CHESTER– The planning and zoning commission’s twice postponed public hearing on a requested change to regulations governing poultry on residential property is set for Monday Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Valley Regional High School in Deep River.

Residents John and Bonnie Bennet of 23 Story Hill Road have petitioned for a change in zoning regulations that would prohibit roosters and other noisy fowl while continuing to allow hens. The proposed change would also increase the minimum lot size and setback requirements for properties containing poultry. Bennet, a lawyer with an office in Essex, is the long-time town attorney for Chester and a frequent moderator at town meetings.

The commission has twice postponed the required public hearing since the Bennets first petitioned for the change in November. A Dec. 6 hearing date at the Chester Meeting House, where the commission usually holds meetings, was rescheduled to Jan 10 at Chester Elementary School amid signs the proposed change was generating opposition that would bring out a large crowd.

But on Jan. 10 more than 350 people packed the all-purpose room at the school, leading the resident state trooper to order the hearing rescheduled for a larger meeting hall as dozens of vehicles clogged residential streets around the elementary school. Trooper Matt Ewing determined the number of motor vehicles parked in the area would prevent emergency access to the meeting room. The auditorium at the high school is expected to accommodate the anticipated crowd.

Meeting cancelled following withdrawal of petition

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CHESTER— Voters will be asked at a Jan. 23 town meeting to authorize a release of funds for the town hall second floor renovation, an extension of the tax relief program for elderly and disabled homeowners, and town participation in the Connecticut Solar Challenge Program. The town meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Chester Meeting House on Liberty St.

The proposed agreement with the Connecticut Solar Challenge Program would assist the non-profit program in offering town property owners help in purchasing solar photovoltaic and solar thermal heating systems and solar heating for swimming pools. There is no cost for the town’s participation in the program, though the town will offer a flat $100 building permit fee for homeowners pursuing solar projects during a six-month period when the program is effective. The six month participation period is expected to begin later this winter.

Voters at the town meeting will be asked to authorize the release of $193,000 that has been set aside for planned renovations to the second floor of the town hall building on Route 154. The funds were obtained from the insurance settlement for the collapse of the former community center building in February 2011. The board of selectmen last month hired Nasi Group LLC of Waterford to complete the planned renovations on a low bid of $125,475.

The renovations, the first since the town hall opened in 2003, would alter office locations on the second floor and create a community meeting room that could accommodate up to 65 people. Work on the town hall renovations is expected to begin early next month, with completion expected within 60 days. Nasi Group has agreed to perform most of the work during afternoons, evenings, and weekends to limit any disruption to town hall operations.

Voters at the town meeting will also be asked to approve an extension of the town’s existing ordinance for property tax relief for elderly and disabled homeowners. The resolution would extend the ordinance and tax relief program through October 2018.

CHESTER— A large crowd and inadequate parking Thursday forced the postponement of the public hearing on a controversial petition to amend zoning regulations to prohibit the keeping of roosters and capons on residential property.

More than 300 residents, some wearing knit hats shaped like chickens, packed the all-purpose room at Chester Elementary School Thursday night to voice their opposition to a petition by local residents John and Bonnie Bennet to amend zoning regulations to prohibit roosters and capons, while adding other restrictions to the keeping of poultry on residential property. While the size of the crowd was exceeding the 324 persons capacity for the school all purpose room, it was a lack of parking for the vehicles that brought people to the school that led to the postponement and rescheduling of the public hearing.

Resident State Trooper Matt Ewing told the crowd that parking along Ridge Road, the school driveway, and other streets around the school, would block access in the event of an emergency, particularly a medical emergency that could require an ambulance. Amid grumbles from the crowd, Ewing announced the public hearing would have to be postponed and rescheduled for the Valley Regional High School auditorium in Deep River.

The Bennets, of 23 Story Hill Road, are seeking to amend the regulations to prohibit keeping of roosters and capons, but allow the continued keeping of hens. The proposed amendments would also increase the minimum lot size and setback requirements for properties with poultry, and other smaller animals such as rabbits. John Bennet, a lawyer with an office in Essex, is the longtime town attorney for Chester and a frequent moderator at town meetings. One televised new report indicated the Bennets have been bothered by noise from poultry being raised by a neighbor, William Vile of 22 Story Hill Road.

A new date for the public hearing had not been set as of Friday. First Selectman Edmund Meehan said he is checking with school officials to determine dates when the high school auditorium would be available to accommodate a large crowd.

Thursday was the second time the public hearing on the proposed changes to poultry regulations has been rescheduled. The hearing was originally set for Dec. 6 at the Chester Meeting House, the commission’s usual meeting spot. But anticipation of a large crowd led to a change to the Jan. 10 date at the elementary school.

