All Entries in the "Chester" Category
Residents safe, 3 dogs perish in Chester house fire
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Three residents of home at 35 Circle Drive in Chester escaped a fire last night but three of their five pets perished, said Chester Fire Chief Matt Wilson this morning. Wilson told The Telegraph that the call came in at 10:32 p.m. Tuesday for a structure fire […]
Chester board hears from department heads on budget
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Next year’s budget was the main item on the Chester Select Board’s agenda for Wednesday, Dec. 1 with the heads of the public safety departments and Town Clerk Deb Aldrich coming to the board to discuss their spending plans. Fire Chief Matt Wilson told the board that […]
Fire Department Christmas trees go on sale in Chester
© 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC On the day after Thanksgiving, as snow began falling in earnest, the Chester Fire Department kicked off its annual sale of Christmas trees on Route 103 south, across from Marshall Road. The sale of 500 trees is one of the major fundraisers put on by the Yosemite Engine Company, which […]
Participants sought for workforce survey as Chester updated on Communities Challenge Chester board begins 2022 budget review; gets update on Lovers Lane Brook bridge
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Springfield Regional Development Corp. came before the Chester Select Board last week to update information on the Working Communities Challenge, a three-year, $300,000 grant program sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and several philanthropic organizations to remove barriers to work and increase the region’s […]
Stigers Rd. pond hydrant provides water supply for rural firefighting
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC One of the big challenges to rural firefighting is getting enough water to the scene quickly enough to make a difference. A call for mutual aid can bring a fleet of tankers from surrounding towns, but those trucks have to get water from somewhere and the farther […]
Area towns look — cautiously — to spend large ARPA allocations
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC There’s a lot of extra money in the bank accounts of town governments across the state with more coming next year. But most towns are taking cautious steps in deciding how to spend the funds. That’s because the money comes from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan […]
Chester board clears way for police union vote
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board chose not to challenge the makeup of a prospective union for the town’s Police Department after meeting in executive session last Wednesday night. An election can now take place to see if the six-member group of police employees — known as a “bargaining […]
Chester police move to unionize
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The New England Police Benevolent Association has filed a “petition for election of collective bargaining representative” with the Vermont Labor Relations Board on behalf of members of the Chester Police Department. The petition is a first step toward Chester Police officers being represented by a regional union […]
Andover board OKs dollar amount for emergency services; tables ATV ordinance till Town Meeting Chester now must draw up contract for fire, ambulance
By Cynthia Prairie ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC During the calm portion of what turned into a headache-inducing meeting on Monday, the Andover Select Board decided that it would accept a $55,754.67 contract from the Town of Chester to provide emergency fire and medical/ambulance services, should one be offered. The price of service will fluctuate based […]
Chester board votes to offer emergency services to Andover If accepted, $55,755 annual fee would be $22,000 above 2021 contract
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Wednesday night, the Chester Select Board voted to offer fire and ambulance coverage to the Town of Andover for 2022 at the cost of $55,754.67. That represents a 69 percent increase over the $33,000 that Chester charged Andover for fire, ambulance and dispatch in 2021. The […]
Negotiations with Chester to begin as Andover residents weigh in on fire, ambulance Tensions cool as select boards seek to find an equitable route
Video by Cynthia Prairie/Video editing by Leah Cunningham ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC More than 35 Andover residents attended the Andover Select Board on Monday night to voice their concerns over Chester’s decision to discontinue fire and ambulance service to the town at the end of this year. […]
Chester Select Board to end contracting emergency services to Andover in 2022 Cites 'heightened animosity' and 'clear distrust' of Chester
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Wednesday night, the Chester Select Board decided — after a one hour executive session — that the town would no longer provide its fire and ambulance coverage to Andover after the end of this year. When the board came out of the closed door meeting, board […]
Chester emergency departments explain costs, training, services in Andover
By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC An informational meeting on emergency services between the Andover and Chester select boards Monday night was winding down when Andover board member Chris Walker slammed a travel mug on the table and walked out saying that the Town of Chester wasn’t listening and would force Andover to pay […]
Caretakers seek winter home for ‘Jersey 5’ Hope has cancer; nearby permanent lodgings sought for small herd
By Cynthia Prairie ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Andover folks who rescued the “Jersey 5” are currently seeking winter room and board for the small herd as they also deal with the news that the eye infection of one cow, Hope, was indeed caused by cancer that will likely recur. Two weeks ago, a disparate […]
Chester greenhouse project in flux following multiple board resignations Current, former members hope efforts continue to completion
By Cynthia Prairie and Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC An effort to erect an historic greenhouse in Chester and operate it as a community service is in the midst of an upheaval after three members of the six-member board quit in late August, citing a disagreement over what some say is the “scope […]
Visitors to new Public Safety Building treated to demonstrations, good eats and a real fire call
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Nearing the close of Sunday’s Open House for Chester’s new Public Safety Building – which featured demonstrations by both the Police and Fire departments – attendees got a chance to see a real-life response to a fire call. Click the link to take you down to the […]
Michigan man pleads guilty to 2019 GMUHS bomb scare, threats
© Telegraph Publishing LLC A 24 year-old Holland, Mich., man pleaded guilty, in federal court in Burlington to making a threat to “shoot up” Green Mountain Union High School in February of 2019. The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont announced the plea deal on Friday, Sept. 24. According to a […]
Chester board hears of safety building opening, raises ambulance rates
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC As the new Public Safety Building is readied for an open house on Sunday, Sept. 26, Assistant Fire Chief Ben Whalen came before the Chester Select Board to explain that much of the new furniture and other equipment that people will see were not paid for by […]
Henry Homestead marker celebrates 200 years of a Vermont family’s notable history
By Jillian Petroski and Tuckerman Wunderle ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Along the tree-lined winding dirt road of the Green Mountain Turnpike in Chester stands a prominent new plaque that adds more depth to the history of Vermont, the United States and six generations of the Henry family. This new state historic site marker is one […]
Chester Dems meet Sept. 22 for reorganization
The Chester Democratic Town Committee will hold it biennial reorganization Caucus at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22 on the 2nd floor of Chester Town Hall, 566 Elm St. All Democrats are welcome. Bring a friend or a newcomer to Chester who has expressed an interest in becoming involved with and supporting the Democratic Party […]
