Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Remote meeting styles evolve with good and bad experiences, technology
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The recent move by Green Mountain Unified School District Board to prohibit comment from those who attend its meetings by Zoom – including board members – prompts the question of where other boards stand on the issue of remote vs. in-person meetings and what goes into […]
Community Garden installs sign by artist Jamie Townsend
© 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last week, gardeners gathered at the Chester Community Garden to mark the installation of a new sign created by Springfield artist Jamie Townsend, whose colorful, farm-related work has been on display on buildings throughout the area. Two of his paintings hang on the front wall of Erskine’s Grain and Garden. […]
Cavendish member objects to GM board changes to Zoom meetings Lisa Sanders to join Cavendish representation on GM board
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the Green Mountain Unified School District Board finally filled the open seat for a Cavendish representative at its Thursday, Aug. 17 meeting, another issue came to light that has the potential to further inflame the relationship among the district’s towns: restricting public comment to those attending […]
Van rollover injures driver, knocks out power in six towns
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC A rollover on Tuesday afternoon left the 73-year-old driver of a van with minor injuries after his car sliced a utility pole that knocked out power to 1,400 Green Mountain Power customers across six towns. Chester Police Chief Tom Williams said that John G. Johannesen III, 73, […]
Chester residents call for more short-term rental regulations
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Wednesday, several Chester residents attended the Select Board meeting to tell members that they want more regulation of short-term rentals before it’s too late and that neighborhoods like the Stone Village are full of “empty houses for tourists.” The topic was on the board’s agenda because […]
Chester to bypass vendor, roll out first phase of STR registration applications No implementation dates from swamped Granicus
By Shawn Cunningham ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Friday’s “kick off” meeting with Granicus, the company that Chester hired to establish and manage its short-term rental registry, has spurred the town to seek an old-school route while waiting for the more hi-tech segments to be created. “Alex bravely answered our questions and stayed chipper,” Zoning […]
CAES sustained minor damage during floods Other TRSU schools in good shape; all to open on time
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The area rumor mill was working overtime as people have added their own interpretations to a story about flood damage in Vermont schools that ran in VT Digger a week after the July 10 floods. With the Digger article attributing “major damage” to the school, one such […]
Work on Chester’s delayed short-term rental registry to move forward
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Implementing a short-term rental registry has been a more daunting task than Chester’s town government had expected. More than five months after signing a contract to provide Chester a short-term rental registration program that was planned to launch by April, Granicus told the town on July 13 […]
Flooding cancels customer appreciation day
© 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Kim Rushford still appreciates his customers, but when flood waters wrecked the driveway to his garage at Route 103 north and carried some of his equipment off the premises, he decided he needed to cancel the Customer Appreciation Day scheduled for Saturday, July 22. For the time being, Rushford, who […]
Bridge closure on Popple Dungeon due to flooding
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Town of Chester learned Friday night that the abutment for a small bridge on Popple Dungeon Road has been severely undermined and must be closed until further notice. The bridge on Popple Dungeon is just west of Nudist Camp Road and just before the Williams River […]
Road conditions in Chester and Weston
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The following lists of road conditions are as of Thursday night, July 14. Work continues in Chester and Weston to make all of the roads passable. Please note, passable means just that. These are not permanent repairs, but fixes to make it possible so that everyone who […]
UPDATE: Chester ‘boil water’ order is lifted.
UPDATE Thursday July 13 – The Town Office has announced that the boil water order that was the result of water main breaks has been lifted. The Chester Water Department is chlorinating the water at this time. © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Town of Chester has issued a “Boil Water” order for those hooked […]
THE IMPACT: Homes, businesses flooded, roads washed out
Gene Palma of Weston shot this video of the Weston Green. The West River once again jumped its banks in a torrent, flooding the historic Playhouse, apparently higher than it was during Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011. Homes and their residents along the river and the Town Office Building are also being impacted. […]
Weather leads to postponement of Allstone – Julian DRB hearing tonight
© 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The area-wide flooding that began early this morning and is expected to continue through tomorrow has led the Town of Chester to postpone tonight’s Development Review Board hearing on conditional use permits for three quarry sites owned by Julian Materials. The Town’s announcement is below. TOWN OF CHESTER DEVELOPMENT REVIEW […]
As flood waters rise, crews rescue campers, residents in Andover, Cavendish, Derry, Ludlow Drivers urged to stay off roads; Authorities expect flood waters to rise after lull
Ali Ulrich of Weston shot this video from her home this morning. It shows the Weston Fire Department, the convenience store and several homes and cars underwater. Weston Emergency Management is urging residents to stay off the roads. This area of Southern Vermont — from Londonderry north to Ludlow and Woodstock — are especially […]
Area fire, rescue services brace for rains, flooding
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC With the National Weather Service issuing a flood watch for all of Vermont from Sunday afternoon through Monday evening, local emergency responders are preparing for the needs of their communities, and Vermont Emergency Management has put out a list of things to do to ensure public safety […]
UPDATE: DRB site visit to Allstone, Julian quarries postponed DRB Hearing will proceed as scheduled on Monday evening
The site visit scheduled for Monday, July 10 at the three quarries owned by Julian Materials is being postponed to a date, time and location still to be determined, according to Chester Town Manager Julie Hance. The notice also says that, “The site visits have been postponed to facilitate the appropriate arrangements for conducting the […]
Chester resident receives statewide First Responder award
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Wednesday, as members of Chester’s Select Board and Town Manager looked on, Steve Vertefeuille of Chester received Vermont’s First Responder of the Year award at the Public Safety Building. Vertefeuille, an officer with the town’s Fire Department and a town employee, was given the award for […]
PCBs at Green Mountain High School – What you need to know
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC After high levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls — PCBs — found in the Burlington High School led to moving that school’s students to an empty department store while a new school is being built, the Vermont legislature mandated testing every publicly funded school built before 1980. Through that […]
Green Mountain graduates 47 in the Class of 2023 Commencement moved indoors due to threatening weather
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Green Mountain High School’s five year run of perfect weather for its outdoor graduations came to an end last Friday as commencement ceremonies were moved to the gym for the 47 seniors, their families and friends. At his final graduation as principal, Keith Hill welcomed everyone […]
