ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY WILLISTON SELECTBOARD DECEMBER 2017 Nick Warner Executive Director, Winooski Valley Park District 1 Ethan Allen Homestead Burlington, VT 05408 nickwarner@wvpd.org www.wvpd.org Williston Trustee: Rita Dessau
What is the Winooski Valley Park District? The Winooski Valley Park District s mission is to plan, acquire, and manage lands and waters within the boundaries of its member municipalities in the Winooski River Valley for purposes of conservation, preservation of natural areas, establishment of parks, and resource-based education and recreation. WVPD is a 501(c)(3) corporation and Vermont Municipality created in 1972 that owns/manages 18 conserved properties totaling over 1,750 acres. Seven member towns, each represented by a Trustee, provide governance and funding support. WVPD s operations rely heavily on partner agencies, volunteer groups, and leveraged resources for land stewardship and program delivery.
WVPD owns and manages over 1,750 acres of conserved land with highly unique characteristics: 222 acres of floodplain forest; 553 acres of significant wetlands; 789 acres of Special Flood Hazard Area; 1,208 acres of forest; Seven parks with Impaired Waterways; 11 miles of shoreline; 24 miles of trails. WVPD s Conservation Assets
WVPD s Core Operating Values Acquire and manage high value conservation land assets on behalf of member towns Protect lands in perpetuity through third party conservation easements, deed restrictions, covenants, and agreements Provide free, well managed public access to the system for passive recreation Provide direct municipal governance through Board of Trustees, one from each member town Increase sustainable, non-municipal income streams over time Work to stabilize/reduce dependence on annual municipal support Provide fee-based programs and camps based on natural resource curriculum Lease park assets (picnic shelter, educational facility, caretaker houses) to support operational income Work in direct cooperation with local, state, and regional land trusts, conservancies, local and state government, utilities, educational organizations, private landowners, and regional groups on acquisition projects and protective easements Carry no debt, and maintain positive balance sheet Build capital reserve incrementally over time Utilize grants to fund for major capital projects, trail improvements, and park development Utilize volunteer labor and donated services as much as possible
Environmental Education WVPD s AmeriCorps Environmental Educator provided environmental education to students from member towns in classroom and Afterschool programs; Over 300 fifth grade students attend the Annual Conservation Field Day each May; The Sustainable Outdoor Leader Education S.O.L.E. Camp runs eight weeks and served over 60 campers; February Vacation Camp 14 campers attended with minimal marketing, and will expand in 2018; WVPD works with students from area schools on a variety of academic and service learning projects and volunteer assistance; WVPD has a partnership with the Center for Technology in Essex working on a variety of projects including web design and brochure development; A communications intern from Champlain College has been working to improve and upgrade WVPD s digital presence.
WVPD Partner Organizations Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) and New Farms for New Americans (NFNA) Burlington Area Community Gardens (BACG) Burlington Forest Preschool Ethan Allen Homestead Museum (EAHM) Vermont Community Garden Network (VCGN) Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) Family Room Garden space at the Ethan Allen Homestead Individual Family Plots for families in the Family Room Programs Community Garden space to use as teaching tool for Family Room Programs Family Room participants (200+) visit the Ethan Allen Homestead twice a week during the summer for family play, garden time, a shared meal, and education classes VNA Family Room provides education classes to participants on gardening, cooking, and English speaking, and helps connect families to other social support services.
City of Burlington WVPD Park Portfolio Six Parks totaling approximately 465 acres: Derway Island Nature Preserve Donahue Sea Caves Ethan Allen Homestead Heineberg Wetlands Mayes Landing Salmon Hole/Riverwalk Of which: 316 acres are Vermont Significant Wetlands; 193 acres are floodplain forest; 423 acres are in impaired waterways; 414 acres are in floodplain; 327 acres are forested.
Burlington: Derway Island Nature Preserve 148 acres
Burlington: Donahue Sea Caves 15 acres (in two parcels)
Burlington: Ethan Allen Homestead 284 acres
Burlington: Heineberg Wetlands 12 acres (no formal trail access)
Burlington: Mayes Landing.69 acres
Burlington: Salmon Hole/Riverwalk 5.6 acres plus path easements behind a number of properties
Burlington: Valley Ridge 6 acre pending donation contiguous to existing 18 acre parcel in South Burlington
Burlington: Potential New Park - Rivers End Marina This property is now under option to the WVPD. It would expand the Derway Island Natural Area, and offer a new public river access.
Town of Colchester WVPD Parks Portfolio Four parks totaling 1,090 acres: Colchester Pond Natural Area Delta Park Macrae Farm Park Wolcott Family Natural Area The parks are along Lake Champlain, Winooski River, Colchester Pond, and Pond Brook; All include extremely high value conservation areas and critical habitats; All have protective easements, covenants, and/or reversionary clauses preventing future development.
Colchester Pond Natural Area: 693 acres
Colchester: Delta Park 54 acres
Colchester: Macrae Farm Park 281 acres
Colchester: Wolcott Family Natural Area 62 acres now in development
Town of Essex WVPD Parks Woodside Natural Area: 53.35 acres Overlook Park at Woodside: 5 acres
Jericho Old Mill Park: 12 acres
South Burlington WVPD Parks Portfolio Four parks totaling 103 acres Muddy Brook Park Muddy Brook Wetland Reserve Valley Ridge Winooski Gorge The parks are along the Winooski River and Muddy Brook with significant riparian areas The parks include extremely high value conservation areas, critical habitats, and natural features.
