Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
1822 Field Farm house in Chester destroyed in ‘suspicious’ early morning blaze
By Shawn Cunningham At 4:30 Monday morning, Chester firefighters responded to a house fire at the corner of Blue Hill Road and Route 11 west in Chester. The fire destroyed the brick and shingle-siding Field Farm, built in 1822 and owned by Ferren and Leah Bratton. Leah Bratton had been the director […]
Development Bylaws Part 3: Low noise limits, smaller signs among changes
This is the third in a series of articles on Chester’s proposed development bylaws, which include new zoning, subdivision and flood hazard mitigation regulations. To read the proposed bylaws click here and to see the town-wide zoning map click here. Read the first two articles in this series: Proposed Zoning Districts and Proposed Uses. By […]
Part 2 of proposed zoning changes: New land uses, DRB discretion
This is the second in a series of articles on Chester’s new development bylaws which include new zoning, subdivision and flood hazard mitigation regulations. To read the bylaws click here and to see the proposed town-wide zoning map click here. See last week’s Chester Telegraph for more details on new and changed zoning districts. For […]
Falling concrete caused temporary closure to I-91 in Rockingham
Photos and story by Shawn Cunningham ROCKINGHAM State Police and Rockingham volunteer firefighters responded to a report of concrete falling from the I-91 North bridge over Route 103 South around 3 p.m. Friday, according to VTrans spokesman Wayne Gammell. Firefighters on the scene reported that a passing motorist had noticed the shards of concrete […]
Chester board backs grant application for wet suits; continues to mull fairgrounds proposal
By Shawn Cunningham Answers were scarce as the Chester Select Board, during last Wednesday’s meeting, continued to discuss several topics including how to pay for water rescue gear, whether to move forward with a proposed festival venue and what to do about water and sewer rates. The last question was take off the agenda […]
Proposed zoning changes in Chester: Part I, Districts added, altered, eliminated
At 7 p.m. Monday May 19, the Chester Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St., to receive comments on the latest draft of the Unified Development Bylaws, which combines the rules for zoning, subdivision and flood hazard mitigation and has been in the works for about four years. In […]
Illegal burning sets Williams Road brush fire
By Shawn Cunningham The Chester Fire Department and eight other departments responded to a brush fire on Williams Road early Sunday afternoon. The fire, which covered approximately 2 acres, began when an illegal burn got out of control. “The conditions are very dry at this time of year,” said Chester Fire Chief Matt […]
Chester’s proposed development bylaws available for viewing here
The Chester Planning Commission will hold a public meeting on Monday, May 19, 2014 to take comments on the proposed Unified Development Bylaws it has been working on for more than a year. The bylaws are a combination of three documents that currently govern land use in Chester – the Zoning Regulations, the Flood Hazard […]
Chester Select Board discusses water rescue gear, approves historical marker
By Shawn Cunningham Water rescue, historical markers and potholes were among the items discussed at last Wednesday’s Chester Select Board meeting. Fire Chief Matt Wilson came before the Select Board to request permission to apply for a grant to cover a portion of the cost of equipment needed to train for water rescues […]
Public comment sought on new zoning regs; meeting set for May 19
The Chester Planning Commission will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, May 19 so that the public can give its opinions on the most recent version of the town’s Unified Development Bylaws. The bylaws are comprised of Chester’s zoning regulations, subdivision standards and flood damage prevention standards. The meeting will be held at Town […]
Fairground proposed as economic development tool for Chester
By Shawn Cunningham After more than a year of discussions on economic development, the Chester Select Board heard a proposal and a request for seed money to establish a fairground from artist and chainsaw carver Barre Pinske at its Wednesday, March 19 meeting. Pinske noted that he had read about the board’s economic development […]
Ready for some football? Agreement allows high schools to share athletic programs
By Shawn Cunningham One item in Assistant Principal Mike Ripley’s weekly reminders that is emailed to Green Mountain Union High School parents may have been a head-scratcher for many. The announcement of an information meeting about high school football for next fall doesn’t seem odd on the face of it, except that GM doesn’t […]
Bolstering existing businesses suggested as way to aid Chester
By Shawn Cunningham Noting that this was a once-a-year occurrence, David Pisha opened the first Select Board meeting after Chester’s elections of March 4. At its annual reorganization meeting, the board re-elected John DeBenedetti as chairman, Derek Suursoo as vice chair and Arne Jonynas as secretary. As it has at recent meetings, economic development dominated […]
Economic development gets a once over at Chester Select Board
After reviews of the financials and other housekeeping at its Feb. 19 meeting, the Chester Select Board turned to two lengthy discussions – one on proposed new water rates and one on economic development with an eye to growing the Grand List, the total assessed value of a town’s taxable real estate. It was noted […]
Chester auditors defend their work; Select Board again dips into Economic Development fund
By Shawn Cunningham Chester’s elected local auditors – Jack Cable, Phyllis Jewett and Ted Spaulding – appeared before the Select Board on Wednesday, Jan. 15 to explain what they do and answer questions that were raised by a proposal to eliminate their function to save the town $4,000 per year. According to Vermont state […]
Burtco seeks temporary gravel crushing, sales OK at car wash site
By Shawn Cunningham After a site visit earlier in the day, Chester’s Development Review Board on Monday began consideration of a project to extract, crush and sell gravel on the 5.3 acre site of Burtco’s new Abenaque Car Wash on Route 103 South. Stanton Scott of Burtco introduced the project as a way to […]
Chester Select Board OKs budget 4.75% above 2013; town to vote on March 3
By Shawn Cunningham On a snowy Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014, the Chester Select Board struggled with needs vs. wants as it finalized the 2014 water, sewer and general fund budgets in preparation for Town Meeting Day (held Monday, March 3 with voting on fiscal articles and the budgets. Elections occur on Tuesday, March 4.) […]
Chester town solar farm approved on a 3-1 vote
By Shawn Cunningham At its Dec. 18 meeting, the Chester Select Board approved the contract for a solar power farm to be built on town land at Route 103 and Trebo Road. Green Lantern Capital proposed the 5 acre, 500 kilowatt installation back in April of this year, making it the fourth company in the […]
Residents question use of town funds for re-enactment as Chester Select Board frets over tight budget
By Shawn Cunningham* The Chester Select Board meeting of Wednesday, Dec. 4 was unusual – not for its four and a half hour length – but for the crowd of more than 20 who attended it. Many were there to explain or advocate for funding under the 2014 town budget, including several members of the […]
Green Up Day funded; police, insurance budget concerns and solar farm discussion continues
By Shawn Cunningham If the Nov. 20 Chester Select Board meeting had a theme, it was “green,” with issues being discussed including next year’s budget (money), Green Up Day (conservation) and new information on the perennial topic of the solar farm on town land (clean energy). Chester resident and teacher Frank Kelley went before […]
