CHESTER— Voters at a town meeting Tuesday elected two new members of the Region 4 Board of Education, with Republican Mario Gioco and Democrat Ann Monaghan picked to fill vacant seats through the November 2013 town election.

The vacancies were created by the resignations of two Republican members, Richard Strauss, who had served as the board’s treasurer, resigned in October. Pamela Christman, the board’s vice-chairwoman, resigned effective Dec. 6.

Three candidates were nominated for the first vacancy, a six-year term that expires in November 2013. Nominated were Gioco, the longtime chairman of the zoning board of appeals who is also chairman of the Chester Republican Town Committee, Monaghan, a lawyer with three children attending Region 4 schools, and Michael Hotkowski, a graduate of Valley Regional High School. Hotkowski had been an unsuccessful candidate for the regional school board on the Chester Common Ground Party line in the Nov. 8 election, losing to incumbent Democrat Elaine Fitzgibbons. Fitzgibbons is the town’s third representative on the nine member regional school board that also includes three members each from Deep River and Essex.

Gioco won the seat on a paper ballot vote with 28 votes to 18 votes for Monaghan and eight votes for Hotkowski. The second vacancy was for a six-year term ending in November 2015, but town attorney and meeting moderator John Bennet announced the seat would also be on the town’s November 2013 election ballot for the final two years of the term.

Monaghan was nominated again, along with James Gordon, a former member of the Chester Board of Education who was nominated by Glen Reyer, a founder of the Chester Common Ground Party. Monaghan was elected on a voice vote, with a handful of votes for Gordon.

Gioco and Monaghan were sworn in to office by Town Clerk Debra Calamari immediately after the town meeting. Their first regular meeting is Jan. 5, when the board is scheduled to elect a chairman and other officers for 2012-2013.

CHESTER— The board of selectmen decided Tuesday that a town meeting vote is required to fill the town’s two vacancies on the Region 4 Board of Education.

First Selectman Edmund Meehan, at his first meeting of the board since assuming the top job on Nov. 22, said he had learned Monday that a town meeting vote would be needed to fill the two vacancies on the regional school board. Chester selectmen, along with the boards of selectmen in the other district towns of Deep River and Essex, had been operating on the assumption that vacancies on the Region 4 board could be filled with appointments by the board of selectmen. “This is a new wrinkle in this process,” Meehan said.

Meehan said he was advised of a state statute that requires vacancies on regional school boards to be filled through a town meeting vote, even though the Region 4 towns have 1950s ordinances that call for an appointment of the board of selectmen to fill vacancies. Town meeting votes have been used to fill vacancies on the board of other regional school districts in the area, including Region 17 (Haddam-Killingworth) and Region 13 (Durham-Middlefield). Meehan said Town Attorney John Bennet had advised that the state statute on the vacancy process would supersede any local town ordinance.

Chester has two vacancies on the Region 4 board in seats that were held by Republicans. Richard Strauss, the board’s treasurer, resigned in October, while board vice-chairwoman Pamela Christman resigned effective Tuesday. Meehan said three residents have expressed interest in serving on the school board, including Mario Gioco, an accountant and chairman of the zoning board of appeals who has been recommended for one of the vacancies by the Chester Republican Town Committee.

The board agreed to schedule a town meeting to vote on filling the vacancies, and made no recommendations of candidates at Tuesday’s meeting. Meehan said he would schedule the town meeting as soon as possible, probably before the end of the month. Nominations would be made from the floor of the town meeting, with the winning candidates serving on the Region 4 board through the next town election in 2013.

The board also appointed a new member of the planning and zoning commission while offering support to a possible post-election switch among Republicans on the commission.

There were four residents interested in filling the vacancy created by the recent resignation of long-time member Janet Good, a Democrat. The interested residents include current commission alternate Henry Krempel, a Democrat, former Republican member Melvin Seifert, who failed to win election in the Nov. 8 town election after serving as an appointed member of the commission, former member Steve Tiezzi, and Patricia Bisacky, an unsuccessful candidate for the commission in last month’s election on the Chester Common Ground Party line.

