Selectmen Won’t Approve
Exit 4 Zoning —Yet
By Chelsea Rose Sargent

Last week the Randolph selectboard rejected fast-track approval of the Exit 4 zoning proposal, which came before them in May after eight years of study and drafting.

The planning commission’s proposal was passed on to the board in a public hearing on June 26, 2007. From that point the selectboard had a year to take action, either approving or disapproving the proposal.

After the June 26 approval, however, legal questions required the planning commission to make changes to the proposal, before the selectboard could consider the final plan.

However, June 26, 2008 is still deadline by which the selectboard must take action. As that deadline approaches, Selectboard Chair Steve Webster recommended sending the proposal back to the planning commission to give the selectboard more time. The board unanimously agreed to follow this course of action.

According to Mardee Sanchez, who was not present at the meeting, what is going to happen is that the selectboard will allow time to run out which will count as a disapproval.

At that point, the planning commission will hold another public hearing, and then the selectboard will have another year to consider the proposal.

According to Sanchez, the commission is expected to resubmit the same proposal. Commission Chair Alan Heath could not be reached for confirmation, however.

To see a draft of the 2008 zoning proposal visit www.randolph.vt.us/ and go to the link on the planning commission’s page.

Fire Contract

The selectboards of Randolph and Braintree are still at odds over how much Braintree should pay Randolph for fire protection.

This year marks the first year in which Randolph expects Braintree to pay their full proportion of costs, based on the relative values of the grand list in the two towns. That would result in Braintree paying about 20% of the total cost of fire protection, with Randolph paying the other 80%.

The Braintree Selectboard sent a letter to the Randolph Selectboard opposing this.

If Braintree pays their full percentage of the cost, the chair of the Fire Advisory, Kermit LaBounty, would like to see that Braintree gets dry hydrants and other protections equal to those in Randolph, he said at the meeting,

Citizens of Randolph and Braintree benefit in lower insurance prices from having the fire department geared to serve the two towns, according to LaBounty.

"There’s no reason that the residents of Braintree should receive equivalent protection for a smaller rate," stated Webster, and the selectboard voted unanimously to send that response back to Braintree.

Also, the change of contract for fire call dispatching from Hartford to Barre should be accomplished without any gaps in coverage during the swap of location according to LaBounty.

Other News

Edward King, of Pearl Street was granted an increase on the town sewer line for a separate building he owns in which he would like to have a home bakery.

VTC President Ty Handy’s home was allowed to be added to the town sewer line.

Town Manager Peter Butterfield announced that John Grace, a former fire chief, has filled the position of highway operator.