Burlington | Ghost of Midnight

Turning the tables on porch thieves

Posted on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 by Michael • No comments yet

#BTV #VT – Good news/bad news in Burlington’s Old North End. First the bad… judging by the many recent Front Porch Forum postings, a string of yard and porch thefts is running block by block. Some of this stealing doesn’t amount to much, but other cases are hitting folks where it hurts. From Gloria…

I don’t have dogs or cats – or young kids – I live in a tiny little condo and get flowers in the Spring instead of spending money on Christmas gifts. My flowers are what I pour great love into. I love tending to them and how they make the neighborhood shine. Last night I lost six hanging baskets and a potted red phlox with a fragrance so sweet it could make you float. I had the police here this morning and the damage was so significant – financially and otherwise – I have taken some measures. Will be doing more. (We cried most of the day as it was a huge loss…)… One of the stolen hanging baskets was a rare kind – most fuschia are the “dark eyes” variety… A few days back I had Irises taken out of the ground in my front garden…

And from Gretchen…

Saturday night my husband and I were awakened at 2:30 by our dog barking. My husband ran downstairs to find our gate open and the zero gravity chair my family had gotten me for my Birthday was gone from our yard. We tried to chase down whoever was responsible (we were only minutes behind someone carrying a large chair) but we were unsuccessful. Things like this cut very deep into our community and leave us feeling vulnerable and sad. I like to trust my neighbors and I constantly wax poetic about the Old North End and the people who live here, but this puts a little chink in my armor. So if you happen to see someone who has newly acquired a lovely tan zero gravity lounge chair with a cup holder no less and they seem a little shady, please let me know, I would love to have my Momma chair back.

In the face of this trust-killing behavior neighbors are rallying. Some good news arrived today via FPF from Gloria again…

Today, just as I was about to begin a phone session with a client, an angel, dressed as a woman from Vermont, drove up to my home, got out of her car, and gifted me with an amazing, full, in-bloom fuschia hanging basket. I had never seen this person before in the 12 years I lived here, yet I was reduced to tears in a nanosecond and hugged her. She had heard of our losses from the other night and brought this beautiful plant to us to help us to know there is still good in people in world. She had a chair stolen (the same night the block was hit) that her family bought as a gift to her, and yet she came with this gift for us.

I want to express how much this gesture meant to us – and apparently to the hummingbirds in the area! Over the past few days we have been trying to replace/redo what was stolen…

Thank you for your beautiful heart, your generosity and please, please let me know if I can ever do anything for you. May God bless you and your family.

Burlington community engagement survey results

Posted on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 by Michael • 5 comments

#BTV #VT – Burlington’s Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) just released the results of a new survey that shows that “sense of community” is highly valued by Burlington citizens. About 44% liked their neighborhood because of friendly neighbors and a strong sense of community. And 10% said that an even stronger sense of community would improve their neighborhood more.

The average respondent (588 total) uses Front Porch Forum, is an English-speaking homeowner age 30 to 60, lives with one other adult and no children, works full-time, and has an annual household income greater than $50,000.

Some other tidbits…

Q: How did you find out about your Neighborhood Planning Assembly?
38% Front Porch Forum
22% Word of mouth
5% Newspaper
35% Other

Q: What do you like about your neighborhood?
52% Proximity to amenities
44% Friendly neighbors/strong sense of community
Lots of other options

Q: What would you change about your neighborhood?
13% Less traffic and speeding
11% Nothing
10% More connection to neighbors
Lots of other options

Q: Are you subscribed to Front Porch Forum?
93% Yes

Q: Which (other) social media do you use?
92% Email
69% Facebook
33% YouTube
21% Twitter
17% Google+
4% None
1% LinkedIn
Several others listed

Q: How did you find out about survey?
69% Front Porch Forum
10% CEDO e-newsletter
4% NPA
4% Friend/co-worker
3% Facebook
2% email
2% Bulletin board
1% Twitter
1% Service provider
0.2% Business

