Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
UDBs adopted, questions on procedure persist
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC The battle over the adoption of Chester’s Unified Development Bylaws came to an end with the Select Board voting unanimously to approve the document as presented, but not without questions about the way a change in the number of public hearings was handled. Board member Dan Cote […]
Chester board reverses course, will interview in private
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board reversed course last week, deciding to hold interviews for volunteer positions in secret, with one board member saying that the public should trust the board in this matter and another one indicating that executive sessions were necessary because the public could not be […]
Nor’easter blankets region, closing shops, causing accidents
© 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Nor’easter that promised 18 inches of snow for New York has fizzled, but it’s keeping its promises to the New England coast … and Vermont. The snow started in most of the area around 6 a.m. Tuesday and by nightfall hadn’t let up since. See photo gallery below. At […]
Chester board votes to appeal Act 250 permit conditions
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 – Telegraph Publishing LLC On Monday, the Chester Select Board met in executive session with a Rutland attorney and decided to appeal conditions of the recent Act 250 permit that allows the town to build a new water tank but severely restricts where the town can extract gravel on the […]
In blow to Chester gravel plan, motion to alter denied
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC When the Town of Chester bought 139 acres from Mike and Amy O’Neil as a site for a water tank, Town Manager David Pisha envisioned a decades-long supply of inexpensive gravel that could help pay for a portion of the $4 million project. It was part of […]
Weston Select Board gets a raise; town to buy a new fire truck
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Voters in Weston passed all of the articles on its warning and returned most town office incumbents to their positions on Tuesday morning during a Town Meeting that went by so quickly that the Little School, which was making lunch to be served, had to scramble to […]
Grafton votes ‘no’ on school merger; Mack ousts Turner from Select Board, Pollio beats Hall for Lisle seat
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The voters of Grafton voted overwhelmingly to nix the proposed merger that would create a Windham Northeast Unified School District. As a “necessary” town, Grafton’s rejection of the plan defeats it, but it was not alone. According to a report in VTDigger, two other necessary towns – […]
Gustafson, Whalen win Select Board seats; budgets, bonds pass by wide margins
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC In the only contested race this year, incumbent member Ben Whalen and newcomer Lee Gustafson won election Tuesday night to one-year seats on the Chester Select Board. With 673 people voting, the totals were Whalen 441, Gustafson 388 and Kelly Arrison 318. When John DeBenedetti decided not […]
After long school meeting, Andover OKs $834,000 town budget
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC With about 10 percent of the town’s population in attendance, the Andover Town Meeting on Saturday was – as usual – a well-mannered and friendly affair even though it started 70 minutes later than scheduled due to the school district meeting running over its allotted 15 minutes. […]
Chester Select Board to vote on UDBs; opts for open interviews
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the main attraction at Wednesday’s Chester Select Board meeting looked to be the continuing struggle over the town’s Unified Development Bylaws, the events of the previous Monday’s Planning Commission meeting – in which commission member Tom Hildreth walked out resulting in a loss of the quorum […]
Chester bond issues seek funds for equipment, roads
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC There are three general obligation bonds on this year’s Town Meeting Day ballot in Chester. If passed, these will fund public works and buy various pieces of capital equipment. To borrow using a bond, the items being purchased must have a usable life that is longer than […]
TRSU Act 46 merger committee approves four-town RED proposal
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Two Rivers Supervisory Union Act 46 Study Committee voted last night (Thursday, Feb. 23) to approve the subcommittee report that recommends the creation of a Regional Education District (RED) from Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester. If approved by the Vermont Board of Education at its March […]
Chester board continues hearing comments on UDBs
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC With two members not able to attend the Feb. 15 meeting, the Chester Select Board continued to hear comments on the Unified Development Bylaws in a public hearing, but in its regular meeting, did not take on anything of consequence, including a procedure for appointing public officials. […]
New crop of canines arrives at Springfield Humane Society
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Twenty dogs from Virginia and North Carolina arrived in snowy Springfield on Tuesday night in search of new homes. The dogs — puppies and adults, males and females — come from shelters that are overflowing, says Springfield Humane Society Executive Director Anne Eddy. “We always take local […]
Chester’s rookie K-9 captures a lot of attention
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Police Department has a new officer, and he’s just a year old. Dutch, a Dutch shepherd belonging to Chester Police Chief Rick Cloud, has been learning on the job, but his formal, 6-week training begins on March 6. According to Cloud, Dutch will be trained […]
Green Mountain RED merger moves forward; Ludlow, Mt. Holly reject plan
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Monday night, school merger study committee representatives from Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester who are working to form a Regional Education District heard from Mount Holly and Ludlow reps that those towns will not participate in the RED – even as a fallback position in their […]
Ludlow, Mt. Holly schools close door on RED; 3 options remain
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Thursday night, Feb. 9, the Act 46 sub-committee for Mount Holly and Ludlow voted unanimously to tell the four towns working to form a Regional Education District that they would not participate in that effort – even as a backup in case other options don’t work […]
Chester board hears comment on zoning regs; will interview appointments in public
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the Chester Select Board opened what could be a long series of hearings on proposed changes to the Unified Development Bylaws, with more than 40 residents in attendance. The bylaws are the combination of zoning regulations, flood hazard regulations and subdivision standards. They […]
Four TRSU schools move forward on RED, old options crop up
By Shawn Cunningham © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the purpose of last Tuesday’s Act 46 sub-committee meeting was to pull together a proposal to form a Regional Education District — or RED — among the towns of Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester, the question of what happens to Ludlow and Mount Holly followed the […]
Ludlow-Mt. Holly Act 46 subcommittee explores options without GMUHS
By Shawn Cunningham ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC As they negotiated the fate of their beloved Black River High School, the crowd at Ludlow Elementary on Tuesday night seemed to be navigating the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. A week earlier, after more than a year of fact finding and negotiation, […]
