Category Archives: Burlington

Voices for the Lake Brainstorming Forums

Posted on Monday, October 22, 2007 by No comments yet

This is a compelling program and Front Porch Forum will participate…

Voices for the Lake Brainstorming Forums

-Tuesday, Oct. 30th – 9:30 to 2:30 @ ECHO
-Monday, Nov. 12th – 9:30 to 2:30 @ ECHO
-Saturday, Nov. 17th – 9:30 to 2:30 @ Champlain College’s Hauke Family Campus Center

600,000 people CAN make a difference!  How do you get thousands of people talking about and, more importantly, doing something for the health of Lake Champlain?  Participate in the Voices for the Lake Brainstorming Forums and help set the course for engaging the public through new Internet technologies.

-EXPLORE emergent technologies, including wikis, blogs, and serious eGames
-INTERACT with technology industry leaders from Champlain College Emergent Media Center, IBM and Google.
-VOTE ELECTRONICALLY on your forum’s strongest ideas
-COLLABORATE on stewardship-themed Internet media and ECHO exhibits, website content, and school programs
-FREE lunch and parking
-ARTICIPATE in as many forums as you can – and spread the word

Please RSVP: Steffen Parker, Voices for the Lake Facilitator: sparker@vpaonline.org / 802.864.1848×135 http://www.echovermont.org

Member Feedback :-)

Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2007 by No comments yet

Awards are great, but comments about Front Porch Forum from a member carry even more weight for me.  So when I asked one of our longest-running members, a stranger to me, for constructive feedback today after helping her with a tech question, I was left with a BIG smile on my face by her response…

I LOVE Front Porch Forum and am encouraging any neighbor who is not on it to get on it.

We advertised a plant swap at the beginning of summer – it was a great way to get rid of some stuff, get some new plants and meet great neighbors.  We’ll be doing it again in the spring.

I enjoy the school board updates, crime updates, free stuff, sponsor advertising, etc.  We meet new folks with each posting.  We’re encouraged to try Dino’s a pizza place on North Street from the recommendation of someone on the fourm.

Honestly, I have no complaints.

You’ve taken the conversations between immediate neighbors that occur across the fence and extended them blocks away.

I thank you for that and for all your (presumably thankless) work to maintain the forum.

Neighbors get organized for local utility fix

Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2007 by No comments yet

Trouble getting your local government or utility to address a problem in your neighborhood?  People are discovering the power of Front Porch Forum in this arena.  Here’s the latest example from an FPF member today in Burlington’s New North End…

I’ve been remiss and want to belatedly express my gratitude to all my Village Green Front Porch neighbors who kindly contacted Burlington Electric.  The street lamp at the end of Van Patten Parkway and Brook Drive, which was knocked down last winter, was replaced!

Nothing like a load of phone calls from one neighborhood to get a municipality or local utility to tune in and fix the problem.

Film Series focused on Community

Posted on Saturday, October 20, 2007 by 3 comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 18 October 2007

COMMUNITYMATTERS07
Growth and Character: Having It All

COMMUNITY FILM SERIES

Tuesday, October 23
7:00 – 10:00 PM
The Film House
Main Street Landing, On the Waterfront, Burlington, VT
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

BURLINGTON, VT—The Orton Family Foundation and PlaceMatters are pleased to announce our mini film series, an evening of documentaries on what it means to live, work and play in true community—and the consequences of destroying community. The event is free and open to the public.

Patrick Farrington, Director and Producer of The Champlain Street Urban Renewal Project, will tell you about making his film and answer questions from the audience. See bio below.

The Champlain Street Urban Renewal Project
Ponderosa Productions Presents a Patrick Farrington Film
Opening Theme by Stephen Harrington. Produced by Patrick Farrington and Julie Dutra Farrington. Written, Edited and Directed by Patrick Farrington
Running time: 30 minutes

Imagine being forced out of your home to make way for commercial development. It happened to families living in the Champlain Street Urban Renewal Area in the 1960s. A seemingly forgotten piece of Burlington’s past comes to life in this documentary through heartfelt interviews with former residents and individuals close to the process. Childhood memories and rare photographs tell the story of an established neighborhood that was once the heart of downtown Burlington.

Grow Up Fresh! Vermont School to Farm
Vermont FEED: Food Education Every Day
A partnership of Food Works, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT), and Shelburne Farms www.vtfeed.org
Produced by Bruce Gibbs, Betsy Rosenbluth, Cabin46Studios, 2007
Running time: 23 minutes

Vermont Feed raises school and community awareness about healthy food, Vermont farms and good nutrition. We act as a catalyst to rebuild health local food systems by cultivating links between classrooms, cafeterias, local farms and communities.

Made possible by the generous support of the Argosy Foundation, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board—Farm Viability Program, and the Center for Whole Communities.

