Williston
ECRWSS PRSRT STD US Postage
PAID
Permit #15 Williston,VT 05495 POSTAL CUSTOMER
GREEN PAGES 8-12
SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Wetlands dampen park plans
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Allen Brook improvements hit a snag
The Town of Williston had big plans for Allen Brook Park. It developed a master plan in 2022 for the 20 acres next to Allen Brook School that included tennis, pickleball and basketball courts; baseball diamonds; indoor and outdoor event spaces; and walking paths, among other amenities. The town was ready to move toward a first phase of construction last spring when it hired DuBois and King Consulting Engineers. The South Burlington-based firm was given eight tasks, including applying for state and town construction permits, recommending a construction company and overseeing the buildout of phase 1 of the park. Construction was scheduled to start this upcoming spring. But the project got tripped up on task No. 3: “resource constraints.” It was during DuBois and King’s investigation of that, in May, when it found a wetlands problem on the parcel. According to a map it provided to the town, wetlands surround the school and the existing two playing fields that comprise the current park. “With that, we had to put a stop to further
Taylor Hayes
work until we can figure out our options,” Recreation and Parks Director Todd Goodwin said. These aren’t swamplands, he noted, but they do complicate the project and have the town now considering other locations to build the amenities in the plan. “We are going to take this master plan and see if it can fit somewhere else,” Goodwin said. “But right now it may not be for the land at Allen Brook.” Goodwin said he and the volunteer members of the town’s Recreation and Parks Committee were disappointed at the news, but hopeful that the plan can be salvaged. The town owns other acreage around Allen Brook School and the Williston Fire Department on Talcott Road. “We are looking at options. We are not giving up,” said Goodwin. Simultaneously, the town is looking for a place to site a community center. The two projects could be co-located, Goodwin said. “Park amenities can enhance a rec center and the rec center enhances the park,” he said. “They go hand-in-hand.” — Jason Starr
Cutest little punkin’ Tanner Grace, 3, sits among the pumpkins at Isham’s Fall Harvest Festival on Sunday. See more photos on pages 4 and 5. OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
Town hires recreation coordinator
Taylor Hayes started last week as the Williston Recreation and Parks Department’s program coordinator. A native of Colchester currently living in St. Albans, she is the second program coordinator the department has had. The position was created in 2022 and filled for two years by Alex Mihavics, who recently relocated with his wife to Wisconsin. Hayes is a graduate of Community College of Vermont, where she studied environmental science and early childhood education, graduating in 2020. Since then, she has worked as a teacher at Heartworks preschool on Blair Park Road in Williston and spent summers working
for Vermont State Parks. The program coordinator job is the first year-round job she’s had. “It seemed like a great combination of everything I love to do,” she said. The primary role of the coordinator is to organize and schedule programs for the department’s R.E.C. Zone space on Harvest Lane. One of her first moves was reaching out to instructors for potential new offerings at the space. “We have access to this space year-round seven days a week and would love to begin offering more programs in this space for all ages,” she wrote in an email to instructors. Hayes also plans to offer her own programming for the community, including a babysit-
ting certification class and bone builders and balance classes for seniors. She’d also like to develop programming for preschoolers, such as music, dance and painting. Growing up by the bay in Colchester, Hayes said she enjoyed recreation on Lake Champlain, as well as hiking and camping. She played tennis and ran track & field as a student-athlete at Colchester High School, graduating in 2018. You can find Hayes in the second floor offices at Town Hall on Williston Road. She can also be reached by phone at (802) 876-1160 or email at recreation@willistonvt.org. — Jason Starr
BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER ORDER ONLINE GetBlissBee.com
Shelburne Road, South Burlington • Maple Tree Place, Williston