CHESTER, Vt. – The Chester Selectboard approved a disc golf tournament, outdoor music permits, and a coin drop during their Sept. 2 meeting prior to their hour-plus of Conflict of Interest training with town attorney Jim Carroll.
Local Chester resident Gary King received approval from the board for an upcoming two-day disc golf tournament Sept. 26 and 27 at the Pinnacle Recreation Area, on Lover’s Lane in Chester, organized by Disc Golf Vermont.
The 18-hole tournament will change its standard tournament structure to adhere to Covid-19 health considerations by scheduling tee times every 15 minutes and providing no social gathering at the end of the day. This is the first season Chester is hosting a tournament because a tournament course is required to have 18 holes but is expected to be a yearly event from now on.
The tournament is expected to attract 90 or more visitors to the town and King is looking for camping opportunities for tournament participants. He said he was talking with a landowner that might be able to accommodate many people.
King asked the board if anything could be done to steer tournament goers to visit town businesses. Town Manager Julie Hance agreed to work with King to coordinate providing information or coupons for local businesses that will be available for distribution at the registration table.
The board approved entertainment permits for live music for P&Js Country Kitchen at Country Girl Diner. They also approved outdoor family movie nights and possible music with beer or wine tastings on the weekend for Heritage Deli & Bakery. Both venues want to have the option of booking additional outdoor events when possible.
The board approved a request from George Lagasse of Ruck-up Inc., a veterans group out of Keene, N.H., for a coin drop Saturday, Sept. 19 with a rain date of Sept. 20. The group helps veterans within a 100-mile radius around Keene with outreach programs, veteran housing assistance, drug and alcohol counseling, suicide prevention, food assistance, and homeless shelters.
Lagasse explained that the group typically raises money during summer fairs and other summer events but due to the pandemic, those opportunities have disappeared this year.
The group has the appropriate signage and will be wearing vests, masks, and gloves to meet state requirements, and has done a preliminary walk along the road site and received state approval for a section of Route 103 stretching from approximately Marshall Road to Mountain Road. They need final approval from the town, however.
During the board discussion, it was determined that a request had been turned down in the past but that the speed limit had changed along that stretch of road since then.
The board agreed to approve the coin drop for these special circumstances, appreciating the mission of Ruck-Up and since other fundraising was limited, but said they would develop a policy on coin drops for the future.
The balance of the meeting was spent with town attorney Jim Carroll walking the board through extensive Conflict of Interest training.
The next Chester Selectboard meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. on the second floor of Chester’s Town Hall or via Zoom. The link to the meeting is on the town’s website.