Meehan said he favored appointing Krempel for the vacancy, following an informal tradition of appointing an active alternate when a regular member seat is opened up by a resignation. Seifert asked to be considered for the appointment, contending his background as a lawyer had been helpful to the panel over the past year.

After Democratic Selectman Larry Sypher indicated he also favored Krempel for the appointment, newly elected Republican member Doreen Joslow made an unusual offer. Joslow had won election to a two-year vacancy term on the commission in the Nov. 8 vote, defeating long-time commission chairman Michael Joplin, a Democrat, in the major upset of the 2011 election.

Joslow said she would be willing to resign her regular member seat, possibly stepping in to an alternate position, if the board of selectmen would agree to appoint Seifert to fill the two-year vacancy seat she won on Nov. 8. Joslow said she believes Seifert would bring valuable experience in filling a regular member seat on the panel.

Meehan and Sypher said they would be willing to support a possible switch of the two Republicans. Krempel’s appointment leaves two alternate openings on the commission, along with the regular member opening that could be created if Joslow resigns the seat.

In other business, the board reappointed Bennet as town attorney for the 2011-2013 term. The appointment comes despite a pending increase in the firm’s fee, from the current $140 per hour to $175 per hour next July.

CHESTER— The board of selectmen will be filling two vacancies on the Region 4 Board of Education by appointment through the 2013 town election. The second vacancy takes effect on Dec. 6 with the resignation of Pamela Christman, the board’s current vice-chairwoman.

Christman, a Republican, was narrowly elected to a six-year term on the board in 2009. She served previously as a member and chairwoman of the Chester Board of Education. Richard Strauss, another Republican who served as the treasurer of the nine-member regional board, had resigned in October. Strauss’s term expires in 2013. The town’s other member, Democrat Elaine Fitzgibbons, was re-elected to a second term on the board in the Nov. 8 election.

The Chester Republican Town Committee last month recommended Mario Gioco for appointment to the vacancy created by the Strauss resignation. But with the town election only weeks away, the board of selectmen decided to defer action on the appointment until a newly elected board was seated for the 2011-2013 term. Gioco, the chairman of the town committee, is also a longtime member and chairman of the zoning board of appeals.

Democrat Edmund Meehan was elected on Nov. 8, with Democratic Selectman Larry Sypher and Republican Selectman Tom Englert also returning for second terms on the board. The board is expected to discuss the Region 4 vacancies when it holds its first meeting on Dec. 6.

The individuals appointed to the vacancies will serve until November 2013, when both seats will be on the municipal election ballot. The selectmen’s vacancy appointees are not required to be a member of any particular political party.

CHESTER— The planning and zoning commission has denied a special permit for a proposed bulk propane storage facility at the Airport Industrial Park off Route 145.

The panel acted at a special meeting on Nov. 8. The permit application of DSDM LLC was rejected on a unanimous vote.

DSDM LLC, an affiliate of Uncas Gas Company, was seeking a permit for two 30,000-gallon propane storage tanks on a parcel at 25 airport Industrial Park Road. The industrial park is located off Winthrop Road, also known as Route 145, in the rural western section of town. The plan drew strong opposition when it was presented at public hearings in September and October, with a final session held on Nov. 3.

A nearby business owner at the industrial park, and a nearby resident, each hired lawyers to support their objections at the public hearings. William and Susan Sangster, owners of Hull Management LLC on a nearby parcel in the industrial park, were represented by Hartford lawyer John Bradley and an engineering consultant. Keith and Maria Scherber, of 70 Winthrop Road, were represented by Old Saybrook lawyer Michael Cronin.

More than a dozen residents spoke in opposition to the permit application at the public hearings. Opponents contended the industrial park road, which ends in a cul-de-sac, was not a suitable location for bulk propane storage, and that bulk propane storage should not be allowed in an area that is not served by a public water line.

