On the lookout
Personality plus
South Burlington police look for suspects in alleged thefts
Animals help keep forest ecologically diverse
POSTAL CUSTOMER
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #217 CONCORD, NH ECRWSSEDDM
Page 10 Page 4
South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
the DECEMBER 22, 2022
otherpapersbvt.com
VOLUME 46, NO. 51
In South Burlington
Health Network to build second housing complex Housing will help recruit and retain staff, officials say COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS BY COREY MCDONALD
Leo Duncan in his home on Airport Parkway in South Burlington.
For 63 years, Santa keeps on waving COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
With the holidays come the lights and decorations — in the lawns, in the windows and on the rooftops. One Christmas decoration in particular has been waving and smiling at residents for a couple decades now. Leo Duncan’s Santa Claus See SANTA on page 16
The University of Vermont Health Network last week announced its investment in a second employee housing project, along with a new child care center, to attract full-time employees and “reduce the reliance on costly temporary workers” amid a workforce shortage. Officials broke ground on the new project on Dec. 15 on South Burlington’s Market Street. The building will have 120 apartment units ranging from studios to two bedrooms, as well as a child care facility with up to 75 spots focused on infants to preK-aged kids. Those will be made available to network employees first, officials said. “It is vital for our network to have enough providers and staff to meet the record level demand for health care services in our region,” said Sunny Eappen, president and chief executive officer of the health network. “These projects represent a strategic investment to support our people and build a sustainable workforce as we reduce our reliance on temporary workers.”
Wishing you a safe and joyous holiday season.
Celebrate Sober! RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT HOWARDCENTER.ORG | 802-488-6000
The venture is the second the medical center has undertaken this year with Shelburne-based developer Snyder-Braverman to address a shortage of full-time employees. The health network in March announced a partnership with the developer to build a $2.8 million, 61-unit apartment building, also on Market Street in South Burlington. That building is expected to be open for occupancy in March 2023. The second building will be located next to the first, at 303 Market St., and should be ready to open in early 2024. The UVM Health Network has had difficulty through the pandemic keeping full-time staff and has relied primarily on temporary workers to fill in the gap. Housing and child care, officials said, are a major obstacle to correcting that. Chittenden County has for the past year held a rental vacancy rate of around 1 percent and has some of the highest costs for homeownership in the state. “It is frustrating when people we’ve recruited decline our offer of employment because they are not able to secure either housing See HOUSING on page 16