Author Archive for Cynthia Prairie
Cynthia Prairie has been a newspaper editor more than 40 years. Cynthia has worked at such publications as the Raleigh Times, the Baltimore News American, the Buffalo Courier Express, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Patuxent Publishing chain of community newspapers in Maryland, and has won numerous state awards for her reporting. As an editor, she has overseen her staffs to win many awards for indepth coverage. She and her family moved to Chester, Vermont in 2004.
Neighbors of proposed solar farm seek smaller fence
By Cynthia Prairie Good fences may make good neighbors, but aesthetically pleasing fences could go a long way to making happy neighbors. That was the opinion of several Chester residents whose properties border a planned solar farm near Trebo Road. They were attending a preliminary hearing for the Public Service Board Monday night at Chester-Andover […]
Citing deadline and lack of Select Board support, SoVerA pulls astronomical observatory offer
By Cynthia Prairie In a letter to the Chester Select Board, the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group has withdrawn its offer to donate to Chester, and then operate a publicly accessible astronomical observatory on town land. The letter, dated March 12, states that in October 2012, SoVerA received initial enthusiastic support from town manager David Pisha, […]
Voters approve Windsor County Courthouse renovations
The 24 towns of Windsor County approved – 5,412 to 3,828 at the March 6 elections – a$2 million, 20-year bond to pay for extensive renovation to the Windsor County Courthouse in Woodstock. Because the ballots were co-mingled before the count, vote tallies by town were unavailable, said Chester Town Clerk Deb Aldrich. The courthouse, […]
TOWN MEETING: Voters agree to purchase new grader, dump truck and police SUV
ON THE COVER: Chester’s annual Town Meeting gets under way. Photo by Claudio Veliz By Cynthia Prairie It was a relatively pain-free Town Meeting in Chester Monday night, with about 110 voters showing up to support almost unanimously every one of 13 fiscal articles that had to be voted on, including raising $2.4 million in […]
Act 250 panel gives Dollar General land-use permit
By Cynthia Prairie The District Environmental Commission on Wednesday gave the Zaremba Group the necessary land-use permit to build a 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store on 1.4 acres on Main Street in Chester. Still, the commission also placed several requirements on the developers and the store itself, including: adding a “Stop Ahead” sign on Route 103 […]
Time to vote
The Norman Rockwell image is that Vermont governments are supremely open and Vermonters ensure that openness through hearty civic participation through institutions like Monday’s annual Town Meeting and Tuesday’s Election Day. That belief is reinforced each March by national media reports that tell of the quaintness and fervor of Vermont’s Town Meeting day. So, it’s […]
Bock sees hope in enterprise economy, influx of baby boomers
By Cynthia Prairie To add to Chester’s tax base, Tom Bock sees hope in the baby boom generation, those with money who wish to retire to quiet, small town Vermont. To add to the job base, Bock, who is running for his fourth consecutive year on the Select Board, believes that light manufacturing – an […]
Jonynas sees benefit to police review board, promoting Chester
By Cynthia Prairie Arne Jonynas calls on his experience in both public and private sectors to inform his views on town government and his duties on the Select Board. Jonynas is seeking a third one-year term. In a recent interview, Jonynas, who owns Chester Plumbing, recalls working at the Town of Windsor Windham Highway Department. […]
Ravlin wants new businesses, new residents
By Cynthia Prairie Tami Wilkins Ravlin will tell you quite honestly that she’s a bit nervous. After all, the Chester native has never run for public office. And despite her background in accounting and information technology, she knows she’s got a learning curve to master should she be elected to the Select Board. She is […]
Select Board Meeting Agenda for Wednesday, Feb. 6
The Chester Select Board will meet on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St. in Chester. The five-member board meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Current members are John DeBenedetti, chairman; Derek Suursoo, vice chairman; Tom Bock; Arne Jonynas and Bill Lindsay. SELECTBOARD MEETING AGENDA 7 p.m. Feb. 6, 2013 […]
One challenger in Select Board elections; voters face fiscal issues at Town Meeting
Just one non-incumbent is seeking a seat on the Chester Select Board, where three of the five terms are up for election: one 3-year term held by Bill Lindsay and two one-year seats held by Tom Bock and Arne Jonynas. Newcomer Tami Ravlin, a 40-year-old lifelong resident of Chester, is hoping to win a one-year […]
From the editor: Thank you for an exciting 1st year
One year ago, if you were interested in news about Chester, you might find the occasional story – fire, crime, accident or town government issue – in the Southern Vermont sections of the Rutland Herald or the Eagle Times. Or chances are, you turned to the blog at Chestervermont.org. But for the past year, The […]
New Bartonsville Covered Bridge opens
Photo Gallery by Cynthia Prairie It was a beautiful but freezing winter day that brought together many Vermonters to celebrate the opening of the new Bartonsville Covered Bridge. First, below is Susan Hammond’s famous video of the bridge collapsing. It helped bring attention to the efforts to rebuild it. Following that is the morning events […]
Chester among Windsor towns to vote on County Courthouse renovations
One issue that Chester voters will address on Tuesday, March 5 is whether to support a $2 million bond issue to upgrade the historic Windsor County Courthouse in Woodstock. Assistant Judges David Singer and Jack Anderson presented the issue before the Chester Select Board on Thursday evening, detailing the need for the renovations of the […]
Alternative plans spark strong objections from Dollar General developer, engineer
By Cynthia Prairie Speath Engineering and developer the Zaremba Group vigorously defended their site plan for a Dollar General store proposed for Main Street in Chester after the Windsor County Regional Planning Commission offered two alternatives during the continuation of the Act 250 hearing last Thursday. Click to view Alternative A and Alternative B. The […]
Who is running for which town office, thus far
If you are planning to run for elective office in the Town of Chester, you’ll need to have your petitions, complete with signatures in to Town Hall by 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28. According to the Secretary of State’s office, you can print out a petition form from its site. “You don’t need to announce […]
Act 250 hearing for Dollar General continues Thursday
Planning commission offers alternative plans The District 2 Environmental Commission has set Thursday, Jan. 17 to reconvene its Act 250 hearing on the proposed Dollar General project for a 1.37 acre parcel of land on Main Street across from the Country Girl Diner in Chester. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. on the 2nd […]
Sage Jewelry teams with Polish Pottery in bigger location
It was a chilly Saturday evening with snow, salt and sand still on the ground. But the move had to be done. Sage Jewelry, which for two years has sat snuggly inside the Moon Dog Cafe, on Main Street right off the Green in Chester, needed larger digs. Jeweler and owner Michele Bargfrede was teaming […]
Tis the Season: Unusual holiday gifts for every budget and everyone
By Cynthia Prairie There are few reasons to leave Chester to shop for that very special holiday gift for that very special person. Chester abounds with interesting items in all price ranges — if you know where to look. Whether the recipient is your spouse or lover, a child, your pets or friends who love […]
Family Center Thrift Shop formally opens
The Chester-Andover Family Center’s Thrift Shop officially opened its new doors last Tuesday, Nov. 20 to the cheers of the many volunteers who had spent the last few months readying the building, which in its lifetime had housed three restaurants — Putney Pasta, Azteca and Curtis’ BBQ — before being purchased by the charitable organization […]