South Burlington: Muddy Brook Park 29.19 acres
South Burlington: Muddy Brook Wetland Reserve 48.8 acres
South Burlington: Winooski Gorge 10.37 acres
South Burlington: Valley Ridge 18 acres Park slated for development in fall of 2018. Expanding to 24-acre natural area with approx. one mile loop trail with parking at Shmanska Park. Land is split between Burlington and South Burlington.
South Burlington: Fee-for Service Contract The City of South Burlington has a multi-year backlog of work related to trail construction and maintenance in their municipal natural areas To help alleviate these issues, WVPD and the City of South Burlington are in a contract for project management and maintenance services WVPD is conducting upgrades on City-owned natural areas, including Wheeler Park and Redrocks Park The work is supported by a $1.3 million bond approved by Voters on Town Meeting Day 2015 WVPD has received requests from other municipalities to conduct fee-for-service projects
Winooski: Memorial Park Potential new park for WVPD?
Winooski: Supervising youth employment program developing two canoe launch sites
Williston: Muddy Brook Wetland Reserve (8 acres in Williston)
Williston: Assisting with Mud Pond boardwalk and Allen Brook bridge; research on Brownell Mountain
Williston: Proposed New Park - the Jacob Parcel WVPD has proposed to the Town of Williston that the Jacob Parcel become the newest park in our portfolio. This proposal is in the early stages of discussion. This property is in the process of being donated to the Town. WVPD and the Town could place a reversionary clause on the transfer, ensuring that the property reverts back to the town in the event of poor management or WVPD s demise as an organization.
17 of the 18 WVPD parks have managed public access. These are developed and maintained by WVPD with the help of VYCC crews, multiple volunteer groups, youth employment programs, and individual volunteers. For larger projects (parking lots, bridge repairs etc.) contractors are hired. WVPD leverages LWCF, Trail Grant, philanthropic and private donation resources for the vast majority of acquisition and development of these parks. JACOB PARK DEVELOPMENT PROJECT? If WVPD becomes the owner of the Jacob Parcel, we would develop it into a viable park for passive recreation with trails and a parking area if an easement can be obtained.
If the Jacob parcel became a WVPD park, it would be developed for public access and habitat improvement, analogous to this year s largest capital project: the creation of a trail system and parking lot at Wolcott Family Natural Area (below) on East Road in Colchester. WVPD completed all planning, permitting, regulatory clearances, town and neighbor relations, fundraising, and project management for this development which started as raw land. A parking lot and 1.5 mile trail loop is being developed. WVPD would approach the Jacob parcel in a similar manner, and anticipates a 2-3 year, $50k project. We would aggressively seek grants to support this development, plus invest WVPD capital resources.
WVPD Master Plan Update and Online Survey WVPD is updating its 5-year Master Plan, and with the help of the Castleton Polling Institute, has put a survey online, is gathering data, conducting interviews, and performing research.
WVPD s Focus on Alternative Income Streams Income streams: Income must : Mesh with WVPD s mission; Be replicable year to year; Not be dependant on grant funding; Not rely on membership dues; Not introduce new fees for services already rendered; Not hinder existing use and enjoyment of WVPD assets. Income streams put in place over past three years: Burlington Forest Pre-School at EAH ($5,000 in net revenues anticipated in FY18); Expanded S.O.L.E. Camp ($7,000 in net revenues anticipated in FY18); February Vacation Camp ($2,000 in net revenues anticipated in FY18); Rental of small office space at Ethan Allen Homestead (adding $2,400/year); Fee-For Service contract with the City of South Burlington (approx. $5k profit anticipated) Potential sources of revenue: Rental of Colchester Pond Farmhouse second floor (potential gross revenues of $14,400/year); Enhanced rentals of picnic shelter for special events (potential additional revenues of $4,000/year); Additional fee-based, in-house programming (potential net revenues of $2,000/year); Lease of Colchester Pond barn for storage (potential net revenue of $2,500/year); Increased rentals for EAH Education Center (potential share of revenue totaling $3,000 in FY17)
WVPD s Budgeting Approach Apply town payments to a smaller amount of the overall budget each year; Expand fee-based educational programming; Continue to expand leasing opportunities to enhance operating revenues; Work closely with member towns on ideas for revenue sharing and income generation; Expand fee-for-service and other entrepreneurial activities; Consider development of income-producing assets that meets WVPD goals and generates new income.
WVPD s Fair Share Formula Fair Share = Percentage of Population + Percentage of Equalized Property Tax Grand List Divided by two Whereas: the population is the combined population of the seven member towns and the Equalized Grand List for each town is calculated and published each January 1 st by the State of Vermont. The process: WVPD establishes annual operating budget for following fiscal year; The Fair Share calculation is applied to WVPD income projections to generate individual town payment requests; A copy of the WVPD annual budget for the following fiscal year and payment requests are sent to each town for inclusion in annual municipal budgets; Towns consider the requests, and places in their budget for vote on Town Meeting Day; After the end of each fiscal year, WVPD sends a report to each town summarizing the past year s financial performance and organizational achievements.
FY2019 Budget Overview 2.4% overall increase ($9,200) from FY2018 Same overall municipal ask ($319,725) as FY2018 Revenues from facility leasing and programs make up most of the difference to make this possible Will be aggressively pursuing grants for park improvements and program expansion
This year s overall FY2019 municipal ask is identical to last year s:
WVPD Staff: Nick Warner: Executive Director Tim Larned: Park Superintendant Lauren Chicote: Programs Director WVPD Board of Trustees: Burlington: Aaron Keech Colchester: Susan Gilfillon (Deputy Chair) Essex: Tom Malinowski Jericho: Sonja Schuyler (Chair) South Burlington: David Crawford (Treasurer) Williston: Rita Dessau (Secretary) Winooski: Erin Dupuis