Williston
ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
PAID
Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
SEPTEMBER 4, 2025
School leaders outline $13 million bond proposal
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Projects include WCS gym floor replacement BY JASON STARR Observer staff
Champlain Valley School District finance leaders on Tuesday previewed the details of a $13 million bond question they plan to put to voters at Town Meeting Day. District Facilities Director Chris Giard outlined an array of upgrades and maintenance projects that the bond funds would cover across multiple school buildings within the five-town district. In Williston, $1.4 million would be spent on Leaders at replacing the floor in the front gymnasium, which CVSD are currently has troublesome intent on moisture underneath, Giard said, and on replacresisting any ing controls for the school’s merger with light and heating-ventilation systems. Replacement neighboring parts for the current condistricts. trol systems are difficult to obtain, according to Giard. At CVU, a roof replacement and heating-ventilation system overhaul would take up the majority of the $4 million in bond funds that would be allocated to the high school. Also in the work plan is a fire alarm system replacement at CVU. Another $4 million in projects are planned at Hinesburg Community School, including roofing, heating-ventilation and electrical work. At Charlotte Community School, $2.9 million would go to installing an elevator that meets Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, new gym bathrooms and new siding. The district is also planning a conversion to LED lights across all its buildings. That project is estimated at $700,000. “We have a lot of fluorescent bulbs and fixtures to get rid of,” Giard said. see SCHOOL page 3
Troubled Allen Brook bridge set for demolition
Reconstruction slated for 2026 BY JASON STARR Observer staff
The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and the Agency of Natural Resources granted preliminary approval in August of reconstruction designs for the bridge over the Allen Brook that accesses Village Community Park and Williston Central School. According to Williston Senior Conservation Planner David Maroney, work on the rebuild cannot begin until next spring to allow time for the town to finalize permits and select a construction contractor. But what to do with the bridge in the meantime? It has been closed since it was deemed impassable
TOP: A bridge over the Allen Brook accessing Williston Central School and Village Community Park has been out of commission since 2023. ABOVE: Pedestrians have ignored closure signs. OBSERVER FILE PHOTOS
after f lood damage in December, 2023. But it’s no secret that pedestrians are ignoring closure signs
Join Us for Farm-to-Table Brunch! Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM 282 Holland Ln, Williston • farmhousetg.com
and using the bridge to get to and from the school and park. “Community members have continued to use the bridge continuously by stepping over or removing signs and barriers, even as the structural integrity of the damaged bridge section has continued to deteriorate,” Maroney wrote Tuesday in a memo to the selectboard. “It is impossible to predict how likely the bridge is to outright fail over the coming winter, but … there is a liability concern for the town given the continued community use.” In a discussion Tuesday, selectboard members were reluctant to put money toward temporary reinforcement to make the bridge passable until spring. The bridge has already been temporarily fortified once, in 2024. see BRIDGE page 4