Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Chester public records get room to grow
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015 Telegraph Publishing The records of a town take up a lot of space after 254 years. And during her tenure as Chester Town Clerk, Deb Aldrich has watched the 162-square-foot vault used to protect town records grow tighter and tighter. A Vermont statute mandates that a town have “a fireproof safe […]
Chester sets tax rate, agrees to title search on Yosemite Fire House
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board set this year’s tax rate, approved a contract for a title search to determine the ownership of the Yosemite Fire House, heard an update on Merritt Edson day festivities and discussed the options to move the proposed water project forward at its Wednesday, […]
Bridge work to close Route 11 between Chester, Londonderry for 10 days
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC UPDATE July 22: Bridge 41 on Route 11 between Chester and Londonderry was closed on Monday, July 20. It is expected to be closed through Thursday July 30. For a 10-day period between July and September, VTrans will be closing Route 11 for the rehabilitation of Bridge […]
Chester Select Board agrees to water project ‘do-over’
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC In the wake of last Tuesday’s defeat of a vote to ratify the May 19 water project passage, the Chester Select Board met in a sparsely attended noon meeting on Thursday July 2 to affirm that it is behind the project and will bring it to another […]
Peer review questions proposed Chester Jiffy Mart’s traffic numbers
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC A privately commissioned peer review of the traffic study submitted by Jiffy Mart has called into question the numbers on which the convenience store chain has based its assertion that its proposed store would have no impact on congestion and crashes. The review was presented on Monday night, when […]
Chester voters overturn earlier vote approving water project
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC A vote to ratify the Chester water bond vote of May 19 went down to defeat today, Tuesday, June 30, in an anemic turnout of 143 voters out of a checklist of more than 2,000. The final tally was 69 yes to 74 no. The ratification vote was […]
Weston’s ‘Junie B. Jones’ a sugar cookie delight for kids, adults alike
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC There are many things to look at in judging whether a show is successful or not. There are the performances, of course, but there’s also lighting, sets, costumes, staging and choreography among others. When it comes to a show for kids, however, there’s one more thing – […]
Water main break in Chester means ‘all-nighter’ for town crew
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC A break in an 8-inch water main on Depot Street near Maple Street in Chester around 4 p.m. yesterday brought out a town crew that was expected to work through the night to make repairs. Until Water Superintendent Jeff Holden found the break and shut off the […]
Chester board reappoints DRB members without advertising openings
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC Several pending issues including action on the disposition of the Yosemite Fire House and a board member’s request to discuss the formation of a fire district were missing from the agenda for the Wednesday, June 17 meeting of the Chester Select Board. But the board re-appoinnted members of the […]
Chester to hold two public meetings and a vote next week
©2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two public hearings and a townwide vote will be held in Chester next week: Monday, June 29 – The Town of Chester will hold an informational meeting ahead of a second vote on the town’s $4 million water project. This is happening because the first vote was not properly warned for […]
DRB to keep flood hazard review open on Chester Jiffy Mart
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC After a contentious hearing on June 1, this past Monday’s Chester Development Review Board meeting was polite and even relaxed in portions as the town’s quasi-judicial land use arbiters once again took up the application of Robert Record and Champlain Oil for a conditional use permit to […]
Chester Select Board member pushes fire district; board still unclear on ownership of historic firehouse
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its June 3 meeting, the Chester Select Board set up a busy session for June 17, when the meeting time will return to 7 p.m. from 6:30 at the request of chairman John DeBenedetti. Among the discussions at last week’s meeting that will be on the […]
Jiffy Mart developer sees new store as improvement to area’s character
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC Pointing to a “very old service station, a very old metal diner, an abandoned pizza parlor that’s overgrown, a dollar store site and a rental house that’s not in very good shape,” Matt Wamsganz, the point man overseeing constructing a 5,000-square-foot Jiffy Mart for Champlain Oil, told the Chester […]
Chester police respond to assault report, find nothing
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Chester Police responded to a report of an assault in progress in the Depot Street area last night around 10 p.m. According to Chief Richard Cloud, speaking with the Telegraph this morning, the report was received by dispatchers who remained on the line with the caller. Treating […]
In weak voter turnout, Chester water project passes by 26 votes
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing By a margin of 112 to 86, Chester voters on Tuesday authorized the town to borrow slightly more than $4 million to upgrade the town water system, adding a second storage tank and replacing a large stretch of asbestos/concrete water main along Route 103 from the Sunoco station […]
GMUHS board OKs limited school choice, restraint and seclusion policy
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing At its regular monthly meeting, the Green Mountain Union High School Board of Directors adopted limited school choice for seventh and eighth graders, as well as a restraint and seclusion policy for disruptive students and heard a presentation on the proposed town water project from town government officials. […]
Chester residents seek answers on proposed water project
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing, LLC It was a respectful but question-filled turnout at Chester Town Hall last night, Monday May 18, for an informational meeting regarding a $4 million water project proposed by the Town of Chester that is being voted on from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. Town Moderator Bill […]
Chester DRB’s initial Jiffy Mart hearing focuses on flood hazard
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Chester’s Development Review Board began the process of considering a new Jiffy Mart gas station, convenience store and food outlets at its meeting on Monday, May 11. A couple of dozen people, including a quorum of the Select Board, were there for the initial examination of documents […]
Part 2: A Closer Look: Separating the Chester water project from gravel needs
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC In any public discussion of the proposed municipal water upgrade, most people agree that Chester’s water system has suffered from deferred maintenance and that the longer work is put off, the more extensive and expensive it is likely to be. “We need this water project,” Jeff Holden, […]
UPDATE- Quick response stops Baileys Mills brush fire
UPDATE: 7:50 a.m. Friday May 8. According to the Chester Fire Department, the cause of the fire (approximately 100′ by 300′) was “a large ash pile that had been emptied onto a week prior.” The fire department reminds the public that a large ash pile can continue to be hot in the middle for weeks. […]
