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RESTAURANT GUIDE PAGES 13-20
SEPTEMBER 10, 2026
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
New chief makes the rounds LaBarge talks protests, ICE, traffic and staffing up at the Williston P.D. BY JASON STARR Observer staff
OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR
There’s a bit of a checklist to go through for a new police chief coming into a community, and Brian LaBarge has been punching it off. Since his start in Williston at the beginning of August, LaBarge has been invited to speak at the Rotary Club and attend a mixer with the Williston for Equity and Democracy activist group. He’s digested “the Baker report,” a 2023 consultant assessment of the Williston Police Department’s hierarchy and staffing needs. He’s caught up on selectboard discussions around local law enforcement’s role in any federal immigration enforcement actions, and given forethought to ensuring public safety during the recurring citizen
pilot projects to model the group home arrangement, with individual apartments and shared kitchen and living spaces, supported by onsite staff. To date, two have been built — in Monkton and Burlington. Chris Snyder, a prominent home builder in Williston, is partnering with the Champlain Housing Trust on a proposal for a house with nine individual units at the corner of Southridge Road and Williston Road (Route 2). The Williston Development Review Board approved a preliminary plan for its construction at an Aug. 25 meeting. The home
site is on 6 vacant acres. “As a group, we are very supportive and excited about this proposed project becoming a reality for us. We are thankful to The Snyder Company, Inc. and Champlain Housing Trust for working together to meet the housing needs for these young adults,” Jenn Townley, the parent of a 28-year-old and member of the advocacy group, wrote in a letter to the board. “As aging parents,” she added, “we can sleep well knowing our young adults are being cared for long after we are gone.” Plans show eight one-bedroom
Brian LaBarge started as Williston police chief in August.
protests outside the federal immigration offices on Harvest Lane and Industrial Avenue. He’s also gone on some drives. Through the rural, southern sections of town, he’s gotten a feel for the friction between cyclists, pedestrians and drivers that a group of residents has been sounding the alarm about in recent months.
“I’m very excited and honored to have been selected to be the chief here.” Brian LaBarge Williston Police Chief
This is a first for LaBarge. A native of Georgia, Vt., he spent 21 years with the Burlington Police Department, rising to the rank of deputy chief, after a six-year stint in the Air Force stationed in Colorado.
As a police chief, he’s now outranked his father, who retired as a corporal after a career with the Burlington Police Department. “I grew up around the policing culture, so it was just embedded as part of growing up,” LaBarge said. “At some point I knew that’s what I wanted to do.” He didn’t set out to become a chief of police, but his career arc in Burlington made him a top candidate in Chittenden County. “I was very satisfied being a deputy chief,” said LaBarge, “but I’m very excited and honored to have been selected to be the chief here.” The department is budgeted for 19 officers, but is currently at 16. In addition to hiring three officers, LaBarge is also looking for a top lieutenant — a second-in-command. The Baker Report recommends the department eventually staff up to 28 officers. “We didn’t keep up with growth and development and now here we see LaBARGE page 5
Disability housing gets preliminary approval
BY JASON STARR Observer staff
A group of parents advocating for communal housing for their adult children with developmental disabilities have found a partner and a parcel in Williston. The Developmental Disabilities Housing Initiative has lobbied successfully for state support for a shared living model for adults with developmental disabilities, as an alternative to the foster care model that the state currently relies on. In 2022, the Legislature passed Act 186, providing funding for
A rendering of a proposed home for up to nine adults with support staff planned for the corner of Williston Road and Southridge Road. VIA WILLISTON PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT
units and one two-bedroom unit, alongside a shared kitchen, dining room and living room. There are also staff offices and meeting rooms, a wraparound porch,
parking lot and connection to rec paths. The proposal will come before the board for final approval at an as-yet-undetermined date.