Good Morning, Burlington!

In the minutes between my getting the Buzz out (late) yesterday and moving on to other work, an announcement came out of the Select Board office that the vote on whether or not to provide a letter of support for the Winn View Heights II development was postponed “due to unforeseen circumstances.” The vote is now scheduled to take place at the next Select Board meeting, July 17, 2023.

What did happen at last night’s Select Board meeting?

• New flood plain maps from FEMA were discussed. The conversation is not a public one currently, but there will be a public discussion period soon. There are likely to be changed in both directions—properties moved both into and out of flood zones.

• The police department is getting a new drone with much enhanced capabilities. These can be used for all kinds of purposes and are invaluable resources for not only police investigations but also for the fire department to find hot spots, etc.

• The Collins Center presented their final recommendations from the Communications Audit they’ve been working on with the town. Here is a summary of their recommendations, but for more details watch the meeting starting at about 30 minutes.

  • Elevate Communication as a Core Priority, including by creating an Office of Communications and providing training and resources for effective communication

  • Improve Effectiveness of Town Communications, including the website, partnering with community groups, providing video content, measuring success, and more

  • Solidify Internal Communications by getting out of departmental silos and creating a town-wide unified voice, including guidelines, policies, etc. that can be universally applied

  • Improve Resident Engagement by anticipating community inquiries and fostering two-way communication

  The Board will review the entire report and hopefully begin discussing and implementing these recommendations soon!

A couple of other things to take note of:

• Weather permitting, the Recreation Department Family Concert Series kicks off today with The Continentals. The show begins at 6:30.
• Next Tuesday marks our town’s annual Fourth of July parade, which begins at the Presbyterian Church at 335 Cambridge Street and goes down Cambridge and Winn Streets toward the American Legion. This is always a fun time; hopefully the weather cooperates!

Today in Burlington

Meetings and Events

• 10:30 AM - Cookies with a Cop (Library event; Register)
• 6:30 PM - Family Concert on the Common - The Continentals (weather permitting)
• 7:00 PM - Board of Health will review some permits for keeping of animals, for animals at food service establishments, and more. (Town Hall and Virtual)

That’s all I’ve got for you today; tune in tomorrow for some notes from tonight’s School Committee meeting. Have a great day!

Nicci