Stewardship Reports
Stewardship Report for Fiscal Year starting February 1, 2023 to
January 31, 2024.
Chittenden County Civil Courthouse:
We continued to work with The State to get the courthouse air quality Covid-compliant. The new HEPA filters that were brought in and installed continue to work well. These denser Merv 13 air filters require being changed 5 times a year. The utility costs remain higher than in past years, as it requires more energy to get the air through these denser filters. 25% of the courthouse’s air is now ported in from outside of the building.
The air quality of the entire building was tested this year and tested better than the air outside. We are now totally Covid-compliant and in-person jury trials have begun.
The duct and coil cleaning recommended by the State was done in two phases, the first phase was completed last fiscal year, and the second phase was done in February of 2023. We at Chittenden County Courthouse are very proud to have always been proactive in keeping the courthouse air quality up to date. Bringing the Chittenden County Courthouse up to full Covid compliance has cost much less than in other counties for this reason.
Security Upgrades:
The 3 double light posts on the east side of the building have worked well at alleviating illegal activity on that side of the building. But we have had to postpone the ‘wash’ lighting on the front of the building, this is too bad, as we have had problems with people gathering at the front of the building and leaving behind graffiti, and three incidents of kicking in the front door panels.
We put off this upgrade to security to address the more pressing issue of unauthorized people in the parking lot during working hours. Most of the people came from the notorious apartment building next door, on the southern side of the courthouse parking lot. People associated with this building and others have been found on County property sleeping, shooting up, disrobing, physically fighting, or apparently injured because of an assault.
Staff in the courthouse are, understandably, concerned. They have observed these incidents, including one occasion when a staff member was afraid to get out of her car to enter the building because of a loud, physical altercation taking place near her car. Staff reports that they have also witnessed people lifting door handles of cars in the parking lot to see if they are locked.
As a result of these ongoing issues the County has paid the Sheriff for extra security, during the weekday times when staff are entering and exiting the building. The State has taken over this cost as of July 1, 2023.
For security purposes, The County has constructed a 6-foot fence between the Courthouse parking lot and the 184 Church Street apartment building.
This has worked well, as there are paths leading to the Courthouse lot the fence has closed off.
Drug paraphernalia littered the parking lot, before the fence was put up.
Temporary fix to the kicked in door panels. An insurance claim was awarded to the County last year, but the new doors have not arrived yet.
Last year vandals spray-painted graffiti on the marble, front, Main Street entrance, as well as other areas such as the Democracy sculpture. It has since been removed.
A 3-foot Church Street fence with a solar-powered car gate, as well as a 4-foot fence with a handicapped-accessible gate leading to Main Street has been ordered. The fencing will totally close off the Courthouse parking lot during working hours. Our hope is that we can leave the lot open to the public for parking from 4:30 to 2 am. We will see how it goes.
We wanted all of the fencing to be 6 feet tall, but this plan was rejected by the City, that is why we went with 3- and 4- foot fencing in some areas.
As of January 3, 2024, the four-foot and six-foot sections of the fence have been manufactured and installed. The three-foot sections are waiting for the curb to be excavated and moved back to 15 feet from the sidewalk. This was another requirement by the City. The two gates, one for cars and one for pedestrians will have to wait until Spring to be installed because of supply chain issues.
We were wise to upgrade security in 2022 by installing a fence by the Probate area. As well as a fence at the top of the stairway to the basement. This was done just in time! Both fences are equipped with manual crash bars, as they also serve as emergency exits.
The State has been working with the Assistant Judges to help us afford this new fencing. The County paid $30,450 for the fence on the South side. The State has worked with the Assistant Judges and agreed to pay for the additional fencing and electronic gates. The cost to the State is expected to be $69,835.77.
A timeline of disturbing events in the courthouse parking lot:
April 28, 2023: Courthouse staff concerns, called police to report a violent encounter, request to County for Sheriff presence in parking lot.
April 29, 2023: daytime shooting outside of Manhattan’s building apartment.
May 18, 2023: First day County pays for Sheriff’s parking lot security while court employees are arriving and leaving work.
June 15, 2023: Parking lot violent incident while employee was in her car.
June 29, 2023: Added security plan because of State employees’ concerns.
