The Fayston Select Board voted to adopt a mask-wearing resolution this week by a unanimous vote at its July 14 meeting.
“I really see this as a joint, cross-town effort to heighten people’s awareness. There’s no doubt we’re suffering from COVID. It’s not going away soon. As a public body, we have an obligation to keep people’s attention on the pandemic,” said board chair Jared Cadwell.
Board member Chuck Martel noted that the framework for the resolution calling for people to wear masks in public came from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and was similar to the resolution that the Warren Select Board adopted recently.
“I think there is a need for some consistency in The Valley for something like this. We really don’t have borders for COVID-19. I think it makes it easier for the few businesses we have in Fayston to implement policies for wearing face masks to say that it’s the policy of the town. I support it,” Martel said.
“I do as well,” said board member Mike Jordan, noting that the Waitsfield Select Board rejected a face mask resolution at its July 13 meeting.
“We’re surrounding Waitsfield,” Cadwell said.
The Moretown Select Board will take up the issue of face masks at its next meeting.
At this week’s meeting, the Fayston board also discussed an offer from Sugarbush to provide a mower and the personnel to help mow part of the Boyce Hill Town Forest in exchange for the town reciprocating with mowing equipment and labor later this summer.
The board also discussed the issue of horseback riding in Boyce Hill town forest. Karen Winhold, owner of the Vermont Icelandic Farm was concerned about whether she’d be able to access the property under the long-term management plan being developed. The interim management plan does not allow horseback riding. She had previously had landowner permission to use the parcel for her commercial trail rides before it was donated to the town in December.
Also present were residents Richard Davis and Danielle Howes who said that they would like to have public horseback riding allowed in the long-term management plan so that they could ride their own horses in there.
The town’s Boyce Hill Town Forest steering committee is in its first year of managing the property for the Fayston Conservation Commission and is using the first year for a full inventory of the parcel and will develop a long- term management plan through community outreach next year.
