Chester Vermont

There are few reasons to leave Chester to shop for that very special holiday gift for that very special person. Chester abounds with interesting items in all price ranges -- if you know where to look. Whether the recipient is your spouse or lover, a child, your pets or friends who love animals, art, learning or food, interesting and unusual gifts can be had within a short distance.

Ten years ago, few would have thought that Chester could become a Mecca for holistic, naturopathic and alternative medicines. But with more than nine practitioners – in acupuncture, massage and acupressure as well as some of the more controversial fields such as Reiki – this town of more than 3,000 is well on its way.

The Chester Rotary's Annual Summer Concert Series will be held five Thursdays in a row starting July 12. All concerts are free and will be held on the lawn of the Academy Building across from the Green. This year's offerings will range from blues to easy listening to boogie woogie and bluegrass.

The first drops were near the wash basin, through a light fixture. A tarp went up on the cabin roof. A bucket on the floor. The next are in the living room, despite the tarps. A bigger bucket. We welcome the rains of April, even within the cabin. Eight months ago, none of us would have said that.

On Feb. 16^th, one year ago, Cynthia Prairie and I set up our computer in the meeting room behind Bret and Nancy Rugg’s office at the Fullerton Inn. Deb Shelby, our web developer, arrived and, while we arranged some chairs, she configured the projector for our show. It’s hard to believe that it has been a year since we rolled out www.chestervermont.org, although at times it feels like it has always been a part of Chester.

The Chester Winter Carnival is still on with lots of activities. But a few scheduled events have had to be canceled thanks to the weather, which over the last year has not been so kind to us. Julie Pollard, who heads up the Winter Carnival, said Thursday that although the Braeburn Siberians had to cancel its dog sled rides because of lack of snow, it's already committed to next year's Chester Winter Carnival. And Pollard added that the nice weather should draw out even more people for the scavenger hunt. Only three other events were canceled. You can find those on the jump.

 

Misty Valley Books is presenting its 18th Annual New Voices Authors Weekend this coming Saturday with five new work. Enjoy readings and a reception on Saturday afternoon at the Vermont Institute of Contemporary Art and a dinner with the authors at the Fullerton Inn that night.
And get ready for the 2012 Chester Winter Carnival, to be held Feb. 17 through 19. The Braeburn Siberians will be offering dogsled rides again this year and there is so much more.

Monday's hearing on the conditional use permit sought to allow construction of a Dollar General store was more emotional and contentious than previous ones, this time with several members of the Development Review Board expressing doubt about the project and more Chester residents testifying against it. Within the next two weeks, the DRB will meet in deliberative session to discuss the proposed store before reconvening on Monday, Feb. 13 for what could be its final meeting on the matter.

The Chester Development Review Board has denied a conditional use permit for the expansion of Jack's Diner, 521 Main St. Town zoning administrator Michael Normyle said the permit was denied in late November on the grounds that Dodier “missed several hearings and has not been responsive, has not provided the requested information to date.”  In late September, the DRB had asked owner Jacques Dodier to return to the DRB in a month with plans addressing elevation, parking, drainage, lighting, dumpster location and site layout, land contours and landscaping, a floor plan and a plan for a 1,000-gallon tank.

“Lucky I didn't see a meat counter or a deli,” said Lisai's Grocery store owner Lonnie Lisai, after viewing the Dollar General's interior plan Monday night, Dec. 12. “There's a lot of overlap” between what his store offers and what a new 9,100-square-foot Dollar General would offer, he added. “About 90% (overlap) … aside from the meat.”

The 26^th Annual Overture to Christmas promises to be the best ever, declares Pat Budnick, of Motel in the Meadow, who helped to organize the weeklong celebration. In rapid succession, she begins to tick off events: “ceramics with Melissa, bow making with Nancy, caroling with Stan, the senior dinner – Jack Carroll helps with that, the Rotary Interact kids, Penny at Inn Victoria doing high teas, readings by Joan, oh, and of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus …”

Monday's Development Review Board hearing was to be an opportunity for a local group to testify on a Dollar General store proposed to be built next to Zachary's Pizza House. But, for almost half of the two-hour hearing, it became semantics gymnastics when the developer's attorney repeatedly questioned one witness on her characterization of New England architecture and on the definitions of words she used. But DRB chair Peter Hudkins interrupted, asking the attorney pointedly whether he knew when the buildings he had used as examples of comparable architecture to promote the Dollar General were built, suggesting that they may have been constructed before Chester even had zoning laws in place.

The majority of the board of Green Mountain Union High School decided Thursday night, Nov. 10, that it would not alter its 2007 position on the quarry next door, on 139 acres owned by O'Neil Sand & Gravel. Owner Amy O'Neil said her company is considering seeking an amended permit for blasting at a gravel pit adjacent to school property. Since Tropical Storm Irene, the state has allowed the O'Neils to aid the recovery efforts by extracting gravel at the site. That permission ends on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Is a curtailed project on the same property the same as an earlier proposal or is it a new project in and of itself? That is the question surrounding a proposal posed by Amy and Mike O'Neil Wednesday night before the Chester Select Board and a small group of concerned residents.

The O'Neils, who live in Chester and own O'Neil Sand and Gravel LLC, which extracts gravel for roads and driveways, are hoping to gain public and state and local government support for a downsized gravel pit on 139 acres south of Green Mountain Union High School.

The Zaremba Group returned to the Chester Development Review Board Monday night, Oct. 10, with altered plans for a proposed Dollar General Store for the Zachary's Pizza House site that it claims are in line with the town plan and its zoning regulations.

Before those issues could be addressed, however, the DRB approved the subdivision proposal for the Main Street property pending receipt from the developer of corrections on the site plan.

Two commercial development issues drew more than 30 Chester residents to Town Hall Monday night, Sept. 26, as the Development Review Board attempted to address construction plans for each, both of which sit along Route 103 South.

The more contentious of the two, an expansion of Jack's Diner, 521 Main St., would allow for seating of 96 as well as add a bar.

Editor's Note: www.chestervermont.org is seeking to foster civil and thoughtful dialogue among concerned citizens about a variety of topics. Please submit your comments on this Viewpoint column in the Comment section on the jump. If you would like to write a Viewpoint column for the blog, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

By Shawn Cunningham

We've been hearing many valid arguments for and against a Dollar General locating in Chester. One of the arguments for a national discount chain is that there is a need for such a store in town; that a number of our residents can't or don't wish to drive to Springfield or New Hampshire to buy inexpensive goods that aren't offered for sale in Chester.

The Chester Development Review Board has rescheduled a hearing on subdividing the Zachary's Pizza House property to accommodate a 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store to Monday Sept. 26. The meeting had been set for Monday Sept. 12. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 556 Elm St.

     The hearing on the Dollar General conditional use permit was also to have been held on Sept. 12. A next hearing on that issue has yet to be determined, but the board is considering an early October date.

The Chester Development Review Board is in the process of assessing plans by the corporation that owns the Dollar General chain to build a 9,100-square-foot store on the eastern edge of the parking lot of Zachary's Pizza House, 319 Main St.

The 10-acre parcel along VT Rt. 103, which is owned by Zachary's, would be subdivided to accommodate the Dollar General. The Dollar General then would purchase more than an acre to construct the building and parking, separate from Zachary's, to accommodate 31 spaces.

Chester resident Cortney Donohue is organizing the Chester Vermont Food and Donation Drive scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 3, to collect, sort and distribute food and household items to help flood victims in the Chester, Cavendish and Ludlow areas of Vermont. The drive will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at the American Legion Post 67, 637 VT 103 S. in Chester.