July 1, 2023: State takes over cost of Sheriff’s parking lot security while court employees are arriving and leaving work.
July 6, 2023: Letter from Probate Judge Glennon about concerning event in parking lot and request for fencing.
August 13, 2023: Letter sent from Assistant Judges to the State requesting help funding for phase 2 and 3 of fence. They accepted, but the County will be responsible for maintaining the fence.
EV Car Charges:
US Department of Energy:
Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG)
With the help of Diane Meyerhoff, the County’s Assistant Judges have applied for a federal grant that will enable us to get two dual EV chargers for the Courthouse parking lot. This is a complicated process, but we should be able to get the $76,390. grant.
West Side Steps
Repair and restore the West Side entrance granite steps to the Courthouse. Water was gathering on the steps and by the railings, freezing, and then heaving. This project was scheduled to be finished this year. Due to technical difficulties, we will finish this in the coming fiscal year. The steps have been ordered, manufactured, and paid for. 1/2 of the project has been completed.
Main Street Project
The City required us to install a backflow device to the Courthouse’s sewer system as part of their Main Street Project. This has been completed.
UPP Parking
The deal the Assistant Judges struck with UPP Parking continues to work well. This generates approximately 5,000 a month in revenue for the County.
Audit
A biannual self-audit was done. No deficiencies were found.
Plaque Unveiling
A plaque unveiling was done at the Courthouse. The Vermont Association for Justice presented the Frank G. Mahady Public Service Award to the late Beth Danon, to Beth’s sister, Mary Kehoe. This gathering was well attended, and at no cost to the taxpayer.
Other projects completed include:
Routine jetting of sewer lines, cleaning of window wells, outside windows were cleaned, and flags were replaced.
Contracted with Royal Group to revise the FOB door entry system.
Contracted with Alpha to maintain the courthouse’s elevators.
Contracted with New England Air to change the Merv 13 filters 5x a year.
The reheat coils were cleaned throughout the building.
The air flow was balanced throughout the entire building.
County web site revisions were done.
The State finished replacing outdated wiring throughout the building.
2 new standing desks and a couch were purchased for the Judges’ chambers.
A new hot water heater was purchased and installed.
Branches hanging over the south side of the Courthouse lot fence were cut.
Other News:
Parking income is recovering nicely, as is Passport income. Passports are done by County Clerk Anne Williams.
Water gets into the basement through the basement door on the west side of the building during hard rain. We are working on this.
New Courthouse Projects:
Zoning and installation for new security ‘wash’ lights on the front of the courthouse.
Finish West Side granite step restoration and repair.
New handicapped entrance design.
Britta filters purchased instead of continuing with water cooler.
Parking lot lights will be brightened.
Paint and caulk around the windows and doorways.
Work with Engineer and New England Air to plan the new Chiller system. May be wise to install a new rubber roof before installing the condenser.
If there are leftover funds, we will archive (box, index and label) historic records and pay for them to be safely stored at the Vermont Historical Society.
Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department:
The sheriff’s office was repainted.
New panels were installed on the outside of the building.
A dead tree was removed.
There was an accident that damaged the entrance to the garage. After we saw how the building sustained so much damage with such a minor accident, we started to look at the integrity of the building.
Damage incurred to the garage entrance to the Sheriff’s Department.
We then discovered that there was a lot of rust eating away at the building.
Years of salt and moisture have damaged the Sheriff’s Department’s building.
This will be fixed in the next fiscal year.
Respectfully submitted,
Connie Cain Ramsey
Assistant Judge, Chittenden County
Stewardship Report for Fiscal Year starting February 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023.
We continued to work with The State to get the courthouse air quality Covid-compliant. New HEPA filters were brought in and installed. We changed the filters to the denser Merv 13 air filters and increased the number of times to change them to 5 times a year. We raised our utility costs, as it requires more energy to get the air through these denser filters. 25% of the courthouse’s air is now ported in from outside of the building. This is another way to make the air more Covid compliant. This system caused problems when there was precipitation. This moisture problem has been addressed and rectified.
The State has found that the building has air pockets. They have addressed this by installing additional air vents and dampers. The air quality of the building is now totally Covid-compliant and in-person jury trials have begun.
