II. Save the Date for CEDO’s Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service & Celebration

III. GospelFest

IV. IMANI/New Alpha Dinner

V. Peace & Justice Center Celebrates 30 years

VI. The Climate Action Project Update: Recommendations and feedback welcomed & encouraged!

VII. Neighborhood Planning Assembly Survey – There is still time!

VIII. Statement & Invitation to the Community – Community Policing Re-Assessment Process Meeting Information

IX. Save for Retirement – Save for Your Child’s Education – And Still Get Food Stamps!

X. FREE Lead Dust and Soil Sampling

XI. BURLINGTON WINTER FARMERS MARKET

XII. City Positions Available

XIII. Neighborhood Calendar

* * * * * * NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ * * * * * * * *

I. PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION CEREMONY TO BE BROADCAST AT CITY HALL

Burlington, VT – January 16, 2009. The City of Burlington will broadcast the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony in Contois Auditorium on January 20, open to the public. The broadcast will begin at Contois at 10:30 am. The swearing-in of President-elect Obama is scheduled to start at 11:30 am, followed by the Inaugural Address. The broadcast will be closed-captioned, in addition to audio.

The entire schedule is as follows, with on-site events starting at 10 am:

Musical Selections

The United States Marine Band

The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus

Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein

Invocation

Dr. Rick Warren, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA

Musical Selection

Aretha Franklin

Oath of Office Administered to Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. By Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, The Honorable John Paul Stevens

Musical Selection, John Williams, composer/arranger

Itzhak Perlman (Violin), Yo-Yo Ma (Cello), Gabriela Montero (Piano), Anthony McGill (Clarinet)

Oath of Office Administered to President-elect Barack H. Obama By the Chief Justice of the United States, The Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.

Inaugural Address

The President of the United States, The Honorable Barack H. Obama

Poem

Elizabeth Alexander

Benediction

The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery

The National Anthem

The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters”

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II. Save the Date for CEDO’s Annual Martin Luther King Day of Service & Celebration

The Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) AmeriCorps*VISTA Team will host the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service & Celebration on Monday, January 19, 2009. CEDO cordially invites community members to join us as we honor Dr. King with inspirational speakers, community projects at area non-profits and enjoy a free community dinner and celebration for all. Event organizers are also seeking service project sites, and businesses to sponsor the evening’s community meal by providing cash or in-kind donations. This is a growing tradition calling Martin Luther King Day to be a “day on, not a day off” for Burlington residents.

On Monday, January 19, the King federal holiday, family, friends, community members and fellow VISTAs will gather from 12pm until 7pm to honor the life and teachings of one of our country’s greatest civil rights activists, Dr. King. The day will open with at City Hall’s Contois Auditorium, 149 Church St., Burlington where fellow community members will choose service projects and spend the afternoon helping at various sites. Participation in these service activities help celebrate and commemorate the life of service led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. All ages are welcome; feel free to stay for a few hours or the whole day! Participants should contact Annie Reinhart for more information at 701-430-9430 or areinhart@ci.burlington.vt.us.

Earlier this month, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced that President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden and their families will participate in service on the King Holiday in the Washington, D.C. area. We also anticipate that the President-elect will urge Americans to serve on the King Holiday. This involvement from President-elect Obama, which continues a tradition started by former President Clinton and continued by President Bush, will add significant momentum to what was already shaping up to be the largest King Day ever. We urge Vermonters to spend the day in service and community in honor of a man that spent his whole life serving others.

“Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve.” Martin Luther King Jr.

The tentative schedule for Monday January 19 is:

1:00pm Sign Ups for Community Service Projects, please wear suitable work attire

Contois Auditorium, Burlington City Hall

1:30 – 4:30 Community Service Projects, at sites around Burlington and neighboring communities

5 pm Keynote speaker- Oliver Barkley, local activist and comedian

Contois Auditorium, Burlington City Hall

6 – 7 pm Free Community Dinner and Celebration, with Urban Flava Step Team and Very Merry Theatre

Contois Auditorium, Burlington City Hall

A list of community service projects will be finalized and distributed shortly. Sign-ups for projects will take place in the Contois Auditorium at 1pm.

Last year’s project sites included:

The Turning Point Center of Chittenden County

Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program

ECHO Lake & Aquarium

Winooski Family Center

VEIC Change a light Winooski

VEIC Change a light Burlington

VNA Family Room

Flyering in Burlington Neighborhoods

Operation Snow Shovel

Bike Recycle Vermont

Welcome Baby Program

Riverside Housing Area

Franklin Square Apartments

Humane Society of Chittenden County

Joseph’s House

C.O.T.S.

