All Entries in the "Featured" Category
Season’s Greenings
The long winter has finally ended but the weather has been holding us in a limbo of lukewarm days and cold nights — not what most Southern Vermonters are looking for so long after maple sugaring has ended. Still, the signs are here and, on Tuesday, Shawn Cunningham ventured out camera in hand to capture […]
Burtco proposes five-bay car wash for Route 103 S.
By Shawn Cunningham On Monday night, the Chester Development Review Board reconvened a hearing on a conditional use permit for a five-bay car wash to be built and operated on Route 103 south. The facility, which will have two automatic and three self-serve bays will be owned and operated by Burtco and is proposed for […]
Airing of zoning proposals continue, Fire Department seeks uniform, training funds
By Karen Zuppinger Jason Rasmussen of the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission attended last Wednesday’s Chester Select Board meeting, bringing along a video presentation to help explain some of the proposed changes to the Unified Development Bylaws. During this particular meeting, the Select Board was seeking public comment on Article 1, which establishes authority […]
Chieftains fall to Bellows Falls Terriers 9-1
By Evan Chadwick Looking to climb back to the .500 mark on the season, the Green Mountain Chieftains ran into Bellows Falls Terriers’ ace Michael LaBeau last Wednesday afternoon on GM turf. The hard throwing senior, who is pitching as well as anyone in southern Vermont, struck out 11 Chieftain batters on the day on […]
Toddler playset in works at Pinnacle; CAES parents seek ‘Structure’ replacement
ON THE COVER: A new Pinnacle playset will be placed between the Pavilion and the ballfields, to the west of the tennis courts./ Photo by Karen Zuppinger. By Karen Zuppinger Chester may be getting two new playgrounds in the next two years, adding a new one at the Pinnacle for toddlers and possibly replacing the […]
Residents express concerns about development during hearing on proposed bylaws
By Cynthia Prairie A handful of Chester residents testified last Wednesday before the Select Board on changes they would like to see to the proposed Unified Development Bylaws, which for the first time will include zoning and subdivision regulations and flooding protection within one document. For the public hearing, Select Board member Tom Bock moved […]
Hearing on zoning regulation changes tonight
The Chester Select Board will be holding a public hearing at 7 tonight, Wednesday, April 17, on proposed changes to the Unified Development Bylaws, which govern zoning, subdivision and flood damage prevention regulations. The hearing will take place during its regular session, at Town Hall, 556 Elm St. This may be the last time that […]
Boston Marathon story: A motorman’s job, a wife’s anguish
By Cynthia Prairie Sarah Ringquist-Paulicelli of Hanover, Mass., her four children and a nephew came to Chester last weekend for a nine-day visit with her mother, Sharon Baker, owner of the Country on the Common clothing store. Sarah’s husband, John, planned to join them for a two-night visit Monday evening, after work. But at 3:05 […]
4th public-private solar proposal aired; economic development plan suggested; Missing Link Bridge in question
By Shawn Cunningham During its April 3 meeting, the Chester Select Board heard from a fourth company proposing to put a solar farm on town land on Route 103N across from Trebo Road, discussed a four-page economic development plan for the town and considered not replacing Missing Link Bridge, this following 20 minutes of correcting […]
Teens step in to rebuild preschoolers’ damaged milk jug igloo
By Greg Hart Sports editor A milk jug igloo built for a class of preschoolers and torn apart within two days of its completion has been reconstructed by a group of teenagers, much to the delight of the little ones and their teachers. On Monday, April 1, Chester Community Preschool teacher assistant Kathleen Karl posted […]
Sugar house spark ignites hillside fire
Richard Root of Green Mountain Turnpike was just finishing up sugaring for the season, cleaning and rinsing his equipment around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 7th, when he noticed smoke. The hillside adjacent to his sugar house had caught fire – due to a stray spark from his smokestack. According to Root, within 10 minutes, the […]
Chester loves ‘Chicago’ and ‘Chicago’ loves Chester
The three performances of Green Mountain Union High School’s production of Bob Fosse’s Chicago took Chester by storm last Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Below is a photo gallery taken at two performances. We also have video of three numbers: Roxie; All I Care About; and When Velma Takes the Stand. Set in the 1920s […]
Red feeders have local guano harvesters seeing green
By Shawn Cunningham As April 1st arrives, the advent of spring makes many think ahead to a season of rebirth and growth. Gardeners are starting plants indoors and planning vegetable beds, while sugarhouses steam and farmers prepare their manure spreaders. At the same time, one little known part of Vermont’s agricultural economy prepares for the […]
Free classes help parents find positive solutions
By Rebecca Salem When Nancy Pennell was a young mother with four children, she knew she needed help. “I found a parenting group and … each time I was in a challenging situation with my kids, it was like having a whole cadre of women alongside of me,” she says. It is this experience, combined […]
Potential biomass traffic alarms Select Board; board responds to SoVerA letter
By Karen Zuppinger Speaking at the Chester Select Board meeting on Wednesday, March 20, Tom Kennedy, of the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, addressed the board’s concerns about the amount of truck traffic that may be driving through Chester as a result of a biomass plant proposed for North Springfield. Chairman John DeBenedetti said […]
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, […]
Jamie Townsend: A bold ‘farmer artist’ outside and in
ON THE COVER: The front of R.B. Erskine’s has become an outdoor art gallery with the addition of artist Jamie Townsend’s work. “My customers really like them a lot,” says shop owner Mike Erskine. All photos by Karen Zuppinger unless otherwise noted. A photo gallery is set within the article. By Karen Zuppinger It’s a […]
Fire truck vote set; 4th solar firm presents farm plan
By Karen Zuppinger After addressing the issue at Town Meeting, the Select Board at its meeting on Wednesday, March 6, said it is moving forward with leasing a new fire truck. Town Manager David Pisha will send the contract to town attorney James Carroll for review. Barring any setbacks, the Select Board will vote on […]
Bock, Jonynas re-elected to Select Board; school budgets pass
A political newcomer failed to overtake incumbents Tom Bock and Arne Jonynas, both of whom handily won re-election to one-year terms on the Chester Select Board in Tuesday’s vote. Tami Wilkins Ravlin, a lifelong Chester resident, did garner a respectable 225 votes compared to Jonynas’ 278 and Bock’s 288. With only 496 voters going to […]
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 […]
