 Good evening and welcome to Montpelier Civic Forum and we are marching on our way to town meeting 2020 and basically this is an interesting year because for the first time in a long while we have one district with two races when Ashley Hill resigned we picked up a race for one year in district three and Then when Glenn Hutchinson decided that he wasn't going to run again. We picked up the second one for a two-year term We also have no one no one running other than incumbents in district two Which is Connor Casey and district one which is Donna Bates On the school board. We have four candidates for four seats. You get a trend going here And those four candidates are on their own separate shows on Orca and all of them are good good shows and We have and Watson coming in running against no one you seeing the same trend and Ann comes in and speaks in her state of the city stating her desire to be mayor again and Then Libby and Bill will be presenting school and city budgets in separate shows. Those are good shows as well Tonight we're in district three and we're in one of the two-year terms where we have a contested seat And this is Jay Erickson who's sitting next to me Jay. Pleased to meet you. Nice to see you again, Richard Glad to be talking with you again. It is indeed my pleasure as well. Absolutely District three. Yes, we're in district 3d live So I live in the I don't know if it has an official title, but the spur off of downtown So I live on Liberty Street Right near downtown so not far from here So on the the slender edge of this that that's on the other side of the river exactly the slender edge exactly exactly Talk to me about district 3. It's it's so unique in its own way taking away that that piece on Liberty Street and a piece that Heads. Yeah, it's you know, it is really diverse and it has it's diverse geographically particularly I think you know obviously so much of district three is on the other side of the river on the south side You have our our little sliver like you said, you know We've got a piece of Berry Street, and then you you know run along the river there And then up Berlin Street and the associated Neighborhood that's up there it continues around all all the way around the bend to the split past the Ford dealership and all The way around almost to the wayside Pasture Wood Street and that do you pick up some towards National life I think well, yes, of course And then so so you have that sort of that that direction that piece Then you also have up on off Northfield Street on the way down if you're headed towards towards Northfield that way And you've got the neighborhood around national life And then also on the other side of Northfield Street, and then you know the other thing That's that's really interesting about district three And I think it's easy to forget is it it also runs out to the interstate and so it's not Residential out there, but we do have dog River field and the access to the river there obviously that's an important Field it's you you know use part of the year, you know a lot of Kid sports and softball and the adult sports and rec programs Then of course the access to the dog River right there right right Just about where it connects with the Winooski River District three when people think district three they think going up to the hospital If they think going up that hill yeah is principally what they think. How do you see district three? The concerns of the neighbors. How do they view that that area south of the river? You know It's a great question, and I think that I think that there's a sense of neglect Feeling like nine neglect. No, no I feel like there's a sense that and I agree with this that so much of our conversation and discourse locally is around the downtown and this really distinct area and So what happens is I feel you know as so much conversation Happens around that downtown area Outlying areas like like up Berlin Street even out northfield Street, you know, they feel like they're not part of it part of the conversation, you know I You know the representatives from district three have worked hard to represent their district I don't want to discount any of that effort But I do think that bringing that the common creating a conversation That's broader that looks out at some of these outlining areas and talking about how they fit in with the overall character community and Development of district three is really crucial now seeing district three as a neighborhood when these things are as scattered as they are The highlight point of district one is Hubbard Park in the recreation field The highlight of district two in terms of green space. I suppose Would be in front of the college or even Sabin's pasture. Yeah, sure District three people don't see Doug River as part of this. There's no residential air. It's not residential. It's a walk I mean, it's great access with the bike path and with the extension of the bike path That you know now is easier to get there, but you're right. It's not it doesn't act as a hub Certainly, we have these very distinct areas within the district the Park Commission is forever talked about how to extend To district three. Yeah, some sort of green space. Yeah, well, I think it's a great idea I don't know because of the the the diversity and the geographic diversity like we talked about there There's not necessarily one spot that would be able to tie it together But I do think that there's an opportunity to To provide open space that the city manages within the neighborhoods Particularly up Berlin Street, you've got the Stonewall Meadows area towards the upper stone wall mettle. Well, that's the section That is towards the top right near over by Isabel. Yes Exactly right near the Berlin line sort of down and I guess you would say sort of towards the the west that direction And there is my understanding is