ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center
Proposal Score: 66.2
Sustainability Park Proposal
Sustainability Park Design Documents
Public Comments
Although the overarching aim of this effort is important, there is the matter of public investment furthering a private institution. Until there is a linked pathway to Perkins Pier this does seem to have a lower public impact than most of the other plans, hence the very low score (8th place out of 9 projects). I do not understand why this plan has moved forward as far as it has. It seems like it should wait for a second round, if that occurs. Or it should be privately funded.
Somebody should make a serious charitable contribution so ECHO can make this happen regardless of their score in this process.
What a great idea!!!
This visionary design will address issues of runoff into the lake, while at the same time providing access to all (unlike the ECHO building, there is no admission charge), and educating people about the watershed.
In the rapidly evolving technical society we currently enjoy, it is easy to loose sight of the fundamentals that must be preserved and respected if we are to continue. Change is inevitable. Understanding the impact of change is a critical component of any design, but environmental change, for better or worse, has a universal consequences. Devoting skills, dollars and energy to the sustainability of that jewel we call the waterfront as a means of educating the public at large, goes well beyond the word "noble" as a cause. The proposal document considers all aspects from economics to education and our future. I heartily support Sustainability Park and all those who have the vision and energy to bring it into being.
Considering the aims, goals, and objectives of the various waterfront proposals, this one clearly stands apart. It focuses on education, access, and the environment. These are the principles and values for which Vermont and Burlington stand.
Contrary to what some might perceive, this is not an investment in ECHO itself, it's an investment in the public spaces that surround the building on land leased from the City in order to provide an interpretive interface between the land and water in our urban environment. All people, for free, can experience the "littoral" space between us and the water and their impact on that critical habitat. With well over 100,000 paying visitors a year already experiencing the watershed story inside ECHO, this will provide a way for all waterfront visitors to have an experience without cost, managed and interpreted at no subsequent cost to the City, a win for all. We can continue to provide recreational and art improvements to the waterfront in addition to providing a true educational experience for all ages about water quality for us and for the lake's inhabitants. This project informs citizens and visitors alike of one of the most critical environmental challenges our City, state and world confronts today, and the personal decisions we all face in order to resolve it.
I especially like the visitor engagement and education components of the Sustainability Park project.
I am writing in support of the ECHO proposal Sustainability Park Design for the Burlington Waterfront. As an educator of nearly 40 years and a longtime resident of Burlington, I heartily support a proposal that will welcome all people to the waterfront to enjoy Vermont's beauty and nature. Sustainability Park will be accessible to all visitors, and is free to the public, thus providing an equal opportunity for all children and families to benefit from it's educational offerings.. ECHO has a longstanding tradition of providing educational services to families and schools in The Lake Champlain Basin and beyond,, and this proposal will ensure that residents and visitors alike will be able to experience first hand, hands on nature. The Sustainability Park would be a perfect match for the City of Burlington in its mission to become a more sustainable city, and I support it as a magnificent, inclusive project that will be an integral part of our waterfront..
Storm water remediation is needed in the area. Seems like a large investment into a private enterprise. This has the least public impact of the group.
Surface water runoff and the like are ongoing concerns so those issues to the extent they are addressed by any of the proposal are worthy of consideration.
