Chester Vermont

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.

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.

Looking for something to do tonight or this weekend? Many of us think of Chester as a quiet little town where not a lot happens, but take a look at the calendar for August.

There are 10 music events, two wine dinners, three days of Vermont Brewery tours, bingo, two wine tastings, a fabulous church supper, four Mondays of Thai dinners, a host of classes from astronomy to foreign languages to zumba, a car show and a weekly farmers market. And the only place to find them all is www.chestervermont.org.

More than 200 Chester residents turned out to celebrate the reopening of the two Route 103 bridges on Friday July 22, with Gov. Peter Shumlin, other state officials and representatives of Cold River Bridges in attendance. 

The event, hosted by the American Legion Hall and Conference Center, featured children's games, grilled burgers and hot dogs provided by Lisai's Market and music by the Andy Lisai Band.

Lots of news on the Bridge Reconstruction Maps, Chester Flags, the New Touist Info booth at the Vermont Country Store and more.There's a lot going on as the bridge detours begin. Click below to Read More! And be sure to go to the Directions page for an important Bridge Update.

As you may have heard, the Chester Farmers Market is moving to the Vermont Country Store in Rockingham for 2011. While both businesses on and around the Green and the CFM had wanted the market to be on the Green, that was not going to happen. So the market had decided to close for the year. But the generous offer from the Vermont Country Store and the chance to help the town from that location during the bridge closings is an opportunity not to be missed. How can this help your business?

The Chester Rotary is holding its 1st Annual Golf Tournament to raise money to provide scholarships to deserving students at Green Mountain Union High School, and you can help! The Rotary is looking for corporate and tee sponsors as well as golfers for this event, to be held at the Tater Hill Golf Course on June 5. You'll find more details here, including a link to a printable signup form. You can also click on the golf icon on the top of the Home Page to get there!
BRIDGE UPDATE ON THE JUMP ...

The ice is slowly melting, the power is back on and we all seem to be looking forward to spring.
It's been less than a month since www.chestervermont.org was launched and, thanks to you, it's already made a splash.
We've seen a lot of internet traffic not only from Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire and Connecticut, but from California, British Columbia, Belgium, India and China as well.

Welcome to the new website for the visitors, citizens and businesses of our town of Chester, VT. We hope that you find this easy to navigate, informative and helpful. 

For visitors, we've tried to present to you an easy way to find places to stay, restaurants to dine at and things to do. Chester is more than just a place to stay on your way to somewhere else. As our residents will tell you, Chester is our somewhere else. That's why many of us have chosen to live, shop, eat and learn in Chester year-round.