Burlington HPC pauses FY2026 CLG grant filing to plan digital walking tour; subcommittee formed

The Burlington Historic Preservation Commission voted to delay submitting a FY2026 certified local government (CLG) grant application to allow time to develop a clearer scope for a proposed digital walking tour and related recognition signs.

Sikhi, a staff presenter, said the commission could use the interval to build an outline, gather contractor estimates and consider two complementary projects: a digital walking tour for designated historic properties and physical recognition signs for locally significant places not eligible for formal district designation. "We decided to hold out on applying for the grant this year," Sikhi said, explaining the goal is to prepare a stronger application in the next cycle.

Commission members discussed technical options and costs. One commissioner who researched existing platforms reported finding a range of solutions—some costing a few dollars per use, others subscription-based, and a few high-end products aimed at museums. Commissioners suggested piloting a low-cost option or leveraging existing platforms (for example, Google walking tours) linked to the city's GIS inventory so points of interest appear automatically as users move through town.

Staff cautioned about IT/security constraints and recommended coordinating with the city's GIS and IT departments. The commission agreed to form a small working group (kept below quorum) to explore options; volunteers identified in the meeting included "John" and "Roger," and staff will follow up by email. The working group and staff will report back at the next HPC meeting with proposed options and cost estimates; larger grant applications would be considered once a scope and rough budget are defined.

No final procurement decisions were made; the discussion centered on scoping, outreach and piloting options before committing grant funds.