there is city-owned property Eight acres. There you go. I knew I knew it was right in that range Yeah, exactly so, but I but I also understand that there are some Questions about the boundaries and there's some there's some legal wrangling that's happening around those boundaries but to me Resolving those boundaries if possible those those legal wranglings and looking at creating that as a space for that neighborhood I think would be a crucial next step for the city, you know I also think that we need to look if we're looking in that area is look down the hill and think about that the the Commercial corridor exactly the corridor and how it sits near the river. I think using the Caledonia spirits of Bar Hill Development, I know it's not in the district. It's on the other side of the river But using that as an example of looking at that corridor and trying to make make it more livable and pedestrian friendly I think would be would be really important. Well, my pillow you're alive can't really touch that because it's not in their charter Of course be on the core downtown and their funding is dependent. Yeah Various Consular's over the years have spoken of trying to beautify that commercial zone of trying to bring it a more Cohesive view I believe when the way faring science come that they will point actually to that commercial zone Absolutely. Yeah, and I think that that is I think that's essential. I don't see it as A way to extend the downtown per se I think we still need to look at it as a separate space But what I what I don't like is when you travel you you travel a quarter mile down the road half a mile You feel like you're out of town you feel like you're in a different type of place And there's no reason why it can't be different, but the same at the same time We can it can have we can unify it in terms of look and feel we can try to make it put more pedestrian friendly We can look at long-term commercial development There's nothing keeping them on purely development corporation from looking out there And I know they have been and been involved out there So I really think sort of looking at the character of downtown and figuring out ways to translate it The way fare signs are a perfect example, but how do we translate that feel so that it conveys out to that area as well Now you came to Montpelier when I came to Montpelier moved in the district 3 in 2011 From and I'd been in Barry before that. Yeah, so you've been in the area for a while. Absolutely. Yeah What was Montpelier like when you first came to Barry, you know, and you were you were in this area for the first time What was your feeling on Montpelier? Because I'm gonna take you to Montpelier of today. What was the appeal you're like 10 15 years ago to you? Oh, that's a really interesting question because I think Not only looking at Montpelier, but I I look at it through the lens of who I was and who where I was in my life, and I've got I moved to Montpelier with my wife and three children. I have three boys They were at the time very young our youngest was not even six months old They're now 14 11 and 9 and two students at the middle school and one still over at Union Elementary We all live right there And so to me when I was living in Barry Montpelier still represented a stronger sense of community to us It was a place that we came for to socialize with our kids particularly We still had friends in this area. We still did it in Barry as well, but it The the the conversations that were happening around the downtown I think were a lot different there was there was parking Well, exactly internal conversation internal conversations. Certainly there was there was the Thoughts around committing, you know this the the groundwork was being developed around the commitment to net zero goals that was just sort of People were just starting to talk about that move towards it There was the biomass plant, right? There was a lot, you know, so a lot of those things were happening Of course, they were still they were talking about the transit center back there, too So that those are the conversations that I remember now it I don't necessarily remember the level of Conversation around business development and how to improve the experience of people's experience downtown whether it's for people who own Businesses or commuted into town or walked into town. So I think that's one of the ways Now you used the word town repeatedly. Is Montpelier a town or a city? Well, that's a great question, you know Well, Montpelier is a city and I see it as a city technically of course. It's a city it it Axes a town, but I think it sees itself as itself as a village a lot of times to it See what is the difference between a village and a town? I just think I think in terms of scale I think in terms of There is there's such a tight knit and strong sense of community around here I think folks feel like they're gonna walk they're gonna walk downtown They're gonna head down street and they're going to know just about everybody they see that's not always the case And that's one of the things I love about Montpelier's this with the size and obviously the number of people who? Who come into town every day to work and work at the state and all of that is you you you do see familiar faces everywhere you go often if you've been here long enough, but you you absolutely see new people all the time and And you see tourists and you see just a lot of different You know there's just a lot of change that happens with the with the folks that are in town And so that's what I appreciate yourself in the and the marketing of Montpelier marketing Yeah, the business development corporation. Okay. Yeah, what are you marketing? If you had to do an elevator pitch Yep And they said you know we're gonna introduce you to a consulman and here's a consulman absolutely What would you say in