CHESTER— The town will hire Drummey-Rosane-Anderson Inc., a South Windsor architectural firm, to develop an expansion plan for the Chester Public Library.

The board of selectmen approved the hiring earlier this month based on recommendations from the library expansion committee and the elected library board of trustees. The firm, which has experience preparing building expansion projects for libraries and historic buildings, which selected from about ten firms that applied for the job. The services are expected to cost about $20,000.

The board of selectmen earlier this year appointed a volunteer library expansion committee to determine the feasibility of expanding the historic 1906 library building on West Main Street, and if an expansion is feasible, developing a plan and cost estimate for a building project. In discussion with the selectmen last winter, library trustees said they were considering a “limited expansion” of the 2,000 square-foot library building.

The committee and architects are expected to present a report and recommendations to the board of selectmen in the coming months. The recommendation, including a cost estimate, could lead to a library expansion proposal that would be presented to town voters for approval later this year.

CHESTER— The planning and zoning commission public hearing on a proposed 60,000-gallon propane storage facility at the Airport Industrial Park resumes Thursday after lengthy sessions held in September and on Oct. 6.

DSDM LLC, an affiliate of Uncas Gas Company, is seeking a special permit for two 30,000-gallon propane storage tanks on a parcel at 25 Airport Industrial Park Road. The commission has already approved a separate permit for a 50-foot by 80-foot building on an abutting parcel, but the company has said it would not construct the building unless the propane storage is also approved by the panel. Airport Industrial Park is located on Winthrop Road, also known as Route 145, in the western section of town.

The proposed propane storage has attracted strong opposition, with both a nearby business owner at the industrial park and a nearby resident on Route 145 hiring attorneys to oppose the permit application at public hearings held on Sept. 8 and Oct. 6. A dozen residents spoke in opposition to the proposed propane storage at the Oct. 6 hearing.

William and Susan Sangster, owners of Hull Management LLC at the industrial park, hired Hartford lawyer John Bradley, along with an engineering consultant, to represent them at the public hearings. Keith and Maria Scherber, who live at 70 Winthrop Road about 400 feet from the site, hired Old Saybrook lawyer Michael Cronin. The applicants have been represented by lawyer Harry Heller.

Much of the testimony has focused on safety procedures, along with the record on accidents and releases at other bulk propane storage facilities around the northeast. There are currently 60 bulk propane storage sites in Connecticut. The Sangsters also noted that Airport Industrial Park Road is a dead end road ending in a cul-de-sac, possibly limiting access in an emergency.

The public hearing reconvenes at 7 p.m. in the Chester Meeting House. The commission is expected to vote on the permit application by Nov. 21, when the terms expire for some of the seven members and alternates participating in the public hearings. The make up of the commission could be changed by the results of the Nov. 8 town election.

CHESTER— A recent fire code inspection uncovered violations that have led to the closing of the balcony at the historic Chester Meeting House on Liberty Street.

Fire Marshall Richard Leighton, accompanied by Old Lyme Fire Marshall David Roberge, appeared before the board of selectmen Tuesday to review the violations that were discovered in an August inspection of the town-owned building. Leighton said the most serious deficiencies are related to the balcony, particularly a guardrail near the first row of seating that is too low, and handrails along the two circular staircases leading to the balcony that take up too much space from the walkways of the stairs.

The Chester Meeting House was renovated and restored by the town through the 1980s and 1990s. It is now used by a variety of community groups, including community theater and concert series. The town uses the building for town meetings and other public meetings that attract a large crowd. The designated capacity is 101 persons on the first floor and 60 persons for the balcony.

Leighton said the code improvements required for the balcony to be put back in to use could probably be completed in the near future with available town funds, while other improvements, such an upgraded fire alarm system for the entire building, would likely have to wait for funding in the 2012-2013 town budget. Also needed are additional exit signs and new lighting for outside the building.

