Burlington, VT – As announced by Mayor Miro Weinberger on Monday, October 18 - yesterday, City staff and community partners (including the CVOEO Community Outreach and Resource Advocate team) met with campers to discuss resource connection, explain the City’s storage policy, and identify trash and abandoned items for removal. Today, as planned, City staff from the Departments of Public Works and Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront will be on site to manage the removal of only those items identified by campers as trash or abandoned.
After the deadline for removal on Tuesday October 26, all personal belongings and structures, left on site will be safely stored for 30 days in accordance with the Burlington City policy on sheltering on public land, and campers can return to collect those items within that 30-day period.
Regarding a recent appeal by two campers at the Sears Lane site, Burlington City Attorney Dan Richardson made the following statement:
“The Vermont Superior Court’s October 20th entry expressly denied the efforts of two individuals to obtain a temporary restraining order for themselves against the City in regard to their occupancy of Sears Lane. The Court found the individuals’ motion lacking in sufficient evidence to establish any right to interfere with or modify the City’s duly noticed action to remove them from Sears Lane. While the Court has allowed the individuals and the City another opportunity to present additional evidence and further argument, its ruling is a refusal to intervene in the City’s lawful process. Furthermore, my office is not aware of any legal right for a court to grant the relief sought by the individuals in this case. As such, the City is under no legal or procedural obligation to act outside of its previously noticed timelines.”
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