that short pitch? Well, what are the strengths that you would try and convey about our community? Well, there there's a there's a thankfully There's a lot to say I believe that we we are a tight-knit community and I appreciate that and and you You have an opportunity No matter what your interest to contribute to that community and that's really I think important We are a a group of people that that care and it could be care about The the corner of state in Maine or it could be that you care about Climate change and everywhere in between That we are caring people that that take action and so if you come here It's it's a welcoming community and if you you are passionate and believe in something you will find like-minded folks that may or may not disagree with you, but that are ready to take action and And And and work for change something that they believe in and I think part of that is the work because we have the capital there is this sense of a lot of the People who are making change for the state are just a couple blocks down and so if you if if you But if you believe in something there's an opportunity to have a voice and to make change Now if I'm also so that I think that that's important. I think also If I were you know giving my elevator speech, this is more than an elevator speech at this point But if I were talking about Montpelier, I would say it's it's a place that offers economic opportunity It's it's welcoming that there is a strong a very strong connection Between the people here and the natural environment. I do think it's something we can improve on it something I think a lot about that That I would work towards but we do have dog overfields and Harbour Park and and And the north nation field and the wreckfields in the pool and the North Branson Nature Center right up the road and wilderness and and and ski trails in the winter and Mountain biking the the sparrow farm trails if you've had a chance to walk out there and the development That's happened over the past couple years with more great things happening are a Gem right outside our back door just and it's and it's nice and flat to get there and you can have a nice hike a bike a Mountain bike in the summer and also in the winter. So that's a big part of the lifestyle here in Montpelier Is this your first run for office? It is it is the two questions. Yeah, how did you convince your wife? To let you run for counsel given that it's not only Wednesday nights. It's a commitment to sitting on committees Yeah, it's a commitment to studying. Yeah for Wednesday night. Yeah. Yeah, how did you arrive at the decision to run for Well, I appreciate that question because it's important. The bottom line is I And we my wife and I we love this city and we are here for the long term You know our kids like I said, we aren't even out of middle school yet We're you know, and we don't plan on going anywhere until well Who knows when but we are we're very committed to being here and to the future of this city And we think about what that means to if our kids decided to stay and raise their families here My wife works for a local nonprofit. She's very engaged in the livability and river access projects that are happening in town So it wasn't an easy decision. There's no doubt about it. Yes The time is a bit of a challenge. No one's getting rich on city council. No, no one's getting rich and so it was it was it was It was not necessarily an easy decision, but it was one that we both believed in and made sense for us and We want to be able to give back You know as you know as you and I have talked about before I've been involved in improving the community here My period explain what you've done prior to running for council in terms of community improvement. Yeah Yeah, absolutely. I think the the the biggest project and that's where you and I had a connection before was around the new playground at Union Elementary I actually spearheaded another art project at the school the year before that I don't know Would that have been what we painted the? The the guardrail at the drop-off. It was this horrific crumbling concrete Piece that that was covered in graffiti skateboarders and the skateboarding exactly That was the first thing that greeted our kids every day and it drove me crazy And so I I connected with the then principal Christianity at the school talked to the couple teachers some friends, you know the art teacher and we we pulled together a group and Created a design and then over subsequent days at art class Christina Cain who's still the art teacher there. We the classes came out. We painted the design on the front We repainted the back and then we had every child paint a star on the top of it And so that was that was neat and that was really my introduction to work at the school. So then in in 2018 I started And I won't go too far back on the whole new on the playground project at Union Which really was a five-year project five years plus to get it from idea to execution, right? but in 2018 I started working with the district on Finalizing that project there had been a lot of work done a lot of volunteer work and I started working to Pull together all the pieces move the project to bid and then get the contract signed And then and then the two other big things that that come up are One if you'll remember in 2018 the district went through significant change a new superintendent Right, right a new principal a new principal at the school and as far as this project is concerned a new director of facilities So all of those things were happening right at the time. We were supposed to be finalizing the bid process so I kind of Kept carried the water as it were moved through those transitions and then And to get everything ready for construction and then the other big piece that I worked on was all the Logistics around getting the school ready