John McCann, Rutland City Advocate

05/30/2026

The Rutland City Police Department is continuing to work an active scene on Dorr Drive in Rutland. Dorr Dr is closed at Ripley Road to River Street. City of Rutland, Department of Public Works has posted signs at these intersections. Please obey the detours and do not go through them. The public is asked to avoid the area to give officers space to safely resolve this incident. The scene is contained by police and there is no broader threat to the community.

05/06/2026

My kiddo and I took a stroll down to Market 32 yesterday and I snapped this photo along the way. Looking closely, there are a few things to be excited about.
1. The Beldens are continuing to move ahead with remediating the site of the new hotel and prepping it for construction. A photo from this spot is going to look so different in the near future.
2. The parklets are back! A sure sign that spring is in full swing. I can't wait to sit outside and grab a meal.
3. The chimney on the old Herald building is still standing, and I heard our chimney swifts back in town overhead! I'm so curious to know if they are going to continue to use that chimney or the one just up the block that they were testing out last year.

Not pictured: I also saw signs reminding me that Rutland's Punk Rock Flea Market (presented by Nick Grandchamp) is back again. This Saturday from 11-3 at the Neighborhood Church at 73 Williams. I hear there will be 40 or so vendors and some killer food. Check it out!

03/03/2026

It's not too late to make a plan to vote on Town Meeting Day! Polls are open from 7-7 on March 3 for Rutland City voters.

Not sure what's on the ballot? Check out the "Sample Ballot" link on the City Clerk's website here:

Submit payments via our online payment system, request vital records, and find information about permits, among other questions? Click below relating to the matter you wish to pursue.

02/28/2026

The City of Rutland has been studying ways to improve public safety at the intersections of Routes 4 & 7. A public meeting will be held at 6:30PM on Wednesday, March 25th, to review the preferred alternative and collect public feedback.

View the Preferred Alternative & Draft Scoping Report at:
https://tinyurl.com/intersectionscoping

02/24/2026

You may remember toward the end of last year I was inviting people to learn more about Strong Towns with me. We had about a dozen people show up to participate in a book club-style discussion as we worked our way through the free Strong Towns 101 course content. At the end, we all agreed we would like to keep the conversation going.

I'm hoping to start getting people together for a monthly meetup. If you are interested, please fill out the interest survey here:

When a group of us got together for a few weeks of Strong Towns 101 before the new year, we agreed that we would probably want to keep the conversation going at a monthly pace and see where things went from there. I am hoping to get this up and running as early as March. This form will help me figur...

02/19/2026

Coming up in just about 30 minutes. Will you be watching!?

02/11/2026

Want to know what's going on with the Rutland City Plan? Tonight is a great night to find out! The Rutland City Planning Commission is hosting a public meeting at the Hub CoWorks at 5:00 p.m.

If you can't make the meeting, you can still learn more here:
https://www.regrowthplanning.com/rutland

02/02/2026

Sometimes progress looks like life-size Tonka trucks.

It's nearly ten below and the Belden Construction crew is out here getting to work.

There is still a lot to work on in our little city, but I’m optimistic that this is an undeniable indicator of real forward momentum Downtown.

02/01/2026

I had the privilege of meeting Peter recently through the Strong Towns 101 events I was hosting. He is genuine. He is humble. He is absolutely passionate about making Rutland City a place that is more affordable to more people.

He is not shy about highlighting what doesn't seem to be working. Yet, he isn't just another voice in a sea of complaints. He brings possible solutions and a desire to help see them through.

I am so glad to hear that he decided to run for the Board of Aldermen.

Peter Franzoni is running for the Board of Aldermen. He’s someone with deep roots in Rutland, a small business owner with hands-on experience in land development, and a candidate focused on helping the city grow in a way that’s affordable, safe, and welcoming for everyone.

“I am a 5th generation Rutland City resident with deep ties to this community. Although I never had any desire to be an advocate, much less a politician, I have found myself greatly concerned for many folks that I care about in our community who have been unfairly put at risk over this past year: Last April, they asked me to speak up for them; this year, they’ve asked me to represent them.

I also have a strong desire to see our city grow. I’ve run my own business for 5 years now as an independent title investigator specializing in commercial land development, with 33 years previous experience performing land surveying and civil-engineering technician work: I would like to apply my knowledge and skill-set to further the existing efforts of creating affordable housing in our city, so that we may grow our tax base.

I am running with the Rutland Forward candidates because they have brought long-term growth to our city, and especially because they stand for a city that is safe and welcoming for everyone.”

01/29/2026

It's been a cold week or two to be taking The Bus. But, with the car needing work and finances being tight, the bus has been a bit of a lifeline for me.

It's also quite impressive to see the number of people taking mass transit up the hill to Killington, both for work and for play. Each person who takes the bus is one less person adding to traffic in their own car.