Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Closed door saves South Derry home 14-year-old family dog dies from smoke inhalation
By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC Firefighters say that a closed, solid wood door and the monthly business meeting of the Champion Fire Company in South Londonderry saved a Melendy Hill Road home from destruction Wednesday night when a fire broke out in the building’s basement. There were no injuries, but a family dog […]
Chester board discusses moving Yosemite, mulls feasibility study for museum
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC A suggestion, by Town Manager David Pisha, that the historic Yosemite Firehouse be moved led to the longest discussion at the Wednesday, Aug. 7 Chester Select Board meeting. At the previous meeting of the board on July 24, Lillian Willis of the Chester Historic Preservation Committee asked […]
Cavendish to be under water conservation notice Filtering media must be replaced at water plant
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Monday night, Aug. 12, Town Manager Brendan McNamara told the Cavendish Select Board that the town would have to issue another water conservation notice from Tuesday Sept. 3 to Monday Sept. 9 to change the filtering media at the water plant. The work was originally slated […]
Parks rep outlines Lowell Lake plans for Derry board
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Londonderry Select Board was expecting a crowd Monday night, but only a handful of the regulars showed up. Three rows of chairs were set up in the big room of the Twitchell Office Building expecting locals to turn out, as Ethan Phelps of Vermont’s Department of […]
Chester board hears Church St. sidewalk, traffic concerns
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC A representative of Dufresne Group was on hand at the Chester Select Board’s July 24 meeting to conduct a “Local Concerns” hearing regarding a scoping study for some sort of sidewalk or walking path on Church Street to connect Main with North Street, but those attending were […]
Gov. Scott visits Chester as part of ‘Capitol for Day’
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Saying that it’s good to get out of Montpelier and see people, Gov. Phil Scott kicked off the Windsor County leg of his 14 county “Capitol for a Day” tour on Tuesday at the Fullerton Inn in Chester. Scott brought “the entire cabinet” with him to “see […]
Attendees skeptical of state motives at Lowell Lake meeting
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC By 7 p.m. last Thursday, nearly 120 people had signed in at the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation’s Lowell Lake Master Plan meeting at Londonderry’s Old Town Hall. But when asked, none of those leaving said their minds had been changed by the presentation. In […]
Vt. AG opens probe into alleged CTES disability termination
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Another complaint for disability discrimination against the Two Rivers Supervisory Union came to light at the July meeting of the Green Mountain Unified School District and, with it, questions about the replacement of a special education teacher who is the husband of the complainant. At the July […]
Weston board OKs tax rates, stream work bid
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Weston Select Board approved 2019 tax rates representing a 4.76 percent increase for residents and a 2 percent increase for non-residents and commercial property owners. Town Clerk Kim Seymour presented the numbers, which included a 6-cent increase in municipal taxes (from $0.4773 to $0.5375) and education […]
Derry board asked to weigh in on Lowell Lake Kuperberg says internal documents show state's intent was always overnight stays
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Londonderry Select Board was asked to “stand with” the town’s Conservation Commission Monday night in opposing plans for overnight lodging and expanded parking at Lowell Lake as internal state documents came to light. Conservation Commission chair Irwin Kuperberg told the board that after studying the Department […]
Cavendish Fire chief answers Ripley’s claim
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The monthly Cavendish Select Board meeting hadn’t even begun last night when board member Mike Ripley’s radio came to life with a call for the Ludlow Ambulance – on which he serves – and he was out the door. That was unfortunate, because Cavendish Acting Fire Chief […]
Restoration begins on Chester Town Hall
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC For years, Chester Select Board members have complained about the state of Town Hall during their twice monthly meetings on the second floor of 556 Elm St. Former member Bill Lindsay was particularly vocal about the embarrassing state of the historic building, often taking time during meetings […]
Chester board sets tax rates, OKs festival parking
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The Chester Select Board set this year’s property tax rates at a special meeting held on July 2. The meeting was held in the Town Clerk’s office due to the renovation of the second floor of Town Hall. This year’s municipal tax rate – the combination of […]
Derry Planning/Regional Commission to review state Lowell Lake plan for local compliance
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC At the request of the Planning Commission, the Londonderry Select Board decided to stick a toe in the Lowell Lake Park controversy last night by letting the commission meet with the Windham Regional Commission to look at whether the State of Vermont’s plan for the park is […]
Weston board mulls Priory solar; decommission of Devil’s Den Trail
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC One Weston Select Board member’s solitary action regarding a solar installation at the Weston Priory brought an annoyed reaction from chairman Denis Benson at the board’s June 25 meeting. Charles Goodwin said that he had registered the Town of Weston on the Public Utility Commission’s website to […]
GMUSD board cures violation, increases oversight of supervisory union
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The board of the Green Mountain Unified School District continued to move toward both greater autonomy from and oversight of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union at its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, June 20. In the wake of Open Meeting Law complaints and the revelation that there […]
Act 250 allows Magic to double snowmaking
© 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Magic Mountain Ski Area in Londonderry announced today, Tuesday, June 25 that it has received Act 250 approval to double the size of its snowmaking pond to approximately 9 million gallons while taking the pond “off stream” to help create a better aquatic environment for fish downstream. The Act 250 […]
TRSU boards split on curing transparency violations; only one follows the law
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Three boards of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union last week admitted to “errors” resulting in multiple violations of Vermont’s Open Meeting Law, but only one “cured” the violation according to state statute and to the satisfaction of the complainant. On May 7, The Chester Telegraph sent a […]
Ceremony celebrates 54 GM seniors graduating
©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Friday night was chilly for an outdoor graduation ceremony, but the rains had ended early enough and the 54 Green Mountain Union High seniors and their families seemed game to take on the unusually cool evening with grace. To launch the photo gallery, by Shawn Cunningham, please click any photo. The […]
TRSU boards apparently kept in dark about suits
By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The overspending of a line item for legal expenses by nearly 500 percent led to the revelation by The Chester Telegraph Thursday night that the Two Rivers Supervisory Union is facing at least two lawsuits that virtually no board members of Green Mountain Unified School District nor […]