Duct and coil cleaning recommended by the State will be done in two phases, the first phase has been done, and the second phase will be done in February of 2023. We at Chittenden County Courthouse are very proud to have always been proactive in keeping the courthouse air quality up to date. Bringing the Chittenden County Courthouse up to full Covid compliance has cost much less than in other counties.
Security Upgrades:
We have had reports from the police and neighboring businesses that people are gathering on the east side of the building, sometimes building fires, drinking, doing drugs and other illegal activities. On the front of the building there has been spray painted graffiti and vandalizing. Our Grounds Supervisor, Christopher has repeatedly had to call the police about this. Their recommendation is to install more lighting.
This year we were able to install 3 double light posts on the east side of the building. This has worked well, but was no easy task, given the historic nature of the building, and the City’s sensitivity to lumen output.
Next year we hope to install ‘wash’ lighting on the front of the building for security purposes, as we have had problems with people gathering at the front of the building and leaving behind graffiti, and 2 incidents of kicking in the front door panel.
We also upgraded security by installing a fence on the Church Street side of the building, by the Probate area. And also, a fence at the top of the stairway to the basement. Both with crash bars, as they also serve as emergency exits. This has made the building much more secure.
Capital Improvement:
We restored and repaired the granite steps at the Main Street entrance. Water was gathering on the steps and by the railings, freezing, and then heaving. The whole structure was disassembled, new cement base was poured, new granite steps were ordered and put on the new cement base, the cheeks were sent to Barre for modification, and placed on the new cement base, the railings were reinstalled, this time, with plates at the bottom instead of boring through the granite. New caulking was then installed. The front stairs and railings are much more secure now.
Other projects completed include:
Routine jetting of sewer lines, cleaning of window wells, outside windows were cleaned and flags were replaced.
Contracted with Royal Group to revise the FOB door entry system.
Contracted with Alpha to maintain the courthouse’s elevators.
Contracted with New England Air to change the Merv 13 filters 5x a year.
The reheat coils were cleaned throughout building.
The air flow was balanced throughout the entire building.
County web site revisions were done.
The State replaced outdated wiring throughout the building.
Other News:
Parking income is recovering nicely, as is Passport income. Passports are done by County Clerk Anne Williams, she the reports that it has been the best year since 1986, with 162 passports issued.
Water gets in basement through basement door on the west side of the building during a hard rain. We are working on this.
Assistant Judges continue to work in Odyssey, which is the State’s new system for court’s filings. Also have learned how to use Cisco WebEx and Microsoft Teams. Most hearings are held remotely, using Cisco WebEx. The Assistant Judges and Presiding Judge communicate during the trial, and deliberate, using Microsoft Teams.
New Courthouse Projects:
Second half of vent cleaning per State.
Add one more filter change per year, 5 total, for HVAC system.
Zoning and installation for new security ‘wash’ lights on the front of the courthouse.
West side step restoration and repair.
New handicapped entrance design.
Sheriff’s Office:
Repaint the Sheriff’s office.
Install new panels on the outside of the building.
Respectfully submitted,
Connie Ramsey
Stewardship Report for Fiscal Year starting February 1, 2021 to January 31, 2022.
April 28, 2021, Covid cleaning protocols were relaxed. (1 x sanitizing a day, rather than 3 x a day).
FEMA Grant monies were reimbursed to the County for expenses incurred related to Covid.
Chittenden County Courthouse was assessed by the City of Burlington at $9,352,800.
Chittenden County Sheriff’s building was assessed by the City of South Burlington at $382,900.
1.9 % Pay Act Bonus for all statutory employees, approved by Governor Scott, was not exercised by the Chittenden County Assistant Judges.
We worked with The State to get the courthouse air quality Covid-compliant. New HEPA filters were brought in and installed. 175 Merv-13 filters were also ordered and are either in place, or at the ready. We raised our utility costs, with the assumption that it would take more energy to get the air through these denser filters, and we were right. Some bugs needed to be worked out with these new changes to the HVAC system, for example, the increased air flow worked well, but made automatic doors not close properly and swing open. This problem has been addressed and the doors now close securely. 25 % of the courthouse’s air is sucked in from outside of the building.
