its attention on working with the city to make improvements to City Hall Park. Recently the BBA partnered with Burlington City Arts and others to procure a $50,000 “Our Town” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Now, the first steps in utilizing those funds are underway. A Facebook page, Imagine City Hall Park, keeps people updated about park happenings and outlines a detailed list of objectives that BCA and its partners hope to accomplish. “Our goal is to bring back a balance to city park… and to create greater comfort and security for all,” the website states.
One of the 6 objectives is engaging citizens in meaningful dialog about the park. Do this, the BCA and its partners are asking for input from the citizens of Burlington. They want to know what you love about City Hall Park and what changes you would like to see made.
To help in this important beginning step, take a brief survey here.
Opportunities and Challenges at Burlington Airport
Over the past few weeks, the Burlington International has been in the news several times. As a key player in Burlington's economy and tourism industry, it's strength remains important.
- The airport has announced that it is adding direct, seasonal flights to Toronto. Flights will be offered twice a week from December through April and are expected to provide major boosts to the city's tourism and economy.
- Burlington City Council has decided that it will take a “Wait and See” approach towards paying South Burlington $205,000 for airport services over the last two years. Mayor Kiss and South Burlington City Manager Sandy Miller have agreed on contract negotiations, but the Burlington’s City Council voted to ask for a complete report from the Airport Commission to be provided early to mid November, according to the Burlington Free Press
- The same bill of $205,000 for “fees and services” is now also being investigated by the Federal Aviation Association. Airport managers have reported that they have received bids to have parking garage management services completed for less than they are currently paying. It is against FAA regulations to over-pay for services.
- Recently, the airport reported that it had no less than eight "bird related instances" in October. The number of strikes have been attributed to increasing flocks of birds around the airport which is attributed to compost piles opening and closing in the area, as well as the flooding of near by feilds.
The BBA will be following the developments of these stories, so stay tuned.
More on Toronto, the FAA Inquiry and Birds
Promote Your Business, Sponsor a BBA Program in 2012
As winter approaches, thoughts are shifting towards 2012 and the possibilities a new year holds. With that in mind, the BBA would like to announce that it is accepting sponsorships for 5 major events in 2012.
- BBA Business Summit - Our Annual In-Depth Program (175 to 200 attendees)
- Annual Dinner - Our Premier Event with Dinner and Awards (425+ attendees)
- BBA Booth - Vermont Business & Industry EXPO (3,000 attendees and 200 exhibitors)
- Summer Social - Our Casual "End of Summer" Networking Event (125-150 attendees)
- Holiday Social - Our Seasonal Networking Event (125-175 attendees)
Sponsoring a BBA event is a great way to promote your organization, gain recognition and align your business with the Voice of Business in Burlington.
BBA Advocacy Update Oct 24, 2011
The Burlington Business Association: The Voice of Business in Burlington
Several issues recently in the news or before the Burlington City Council have the potential for impacting our downtown business community. Over the past few days, I have been working to learn more about these issues so that I can help keep you informed. Here is the list of issues that I are currently on the top of the BBA's Advocacy list. Click on any of the issues to learn more about the background of the issue. A summary of the BBA's advocacy plan for each appears with the read more link.
Tom Leavitt, Merchants Bank, Doreen Kraft, BCA; Mari Steinbach, Dir Park & Rec; Joe Reinert, Mayor's office; and Kelly Devine
BBA Helps Burlington win $50K Grant for City Hall Park
For the past two years, the BBA has focused its attention on working with the city to make improvements to City Hall Park.
This summer, Burlington City Arts (BCA) announced that it will receive a $50,000 Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). One of only 51 grants awarded nationwide. the grant will be used to develop an inspired and functional master plan for City Hall Park, a green space at the heart of Burlington’s economic and civic life.
The grant is part of a new NEA initiative called Our Town, which aims to bring together "partners from the public and private sectors to strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city or region around arts and cultural activities."
BCA's partners include the City Hall Task Force, the Burlington Business Association, the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Merchants Bank, Preservation Trust of Vermont, King Street Center and the city of Burlington, as well as landscape architects David Raphael of Landworks in Middlebury and Jeffrey Hodgson of the H. Keith Wagner Partnership in Burlington.
Vt. infrastructure damages could pass $500 million
The price tag for damage to Vermont's infrastructure will range between $300 and $500 million, VT Secretary of Transportation Brian Searles announced at a press conference Tuesday.
The Associated Press reported that, "Fixing the infrastructure carnage left by Tropical Storm Irene will cost between $300 million to $500 million, Vermont's transportation secretary told lawmakers Tuesday, giving the first public estimates of the cost of repairing dozens of bridges, roads and culverts wrecked in flooding."
That's not counting the damage to municipal roads, which Transportation Secretary Brian Searles told lawmakers will also be "huge."
Burlington businesses offer advice on marketing in the new media world
Burlington Business Association event draws over 100 local businesses together to tackle the challenges of marketing in today's media world.
Burlington area business owners learned how to demystify modern marketing practices at a Burlington Business Association workshop, held at the Ethan Allen Center on July 14. The topic, “Marketing in the New Media World: The Best of the Old with the New,” addressed the changes in today’s communications landscape. The event focused on how to integrate modern and traditional marketing in a successful promotional campaign. Several guest presenters spoke about specific marketing strategies and challenges that face today’s business owners.
The BBA will hold a follow-up event to allow members to continue the conversation. Panelists from the Media workshop will gather with attendees and BBA members on August 16th at 8:00 a.m. at August First restaurant. Register for this Event.
Burlington Voters Approve SmartGrid Bond Vote
By a 60/40 margin, Burlington voters approved a $7.5 Burlington Electric Department (BED) bond to fund the implementation of SmartGrid technology. The bond allows BED to raise the necessary funds to match federal funding for the project.
Smart Grid systems, linked by fiber-optic cable and wireless sensors, are expected to save money through automated, preventive diagnoses of wear and tear — and by allowing businesses and homes to profit from lower, off-peak rates, according to a Burlington Free Press report.
Burlington Councilors Want Free Parking — All the Time
According to a story posted by Shay Totten in the Seven Day's Blurt, Burlington City Councilors are looking for some help doing their jobs from the city they serve, in the form of free parking.
Shay Totten writes. "Burlington's city councilors may argue about any number of critical issues facing the city, but there is one thing they agree on: Free parking for themselves."
2011 Waterfront Map Highlights Waterfront Events
The BBA's Waterfront Action Group (WAG) has once again released their annual waterfront map.
BBA Names Board Members for 2011
The Burlington Business Association has named 19 members to its board of directors for 2011. Those selected to the BBA Board represent a range of business leaders and professionals from the Burlington Business Community.