CHESTER, Vt. – The Chester Selectboard meeting on Wednesday, June 15 concerned a presentation by Chester Community Greenhouse and Gardens (CCGG) and their request for town land, along with a series of brief interviews with applicants for the Whiting Library Board of Trustees and appointments of those applicants.
The meeting lasted almost an hour-and-a-half, 50 minutes of which was devoted to a slideshow presentation by CCGG on their history, mission, possibilities for their future, and, “What [they] hope to do now,” said president of CCGG Cheryl Joy Lipton. Lipton discussed the importance of having community gardens in town and outlined CCGG’s plan for creating gardens in Chester, culminating in a bid for town land to build the garden upon. The plot that CCGG has identified as most ideal for the gardens is the area between Main Street, Grafton Street, and Canal Street, by Chester Hardware. Lipton said that, because of its central position in town, the Canal Street plot would be easily accessible to anyone who wanted to utilize the community garden, especially the Senior Circle and adjacent apartments. Board member Lee Gustafson inquired about another potential plot located at the Pinnacle, however Lipton said that, because many people would have to drive there, the Pinnacle area was less in line with CCGG’s goals of ease of access.
Board Chair Arne Jonynas followed the CCGG presentation with assurances that “the board [was] behind it.” According to Lipton, as long as town land is approved, CCGG will begin planting in the spring of 2023.
The last half-hour of the selectboard meeting was dedicated to interviews for the six open Whiting Library trustee positions. Eight people applied for the positions: Sam Comstock, Bill Dakin, Matthew Gorsky, John Garison, Jesse Bailey, Linda Diak, Jeannie Wade, and Laura Cokolat. The interviews were short, consisting mainly with introductions by the applicants of who they were and why they were applying.
There were mentions of the events involving the former Library Director, Deirdre Doran, and the stepping down of several trustees, mainly by applicants who stated that they were vocal during the controversy and wanted to, as Gorsky put it, “Put [their] money where their mouth [was],” but all in all, the conversation focused on the applicants themselves.
The selectboard then went into executive session to determine the appointments and Comstock, Dakin, Gorsky, Garrison, Bailey, and Cokolat were chosen. These positions will last until March of 2023, when trustees will need to run for election to remain on the board.
The next Chester Selectboard meeting will take place on Wednesday, June 29 in the Chester Town Hall at 6:30 p.m.