Q: Languages spoken in household?
99% English
6% French
4% Spanish
16 other languages selected by respondents

Q: Rent or own your housing?
30% Rent
70% Own

Q: Number of adults (18 or older) living in household?
20% 1
66% 2
9% 3
3% 4
1% 5
0.4% 6-7

Q: Children under 18 in household?
68% 0
14% 1
14% 2
2% 3
1% 4

Q: Your age?
1% Under 18
18% 18-29
34% 30-44
32% 45-61
13% 62-74
3% 75 and over

Q: Your employment?
58% Work full-time
16% Work part-time
11% Retired
5% Student full-time
4% Unemployed
2% Self-employed
1% Disabled
1% More than 1 job
1% Attending school and working
1% Stay-at-home parent
0.4% Student part-time
0.2% Sabbatical

Q: Your annual household income?
13% Less than $20,000
12% $20,000 to $30,000
10% $30,000 to $40,000
10% $40,000 to $50,000
14% $50,000 to $65,000
9% $65,000 to $80,000
15% $80,000 to $100,000
15% More than $100,000

Vermont Wildlife

Posted on Saturday, May 26, 2012 by Michael • 1 comment

#VT – Front Porch Forum is choke full of unusual wildlife sightings this weekend…

Mama bear and cubs in the South End of Burlington
Porcupine near Five Corners in Essex Junction
Loads of hummingbirds all over
And turtles on the roads near Lake Iroquois, including this note just posted by Kathleen…

I moved a little turtle today, too, about the size of a baseball. She and I worked together, with the help of an envelope I had, to encourage her to move. I was surprised by the noise her feet made when she literally RAN to the side of the road. I had no idea that turtles could RUN. They can.

Neighbor to the rescue!

Posted on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 by Michael • No comments yet

#BTV #VT – Posted by Peggy yesterday on Front Porch Forum to her nearby nieghbors…

Hi All… I left my tennis racquet at the Perley Collins Sports Center in St. Albans and wonder if anyone who travels between the Burlington area and St. Albans might be able to bring it down to The Edge Club at Farrell St in So. Burlington? A $10 delivery tip is included! Thanks!

And today she followed up with…

Thanks so very much to Marcia for stopping in St. Albans to get my tennis racquet and returning it right to my door in Burlington. So very kind and very much appreciated!

Thanks to Front Porch Forum as well… thanks for another successful connection… a really great community networking service.

Portland Press Herald looks at Vermont innovations

Posted on Monday, May 14, 2012 by Michael • No comments yet

#BTV #VT – From Charles Lawton in yesterday’s Portland Press Herald…

… Two election cycles ago, Howard Dean introduced us to the financial aspect of this [e-government] revolution by showing how Internet-savvy political appeals could mobilize institutionally unconnected individuals into an effective donation and voting bloc.

Since then, Internet appeals and social media have become basic tools of political campaigns.

Another Vermont innovation — Front Porch Forum — has brought the same technological capability to what used to be the town meeting, the pancake breakfast and the church bean supper. It is a virtual meeting place for neighbors to share ideas on topics as mundane as a lost cat and as controversial as ATV trails and town charters. To judge by its glowing testimonials and rapid spread to towns across the Green Mountain state, it has been a great success.

Much is simply an expression of neighborliness — the loan of a sump pump, a reference to a native French speaker, thanks for a bigger-than-average turnout for church bingo.

But other testimonials speak to the forum’s value in building community — “I look forward to reading it every night. I’m not a Facebook fan but I LOVE Front Porch Forum.” And still other comments illustrate its value as a well-utilized source for varying but always respectful, never ranting, opinions on hot-button public issues.

In this last respect, the FPF represents e-government as a reflection not of a more efficient bureaucracy but of a more involved citizenry. And that is its greatest contribution and the one we ought to seek to promote here in Maine.

