Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
News analysis: Wading through the depths of Chester’s water system upgrade
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC On some Tuesday in the next few months, the voters of Chester may be asked to decide whether to upgrade the municipal water system to the tune of more than $4 million. An engineering firm hired by the town says that the upgrade will solve a number […]
Andover Select Board postpones vote on Chester emergency services MOU
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC After the presentation of an “old school” handwritten spreadsheet made by board chairman Harold “Red” Johnson that analyzed the town’s equipment with an eye toward balancing maintenance with new purchases, the Andover Select Board, in its Monday, March 23 meeting turned its attention to an Memorandum of […]
Municipal water upgrade, land purchase discussed by Chester Select Board
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC With uncertainties about how long state funding will be available and a number of questions unanswered, the upgrade to Chester’s municipal water system took center stage in the second Select Board meeting in a row that came in under two hours in length. Also at the Wednesday […]
Donors turn out to two events to help fire victims
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC Pleasant Street in Chester was lined with cars and the Pizza Stone was crowded on Monday night, March 16, as droves of people turned out to help those who have lost their homes to fires this winter. Two dozen restaurants, markets and food manufacturers donated tables of food […]
Business owners talk increasing traffic, visitors in Chester
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The March meeting of the Chester Economic Development Corp., held last Wednesday at the Free Range Restaurant, featured several discussions around efforts to increase traffic and add value to a visit to Chester. The CEDC is a private, not-for-profit organization that evaluates applications for loans from the […]
Friday fire in Fullerton Inn chimney; Chester holds its breath
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015 – The Chester Telegraph Around 6 on Friday evening, the owners of Chester’s Fullerton Inn heard a distinctive sound. “It was a roar,” said Bret Rugg. “A loud roar.” Suspecting a chimney fire, Rugg and his wife Nancy ran into the street to see flames shooting out of one of the […]
Chase takes seat on Chester board; meetings to be held earlier
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015 The Chester Telegraph On the day after Town Meeting, the Chester Select Board gathered for its annual reorganization meeting, welcomed a new member, received an updated proposal for investing the Chester Economic Development Fund, appointed town officers and got an update on the proposed town water system among other items. But […]
Early morning fire destroys Elm Street home in Chester, firefighters injured
© 2015 Telegraph Publishing, LLC UPDATE — 9:17 a.m. Saturday, March 7. Below in How to Help: Fundraiser at Pizza Stone, Monday March 16. UPDATE — 6 p.m. March 6. As the Chester Fire Department responded to the Monier fire early this morning, another fire was reported a few houses away on Elm Street, according […]
Chase beats incumbent Suursoo in landslide for Chester Select Board
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC In what could be considered a landslide victory, newcomer Heather Chase took more than 57 percent of the vote on Tuesday to beat incumbent Derek Suursoo for a three-year term on the Chester Select Board. With a 93-vote difference, Chase won, 335 to 242, in one of the biggest […]
Londonderry questions, then approves Champion fire truck
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The crowd of more than 100 voters who filled the first floor of the old Town Hall in South Londonderry for Town Meeting were joined in the balcony by about 30 7th and 8th grade observers from Flood Brook School. The largest and most contentious article – […]
News analysis: Are school tax rates going down?
Last August, Chester’s Select Board asked representatives of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the tax department, to attend a special meeting to explain Vermont’s education finance system. But it seems the Chester Select Board is still having difficulties understanding the way that about 70 percent of Chester’s property tax burden is calculated. […]
Water system upgrade, Edson monument placement addressed at Chester Select Board meeting
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC At its Feb. 18 meeting, the Chester Select Board heard a project update and information on funding alternatives for Chester’s water upgrade, considered a request to place the new Edson monument in an alternate site on the Green and got a report on traffic ticket income from Police Chief […]
Londonderry hears from candidates, considers new fire truck
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC About 25 people turned out for Candidates Night at Town Hall in South Londonderry on Tuesday Feb. 10. In the absence of town moderator Wendell Coleman, Select Board member Robert Cowles took over the moderating duties. Cowles also announced that after 18 years on the board, he would not […]
Chester firefighters stretched and cramped and looking for a solution
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The two-bay end of the town garage that houses the Chester Fire Department was quiet on a recent evening — a welcomed break from more than a month of non-stop action for the 17 part-time firefighters, whose main coverage area spans 89 hilly square miles in Chester […]
Community architect addresses villages’ futures at Rotary talk
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC An architect who specializes in helping people think about the futures of their town centers attracted a crowd of 45 to the Fullerton Inn in Chester last Thursday night. While most were from Chester, residents of Ludlow, Londonderry, Springfield and Grafton also came to hear the Chester Rotary Club-sponsored […]
Board seeks higher return on Chester economic loan fund
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC Having speculated for several years whether a loan fund created to help Chester’s businesses could get a higher rate of return on its unused balance, the Chester Select Board heard a presentation by representatives of the wealth management division of People’s Bank at its Feb.y 4 meeting. The Chester […]
Chester Planning Commission continues to hone sign regs
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC In the absence of Tom Bock, Naomi Johnson took the chair of the Chester Planning Commission for its Monday, Jan. 26 meeting as the commission began reviewing the “definitions” section of the Unified Development Bylaws. While the past several meetings were attended by a substantial number of business people […]
Chester Select Board rejects Open Meeting Law complaint, pulls Australian ballot articles
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board heard from the town’s attorney regarding The Chester Telegraph’s complaint of a violation of Vermont’s Open Meeting Law and the board removed the questions regarding Australian ballot voting for all questions from the Town Meeting warning at its Jan. 21 meeting. Jim Carroll, attorney […]
Chester Historical Society throws future of Yosemite Fire House into question
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC The future of an iconic Chester structure is in question as the organization that has been responsible for it for nearly 38 years has expressed a desire to shed that responsibility. At a meeting on Thursday Jan. 22, Chester Historical Society President Ron Patch told the society’s membership […]
Chester Planning Commission begins drafting sign law, comments still sought
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC Having taken several hours of testimony from business owners and residents at two earlier meetings, the Chester Planning Commission met on Monday, Jan. 12 to discuss and organize the work of revising the town’s sign ordinance. Commission chair Tom Bock referred to the complexity of the work […]
