Selectboard Approves Zoning Change
RR-1 zone becomes R-1 and is expanded slightly to include Laster project on Mechanicsville Road; board also votes to move forward on hiring police chief.
The Record Staff
The selectboard approved changes in the town’s zoning laws that expanded an area near the center of town as R-1 from RR-1, the final part of a four-year effort by the Planning Commission to rejigger the town’s residential zoning areas and its rules.
The selectboard said that the changes do not affect the pre-existing lot sizes for the area but it does expand the area east of Mechanicsville Road to allow for an already approved project called the Laster Project, where work has already begun on new homes on Tractor Road.
The change followed a public hearing on Sept. 3 in which one resident spoke in opposition and several town commissions spoke in favor.
The board also approved a letter of agreement to hire James W. Baker and his firm JW Consulting LLC to recruit and help the town hire a new police chief. The cost of the contract is $22,000.
The police chief action came after former chief Anthony Cambridge — who recently took a job as police chief in Montana — resigned in January and the town and its counterparts in Richmond were unable to come to a new police sharing agreement.
Town Manager Todd Odit said he hopes a new chief can be in place by January. He said it would be a nationwide search.
The board also discussed the upcoming Nov. 4 $3 million bond vote for three major projects:
To bring Well 6 on line; this well was drilled as part of the Haystack Crossing planned development on Route 116 across from NRG which was given to the town. The project would include brining electricity to the well to operate the pump and a water pipe to the town water plant. The town is currently under a moratorium for new water permits due to heavy use of the current single-well system.
To repair two bridges on Beecher Road. This would cover the town’s portion of the $1.5 million repair to the “lower” bridge closer to Route 116 and the upper bridge near the entrance to the town garage and the CSWD drop-off center. Both bridges were washed out in July 2024 and FEMA money has been committed to the project.
To repair another storm-related damaged bridge on the Hollow Road.
The board’s next meeting is at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 1.