As we reflect on what has kept us busy over January and early February 2025, we want to share some new developments shaping our community.
Community Art Initiatives We’re exploring potential mural projects to infuse our town with artistic flair. Conversations with local artists and town officials are underway to bring some new public art installation to life. Early days, but we are excited to get this project off the ground for 2025.
Midd Summer Market Planning As a team, we’ve has been negotiating with further partners for the next series of 2025 Midd Summer markets. We will be approaching things differently this summer, collaborating closely with other community partners to help craft meaningful and vibrant market experiences which celebrate local produce and artisans. Watch this space!
Enhancing Cannon Park and the Town Office Plaza for 2025 Plans are in motion to further revitalize Cannon Park this summer. With the help of Brian at Parks and Rec, we added lights during Midd Stroll in December, and we have further plans to enhance this sweet ara of town further this year. We are busy collaborating with Kori and Brian, our Parks and Rec gardening crew. We are dreaming of adding more string lighting around the ping-pong table next to Frog Hollow Bikes, and opening up the foliage further along Park Street. This initiative includes pruning and enhancing access to Park Street so we can see more of the gorgeous buildings, including the Sheldon Museum, FLORA and Dan Freeman’s Leather Shop. More to follow!
Traffic Mitigation Efforts With the Illsley library construction starting in March 2025, which will lead to the the closure of the top car park behind the library, we’re being proactive in addressing potential traffic concerns. We have meetings this week with our new Town Manager and the town office team to discuss developing effective solutions to help make this a smooth transition.
Strengthening Community Partnerships Over the last five weeks, our community engagement has led us to: *Attended a Festival on the Green board meeting to explore collaborative opportunities *Discuss future events with Parks and Rec to enrich our summer calendar *Connect with the new director of the Middlebury New Film Makers Festival, to support their upcoming Summer programming *Attend monthly meetings with a community group led by Charter House, *Attend a monthly board meeting with the Addison County Chamber, Attend a bi monthly meeting with the Addison County Economic Development *Attend a meeting at the new Town Hall Theater hosted by the Vermont Tourist Board who are busy gathering data to deepen understanding. It was great seeing so many community members from Middlebury and broader Addison County, including Dan McIntosh from the Middlebury Shop, Sarah Kearns from the Vermont Small Business Development Center, Christy Lynn, our BMP Board Chair & Associate publisher and and director of sales at The Addison Independent, Jonathan Connor ( our BMP Treasurer) and Elizabeth Ryks from the National Bank of Middlebury, Khaim Vassar Fontenot, a young local entrepreneur, and our very own Karen Duguay, who now works for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. It was a great afternoon housed in the new Doug and Debbie Anderson Studio–it gave us gave us an opportuniyt to hear others’ views on what Middlebury, Addison County and more broadly, Vermont has to offer. Fascinating!
Welcoming New Leadership. It’s been a BUSY time! In addition to meeting with our new Middlebury Town Manager Mark Pruhenski, and our new Head of Public Works, Dave DiBiase, we’ve also had the pleasure of meeting with the new executive director of Addison County Development Corporation (ACEDC) Alexander Armani Munn, who succeeds Fred Kenney, who is retiring this summer. We’re happy that we have a replacement for Fred, as this role is critical to our thriving and bustling town, helping further economic growth in our lovely Shiretown.
Celebrating Local Artistry We’re delighted to have acquired three stunning photographs from local artist Caleb Kenna, including this one of Triangle Park which accompanies this blog. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to collaborate and innovate, making our town an even more vibrant place to live and visit.