The service project will be one of hundreds of activities held in states and cities nationwide to honor the legacy of Dr. King. In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, directing the King Center and the Corporation for National and Community Service to carry out a day of service reflecting Dr. King’s life and teachings. Please join this commemoration of Dr. King’s Life and Legacy in Burlington.

CEDO’s Center for Community and Neighborhoods (C-CAN) is home to a broad spectrum of programs that improve our city through community participation and citizen action. CCAN works to engage residents in partnership with the public and private sector. We work together to shape municipal plans, allocate resources, respond to crime, resolve conflict, and improve neighborhoods. Each year over 4,000 citizens are involved in innovative activities from study circles on racism to neighborhood planning and problem solving, from graffiti removal to restorative justice panels, and in a variety of community improvement projects.

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III. GospelFest

Come and shake off the winter blues and enjoy some of Vermont’s finest musical talents which include the New Alpha Missionary Baptist Church Choir, the New Alpha Children’s Choir, and the Burlington Ecumenical Gospel Choir!

GospelFest, Sunday, February 15, 5pm, The Flynn Center, Burlington, adults $15, children $10. Tickets available at the Flynn Box Office, 802-863-5966, www.flynncenter.org.

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IV. IMANI/New Alpha Dinner

IMANI/New Alpha Dinner: January 24 from 6pm – 8pm

Take a break from cooking and eat a homemade Southern dinner!

Menu includes: BBQ or fried chicken, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread.

$10/plate Delivery available as well!

To order your plate, please call IMANI at: 864-2631 or New Alpha Baptist at: 879-0076

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V. Peace & Justice Center Celebrates 30 years

On January 30th, the Peace & Justice Center will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary at 7pm, City Hall, Burlington. We will have 30 cakes, some speakers and the Starline Rhythym Boys! Free/donations appreciated. We will have a parade of the 30 cakes down Church St at noon that day. We could use some more volunteers who would like to bake a cake and/or carry one in the parade. Contact Anise at 863-2345 x6.

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VI. The Climate Action Project Update: Recommendations and feedback welcomed & encouraged!

The Climate Action Plan update team – composed of dozens of residents, business leaders, non-profit representatives, city staff and others – wants to hear from you! Since September, this team of 8 working groups has collected over a 100 ideas and recommendations on how to reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Please take a moment to review this initial work and weigh in with your own ideas, feedback or recommendations by visiting http://www.cedo.ci.burlington.vt.us/legacy/cap.html . The success of the final product depends on broad citizen input and participation – so thank you for your time and input!

For additional information on the Climate Action Plan, please contact Sandrine Thibault, Comprehensive City Planner, at sthibault@ci.burlington.vt.us (tel: 865-7193), or Jennifer Green, co-coordinator of the Burlington Legacy Project at jgreen@ci.burlington.vt.us (tel: 865-7532).

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VII. Neighborhood Planning Assembly Survey – There is still time!

Burlington’s Neighborhood Planning Assemblies are looking for help from you! Please take 5 minutes to complete this Neighborhood PLanning Assembly Report Card:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=PwTNBtkSkp3ZHYDdFDt42g_3d_3d

Thanks,

Your NPA Steering Committees, Staff and City Council

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VIII. Statement & Invitation to the Community – Community Policing Re-Assessment Process Meeting Information

The Burlington Police Department has provided law enforcement services to the Queen City since 1865. Since 1999 we have operated using community policing as our primary methodology. Described succinctly, community policing is a model of community safety in which all members of a community play a role in ensuring a safe, healthy, and self-reliant city.

The role of the police department, in addition to providing emergency response and criminal investigation (key parts of traditional policing), is to foster and facilitate community engagement and partnerships, and to be a foundational player in problem solving initiatives community-wide.

As we approach 2009 and the ten-year anniversary of our contemporary community policing efforts, we believe it is time to assess what strategies have been successful, which require improvement, and what lies ahead for Burlington’s community policing efforts. To that end, with the assistance of an Advisory Board made up of seven representatives from around the City, we have designed a community engagement process that will be deployed in January and February of 2009.

The primary goals of this process are three-fold. First, we hope to have an opportunity to discuss the future of policing with a sizable number of Burlington residents and businesses. Next, working from a list of ideas about future partnerships, initiatives, and programs we seek to gain the community’s assistance in refining and prioritizing these ideas. Finally, working from the discussions and the ideas we present, we will solicit new ideas from throughout the Burlington community.

