Parks Commission
The Parks Commission consists of five elected residents of the city with staggered terms. Commissioners are responsible for supervising Montpelier's Parks and its staff.
Members
Ethan Parke, Chair
Leigh Seddon
Aaron Brondyke
Cara Robechek
Lyn Munno
Meetings
The Parks Commission meets on the third Tuesday of every month in conference room of the Police Station (if not there check the Memorial Room at City Hall). The public is welcome to attend any of its meetings. Please contact Geoff Beyer, Parks Director, for further information.
2008 Annual Report
2008 Overview
Park staff, with the wonderful help of AmeriCorps member Jake Feldman and AmeriCorps VISTA members Scott Courcelle and Katie McKinstry, along with a number of very helpful Dept of Labor trainees and numerous groups and volunteers were able to make numerous improvements to Montpelier Parks in 2008, do a substantial amount of maintenence and repair a record amount of damage. This impressive mix of people have provided great service in maintaining seven acres of park lawns, over fifteen miles of trails, almost 2 miles of gravel roads and numerous park picnic areas. The some of the work the crews were involved:
- Undertake extensive invasive management efforts;
- Present the Enchanted Forest, a magical community event and tower fundraiser
- Repair North Branch Park trails after a summer with record rains was followed by a flash flood led to the worst trail damage in Montpelier Parks history
- Leverage over 2400 hours of volunteer service
- Train and benefit from the extensive work of 11 Department of Labor Trainees
- Publish the first ever Hubbard Park Calendar, proceeds benefit the Tower Restoration Fund
Invasive Species Management
Parks staff and volunteers undertook extensive invasive management efforts throughout North Branch Park and along the Winooski River. AmeriCorps VISTA members Scott Courcelle, University of Vermont intern Greg Turner, an International Volunteers for Peace Workcrew, Dept. of Labor Trainees and a summer Youth Work Crew, and Norwich University volunteers removed between 800 and 1000 invasive honeysuckle plants, as well as countless Japanese Knotweed, Chervil, and goutweed plants. In the removal process, the workers took care not to disturb the landscape and were able to beautify and protect the biodiversity of significant portions of the parks. In many of the locations hundreds of native plants and trees were planted to displace the invasives.
Storm Trail Damage
This summer, we experienced the worst trail damage in Montpelier Parks' history. Long periods of rain followed by flash flooding led to over 30 culverts being overwhelmed, numerous trails being washed out and trees being blown over. The Parks crew devoted weeks worth of work to repairing the damage. In addition, the Parks has hosted FEMA representatives to survey the damage and will likely receive some funding to account for the huge amounts of resources devoted to damage control.
Enchanted Forest
This year, the Parks presented the Enchanted Forest, a magical community event featuring pumpkin lined trails, trolls, fairies, dancing, and storytelling. The event was an alternative to the standard fair of scary entertainment and provided a wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy the beauty of Hubbard Park at night. Janice Walfrafen and Ellen Leonard recruited and managed over 20 artists to share their talents and host stages in the Enchanted Tours. Area farms generously donated pumpkins, and a community pumpkin carving held at the Montpelier Farmers Market allowed over 60 volunteers to carve a pumpkin (or pumpkins!) to make the night special. Approximately 900 community members came out to enjoy the event, and the Parks raised over $3,000 towards the Tower Restoration Fund. Thank you to all who volunteered and participated to make the night a success!
VAST Trail Update
The parks director, commissioners and community members met several times with VAST representatives in looking at place to reroute the VAST trail that had been temporarily routed through the North Branch River Park. An agreement was reached that allowed VAST to direct a short portion of their trail network through North Branch Nature Park to East Montpelier. Work on that trail began this fall and the parks department hopes to continue to work with the VAST people and East Montpelier trails group to make sure the trail works as planned to serve all involved.
Tower Preservation Update
The Park commission is officially launching a campaign for the restoration of the parks tower. The tower in Hubbard Park is a historic Montpelier landmark enjoyed by visitors and residents alike. The tower, completed in 1930, is in need of significant maintenance to both protect the metal stairs through and to address important attention to the mortar that is now 80 years old. Given the importance of the Hubbard Park tower, the Park Commission established a Tower Preservation Fund in 2006 with the goal of building up a permanent maintenance fund using local and state funds, as well as private grants.
This year the Parks Department raised over $4,000 by hosting the Enchanted Forest. The Parks also published a Hubbard Park Calendar to raise money for and awareness of the Hubbard Park Tower Restoration Fund. Tax deductible contributions to this fund may be made to the City of Montpelier. To assist in this fundraising effort or for further information please contact Geoff Beyer at the Park office 223-7335 or speak with a Park Commissioner.
In November, the Montpelier Parks Commission appointed Aaron Brondyke to fill the remaining term of former Commissioner Don Grabowski. The Commission would like to thank Don for his service to Montpelier Parks.
The Commission would also like to thank the many volunteers that helped us accomplish so much this year. We leveraged an impressive 2400 hours of community volunteer time. These included Norwich University students, a crew from Vermont Youth Conservation Corps that worked for two weeks, our annual group from the International Volunteers for Peace, all the Enchanted Forest volunteers, and numerous individual citizens who contributed their time in many valuable ways. In addition, the Commission is pleased to report that Parks Director and Staff trained and benefited from the work of 11 Department of Labor Trainees
For information on Montpelier's parks, maps, and natural history information, please visit the City's web site at, http://www.montpelier-vt.org/parks/index.cfm.
The Park Commission would also appreciate comments or suggestions from residents as we continue our work of protecting and improving Montpelier's park and trail system.
Leigh Seddon, Chair
Stephen Bosserman, Commissioner
Aaron Brondyke, Commissioner
Ethan Parke, Commissioner
Cara Robechek, Commissioner
Montpelier Park Commission
Contact Us
Geoff Beyer, Parks Director
39 Main Street, City Hall
Montpelier, VT 05602
Tel: (802) 223-7335
E-mail:
|
