The Neighborhood Action Project is a pilot project in Burlington, Vermont, consisting of residents and representatives from the City of Burlington, the State of Vermont, the local criminal justice system, the University of Vermont and other higher educational institutions working together to improve the quality of life in a demonstration residential area. Burlington is a college town and a regional center, home to the University of Vermont, Champlain College, Trinity College, Burlington College, Community College of Vermont and nearby St. Michael's College.
*General Information* -Who, what, where.
*NeighborWalk *- Walk the talk.
*The Neighborhood Impact Panel* - Community justice at work.
*Links *
What
is the Neighborhood Action Project? It’s an association of
residents and representatives from the City of Burlington, State
of Vermont, criminal justice system and higher-educational
institutions working together to improve the quality of life in a
demonstration area bounded by Pearl, North, North Union and North
Willard Streets in Burlington.
In our neighborhood, noise and blight have been identified as priority challenges. Many initiatives have been created including a community resource booklet for residents, a citizen watch project, neighborhood clean-ups, block parties, and other special events. You can meet with us the first and third Thursdays of the month at 6:00 p.m. at the Burlington Health and Rehab Center building at 300 Pearl Street (in the conference room).
NeighborWalk is a citizen watch project in cooperation with the City of Burlington Police Department. We walk the neighborhod while distributing community resource information and phone numbers, pass out smoke detector batteries, pick up litter, refer unsafe buildings to Code Enforcement, remove graffiti, and notify police of neighborhood disturbances. Here are some messages we pass out to Burlington neighbors on our walks:
* Go the extra smile and greet a neighbor!
* Please keep the volume down!
* Take into consideration that many neighbors have an "early" bedtime to meet the next day’s obligations.
* Dog owners: scoop the poop!
* Drive slower- we love our children and pets.
* Pick up litter, it will pick up your spirits.
* Green space is good for everyone- please keep lawns and walkways free of cars.
Local residents who have received a noise ticket can elect to participate in a local reparative program or pay the normal fine. Choosing to meet with a neighborhood panel enables all parties to meet neighbors and hear other's viewpoints. Violators may then undertake a reparative project as a way of rebuilding the community. Such a project may take the form of participating in a NeighborWalk, or helping with a telephone campaign, or picking up litter. For more information, see our calendar in the What's New link or call the Community Justice Center at (802) 865-7155.
Community Development in
an award ceremony on wednesday April 19, that featured
appearances by United States Congressman Bernie Sanders,
United States Senator Jim Jeffords, and Mayor Peter
Clavelle. Other parties who were recognized for
contributions to the Burlington community included the
Americorp Vista workers who have supported the NAP from
the beginning.NEXT NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACT PANEL: Thursday May 11, 2000.
Please send mail telling us your ideas, comments or questions.
"Our neighborhood is a special place to live... We invite you to help keep it that way !"
