Chester board makes planning appointments, reduces cannabis commission

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC

The Chester Select Board’s April 19 meeting was pretty much an exercise in housekeeping with some interviews and appointments for town boards as well as routine approvals and updates on old business.

After public comment and old business, the board appointed Deb Aldrich to the positions of Town Clerk and Town Treasurer, positions she has been elected to for many years, often carrying the largest number of votes of any candidate for any office at Town Meeting Day.

But this year, those attending the floor session at Town Meeting voted to make the positions appointed by the Select Board, instead of elected by the voters. The idea behind this is gaining traction stateside: That the two jobs have become increasingly complex and that the board should have a role in vetting candidates.

Board chair Arne Jonynas stopped to recognize Aldrich’s 4o years of service working for the town and she received a round of applause.

The board also opted to keep the arrangement that appointed two papers of record to run the town’s legally mandated advertising. Jonynas said that using both The Chester Telegraph and Vermont Journal was “working out really well and serving the purpose which is getting the word out to the community.”

The board also considered the request by Arianna Knapp, who is both a Select Board member and chair of the Local Cannabis Control Commission, to reduce the number of members on the commission. She told the board that, with the resignations of Lee Gustafson and Ben Whalen, the board now stands at five. And since the state has pretty much absorbed what little authority the local commission had, there isn’t a need for the larger group. Knapp sees the group’s function in the future as providing information on the cannabis marketplace to the town. The board agreed to Knapp’s request.

With just one candidate asking to be on the Development Review Board – its current chair Robert Greenfield – the board made the appointment after a quick conversation with Greenfield.

The board then looked at four candidates for three positions on the Planning Commission. Current members Barre Pinske and Tim Roper were joined by hopefuls John Cummings and William Gorsky. Each candidate was asked several questions – like why do you want to be on the Planning Commission and what do you see as the future of Chester. When each had spoken, the board went into an executive session to discuss the appointments. In the end the board appointed Pinske, Roper and Cummings.

In old business, Town Manager Julie Hance told the board that she and Zoning Administrator Preston Bristow are working with town attorney Jim Carroll on the legal strategy for handling the Julian Quarry violations. She expects Carroll to come back to the board with a legal opinion.

Hance also suggested that rather than having an informal housing committee, she would like to see the board create a formal “housing commission,” which she would like to discuss at a future Select Board meeting.