to manage the construction Which the primary primary piece was moving the playground to Park Avenue right outside the school So working with public works and city and fire and bill of course and city council and about Closing off and I should mention then all the neighbors and you know, we that's where you and I were talking about this and as a district to yesterday exactly and So so the school would be ready to start without a playground on the traditional spot But using making sure that Park Avenue was going to be an appropriate space for the kids now If I remember correctly, yeah, this project actually opened on time We opened on time. Absolutely. Despite Despite the site being a brownfield site once we Once we got through the bid process and got the contract signed we had a really Collaborative process with ECI who did the building and Lot at the the night before the start of school this past end of August I Got to go up with The new principal and all the volunteers would been through this process the whole time And cut the ribbon and I don't know if you were there But no it was it was a really neat experience because there is easily a couple hundred people there But we're finishing our remarks and as we're talking I'm watching the kids are just pushing forward It was like a rock concert the kids are just coming up and they're getting up to the ribbon And we just looked at each other like we just we got to cut this ribbon and let them loose and we cut it and the kids just filled the Filled the playground and it was just a great moment. It's a great moment. Your youngest is in what grade third? Yep Do you think that your youngest will see housing and saving pasture? While in Main Street Middle School High School, are you saying like will he be able to buy a new house when he's old enough? Is what I'm saying is that's a project that seemingly forever It was coming around the same time as the transit center. Yeah first started. Yeah Do you think that that will actually see I do I do I hope so and I know there's been a little bit of news Lately about some convert Reese restarted conversations I Don't know how significant that news is I mean, obviously the the parcel that VCFA sold off has You know sort of sparked that conversation And I do hope that it's something that we can you continue to move forward. I would like to see this a piece of trivia But yeah, now what is the distillery Bar Hill? Yeah, what's the name of the drive? Jin Lane Jin Lane Jin Lane actually is Intended to be a road that goes straight up Savins pasture It was laid out in such a way that it can go across the streets and actually be functional in Savins pasture That would be great. So that's it's a piece of trivia interesting You know one of the other neat things about that project That I'm really looking forward to and obviously it has already had a Significantly positive impact on our community and how we come together and how it's used is is in the in in the near future The city is working with them and a local nonprofit on establishing an access point to the river that is sort of Just a little bit beyond the parking lot kind of as you come in and you you come in head now We're talking about the distillery Bar Hill. Yeah. Yeah in there And so I'm excited if you know if you went after they open and if you went out there on a warm summer or fall Evening you saw how busy it was and how many people were outside So I'm excited that that access point will be you know available to people as well to to get done by the water Now we've talked about your elevator speech to people Who are interested in our community? Yeah, put on your other face to people who live in our community What are the challenges? Oh you see coming up for us that you don't talk to the outsiders about but they're things that concern you Yeah, well, I think I think there's a lot one one that certainly is top of mind to me Is livability? Livability, sorry. Yeah livability meaning that making sure our downtown is pedestrian friendly that Folks who visit or walk into town Feel safe and and have access to our local businesses I think that we the more access we can provide to rivers and open space are Are are important I think we're really lacking in that and we have some opportunities in the near future to improve that process now You know, I'm very mindful that That with a lot with a lot of these decisions come tax implications and we have to be very careful about And very deliberate in how we're making these decisions and the impact could we become gated Could our tax I mean our right now our collective school City tax rate is amongst the highest in the state. Yeah, could we be forcing our poor residents out? With our tax decisions well, I think we we we have to be mindful of growth We have to stimulate growth and sometimes that takes investment But yes as a taxpayer and as my bill changes every year, I feel it, you know, I'm a small business owner I work on my own every I feel every change You know and I worry about every change and every year I worry am I still going to be able to stay here? And so I gated maybe, you know metaphorically speaking fairly strong, but I but I yes, I do worry about Affordability in town. Absolutely. What can counsel do an affordability in that question? Well, you know, I think look we certainly could build our Housing stock and and and do we build well, I mean, yeah, we're not going to build it ourselves but we can focus on on Providing incentives and for development that provide, you know Similar to the partnership with Down Street And and and the transit center looking for ways to create a diversity of housing stock Downtown to make it more affordable And I do you know, we also do need to you know invest in Organizations like the MDC the Montpelier Development Corp We need to always be partnering with folks like Montpelier