The first of Burlington’s new public bulletin boards are appearing on St. Paul Street, with more to follow on Bank Street, Cherry Street, and City Hall Park in the future. The advocacy that argued for public bulletin boards was a marathon, joined by musicians and volunteers supporting their music scene over a period of close to ten years. Together we made points about the social and economic value of these no-barrier-for-use resources and were, in the end, happily heard.

The first new bulletin board, in use now on St. Paul Street, isn’t just a resource that’s accessible to all of our arts family; it’s a symbol of how positive it can be to persevere with a respectful conversation with the decision makers in city government. Although there was initially resistance to uncurated public bulletin boards, and early design missteps by the city’s contracted planners, ultimately everyone paid attention to what was really important and the outcome is a whole new era of fresh resources for our creative community.

I offer a personal ‘Thanks!’ to the city councilors, mayor, and department staff who had open minds and cared enough to make the decision to build these for the greater good, and to everyone who stepped in to add support and wisdom to the cause.