To obtain meaningful feedback during this process, we will use a variety of strategies, including public forums, focus groups, and surveys. Meetings are to be held:

January 19 at 6pm

Burlington Police Department

1North Avenue

(Central location)

January 28 at 6pm

Greek Orthodox Church

600 South Willard Street

(South location)

February 2 at 6pm

Heineburg Senior Center

Heineburg Road

(North location)

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IX. Save for Retirement – Save for Your Child’s Education – And Still Get Food Stamps!

Food Stamp Rules Have Changed

In the past many people could not get food stamps because they had too much savings. Now you can have retirement and education savings accounts and still get the help you need, even if you have been denied before.

The Food Stamp Program is an important federal nutrition program that helps make sure people have enough food to be active and healthy. Households that participate can also receive other benefits like free school meals for your children and phone bill assistance!

For a food stamp application, call 1-800-287-0589 or visit www.vermontfoodhelp.com. For help with your application, dial 2-1-1, free from anywhere in Vermont, and ask to be connected to your nearest Community Action Agency.

If you are a senior, call the Senior Helpline at 1-800-642-5119.

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X. FREE Lead Dust and Soil Sampling

Imagine a free service where a technician came to your home and tested for the presence of toxic lead paint dust so that you got a clear picture about the safety of your home.

FREE Lead Dust and Soil Sampling is now available through the City of Burlington’s Lead Program to all Burlington residents. This free service will help parents keep their children safe from lead poisoning by making sure you are aware of potential lead hazards.

Burlington has over 10,000 housing units with lead-based paint hazards. Take advantage of this FREE testing to keep your children safe from the life-long health, social and behavioral problems associated with lead poisoning.

For more information, or to set up an appointment please call Burlington Lead Program at 802-846-0149 or 865-LEAD (5323).

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XI. BURLINGTON WINTER FARMERS MARKET

Burlington Winter Farmers’ Market will be held the third Saturday of each month all winter, December through April (January 17, February 21, March 21, and April 18).

Fresh eggs, cheeses, wines, maple syrup, veggies and much, much more, straight from local farmers, artists, and bakers. A great place to shop for the Thanksgiving meal or get a start on holiday shopping.

For more information www.burlingtonfarmersmarket.org or info@burlingtonfarmersmarket.org.

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XII. City Positions Available

February 4, 2009

Burlington Telecom

Help Desk Technician

Full Time

$17.60/hr

February 4, 2009

Code Enforcement Office

Case Management Specialist

Full Time

$879.88/wk

January 30, 2009

Planning and Zoning

Planning and Zoning Clerk

Full Time $17.10/hr

Open

Burlington Electric Department

Distribution Engineer

Full Time

$57,390/yr – $94,083/yr

DOE

Open

Burlington Electric Department

Senior Distribution Engineer

Full Time

$62,475/yr – $102,418/yr

DOE

Open

Burlington Police Department

Police Officer**

Full Time $41,503.00 – $49,269.00/yr

DOE

For more information about these and other positions with the City of Burlington, visit: http://www.hrjobs.ci.burlington.vt.us/joblist.html

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XIII. Neighborhood Calendar

Monday, January 19

MLK Day of Service

Contois Auditorium 1pm – 7pm

Tuesday, January 20

-Regular Meeting of the Burlington Fire Commission

-8:00a.m., Chief O’Neil’s Office, 136 South Union Street

-Regular Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission

-5:00p.m., Robert Miller Community and Recreation Center on Gosse Court

-Regular Meeting of the Development Review Board

-5:00p.m., Conference Room 12, 1st floor of City Hall

-Special Meeting of the Development Review Board-Deliberative Session

-To discuss: 07-363CA; 431 North St. (RL, Ward 1)

-Following the Regular Development Review Board Meeting, Conference Room 12

Wednesday, January 21

-Special Meeting of the City Council

-To discuss: School Budget Presentation

-5:30p.m., Contois Auditorium, 2nd floor of City Hall

-Special Meeting of the Board of Finance on Wednesday January 21, 2009 at 5:00p.m. in Conference Room 12

-Regular Meeting of the Neighborhood Planning Assembly-Ward 5

-7:00p.m., Department of Public Works, 645 Pine Street

Thursday, January 22

-Special Meeting of the Institutions and Human Resources Policy Committee

-To discuss: Consideration of AFSCME grievance

-7:00p.m., Conference Room 12, 1st floor of City Hall

For more information, please visit http://www.ci.burlington.vt.us/events/