The closing of the balcony has already impacted two groups that use the meeting house on a regular basis, the Meeting House Players, a community theater group, and the Robbie Collomore Concert Series. The Meeting House Players were forced to cancel a recent show, while the Collomore Series has an Oct. 16 performance date for which tickets, including balcony seats, have already been sold. Both groups pay the town a fee to use the building.

The board agreed to meet with Leighton and Roberge to establish short-term, and long-term, plans to complete the required fire code improvements. Interim First Selectman Tom Englert said “we take this seriously and we’ll certainly move to get this corrected as soon as possible.” But Englert noted even the improvements related to the balcony would require “some engineering work,” before the town could seek bids and hire a contractor to complete the work.

Selectman Lawrence Sypher advised representatives of the two groups at the meeting that appropriating funds, seeking bids, and hiring a contractor would likely take several weeks and probably could not be done before the end of the month.

CHESTER—  The planning and zoning commission has approved plans for a retail market in a vacant structure at 56 Middlesex Avenue, also known as Route 154.

The unanimous vote of approval, taken at a Sept. 8 meeting, ends a nearly 18-month effort by local resident Peter Kehayias to win approval for a market in the building at 56 Middlesex Avenue that has been vacant for several years. The approval is also expected to resolve a lawsuit filed by Kehayias late last year appealing the panel’s November 2010 denial of a previous special permit application for the market.

The initial permit application had called for a 10-seat cafe-style seating area is part of the market. A revised application presented at public hearings in July and August did not include the seating area for on-site consumption of food. Kehayias was appointed as a member of the commission earlier this year, and had recused himself from participating in the review of his latest permit application.

The permit approval has several conditions, including requirements for a landscaped green buffer of plantings on the east side of the property, and fencing around portions of the parcel. The commission directed that no deliveries occur before 8 a.m. or after 3 p.m., with no deliveries on Sundays. The hours for the market, which will sell prepared foods, locally grown produce, meats, poultry and some seafoods, are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

Another condition limits the maximum number of employees at the market to six at any one time. The approval specifies that office space on the second floor of the building be an accessory to the market use, with no separate rentals. Another condition specifies there would be no seating on consumption of food at the market.

In other business, the commission has continued to its Oct. 6 meeting the public hearing on a special permit application by DSDM LLC, an affiliate of Uncas Gas Company, for two 30,000-gallon propane storage tanks on a parcel at 25 Airport Industrial Park Road. The panel has approved a separate special permit application from DSDM LLC for a 50-foot-by 80-foot single story building on the abutting parcel at the industrial park that is located off Route 145 on the western side of town.

The proposal for propane storage has drawn opposition from some residents and other business owners at the industrial park, including William Sangster, owner of Unity Mill Engineering, a business that is located near the proposed storage site. Representatives of DSDM LLC have said they would not pursue construction of the building without approval of the related propane storage.

CHESTER— After a six-year hiatus, former Selectman Peter Zanardi is back for a short stint on the board of selectmen.

Zanardi, a Democrat who served on the board of selectmen from 1999 to 2005, was appointed last week to fill the open seat on the board. The appointment was approved by Interim First Selectman Tom Englert and Selectman Lawrence Sypher at a Sept. 13 special meeting.

Zanardi will serve the remainder of Englert’s unexpired term ending on Nov. 22. Englert, a Republican first elected in 2009, resigned as a selectman on Aug. 16 to assume the position of first selectman that was left vacant by the departure of former First Selectman Tom Marsh on Aug. 1. Marsh, who had held the top job since 2005, resigned to become town manager in Windsor, Vt. Englert will serve as interim first selectman through Nov. 22.

Englert is on the Nov. 8 town election ballot seeking re-election to another term on the board of selectmen. He is one of five candidates competing for seats on the three-member board in the Nov. 8 vote.

Edmund Meehan is the Democratic nominee for first selectmen, with Sypher seeking a second term as his running-mate. The competition also includes two candidates nominated by the Chester Common Ground Party, Andrew Landsman, running for first selectman, and Glen Reyer, seeking a seat on the board of selectmen as Landsman’s running-mate.

The board’s next regular meeting is Oct. 4.