CHESTER, Vt. – The Chester Selectboard held a relatively brief meeting on Wednesday, April 1, moving through several agenda items in less than an hour.
First, Sharon Baker returned to the board to once again request permission to use the Chester Green, this time for a Fourth of July celebration. Baker had requested use of the Green for a specialty foods event on Sept. 19, the same weekend as the Chester Fall Festival, at the previous board meeting. While Baker did not yet have firm details on the July 4 celebration plans, suggesting several possibilities, the board was nonetheless supportive of the idea. As this would be a town-sponsored event, rather than an event hosted by a nontown entity, a vote to approve the use of the Green was not required.
Baker also told the board that the townwide yard sale would be revived this year, and held on Memorial Day weekend, May 23, 24, and 25. Maps will be printed directing shoppers to various yard sales, and a small fee will be charged for those who wish to be included on the map.
Baker encouraged those interested in either event to visit her at her shops, Sharon’s on the Common and the Chester Candy Company.
The board then moved to fill a vacancy on the Chester Housing Commission left by Lauren Fierman when she was elected to the selectboard. Two people, Jerry Ucci and Sophie Stone, had expressed interest to Town Manager Julie Hance, though only Ucci was present at the meeting to speak to the board.
Ucci said he has been a landlord and “involved in multifamily housing” for nearly 20 years, and is currently working on renovating properties in town. “I think being a contractor and being a property manager,” Ucci told the board, “gives me a kind of unique insight into what it takes to create the housing, and what people who need the housing are actually looking for.”
Fierman asked Ucci if he believes his direct involvement in housing development in Chester could constitute a potential conflict of interest, though Ucci insisted, “I’m not looking to benefit myself.” Fierman suggested that there may be times when Ucci has to participate in a housing commission discussion without voting, which Ucci seemed to acknowledge. The board ultimately appointed Ucci to the housing commission.
Hance then brought before the board a request from the housing commission, which was seeking permission to spend $11,300 from the housing reserve fund, of which the total balance is currently $24,000. The commission intends to use the money to fund two market studies and a property appraisal.
Hance told the board that the market studies, which analyze whether buyers or renters will actually buy or rent housing once it is built, are required by developers who are utilizing federal or state funding, and must be site-specific. The studies will be conducted on a large parcel abutting the Green Mountain Union High School and a parcel on Canal Street, which is intended for potential senior housing. Hance also noted that 50% of the cost of the market studies may be eligible for reimbursement from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. The appraisal is to be carried out on a property across from the Chester-Andover Family Center in which Windham & Windsor Housing Trust had expressed interest. The board approved the housing commission’s use of the funds.
The board also reappointed Aime Record as town clerk for a period of three years, approved the local emergency management plan and annual highway financial plan, and certified the town road and bridge standards.
The Chester Selectboard will next mee on Wednesday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m., at the Chester Town Hall.