alive who are In working on filling some of these empty businesses providing economic opportunities Now you've probably followed the calming study on Main Street Barrie and the master downtown plan. Yeah. Yeah Those went for recent hearings. Mm-hmm. What you're feeling on the calming study? That would start off at the light on the other side of the bridge and work its way all the way up to the library Yeah, and it would result I suppose in a traffic circle at the library and smart lights Mm-hmm. I I think it's a great idea that speaks to that idea of Livability certainly the area at the intersection with Barrie Street where the the the new footbridge and bike path Connect that would be at the Moat lot and that would be that would be that would be a light. Yes on the Moat lot being what? Where the old the beverage center was okay? Yeah, yeah And that that's one of the decisions I alluded to that the council is need to be is going to have to decide in the future Do you think they'll be? Over at the drawing board next to it the Moat chair the Moat trust was offered that piece of land and Ultimately they decided against it Yep, do you think that that will ultimately end up a cap building the size of the other buildings or green space I? Mean It's not my decision to make well on console. It's it would be part of the conversation. I ultimately I Like I said, I think it's important that we're looking at development downtown and and promoting businesses But I also see that lot as a very rare opportunity To establish some green space in town Of course, we've got to be cognizant of the of the implications to parking behind the building right but with the confluence Park On the other side of the footbridge and then and then having more green space there That would I feel that would be would bring a great deal of value to that space So I wouldn't prescribe that yes, this will happen or no It won't happen, but I do think we need to find a balance in that area while we're in Confluence Park Yeah, very close To the Phantom parking garage to the Phantom parking garage Yeah, and I should I should mention full disclosure to My wife is the project manager for Vermont River Conservancy working on the Confluence Park So you've probably seen her at City Council meetings testifying and she's been managing the design process and all of that So just full disclosure. Was there any was there any way that you could see of? Avoiding that fight of avoiding the was there a way that you could square that that circle square that circle Well, I'll say this one of the biggest lessons that I learned doing the Working on the playground project was that this was on behalf of the district at this point But was that I feel that the district or the city in this case has to be proactive in communicating To the community around what the implications of the project are the scope the implications Etc. Now. I know The city did did everything they needed to in terms of warning meetings and maintaining an appropriate process and that was great But I one of the things that I think I would I know that I would bring to the council in my Experience with the playground is a sense of urgency around being proactive in communication About the application I think a lot of people Even though they had opportunities to go to meetings still felt caught off-guard When it came to voting for the bond they didn't have and it turned into a lot of Conversations and a very very divisive Conversations around either you're for it or you're against it and it didn't have to be that I think you at a minimum you need to provide opportunity For people to understand what's going on and speak up if they'd like now Does that mean we wouldn't be in the legal situation? We are now with with the Adversarial waiting for the environmental court exactly and in May and all of that I don't know if that would have changed anything but I do know that it could have been a project that the community could have rallied around and and Had a more collaborative experience around the development of it and I would love to see that happen in the future because that Feed while we were always you know hearing input and some feedback here and there around the playground The that piece of it the communication was always very collaborative with our neighbors and with with parents So they understood what the disruption would be it's not perfect. You're always going to have people who? Have issues or complaints and that's fine But that's part of the process you hear that and then you figure out ways to adapt the project to make it as accommodating as you can Now you would be replacing a city council person In Glenn Hutchison whose most noteworthy for his weekly meetings. Yeah for reaching out to the community and listening to the community Yeah, you have a background in communications. I do. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So I have I've had a number of positions locally in communications. I've run the many years ago I ran the marketing and communications office at Norwich University More recently I ran the marketing and communications office up at VCFA That was a few years ago still and I still do some some consulting on it as well as the photography and filmmaking So yeah, how would you see last year? I believe console made it a priority to improve communications I think that was one of their stated priorities that they came out of their annual Session with after town meeting day. Yeah, so anything that you could see that you would handle differently If you were on console in terms of communicating message Now do you mean in terms of specific actions or just in general you thought about you know Obviously, you've thought about communication. Yeah, because you were on the front line of that absolutely, you know, I I Still even though I think that the council is