Mayor Tim Smith's Quarterly Community Activities Update

The Mayor’s Quarterly Update

(included in this month's utility bills)

As stated in the previous water bill I will be using this opportunity to keep our residents informed of ongoing activities and events.  By using the mailing of the water bills it maximizes the opportunity with no additional costs.  Let me start by thanking all of those who helped to make the 2nd Annual Mayor’s Photo Competition, the 10th annual Klassic car show and the 1st Annual Sunflower Festival successes.   We had 140 photos submitted and voted on and now the top 15 vote recipients have been enlarged and mounted in Taylor Park.  Main St. was blocked off to showcase classic cars and people could not say enough about the event.  A big thank you goes out to Kathy Manahan for making this event a success.  The success of the Sunflower Festival was due to the engagement of local businesses who painted their windows and planted sunflowers.  Thank you to all of the residents who planted sunflowers around their homes, as well.   The Sunflower Festival was made possible due to the collaboration of Scott Magnan Farms, the City of St. Albans, the Town of St. Albans, Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Vermont Department of Agriculture.   I would like to recognize three young women who really made a difference in our first Sunflower Festival; all three graduated from BFA this past June. The downtown windows that were painted with a variety of sunflowers and looked amazing were done by Kaitlyn Fielding and Autumn Mewhinney.  And the majority of all of the Festival logistics were overseen by Meredith Mashtare.   It was a pleasure to work with these three talented young women.

Upcoming events for this fall include:

  • St. Albans Taylor Park Farmer’s Market will continue on Saturdays 9-2 into mid-October
  • Taylor Park Wine and Cheese Festival will be held on Saturday, September 7th, 2019
  • Afterglow Recreation Benefit Concert to be held at Hard’Ack Sept. 21st from noon – 9:00
  • Vermont Craft Beer Half Marathon will be held September 28th at 9:00
  • 7th Annual 5K Glow Run to be held on October 26 at 6:30 PM
  • Downtown Trick or Treating is tentatively set for Saturday, October 26, 2019
  • Festival of Trees November 30th thru December 8th, 2019
  • Running of the Bells December 5th
  • St. Albans COOP Tractor Parade will be held Friday, December 13th
  • Last Night will be held on December 31st

All of the above events cannot happen without volunteers.   I would encourage anyone who would like to get involved in our community to reach out to volunteer for any of the special events listed above. 

This summer I have noticed substantial investment in residential properties; it may have been improved landscaping, painting or renovations.   Thank you all for taking pride in your properties and our community.   Please continue to plant flowers and trees.  The City has made significant investment in improving our treescape and I would encourage everyone to plant a tree where possible.   Please be sure to take note of overhead wires and plant the appropriate size trees for your space.   If you are unsure of what to plant please touch base with Dave Southwick at City Hall.  

The City has taken the initiative to reduce the level of unnecessary noise in our community.  You will see “Quiet Your Ride” yard signs throughout your neighborhood in hopes that individuals will respect their neighbors right to enjoy a quiet neighborhood.  The City has also committed to a social media campaign as well.   We have a great community, let’s work together to make it better. 

In the coming months I am hoping to see neighborhoods with more porch lights on.   By leaving a porch light on it reduces vandalism and discourages theft.  I would also encourage homes and businesses to display the American flag year-round not just on our national holidays.    Our City continues to see an increase number of tourists throughout the summer, please welcome them with open arms.

Tim Smith, Mayor