CHESTER, Vt.– The Chester Selectboard held its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, March 20.
The board began the meeting by appointing members to the town’s planning commission, development review board, citizen advisory commission, and housing commission. The only position with multiple applicants was the remainder of a three-year term on the planning commission left vacant by new selectboard member Tim Roper, to expire in March 2026. The town’s conflict of interest policy adopted at the previous meeting prohibits selectboard members from serving on other boards or commissions in the town.
The applicants were Chester resident Jeff Holden, who has worked for the Town of Chester for 34 years, as well as Gavin McMorrow, who grew up in Chester and has recently moved back to town. The board noted that the planning commission’s current task is to deal with the zoning of Chester’s rural districts as it continues its reworking of the town’s unified development bylaws, and asked each applicant to elaborate on their credentials.
Holden explained that he has worked extensively in water and sewer infrastructure in the town, as well has having some land in Current Use, both of which facts he felt gave him an appreciation for how the town can develop both in its village center and rural areas.
McMorrow then spoke to the board, telling them that his background is in engineering, and he also has managerial experience, though he has never served on a volunteer committee and has no experience in municipal management. He also said that he has a busy schedule, and was curious to the required time commitment on the planning commission, telling the selectboard, “If I do [serve on the planning commission], I want to make sure I…put the time and effort into it.”
The board deliberated in executive session after their meeting, ultimately appointing Holden to the position. For a full list of board and commission members, see the Chester website, www.chestervt.gov.
The Vermont Journal was then named the town’s paper of record, sharing that duty as it has for several years with the online-only Chester Telegraph.
The board then moved on to discuss, in general, the town’s class 4 roads. Board Chair Arne Jonynas noted that Chester has “16 or 17 miles” of class 4 roads in varying degrees of repair, and posed the question, “How can we better promote these roads?” Class 4 roads are public roads which the town is not required to maintain, and are often used as hiking trails, ATV trails, snowmobile trails, and for other kinds of outdoor recreation. Jonynas noted that he would like to get landowners involved in the process, admitting that, “It might be a little bit controversial…because of ownership and use that was not used before.
“I don’t want to start out the process butting heads with people,” Jonynas said, adding that, “Some of these class 4 roads are gated, and there’s people who think they’re their driveway.”
Planning Commission Chair High Quinn, who was present at the meeting, noted that he often makes use of class 4 roads in Chester, and supported the board’s effort to encourage their use and to add clarity for the benefit of both the public and landowners. “As a community member,” Quinn said, “it’s a little intimidating to just go on [an unmarked class 4 road], because you don’t know if you’re exactly right, [or] whether there’s going to be a landowner who is going to be upset about it.”
The board was largely supportive of this idea, and discussion ensued among the board members as to the proper way to begin this process. Board member Arianna Knapp proposed the board plan and test a workflow start to finish on a limited number of trails. Board member Peter Hudkins disagreed, believing that the board should begin by identifying all class 4 roads in the town as a first step.
Jonynas also serves on the Chester Conservation Committee (CCC), and said he would bring up the issue at their next meeting, hoping to involve the committee in the process. He also suggested that the selectboard could hold a joint meeting with the CCC in the future to hammer out details.
The Chester Selectboard’s next regular meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m., at the Chester Town Hall.