CHESTER— The planning and zoning commission public hearing on a requested change to zoning regulations governing poultry will open Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the all-purpose room at Chester Elementary School. The hearing, originally set for Dec. 6, was rescheduled and moved from the commission’s usual meeting spot, Chester Meeting House, in anticipation of a large crowd.

John and Bonnie Bennet, of 23 Story Hill Road, have petitioned the commission to amend regulations governing poultry to prohibit the keeping on any property roosters and capons, particularly any “fowl which crows, calls, screeches, squaks, or makes similar other sounds, including but not limited to guinea fowl, peacocks or pea hens, geese, parrots, macaws or similar calling species.”

The language proposed by the Bennets would allow the keeping of hens and rabbits, but would also increase the minimum lot size requirement of the parcel for keeping of hens and rabbits from the current 10,000-square feet to a minimum lot size of 40,000-square feet. It would also increase the setback requirement for an enclosure keeping hens or rabbits from the current 50-feet to a minimim setback of 100-feet from “any dwelling in existence.”

Bennet, a lawyer with an office in Essex, has served as town attorney for Chester for several years and is a frequent moderator at town meetings. He does not serve as legal counsel for the planning and zoning commission. Bonnie Bennet is a former town judge of probate.

In the weeks since the public hearing on the proposed zoning amendments was rescheduled, Bennet has withdrawn one provision of the proposed amendment that referred to “noisy fowl and other animals,” including animals that howl or bark and could be considered a nuisance to residents in the immediate neighborhood.

CHESTER— An anticipated need for a larger room has led the planning and zoning commission to postpone a public hearing that had been set for Thursday on a proposed zoning regulations that would limit the keeping of some poultry on residential property. The public hearing on the regulation proposed by local residents John and Bonnie Bennet is now set for Thursday Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the all purpose room at Chester Elementary School. The public hearing was to be held at the Chester Meeting House on Liberty St.

Bennet, a lawyer with an office in Essex who is the long-time town attorney for Chester, has proposed a revised regulation that would broaden the definition of poultry to allow the continued keeping of hens, but prohibit keeping of roosters, capons, or  any other fowl that “crows, screeches, squawks, or makes similar sounds.” Another section of the proposed regulation would prohibit keeping of “any animal, as a pet or otherwise,” that “howls, barks, brays, bellows, calls, screeches, squawks or makes other sounds during the day or night at frequent and/or extended periods of time so as to be a nuisance to one or more persons occupying a house or houses in any immediate neighborhood thereby preventing such person or persons from the comfortable enjoyment of their home.”

The proposed regulation is clearly generating opposition among many residents, with signs posted around town urging the commission to “keep Chester chicken friendly.” It was the anticipation of a large crowd that led to the rescheduling of the public hearing to a larger meeting room.

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Meeting Postponed to Jan 10, 2013

CHESTER— The planning and zoning commission will hold a public hearing Thursday on a petition from a local lawyer to change zoning rules on the keeping of chickens, specifically roosters and capons. The public hearing begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Chester Meeting house on Liberty Street.

John and Bonnie Bennet, of 23 Story Hill Road, have petitioned for a change in the definitions section for poultry. John Bennet, who has an office in Essex, is the long-time town attorney for Chester and a frequent moderator at town meetings. Bonnie Bennet is a former Chester judge of probate.

The proposed change would define poultry as hens, and allow the continued keeping of hens on private residential property “in a manner which preserves the quality of life of the surrounding neighborhood.” The proposed new language would prohibit the keeping of roosters and capons, and any “fowl which crows, calls, screeches, squawks, or makes similar other sounds,” including “guinea fowl, peacocks or peahens, geese, parrots, macaws of similar calling species.”

An additional proposed regulation prohibits keeping “any animal, as a pet or otherwise, including fowl, which howls, barks, brays, bellows, calls, screeches or makes other sounds during the day or night at frequent and/or extended periods of time so as to be a nuisance to one or more persons occupying a house or houses in any immediate neighborhood thereby preventing such person or persons from the comfortable enjoyment of their homes.”

The proposed change appears to have generated opposition from some residents even before the public hearing. There are several small signs posted around town which highlight Thursday’s hearing, and call for “keeping Chester chicken friendly.”

CHESTER— Town officials will open bids on Dec. 13 for a renovation to the second floor of town hall that would be funded by the insurance payment for the collapse of the former community center building on Route 154 in February 2011.

