Montpelier — City staff reported on recent work at Confluence Park, outlined three options to restore the site, and proposed a six-month process to review the city’s encampment policy and coordinate homelessness response with local service providers.
After a recent park cleanup that uncovered hazardous material and a large volume of belongings, staff said they had sectioned off a portion of Confluence Park, salvaged items that could be claimed, and were prepared to take one of three short-term actions: seed and reopen the area (about a six-week timeline at roughly $3,000 for topsoil/seed); install gravel or stone for durability; or install removable fencing/gates so the city can close and open the area for events and maintenance.
Council members generally favored reseeding and reopening quickly but discussed longer-term uses (including art installations or programmatic activation) once the park is stabilized.
On encampment policy, staff proposed a six-month review process to convene service providers, conduct legal research (following recent case law), obtain stakeholder input and draft policy recommendations for council consideration. Councilor Adrian proposed attending an upcoming "situation table" training (a multi-agency, confidential coordination model funded by the state) and then holding a facilitated providers’ meeting in October to build shared practices before drafting final policy revisions. Staff affirmed they would invite a broad set of partners — public health, EMS, courts, housing, faith groups and service providers — and include public input opportunities.
Council discussed the homelessness task force’s status. Members of the task force asked to continue meeting and recommended formalizing the body as a city committee with a clarified charge; councilors asked staff and three council members (Adrian, Jim and Helen volunteered) to draft a proposed committee charge to bring forward for council approval. Several councilors urged the task force and providers to continue operational reporting (what people in the field are seeing and where encampments are located) so the city has timely situational awareness while policy and structure are finalized.
Mayor Jack McCullough directed staff to proceed with the cleaning options as appropriate and to begin convening providers; councilors emphasized the need to balance public safety, public health and compassion in any enforcement steps and to coordinate with state agencies and service providers on shelter and behavioral-health resources.