Williston
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Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
JANUARY 25, 2024
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Selectboard approves Glaser subdivision BY JASON STARR Observer staff
The Williston Selectboard changed the town’s zoning rules and planning documents Jan. 16 to accommodate a 109-home housing development in the town’s first-ever “specific plan” approval of a residential subdivision. The unanimous vote capped roughly 18 months of planning, public hearings and committee approvals, resulting in an agreement in which landowners Jack and Caitlin Glaser will gift 50 acres near the corner of Mountain View and Old Stage roads to the town in exchange for expedited new home construction unbound by the town’s typical growth management caps. “I think you’ve made a very wise decision that will support the community now and far into the future,” Jack Glaser said after the selectboard vote. The approval came after a public hearing where citizens in
favor of the plan outnumbered those opposed 10-to-1. The majority of those speaking in favor of the plan are patrons of Windswept Farm, an equestrian facility located next to the 100-acre Glaser property that uses part of the land as horse pasture. The agreement to convey 50 acres to the town paves the way for the continued operation of the farm, which has been a horse-lovers community on Old Stage Road for half a century, offering summer camps, after-school lessons and horse-boarding. “If you vote yes to this plan you will allow us to stay in business,” Windswept Farm owner Tina Mauss told the board. “You will keep the open space on Old Stage Road. If you vote no, it will close us down and you’ll just have a bunch of houses there.” Supporters of the farm chimed in from Jericho, Richmond and Williston, describing it as a unique rural oasis in an see GLASER page 4
The layout of the Glaser subdivision shows two roads with one intersecting in two places with Old Stage Road and the other intersecting with Mountain View Road. COURTESY OF WILLISTON PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Firefighters respond to Route 2A crash
Two cars caught fire after a four-car collision Friday evening near the corner of Route 2A and Zephyr Road. All occupants were able to escape the vehicles before the fires started. Six people involved in the crash were evaluated by first-responders from Williston and Essex, and several were transported to the hospital, according to Williston Police. Route 2A was closed for about two hours as firefighters cleared the scene. Firefighters, police and rescue personnel from Williston and Essex responded to the incident. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY RICK COTE AND PRESCOTT NADEAU
Storytelling event honors longtime Willistonian Bill Skiff OBSERVER STAFF REPORT Can you share a five-minute personal story fitting the theme of hope with an audience of your friends Bill Skiff and neighbors? Or would you enjoy listening to these true tales? If so, the Williston-Richmond Rotary Club invites you to join its first-ever Bill Skiff Story Slam taking place on Saturday, Feb. 10. Rotary member Sherry Pidgeon conceived of the idea of a story slam when looking for a fun way to get the community together and to help raise money for the club’s charitable causes. Proceeds from the event will go toward home heating fuel assistance for Vermonters in need. The theme of hope was chosen in part because “Create hope in
the world” is the annual theme for Rotary International this year. “It also fits well with the purpose of the event, which is to brighten the lives of fellow Vermonters who will know their neighbors cared enough to make sure they were warm this winter,” said Pidgeon. A longtime resident of Williston, Bill Skiff founded the Williston-Richmond Rotary Club in 1995 and served as its first president. Now an honorary member, he returned to the club last February to share stories of the formation of the club and of his childhood. When it came to naming the event, the choice to honor Skiff seemed obvious, said Rotary Club President Susan Cote. “Bill is a wonderful storyteller whose tales of growing up in Vermont were published for many years in his ‘Places I’ve Played’ column in the Williston Observer,” Cote said.
The winner of the story competition will receive, among other things, an autographed copy of Skiff’s children’s book “Willie the Jumping Frog,” a story based on the frog jumping contest he organized for years as part of Williston’s Fourth of July festivities. “I’m so excited to bring the community together and to hear people’s stories,” said Pidgeon. “Strengthening community is a big part of what Rotary is about.” The Bill Skiff Story Slam will be held in the Fellowship Hall of the Williston Federated Church on Saturday, Feb. 10 from 5-7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are available at https:// sevendaystickets.com/events/ bill-skiff-story-slam-2-10-2024. A limited number may be available at the door. The $20 ticket includes light refreshments. Questions can be emailed to RotaryClubofWillistonVT@gmail. com.