The work to save 242 Main is important for a long list of reasons, including what it means to everyone who went there, and as a symbol of the City of Burlington respecting its young people. That’s a message that’s being carried forward by all of us with this petition: A gracious reminder to city leaders that we want them to have open minds about what’s important to the 242 Main generations who helped write Burlington’s story for more than 30 years.

We’re making progress: The petition has gathered more than 1,800 signatures. Half of the city’s Neighborhood Planning Assemblies sent resolutions to the city council in support of reinstating 242 Main when Memorial Auditorium is repaired. Mayor Weinberger announced that he would seek to save Memorial Auditorium on the eve of a public assembly about Memorial Auditorium that was coordinated by all the Wards of the city. A consultant hired by the city has been speaking with stakeholders to understand how to steward the auditorium successfully if it’s repaired. The Mayor will ask whether to restore Memorial Auditorium with his plan on the November ballot. You can follow the city’s progress at a new CEDO web site.

All of this activity points in the direction of Memorial Auditorium — 242 Main’s home — becoming a part of our lives again. But it isn’t a commitment by the city to return 242 Main to its historic space there. Until that commitment is made, this petition is an important tool to secure it — please share it with friends and encourage them to sign and comment (the URL is http://www.save242main.com). We are all important not just as petition-signers but as advocates, bringing this message to others who also value the legacy that teens gave the city. The next generation — only with our effort — might experience the richness of building a 242 Main community of its own.

If you’ve signed the petition, please continue to the CEDO web site where public input about Memorial Auditorium and 242 Main is being accepted: https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CEDO/Memorial-Auditorium/Comments. If you haven’t seen the trailer for the upcoming 242 Main documentary film, visit https://vimeo.com/242185079. And Big Heavy World is hosting an ongoing all-ages concert series to promote the Save242Main.com petition — see https://www.bigheavyworld.com/all-ages-concert-series/