Duct and coil cleaning recommended by the State will be done in two phases, the first in FY ending in January 2022, and the second FY ending in January 2023. This work has already been started, and has been done during the hours that court is not in session. This work will cost $33,300. The State has applied to the legislature to appropriate $5,719,552.00 to upgrade the air quality in the State’s 12 County-owned courthouses. We at Chittenden County Courthouse are very proud to have always been proactive in keeping the courthouse, and it’s air quality up to date. Bringing the Chittenden County Courthouse up to full-Covid compliance will cost much less than in other counties.
Other projects completed include:
A leaky 3-way valve in the air handling system was repaired. This was non-Covid-related.
Air handling issues causing the 2nd and 3rd floor to become too hot and were repaired.
Routine jetting of sewer lines, cleaning of window wells, outside windows were cleaned,
and the flags were replaced.
The reheat coils were cleaned throughout building.
The air flow was balanced throughout the entire building.
A biannual self-audit was done.
County web site revisions were done.
Opioid settlement funds were awarded to Vermont, partly through its Counties. Chittenden County signed these funds over to the State, with the understanding worked out with our Association of Assistant Judges, that the money would only be spent to lessen the effects of opioid addiction and its causes or solutions.
Other News:
Parking income was way down due to the Covid pandemic, it is now getting back to normal.
Passport income is getting better, it was down because the public was not allowed in the building due to Covid.
Water gets in basement through basement door on the west side of the building during a hard rain. We are working on this.
Assistant Judges are now proficient in Odyssey, which is the State’s new software system for court’s filings.
Assistant Judges are now also proficient in Cisco WebEx and Microsoft Teams. Most hearings are held remotely, by computer, using Cisco WebEx software. The Assistant Judges and Presiding Judge communicate during the trial, and deliberate, using computers, and Microsoft Teams software.
A week-long ‘Judicial Decision Making’ Course attended by the Chittenden County Assistant Judges. This course was paid for using two scholarships, one by the National Judicial College, and one by Vermont’s Association of County Judges.
The Assistant Judges also travelled to Montpelier to assist the State in training new, interested Assistant Judges on how to Preside over Uncontested Divorces.
Capital Improvement:
Graffiti, drug use and loitering on courthouse grounds is an increasing problem at the courthouse. Police have recommended more lighting on the east side and front of the building.
We have submitted a plan to zoning, and are negotiating an acceptable plan with them, taking the historic nature of the building in mind as well as the lumen output.
The proposed lighting will be by the Democracy Sculpture, tentatively one just behind it and two further back in the courtyard.
This lighting is for security purposes as we have had reports from the police and the neighboring businesses, that people are gathering there after hours, sometimes building fires, breaking bottles and leaving used needles behind. Our Grounds Supervisor, Christopher has repeatedly had to call the police about this. Their recommendation is to install more lighting.
The proposed building ‘wash’ lighting is also for security purposes, as we have had problems with people gathering at the front of the building and leaving behind graffiti.
We would like both lighting projects to be in-keeping with the aesthetics of the area… in the courtyard with globe-style lights. And on the building with the same color as the City Hall building. Given their proximity, and the municipality of both buildings.
Graffiti, seen here, by the Main Street entrance, Democracy sculpture, and the back area electric box. It has since been removed.
At the Preliminary Budget Meeting we announced that we were going to repair the granite steps at the Main Street entrance. We have since decided to put that project off for a year and put that money toward making the building more secure. The two areas of concern are the Probate patio on the Church Street side of the building, where, among other things, homeless people sleep, and the back, employee/handicapped entrance by the parking lot.
New Equipment and Supplies:
Passport Camera.
County Computer.
New or repair old phone.
Document shredder.
Electric leaf blower.
Electric weedwhacker.
New metal grate on east side of building.
New Projects:
Second half of vent cleaning per State.
Add one more filter change per year, 5 total, for HVAC system.
Zoning and installation for new security lights.
Capital Improvement: remove, repair, establish drainage for and then put back stair on the Main Street entrance to the courthouse
Redesign Probate terrace and back entrance area to make more secure.
Sheriff’s Office:
Tree removal FYE 22.
Three new desktop computers FYE 23.
View last year’s Stewardship Report here: February 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021