The Burlington Greenway winter services plan relies upon the services identified https://enjoyburlington.com/bike-path-plowing/ on our website and the budget as approved by the voters in 2013. The Greenway drainage system directly impacts lake health due to it's proximity and reliance on our stormwater and greater City drainage systems. The 8 mile service corridor is performed by a single employee during the winter season. Due to both the ecological impacts and the service level, we as a community had to decide how the path should be maintained. Our three year pilot has consisted of plowing half of the path (west side) as much as we can on the newly constructed path. In 2012, the greenway was not plowed at all. Downtown sections are plowed to the full width when necessary recognizing the higher prioritized needs of transportation within those sections. We are also limited by the pedestrian bridges located along the greenway - many cannot support the full weight of a traditional truck and plow, nor were they built to be plowed as they lack supports and guides to protect the bridge from the impacts of plowing. The lake cannot support consistent salting and sanding of the path, due to the run off and likelihood of it depositing directly into the lake, contributing to beach closures in the summer season. Due to these realities the community has supported requesting that users understand our limitations as a community to maintain the path similar to a sidewalk, road or parking lot and alter transportation routes and/or use alternate footwear, accessories (boot chains), or their expectations from Dec. - end of February. We are working on finding a business that will donate/provide reduce cost or access to these accessories as we piloted last year at Arthur Park. The majority of the public to date is supportive of these initiatives to reimagine how public parks can support lake health and other forms of recreation based on feedback through public forums such as this, via the park commission and through public planning initiatives such as the Parks Master Plan. We have welcomed this feedback by advocating that the multipupose path that will be built along the Champlain Parkway be maintained to the higher level- similar to our street and sidewalk system. Also part of the benefit of this maintenance plan is the extension of the useful life of the greenway. ~Parks

Acknowledged ~Parks

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