The board of selectmen voted at a meeting last week to seek bids for the town hall work, while dropping an earlier idea to use some of the insurance proceeds to pay for a 750-square-foot parks and recreation storage structure at Chester Elementary School. First Selectman Edmund Meehan said cost estimates for the storage addition were over $200,000, and would have used too much of the total available funding. “It did not make economic sense ,the cost per square foot was too high” he said.

The second floor renovations designed by Jackunski & Humes Architect of Berlin would create a larger meeting room to accommodate up to 65 people, along with changes to some of the offices on the second floor. The larger meeting room would reduce the need to use the historic Chester Meeting House on Liberty Street, particularly for less well-attended town meetings and board and commission meetings.

Meehan said $260,000 is available from the community center insurance settlement.  He said selectmen are “optimistic” the second floor renovations can be fully paid for with the available funding. Meehan said additional storage space for parks and recreation would be created at Cedar Lake, where the town sponsors a summer program, and in the renovated second floor of town hall.

Meehan said the board of selectmen has the authority to direct the insurance funds for the second floor project without a requirement for further approval from a town meeting. Work on the second floor renovations is expected to begin during the coming winter months.

CHESTER— The Chester Planning and Zoning Commission has rejected a petition to change the zoning from residential to commercial for a single parcel at 90 Goose Hill Road, off the west side of Middlesex Avenue (Route 154).

The panel rejected the petition from local resident Gary Clark on a unanimous vote at its Oct. 4 meeting. The proposed zone change had been presented at a Sept. 6 public hearing that was continued to Oct. 4. The proposed zone change had drawn opposition from two nearby property owners at the public hearings.

Clark had requested the zone change for a four-acre parcel at 90 Goose Hill Road. Clark proposed to locate his landscaping business on the parcel, storing equipment in a barn and trailers. The property would receive access from a right-of-way off Middlesex Avenue.

In rejecting the proposed zone change, the commission determined the change was “inconsistent with the plan of conservation and development,” and would require access through the residential zone. The panel also determined the parcel at 90 Goose Hill Road “was not suitable for commercial development.” Commission members had walked the property during a site inspection in September.

CHESTER— The board of selectmen Tuesday got its first look at a plan for a $3.09 million renovation and expansion of the Chester Public Library that was developed by a library expansion feasibility study committee established earlier this year. The board made no immediate decision on how, or when, to bring the project to the town’s voters in a possible bonding referendum.

Library Director Linda Fox, and Terry Schreiber, chairwoman of the study committee, were joined for the presentation by architect Kenneth Best, with the South Windsor firm of Drummney-Rosane-Anderson Inc. The firm was hired last spring, using funds from a $20,000 state grant, to investigate options for a renovation and expansion of the historic 1906 library building located on West Main Street, also known as Route 148.

Best presented a preliminary conceptual plans for a 2,000 square-foot expansion that would double the size of the existing 2,000 square-foot library building. There would be additions on both the east and west sides of the building, providing an expanded children’s section, a larger program space, an office for the library director, and additional storage space.

The building would be made completely handicapped-accessible, with a new staircase and elevator from the basement-like lower level. The historic front entrance with steps would be preserved, with a new, handicapped-accessible main entrance from the west side of the building. There would also be a new and relocated septic system, new restrooms, and a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $3,091,600, including funding for a temporary location for most library programs and services during the estimated 12 to 15 months of construction. Best said building a new library in a different location would cost at least $2.75 million, a figure that does not include any and acquisition expense.

Schreiber said the elected library board of directors would like to proceed with the project, noting the idea of a renovation and expansion has been studied for nearly three years. “We’d like to go with it,” she said. Fox said library supporters were hoping for a bonding referendum next spring or summer, with Best noting the cost estimates were based on 2014 construction dollars.

The selectmen were supportive, but cautious, with First Selectman Edmund Meehan noting there are no funds set aside in the current town budget to pay for a more detailed design plan that could be presented to the voters in a bonding referendum.

Selectman Tom Englert and Selectman Lawrence Sypher each suggested that library supporters should conduct a fundraising drive that could help reduce the total bonding expense for taxpayers. “It’s a big number for people to swallow in these economic times,” Englert said.

Best said an appropriation of about $15,000 would pay for more detailed schematic designs plans and cost estimate that could form the basis for a bonding proposal. He said it would cost about $150,000 to produce extremely detailed “bid ready” design plans for a building project.

Meehan said he would prefer to use a less costly design effort to set the stage for a bonding proposal, while adding that selectmen, working with the board of finance, would not be able to identity funding for further design work until early next year. Meehan said some surplus funds could be generated by the rental payments from Essex Savings Bank for the leased space at town hall, along with the possibility of some unexpended education funds after school spending audits are complete later this fall.