Growing Together: Consensus Building Smart Growth and Community Change
A film by Melissa Paly, Cross Currents Productions, for the New England Environmental Finance Center. Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service. With Support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Running time: 52 minutes

Many communities are finding the issue of how to grow a divisive one. This film offers an alternative to the discord and stalemate that too often occurs over how to approach change as a community—“consensus building.” Speaking in their own words, community officials, concerned citizens and developers of smart growth and revitalization projects discuss how difficult issues can be approached collaboratively to find successful paths for change.

“An inspiring film about how communities and developers can transform can transform typically adversarial relationships into ones that enhance community character, sustainable development, and economic benefit.”
—Patrick Field, Managing Partner
The Consensus Building Institute, Inc.
Cambridge, MA

The Lost People of Mountain Village Jury Award Winner, Mountainfilm in Telluride
Written, Produced, Directed, and Edited by Neal Marlens ands Carol Black
Narrated by Christine Dunford; Director of Photography, Doug Berry; Associate Producer and Additional Photography, Jim Hurst; Sound, Stash Wislocki; Original Music, Mark Leggett; L.A. Producers, Mark Grossan and Raman Rao
Running Time: 15 minutes

Anthropologist Wade Davis calls it “no less than the most spectacular archaeological and anthropological discovery of our lifetimes.” Dr. Jerrold Sapphire, author of Vanished: Why Bad Things Happen to Bad Civilizations, calls it…well, you’ll find out what he calls it. But when a lost backcountry skier high in the Rocky Mountains stumbles on a monumental complex of structures—apparently completely uninhabited—the only thing that experts agree on is that we may never know what really happened to “The Lost People of Mountain Village.”

Patrick Farringtoin BIO: Patrick grew up in South Burlington, the son of Albert and Monica Farrington, both native Burlingtonians.

After living in Los Angeles for a couple of years he returned to Vermont and started working with the video medium in 1992. After several years of producing corporate videos and working on local television spots Patrick looked to produce a story with deeper meaning.

Events surrounding The Champlain Street Urban Renewal Project became the logical choice because there were several family connections to the renewal area. So, in 1998, to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the first home demolished, Patrick began production of his film cleverly titled “The Champlain Street Urban Renewal Project”.
____________________________________
CONTACT:
John Barstow
Director of Communications
The Orton Family Foundation
P.O. Box 111
Middlebury, VT 05753
802-388-6336
www.orton.org

Theater troupe engages audience in word-of-mouth

Posted on Saturday, October 13, 2007 by No comments yet

Mark Nash of the Vermont Stage Company wrote the following in his recent e-newsletter to theater supporters…

Spread the word!
We depend on those who have seen and loved our shows to tell their friends and families about their experience. One way you can do this s through Front Porch Forum,which connects neighbors through the Internet. Though commonly used to share news about good babysitters, lost cats, and annoying potholes that never get fixed, it’s also a place for people to share knowledge of local cultural events. Check out Front Porch Forum, join, and let your neighbors know about Vermont Stage!

We’re seeing more and more of this kind of thing as FPF becomes integrated into its pilot community.

Tire Slashing Victim Turns it Around with FPF

Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2007 by No comments yet

Carrie in Burlington’s Old North End felt as deflated as her car tires when she came outside the other day and discovered that all four had been slashed.  Enter Front Porch Forum.  She posted a note to her neighbors…

 Most regretfully, I’m writing to let you know our tires were slashed on Saturday night while our car was in our driveway. It’s one if the more unpleasant ways to spend $200.

Not sure what you should do with this information…..I hate to inspire fear. My hope is it was a random act committed in a moment of severely compromised judgment. I feel a bit better sharing it with all of you, like instant empathy.

May your lives be peaceful!

Just the opposite of inspiring fear, her posting rallied people.  She followed up today with…

thanks so much for setting up our forum. i received a bunch of very supportive and helpful e-mails in response to my message about our tires being slashed. thanks to the forum, we were connected with the parallel justice program which will pay for our new tires. good work!

For those of you keeping score at home… one bad experience poured through FPF results in… one problem solved (money for new tires), victim feeling supported by neighbors, neighbors on the lookout for vandalism, and the neighbors all feeling a little better for the experience… the sense of community a little stronger.

Bike “Borrowing” Binge Barrages Burlington

Posted on Thursday, October 4, 2007 by No comments yet

Gail writes today from the ONE West Neighborhood Forum in Burlington, VT…

I have a friend in the New North End whose back yard is right next to an entrance to the bike path.  Every weekend she ends up with several bikes of all shapes and sizes in her yard.  It seems that the new teenager thing is to “borrow” a bike to get around town, and then dump it where ever it’s convenient.  I once heard of a government program in Norway I think, with bright yellow bikes parked all over town for people to use to get around town.  This Burlington bike borrowing is the same thing, only on a criminal scale.  The police are aware – but honestly, what can they do about it?  The kids who are taking the bikes don’t think there’s anything wrong with it because they don’t keep them, just borrow them.  (Tell that to a devastated 6 year old whose bike is missing!)   I’ve also ended up with at least 7 mystery bikes left in my driveway since last May – and had a few bikes stolen from my backyard.  It’s a bit of a quandary.

