VTC Says Proposed Boiler
Will Be Clean and Quiet

Several Randolph Center residents attended a Nov. 28 Development Review Board hearing on Vermont Technical College’s request to heat the former Randolph Center schoolhouse with a wood pellet boiler.

The two-story school building—now owned by VTC—has been renamed the VTC Red School House.

The proposed pellet heating system would require the installation of a small building housing a boiler and with a metal chimney, and two silos to hold wood pellets. The silos would be about as tall as the building eaves, according to the proposed site plan.

The project needs site plan and local Act 250 approval from the DRB.

According to Zoning Administrator Mardee Sanchez, some residents spoke in support of the project, as a good example of the use of alternative fuels.

Others questioned the aesthetics of the installation, and whether the boiler would be appropriate addition to the historic building. Concerns about playground safety were also voiced.

VTC officials testified that the clean-burning pellet boiler, equipped with a secondary combustion chamber, would have no visible emissions. It is also fairly quiet, giving off about as much noise as a clothes dryer, it was stated.

The DRB closed the public hearing portion of the review process, and will deliberate on the application. Sanchez said the DRB has 45 days to render a decision.

Also on Nov. 28, the DRB approved a two-lot subdivision request from James and Sharon Sault, for property on South Main Street.

Notice of Appeal

Sanchez reported yesterday that she has received official notification from the Environmental Court, that Kevin Blakeman has appealed the DRB recent decision to deny a site plan permit for his proposed nine-unit apartment building on Sunset Hill Road. The DRB voted to deny 5-4, and the minority, in an unusual move, published its dissenting opinion.

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