All Entries in the "Chester" Category
Chester voters overturn earlier vote approving water project
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC A vote to ratify the Chester water bond vote of May 19 went down to defeat today, Tuesday, June 30, in an anemic turnout of 143 voters out of a checklist of more than 2,000. The final tally was 69 yes to 74 no. The ratification vote was […]
Q&A: Attorney Alan Biederman on the latest Zaremba/Dollar General victory
Alan Biederman represented Zaremba Group, the developer of the proposed Dollar General store in Chester, during the Act 250 appeals brought by opponents of the project. He is a lawyer in Rutland who is happily heading toward retirement. Four questions were posed by email by Telegraph editor Cynthia Prairie. Biederman also responded by email. Except […]
In OK’ing Dollar General ‘warehouse,’ state Supreme Court affirms ‘adverse effect’
NOTE: Zaremba Group attorney Alan Biederman answered several questions for The Chester Telegraph concerning the appeals and other issues. You can read that article here. By Cynthia Prairie 2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC T he Vermont Supreme Court has given a green light for the construction of a Dollar General store on Main Street in Chester, after […]
Water main break in Chester means ‘all-nighter’ for town crew
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC A break in an 8-inch water main on Depot Street near Maple Street in Chester around 4 p.m. yesterday brought out a town crew that was expected to work through the night to make repairs. Until Water Superintendent Jeff Holden found the break and shut off the […]
Chester board reappoints DRB members without advertising openings
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC Several pending issues including action on the disposition of the Yosemite Fire House and a board member’s request to discuss the formation of a fire district were missing from the agenda for the Wednesday, June 17 meeting of the Chester Select Board. But the board re-appoinnted members of the […]
Families crowd GMUHS for graduating Class of 2015
By Leah M. Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC On Friday, June 19, overcast and rainy skies cleared in time for the evening’s ceremonies, as Green Mountain Union High School awarded 57 diplomas to students heading to either college, the work force or the military. (See photo gallery below) Despite adding 200 chairs to bring audience seating […]
Chester to hold two public meetings and a vote next week
©2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two public hearings and a townwide vote will be held in Chester next week: Monday, June 29 – The Town of Chester will hold an informational meeting ahead of a second vote on the town’s $4 million water project. This is happening because the first vote was not properly warned for […]
DRB to keep flood hazard review open on Chester Jiffy Mart
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC After a contentious hearing on June 1, this past Monday’s Chester Development Review Board meeting was polite and even relaxed in portions as the town’s quasi-judicial land use arbiters once again took up the application of Robert Record and Champlain Oil for a conditional use permit to […]
Chester Select Board member pushes fire district; board still unclear on ownership of historic firehouse
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its June 3 meeting, the Chester Select Board set up a busy session for June 17, when the meeting time will return to 7 p.m. from 6:30 at the request of chairman John DeBenedetti. Among the discussions at last week’s meeting that will be on the […]
Chester alumni celebrate reuniting with a holiday-themed parade
By Leah M. Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC T he unsettled weather of the morning cleared up just in time for Chester’s annual Alumni Day parade, which kicked off at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 6. This year’s theme was Holidays, and several returning classes went all out with their floats, including an Earth Day float, one […]
Jiffy Mart developer sees new store as improvement to area’s character
By Shawn Cunningham ©2015-Telegraph Publishing LLC Pointing to a “very old service station, a very old metal diner, an abandoned pizza parlor that’s overgrown, a dollar store site and a rental house that’s not in very good shape,” Matt Wamsganz, the point man overseeing constructing a 5,000-square-foot Jiffy Mart for Champlain Oil, told the Chester […]
VTel responds to Big Pole controversy in Chester; Andover-Chester MOUs still in play
By Cynthia Prairie ©2015 – Telegraph Publishing LLC Following two executive sessions to discuss legal issues with town attorney Jim Carroll, the Chester Select Board reconvened its public session after almost a 90 minutes on Thursday, May 21. After the first executive session, the board authorized Town Manager David Pisha to sign an amendment to […]
Downtown and Village Center tax credits available
One of the primary benefits that comes from a municipality applying with the State of Vermont to designate an area as a Downtown or as a Village Center is the Downtown and Village Center tax credit program. The tax credit program was designed to support revitalization in community centers across the state. In 2015, $2,200,000 […]
In weak voter turnout, Chester water project passes by 26 votes
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing By a margin of 112 to 86, Chester voters on Tuesday authorized the town to borrow slightly more than $4 million to upgrade the town water system, adding a second storage tank and replacing a large stretch of asbestos/concrete water main along Route 103 from the Sunoco station […]
GMUHS board OKs limited school choice, restraint and seclusion policy
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing At its regular monthly meeting, the Green Mountain Union High School Board of Directors adopted limited school choice for seventh and eighth graders, as well as a restraint and seclusion policy for disruptive students and heard a presentation on the proposed town water project from town government officials. […]
Chester residents seek answers on proposed water project
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing, LLC It was a respectful but question-filled turnout at Chester Town Hall last night, Monday May 18, for an informational meeting regarding a $4 million water project proposed by the Town of Chester that is being voted on from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. Town Moderator Bill […]
Chester DRB’s initial Jiffy Mart hearing focuses on flood hazard
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Chester’s Development Review Board began the process of considering a new Jiffy Mart gas station, convenience store and food outlets at its meeting on Monday, May 11. A couple of dozen people, including a quorum of the Select Board, were there for the initial examination of documents […]
Part 2: A Closer Look: Separating the Chester water project from gravel needs
By Shawn Cunningham © 2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC In any public discussion of the proposed municipal water upgrade, most people agree that Chester’s water system has suffered from deferred maintenance and that the longer work is put off, the more extensive and expensive it is likely to be. “We need this water project,” Jeff Holden, […]
Chester Select Board revisits Andover MOU; ice cream truck permit will have to wait
By Cynthia Prairie ©2015 Telegraph Publishing LLC The ongoing negotiations with the Town of Andover over a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the cost of providing emergency fire and ambulance service to that town of 500 is looking more like a duel with paper swords. Since the 2007 budget, Chester has charged Andover $9,300 (up from […]
UPDATE- Quick response stops Baileys Mills brush fire
UPDATE: 7:50 a.m. Friday May 8. According to the Chester Fire Department, the cause of the fire (approximately 100′ by 300′) was “a large ash pile that had been emptied onto a week prior.” The fire department reminds the public that a large ash pile can continue to be hot in the middle for weeks. […]