improved and there aren't there's a number of projects moving forward I do still think there's opportunities to communicate better around them and you I think it's important to to recognize that a lot of you know citizens were busy We're working. We're raising families. We're doing everything we can sometimes the information has to be put in front of you and so You know when we were dealing with the playground we were knocking on doors It wasn't just me Chris Hennessey was printing flyers and running to neighbors and putting them Running around the neighborhood putting them in their mailboxes. Now. Is that something the council will do? I don't know if that's appropriate necessarily, but it's that level of engagement that Then brought those neighbors to the school to talk about the project what it would mean to them Access to their driveways, etc. We learned about what they were concerned about because we had Property owners who had tenants with people who were living in the homes and we were able to accommodate them Not that you can always do that, but I do think that at some level it needs to go beyond a post to To the city website and then social media channels because even though maybe it feels like it But not everybody is on Facebook. It feels like all of Montpelier gets from porch forum But not everybody reads it every day the three or four times a day that we get it a lot of people do and that's great But I do think we need to look at other channels to be able to get information out You know in a perfect example that right now is the rec center, you know, well, I just think that that is something Something that concerns the city because it's something that will ultimately it's something that's going up up for a large Bob that's what I mean that involves all of us But then also when you think about construction and the implication of the residential areas right in that area Then I think that that's that is an example where it's it's not just enough to be posting to these Electronic channels we need to be and or or dedicating an ad space or something in in the papers But then we do need to think about a broader efforts of people Understand the the choices that are out there with the two the two or two and a half versions that are there and what the Tax applications are um, I talked about the council retreat that happens after town meeting day Should you win the seat? You're going to have a seat at that council retreat and basically they will ask you Jay What are your interests? What committee would you like to sit in? Yeah, what would you like to represent? What outside organization or Council committee would you want to sit in if you had your druthers if I had my druthers? You know, I don't have a specific one. I come back to that idea of Livability and access and working you know access to our natural resources. So a focus on that and collaborating with the parks department Looking at economic development in town and in downtown and also in in our neighborhoods. That's really where my focus would be So any one issue that you would like to tackle in 2020 on console? I mean really? Grab as Donna has tackled on transportation. Yep. Mm-hmm No, there's not one specific one I you know, I appreciate and has and talks a lot about our long-term environmental impact and environmental goals Don has talked about transportation I outside of this sort of the this livability idea and and Maintaining an affordable city and meet the the council being able to engage and communicate better with people I think that that's where my focus is when we talk about people. Mm-hmm. What about the homeless issue? Yeah I mean, that's certainly a key issue that the city's doing handling of course and I Do appreciate that that we've allocated the funds the 45,000 in the in the budget It is something that we we need to deal with but Homelessness certainly is not unique to Montpelier by any means So I do think we need to look at it systemically We need to collaborate with the towns that are around us and understand how they're dealing with it and and think about a a More I guess I'll call it a more global perspective But just really focusing on an area and how can we manage it? For as many people who are homeless there are that many reasons why they're homeless no one There's no silver bullet that says oh if we could do this then everybody No, you support the license social worker in absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely, and it's developing relationships with people Trying to be empathetic meeting them where they're at and understanding what their needs are because like I said for everyone It's it's a different There's a different reason so It's challenging because we don't have unlimited resources We're a compassionate city and we want to be welcoming to everyone, but We do need to engage and so yes that the social worker position. I think is a great step Jay, this is the end of our time. Thank you so very much for coming and visiting my pleasure Thanks for having me great to see you again and I want to thank you for watching this show tonight and Again as I said at the beginning of the show and as I say at the end of all of these please watch them all They're all worth watching even if you're in district 3 watch the ones with Connor and with Donna and the school board members Those are really fascinating shows where we really dive into the policy of our school And basically what is going on with our school because as Jay said you can never Communicate enough in terms of what is going on in town I would urge you to watch the school board meetings and the city council meetings on orca Most important show up at city hall on town meeting day and get out and vote Because voting is the bedrock of our democracy and it's important and make sure the family and friends do same Thank you very much