There's no sugar-coating it: The pandemic has sucked. But Vermonters are a resilient group, and even amid the darkest days of lockdown found creative ways to stay connected and hopeful. Read on for some of the small moments that lifted spirits in communities around the state, and for observations of positive outcomes that emerged in an otherwise dreary time.
Matt Mignanelli Kelly Brigham has lived her entire life in Burlington s only mobile home park. The resident-owned North Avenue Cooperative has 114 homes, including Brigham s gray single-wide, purchased with an inheritance from her late mother in 2016. At the time, the city assessed the home for $69,300. Brigham, 54, has since paved her parking lot, installed a privacy fence and added an entrance ramp. Still, when the results of Burlington s first citywide reassessment in 16 years arrived in mid-April, she was one of hundreds of homeowners who gasped at the numbers on their notices. The valuation of Brigham s home had more than doubled, rising by nearly $100,000. She wasn t alone: Around her neighborhood, the average mobile home had doubled in value, according to the city s data. Some valuations had more than tripled.