FPF Members Rally for Homeless Shelter

Posted on Monday, October 1, 2007 by No comments yet

Good news from COTS (Committee on Temporary Shelter)…

Today we got lunch donated by a “Neighborhood” that was coordinated through Front Porch Forum, They made a variety of sandwiches, even brought garden fresh tomatoes separate to put on the sandwiches, AND a survey for us to fill out & let her know what worked & what didn’t – Very Awesome!!!

College kids take in refugee family; neighbors rally

Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 by No comments yet

I was moved when I read the following post by Therese on the ONE East Neighborhood Forum yesterday…

My neighbors have temporarily taken in a refugee family from Somalia who fell through the cracks during a resettlement move. The family landed in Burlington last night with only the clothes on their backs. There is a mom, dad and four kids. The boys are 2 and 5 and the girls are 8 and 10 and they are average size kids for their ages. My neighbors are college kids who have opened up their home to this family until they get into the system. Whatever vouchers, etc, that they are supposed to have….did not come through yet.

Regardless, they need some more clothes and we have done okay with the parents but need to get some children’s clothes and shoes. I gave them some stuffed animals but am sure toys would be helpful too. If you have anything in decent shape lying around that you don’t need in sizes that you think might fit these kids….would you be willing to donate it to them? We will give anything not needed or that does not fit to the Salvation Army or St. Vincent De Paul or anywhere else you might suggest that it could help people. If you have anything you want to donate please just leave it on the front porch. Thank you in advance for anything you donate. Peace to everyone!

So now today’s follow up really made my day…

When I posted last night asking for some clothes and toys for the Somalian refugee family I had no idea that people would be so incredibly generous!!! The response we received today was overwhelming. We have plenty of clothes and toys for them right now. In fact we will be bringing the extras to other refugees and to some local thrift store/charity places.

The college students who are putting them up said that the family will hopefully be moving into an apartment within a week or so and at that point they may need some more things for the house. I will post again if and when they inform me of specific items the family might need.

I wish everyone who donated things could have seen the looks on the children’s faces when we gave them the toys and clothes. Last night they were timid and scared and wearing clothes that did not fit. Tonight they were not scared, already learned some English (wow, kids can learn a language fast) and bewildered but happy. It was also important that they had some warmer clothes and now they do!!! Thanks to all of you who donated to help this family!!

In a neighborhood that has it struggles with irresponsible college students, the beautiful action taken by these UVM kids to help a family in need is wonderful. And I’m glad that their neighbors can see that through Front Porch Forum, and that so many folks are pitching in with clothes, toys, etc.

American Machine – Must See

Posted on Thursday, September 27, 2007 by No comments yet

Front Porch Forum is about people connecting with their neighbors and getting involved in their neighborhoods. That involvement ranges from organizing a blow-out block party, to watering the next door neighbor’s plants when she’s away, to just becoming aware of a spate of bicycle thefts on the street. All that tuning in adds up to a heightened sense of community within the neighborhood… a simple and powerful thing.

Which brings me to American Machine, the new play created by local artist Jim Lantz. Jim has done a rare thing… he’s written, produced, and directed this show on his own… with a great team of people around him, but not housed within some larger organization. He’s taken the creative, career AND financial risks.

In doing this, he’s offering all folks local to the Burlington area a chance to tune in and get involved in local arts and national political discourse.

It’s simple, if you want to live in a place that has this kind of creative economy coursing through it, then you need to turn out, buy tickets, and take in the play. The show is clearly an artistic success. Now it’s up to local residents to make it a financial success by filling the seats. Get tickets here (show runs through Oct. 7, 2007).

To the play… my wife and I attended tonight’s performance with friends. While Front Porch Forum is a sponsor of the play and American Machine advertised in FPF, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought it might be lean toward a heavy-handed political piece… not at all.

Simply, I was enthralled. The production grabbed my attention and kept it the whole show. The six characters, their stories and their relationships all rang true, even when the drama flared. I know I’ll be thinking of the characters for some time, wondering what comes next for them. And the political message struck me as timeless, not about policy minutia.

I look forward to discussing the play with neighbors out on the sidewalk in the coming days… lots to mull over.

One last idea for locals… post a message about American Machine on your FPF neighborhood forum… help spread the word and build local community! Here are some details.