City Hall Park – Quick Practical Strategies

Hi Neighbors,

This is Laura Sánchez-Parkinson, your Ward 3 City Councilor, representing parts of the Old North End and Downtown.

I wanted to share a quick update about several steps the City is taking at City Hall Park over the coming weeks.

Over the past month, City staff from multiple departments have been meeting regularly through the Hot Spots Working Group to identify quick, practical strategies for areas experiencing significant challenges.

The work happening now at City Hall Park is focused on immediate conditions. These actions alone will not resolve the larger issues connected to homelessness, substance use, behavioral health, or public safety, but will focus on immediate conditions.

Here are some of the changes you may notice:

CHANGES ALONG COLLEGE STREET

A handful of parking spaces bordering the park have been temporarily closed. Physical barriers are being added to reinforce those restrictions. The City is testing whether limiting vehicle access in this area can reduce some of the activity that has contributed to disruption along the north side of the park.

TEMPORARY PUBLIC RESTROOMS

Because the Portland Loo is currently unavailable while repairs are underway, two ADA-accessible portable toilets have been added to the park. Maintaining accessible public restrooms downtown is important, both for people using the park and for surrounding businesses and public spaces.

CLEANING THE COLLEGE STREET CORRIDOR

Public Works and Parks are coordinating a deeper cleaning of the sidewalk and street along the College Street edge of City Hall Park. Any encampments or personal property will be addressed in accordance with City policies and applicable legal requirements.

A TEMPORARY MOBILE SECURITY CAMERA

Within the next couple of weeks, BPD plans to install a mobile 360-degree camera near City Hall Park. The unit is made by LiveView Technologies and can be relocated to other areas if circumstances change. This is not a Flock camera, and it does not use facial recognition or AI-based identification. The technology is intended to provide an added sense of security for those who spend significant time in the park and additional situational awareness for BPD when incidents occur. I will closely follow the implementation and impact of these new cameras.

MUSIC IN PARTS OF THE PARK

The City also plans to add low-level background music in portions of City Hall Park, similar to what has been used during seasonal programming. Not every part of the park will have music, so quieter areas will remain available.

Finally, I want to thank our City staff for the coordination, creativity, and care they are bringing to this work by identifying solutions that are legally permissible, feasible within our resources, and respectful of the humanity of all our neighbors.

As always, I welcome your questions and feedback.

Laura Sánchez-Parkinson,

Ward 3 City Councilor

Email: lsanchezparkinson@burlingtonvt.gov

IG @lauraforburlington