Neighbors pulling together to face illegal drug use on street

Posted on Monday, May 14, 2012 by Michael • No comments yet

#BT #VT – Most Front Porch Forum postings are simple matters of locating a babysitter or lost dog, selling a bike, or hitching a ride to Boston. We get lots of bear/moose/skunk/etc. sightings too.

Increasingly people use FPF to tackle some of the tougher challenges faced by their communities… street crime, school and town budgets, disaster recovery… and currently in Burlington, illegal drug use…

Hello Neighbors – Over the last few months, everyone in our household and that of our downstairs neighbors’ (and landlord’s) had noticed certain vehicles consistently parking on the quiet side street next to our house, and just sitting there for a long time. Of course, this sort of thing makes you wary, but we had not seen or experienced anything overtly suspicious or criminal until yesterday, when I found two used needles and bloodied alcohol swabs discarded curbside, right next to our house…

Last night, after dark, a cherry red car with a loud muffler pulled up to the same spot and sat. Our downstairs neighbor noticed this, and after a few minutes walked out to have a look/be a presence. The car quickly pulled away, turned around and took off toward North Ave. Sure enough, another pair of used needles and dirty swabs were found on the street. We called the cops, and an officer was sent over to have a look; we described the vehicle to him, and he collected one of the syringes. His idea is that people are buying on North St and then pulling back into our relatively quiet, not-much-patrolled neighborhood to shoot up.

Needless to say, this is disturbing and disheartening, and we’re hoping to help bring a stop to it ASAP. Be aware of stopped vehicles lingering at the curbside in your neighborhood, and be very careful to watch out for discarded needles, especially for the sake of children in your area (“luckily”, the needles that we have found have bright orange plastic components and are easy to spot; also, the idiot users have been thoughtful enough to cap them before dumping). Obviously, direct confrontation is not encouraged, but notice patterns and take down license plates of repeat visitors. And, of course, be very careful and wear gloves when cleaning up after these losers (the cops will come to pick them up if you’re not comfortable doing it, but they do not want them as evidence unless they are still loaded).

Be careful out there, and teach your kids the same!

20th Annual Letter Carrier Food Drive May 12

Posted on Friday, May 11, 2012 by Michael • No comments yet

#BTV #VT – This posting is the making the rounds on Front Porch Forum…

Hello all – are you ready for our 20th annual letter carrier food drive? Participation is very easy! This Saturday, May 12, please place your non-perishable food donation in or near your mailbox. Your letter carrier will pick up the food during regular mail delivery. All donations go to your local food shelf. …And yes, we are strong, so load us up!

Your donations are needed more than ever as an increasing number of hard-working Vermont families rely on food assistance. 1 out of 7 Vermont households are food insecure. Families of children who usually receive free school lunches will strongly depend on donations from the food shelf during summer months.

One can make(s) a difference!!!

Thank you,

Sandra Sonntag
National Association of Letter Carriers
Food Drive Coordinator

More hits than from Google…

Posted on Thursday, May 10, 2012 by Michael • No comments yet

#VT – Gotta love it! Click local! From a new FPF advertiser today…

We are getting more hits to our website from Front Porch Forum than from Google at this point!

Learn more and contact FPF to get your ads running in Vermont.

Missing link in community building…

Posted on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 by Michael • No comments yet

#BTV #VT – Over the past couple days, we’ve heard tremendous feedback about Front Porch Forum from people across dozens of Vermont towns. First at the NetSquared MeetUp about social media’s role in Burlington 2012 mayoral campaigns, then yesterday at the big e-Vermont conference. Wow! It’s incredibly energizing to listen to how FPF is perceived and put to use by community organizers, entrepreneurs, public officials, local media, students, small businesses, everyday folks, et al.

Here’s an example from a new steering committee member of a Burlington Neighborhood Planning Assembly…

My impetus to get involved with my community stems from my childhood in Montpelier where I knew my neighbors and neighbors all helped each other. FPF has been the missing link in community building for my adult life.