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2022 in the rearview
DECEMBER 29, 2022
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
2022 will likely be remembered as the year we emerged from the pandemic. It has also been a time when Williston welcomed new civic leaders, advanced forward-thinking environmental and land-use initiatives, saw new businesses take root and wrestled with the challenges of a growing community. Here are the stories that shaped the community over the past 12 months.
tant. It aims to help the town realize goals stated in the Comprehensive Town Plan of creating a pedestrian-friendly, densely developed neighborhood in the 1,000-acre area around the intersection of Routes 2 and 2A. “The form-based code is one of the best options we have to manage growth in a sustainable way that has public benefit,” resident Kyle Sala said during public hearings.
REDISTRICTING CHANGES WILLISTON’S REPRESENTATION IN STATE GOVERNMENT Williston’s single legislative district was split in two in a new statewide redistricting law based on the results of the 2020 census. The split reflects the town’s population growth over the past decade: The town grew by roughly 2,000 residents since the 2010 census. The majority of Williston residents remained grouped in the Chittenden 2 district and continued to be represented by two state legislators. But about 1,500 residents on the southwest side of town were grouped with about 2,700 South Burlington residents to form the new Chittenden 8 district. The new districts were first used in the August primary then again in the November general election, when Erin Brady and Angela Arsenault were elected to represent Chittenden 2 and Noah Hyman of South Burlington was elected in Chittenden 8.
POST OFFICE UNDERSTAFFING SLOWS MAIL DELIVERY Frustration with the Williston Post Office grew as mail delivery sputtered — an issue that stretches back to the middle of 2021. Residents reported weeklong delivery stoppages and a lack of responsiveness from the U.S. Postal Service when filing complaints or seeking information about the problem. Vermont lawmakers and Vermont’s Congressional delegation — hearing of similar stories around the state — attempted to pressure the U.S. Postal Service into action. In February, state lawmakers sent a resolution to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and to Congress asking that DeJoy’s 10-year reform effort be scuttled. And in April, Congress passed the Postal Reform Act aimed at financial sustainability and public accountability for the service. Still, by year’s end, under the increased mail volume of the holiday season, the service in Williston is as erratic as ever. “I know the post office is having its problems with staffing, but for it to go on like this for this long is just not right,” resident George Stief said, “Someone — or a number of people — are just plain dropping the ball.”
SELECTBOARD FUNDS ENERGY COORDINATOR POSITION A rainbow arcs toward Butternut Road during a reprieve in Friday’s storm, which brought high winds, rain and snow. COURTESY PHOTO BY LARRY HARDER
SELECTBOARD APPROVES TAFT CORNERS ‘FORM-BASED CODE’ After redrawing its boundaries and lowering building height allowances, the Wil-
liston selectboard approved a final version of a zoning regulation rewrite for the Taft Corners district. The “form-based code” was the result of two years of planning and public input, led by the planning commission with the help of a contracted consul-
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The selectboard backed a citizen-led initiative to reduce the town’s impact on global warming by adding an Energy Coordinator to the Fiscal Year 2023 budget. The position was filled in April with the hiring of Melinda Scott. Scott began working with the newly empaneled town Energy Committee to implesee 2022 page 2
Shelburne Road, S. Burlington Maple Tree Place, Williston
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