To the editor: Chester Planning chair thanks all who turned out for recent hearing

Despite March Madness, soft roads and sugaring, on the evening of Monday, March 21, a group of Chester citizens joined a hearing at Town Hall for a proposed amendment to Chester’s bylaws. The amendment creates a new district around our village Green.

In these times when government can feel remote and detached from our everyday lives, I was encouraged that more than 20 people got together to discuss the proposed amendment and put a personal stamp on the bylaws.

I regret not having grown up in Chester.  I like to walk the village looking for the places I would have played as a kid.  (The stream behind the elementary school is a favorite place.)  People in Chester understand they have a duty to participate in democratic government and their participation has meaning. I cherish this part of living in Vermont.

The amendment we discussed Monday will be modified to address the concerns expressed at the hearing, then submitted to the Select Board for consideration. Citizens will have another opportunity to comment when the Select Board holds its hearing.

I want to thank all the people who took this opportunity to shape our community, particularly the members of the Development Review Board and Select Board, who already spend many of their evenings on town business. There will be more discussion of the bylaws in the months to come and I look forward to hearing from many citizens as we tackle some thorny and urgent issues.

I have faith that an open and lively discussion will bring us bylaws we can unite behind.

Sincerely,

Cathy Hasbrouck
Chair
Chester Planning Commission