BY KEITH EDWARDS

Staff Writer

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- While the state capital is a major player in Montpelier, it's not the only thing the city has going for it, says Mayor Mary Hooper.

She describes the economic well-being of the city as resting on four pillars:

n State government;

n The presence of three large insurance companies in Montpelier, including the largest, National Life, which occupies a large office building that sits prominently on a hill overlooking the city;

n The city's retail district downtown;

n And postsecondary educational institutions within the city like Woodbury College, Vermont College and the New England Culinary Institute, and, nearby, Goddard College and Norwich University.

New England Culinary Institute was founded in 1980 and teaches hundreds of aspiring chefs the finer parts of the culinary arts. Its students have included Alton Brown, creator and host of the Food Network show "Good Eats." The institute has two restaurants staffed by students in Montpelier. Some NECI graduates have stayed in the city after graduating.

"It's got great food for a city of this size," said Brett Tofel, who commutes about 45 minutes to work as a computer programmer on an upper floor of a downtown Montpelier building. "It's pretty amazing."

WELL FED, WELL READ

Offerings range from a self-serve sushi and natural food buffet at Rhapsody Natural Cuisine to Sarducci's Italian restaurant, a favorite of Denise Martin and Jonathan Leonard, who live in nearby Richmond.

The married couple, who both teach at area colleges, said they often visit and shop in Montpelier, favoring Bear Pond Books and Hunger Mountain Food Co-op.

"I like Montpelier because it's manageable," Martin said. "It has a very vibrant arts community. It has a very comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. Though, when the Legislature is in session, you see a more intense, faster pace. And parking is an issue."

Montpelier's public library, the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, is a busy place, both inside and outside, especially after school gets out. The library, executive director Martin Hahn notes, is a popular spot for teenagers and younger children.

Hahn and 25-year-librarian Roberta Downey said circulation at the library has increased each of the last five years, giving the library the second-highest circulation in the state.

"I think it has always been a well-read town," Downey said.

ROOM TO MOVE

Even with just over 10 square miles within its borders, Montpelier has a relatively large amount of recreational space around its densely packed residential neighborhoods.

Hubbard Park, a 185-acre wilderness in the heart of the city, and the 179-acre North Branch Park both offer an extensive trail network for hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing.

Hubbard Park has roughly seven miles of hiking and skiing trails, numerous picnic areas, a soccer and ball field, a small pond, and a sledding hill. It is topped by a 54-foot observation tower providing spectacular views from the highest point in the city.

The fieldstone tower with a metal staircase winding up its interior walls to the top of the structure was built over 16 years, starting in 1915. The top of the tower has an irregular top, giving it a jagged look as if it had been hit by a cannonball or perhaps just left unfinished. Officials say the tower was designed to have a "ruined castle" look.

FLOODED WITH CHALLENGES

None of this means Montpelier is a city without challenges.

Residents were up in arms over their most recent property revaluation, which places a value on each property in the city for tax purposes. Late last year, the city councilors, at the recommendation of a special citizens' committee, agreed to throw out the results of the city-conducted property revaluation and look for a firm to conduct an entirely new revaluation.

Like Augusta, Montpelier's downtown has been struck by flooding over the years, including a March 1992 flood caused by ice jams.

In less than an hour, the Winooski and its North Branch rivers effectively shut down 120 businesses, left more than 50 residents homeless, threw the workings of much of state government into disarray, and caused upwards of $5 million in damage, according to "Ice and Water, the Flood of 1992 -- Montpelier, Vermont."

In 1927, a major flood brought 12 feet of water onto State and Main Streets and did great damage. Nearly all bridges connecting the banks of the North Branch and Winooski rivers were replaced after the flood. Many of these steel truss bridges, hastily put up often using pre-fabricated structures, are now considered landmarks in the community, Hooper noted.