Category Archives: Economic Development

Saving money in Vermont… neighborhood group purchases

Posted on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by • 3 comments

Need to pinch pennies in this tight economy?  Who doesn’t!

We’ve seen plenty of neighbors chasing lower prices by pulling together through Front Porch Forum to form group purchases.  In Huntington, it’s propane.  Other neighborhoods in Essex, South Burlington, Burlington, and Richmond have aggregated their purchasing power to get better deals on driveway paving, trash hauling, fuel oil, house painting, tree trimming, snow removal and more.  From today’s Huntington FPF…

There was a group of folks last year who got this going, and we took advantage.  Thank you to the folks who organized it… It was with Suburban Propane.  Phone: 864-9821  Call them and ask for Tina.  Tell her you want to be part of the Front Porch Forum group plan, and I think it was about $2.67/gal last year based on our small consumption (<500 gal/yr).  This was compared to over $4/gal…

VBSR Networking Get-Together Jan. 27 in Burlington

Posted on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 by • No comments yet

Front Porch Forum is glad to be co-sponsoring this upcoming Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility event.  Looking forward to seeing lots of folks there.

VBSR Networking Get-Together
Date: Wednesday Jan 27th, 2010
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: Magnolia Bistro
Address: One Lawson Lane, Burlington, VT 05401
Cost: FREE and open to the public
To Register: Please RSVP to info@vbsr.org or call 802-862-8347; RSVPs appreciated, but walk-ins also welcome
For More Info: Call 802-862-8347 or email info@vbsr.org

“Sales were terrific and in no small part thanks to…”

Posted on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 by • No comments yet

Glad to hear of this recent success from Harold in Burlington’s Old North End…

I advertised my pottery sale on Front Porch Forum and had a tremendous response. Lots and lots of neighbors showed up and told me they saw it on FPF.  Sales were terrific and in no small part thanks to Front Porch Forum.

Two-thirds of Vermont on Broadband; Most of State wants Fiber

Posted on Monday, March 30, 2009 by • 1 comment

According to new study from the UVM Center for Rural Studies, 66% of Vermont households surveyed report having high speed internet access.  About 79% said that broadband was available where they lived.

Overall nearly 82% of polled households have an Internet connection. Of connected households, 18% had dial-up, 24% had a cable modem, 42% had DSL, nearly 7% had satellite Internet, 6% had a wireless Internet service, and 3% had fiber-optic or some other service. Generally anything faster than dial-up is considered to be broadband, although speeds may vary.

Lots more detail in the survey results… e.g., 73% of “respondents were in favor of an effort exclusively in fiber-optic infrastructure.”

Economic hardship revealed

Posted on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by • No comments yet

A Front Porch Forum member in Richmond asked his neighbors if anyone was in need of his used minivan…

Thanks to all who responded. New Inquiries will not be considered. Between freecycle… and… Front Porch Forum, about ten people wrote to encourage me to donate to Good News Garage, which I had considered and chosen not to do, and about 15 folks or families have expressed interest in taking the van. In the way of need, several stories were redolent of hardship, and I do not wish to add more empathy strain than I now have. Several people wrote with thanks for making the offer, and one wrote to thank me, without wanting to receive it. Some stories were wrenching, and overall this is an interesting momentary adventure.

FPF saving people $200/month?!?!

Posted on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 by • No comments yet

People in Huntington know how to get organized!  A person there posted on Front Porch Forum a question about propane prices… the heating fuel choice of many.  Well, one thing led to another — research, discussion, wheeling and dealing — and voila!  From Linda tonight…

The day I talked to Tina at Suburban she was calling this the Front Porch Forum Group Buy. She had already talked to 24 people from Huntington. This change is going to save us over $200 a month (!) in the Winter season. Shows you the power of communicating with your neighbors. We’re lucky to have FPF as a resource. Thank you to everyone who chimed in and made calls on this subject. If you think you’re paying too much for fuel, you probably are & I recommend the switch.

Stimulus for digital bridges

Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 by • No comments yet

Steven Clift today calls for federal stimulus dollars for Front Porch Forum-like projects across the country… to the tune of $900 million.  Go Steve!

A bridge is infrastructure designed to connect people to each other for social and economic growth. Digital bridges can do the same for a fraction of the cost.

Across the United States, a quiet revolution is connecting some local people to one another online. Let’s make it most people. Americans are using technology to:

• Create electronic block clubs to deter crime and keep their children safer.

• Establish online neighborhood and community forums, blogs, and social networks that promote community problem-solving, support for local small business and are beginning to be used for mutual benefit and support during these difficult economic times.

• Promote reuse of goods and materials through open exchange primarily at a regional level.

• Promote awareness of volunteer opportunities in local community and non-profit groups.

• Connect the public to local government services through e-mail newsletters, customized alert services, and other online systems.

Using FPF to reward good service

Posted on Monday, December 22, 2008 by • No comments yet

Myra Mathis-Flynn reported a story from Front Porch Forum today for the Burlington Free Press…

Michigan family quickly learns the Vermont way
By Myra Mathis-Flynn
Burlington Free Press
December 22, 2008

Much can happen in the process of a move, but when Patrick and Juliet Halladay decided to pack up their three kids and move from Michigan to Burlington, they did not anticipate someone almost losing a finger.

When Juliet Halladay was hired as a professor in the University of Vermont’s Elementary Education program, the family packed its belongings for the trip East. During the moving process, the Halladay’s couch dropped onto Juliet’s finger. The appendage was spared only because of her engagement ring, which took the brunt of the impact. As a result, the ring was a wreck.

Patrick Halladay ventured onto the Church Street Marketplace to find a local store to fix his wife’s ring. Enter Lippa’s Jewelers.

“This is a Christmas of some fiscal austerity,” Patrick Halladay said. “I decided to spend a bit of money to get the ring reshaped and thought that I would like to use someone local. I stopped at Lippa’s because it looked local. They said bring it in, it will be $20.”

When Jeff Berger, owner of Lippa’s came back, he told Halladay he owed nothing for the repair, and to have a happy holiday. Halladay immediately posted a story on the gesture on his neighborhood, Front Porch Forum so others could hear of the good deed.

“What really surprised me is that I have never been to the store; I’m not a regular; he had no idea who I was,” Halladay said. “It made me feel positively inclined to not have a good deed be unrewarded. It’s consistent to what we have found here in Burlington, people have a human aspect of doing business, which is a smart outlook.”

“These are things, you do them because you can,” Berger said. “Sure it’s my time and my expertise, but you just do them. I grew up in this business and one of the things I remember my grandfather telling me: ‘If you do something good for a client, they tell 10 people, something bad and they tell 100.’ They are acts of kindness. It takes a little bit of time sometimes, but that’s OK.”

Eleven years ago, Patrick Halladay proposed to Juliet with that ring on her birthday, Dec. 29. He will give her the repaired ring as a gift on their anniversary.

Lippa’s Jewelers is located at 112 Church St., or call 862-1042.

About Blog

Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more

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