Meehan urged the library expansion committee to “flesh out some options on how to proceed,”’ with the board to discuss the library project further at a future meeting.

CHESTER— The planning and zoning commission will resume the public hearing Thursday on a proposed residential to commercial zone change for a four-acre parcel at 90 Goose Hill Road. The public hearing that began on Sept. 6 will reconvene at 7 p.m. at the Chester Meeting House on Liberty Street.

The panel had continued the public hearing on the petition of local resident Gary Clark to change the zoning for the parcel at 90 Goose Hill Road from residential to commercial. Clark had told the commission he wants to move his landscaping business to the parcel, which receives access from a right-of-way of the west side of Middlesex Avenue, also known as Route 154. Clark wants to store equipment related to his business in a barn and trailers on the parcel. Clark told the commission he plans to construct a house on an abutting parcel at 233 Middlesex Avenue.

The proposed zone change drew opposition from Glen Reyer, who has received zoning approval for a four-lot residential subdivision on a nearby 14-acre parcel. Reyer, a co-founder of the Chester Common Ground Party, was an unsuccessful candidate for board of selectmen in last year’s town election.

Reyer contended the zone change to commercial would establish a bad precedent for other parcels on and near Route 154, leading to spot zoning and “zoning creep” in the future. Also objecting to the proposed zone change was Betty Perreault, who owns a nearby property at 50 Goose Hill Road. Perreault served as first selectwoman from 1989 to 1993.

CHESTER— Voters at a town meeting Wednesday gave quick and unanimous approval to a 10-year lease of vacant ground floor space at the town hall to Essex Savings Bank. About 30 residents turned out for the town meeting and a required public hearing that preceded the vote.

The bank, which has branches in Essex, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Madison, will lease the 3,219 square-feet on the south side ground floor of the building at 203 Middlesex Avenue, also known as Route 154. The space had been occupied by a Bank of America branch since the opening of the town hall in 2003 until late June, when the branch closed. Essex Savings Bank will be paying $67,599 per year, or $5,633 per month, for the space, along with 21 percent of the fuel oil and electricity expenses for the building.

While the payment for utilities is unchanged, the rental payment is slightly lower than the amount Bank of America has been paying since 2007, which was $75,900 per year. First Selectman Edmund Meehan said the slow state and area economy of recent years was the reason for the decrease in the rent.

Several residents spoke in favor of the lease, which Town Clerk Debra Calamari described as a “very positive thing for the town.” Calamari and others praised Essex Savings Bank as a “wonderful community bank,” that would be welcome ion Chester.

The opening of the new branch also requires approval from the State Banking Commission, which is expected in the coming weeks. Meehan said the space is “really accommodating to a bank and ready to go.” The branch is expected to open for business later this fall.

Voters also gave final approval for two expenditures from the capital expenditure fund that is part of the current town budget, $326,123 for road repairs and improvements, and $161,208 for the 2013 townwide property revaluation. Meehan noted the board of selectmen last week accepted a favorable bid from EQuality Valuation Services for the revaluation, with the total cost for the project now expected not to exceed $78,000. He said the unexpended funds could be used next year to prefund other capital projects, or to help limit any increase in the tax rate in 2013.

CHESTER— The board of selectmen has picked a Waterbury firm, EQuality Valuation Services, to complete the townwide property revaluation that will be done in 2013, a full revaluation that will include physical inspections of all residential, commercial, and industrial properties.

EQuality Valuation Services was the lowest of four bids reviewed by the board at a meeting Tuesday. The bid price was $60,000, though First Selectman Edmund Meehan noted Wednesday some computer upgrades needed for the process would add a small amount to the total cost. Also submitting bids were Vision Appraisal of Northboro, Mass., Tyler Technologies of Norwich, and Municipal Valuation Services of Fairfield.

The Waterbury firm had done the revaluation update completed in 2008, a statistical update that included a data mailer sent to property owners. The last full revaluation in Chester, including a review of real estate sales combined with inspections of all properties, was done in 2003.

Meehan said inspections of properties would begin in the spring of 2003, with the revaluation to be completed for the October 2013 grand list. Residents are expected to receive new value notices for their properties in November 2013.

The 2008 revaluation update, done just before the economic crash in the fall of 2008, brought an increase in the grand list of taxable property. Meehan  acknowledged a drop in the grand list is likely, given the continuing slow economy and the decline in residential property values over the last four years. “Knowing the real estate market it’s a fair conclusion there will be a decrease, how much we just don’t know,” he said. The revalued 2013 grand list will be used to set the tax rate for the 2014-2015 budget year.