Planning Commission Minutes 2-19-2026

Planning Commission Minutes 2-19-2026

TOWN OF RUTLAND PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES

DATE: February 19^th, 2026

LOCATION: Town Hall and a publicly accessible conference line

OPEN MEETING 6:30 P.M.

Commission Members Present: Chair Barbara Pulling, Dana Peterson, Howard Burgess, Sherman Hunter, Jerry Stearns, Mary Beth Poli, Norm Cohen, and Demetrio Gagnon. All members are voting members for this meeting.

Members of the Public Present:  Mary Aschroft, Josh Lemieux, Chief Donald Stevens – Nullhegan Abenaki Tribe, Rich Holschuh – Atowi Project

Approval of the Agenda:

Mr. Cohen moved to approve the agenda. Mr. Hunter seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

New Business: Meeting with Vermont Indigenous tribes and pocket park

1. The Stockbridge Munsee tribe was not available due to being out of the area at a conference.
2. Chief Donald Stevens reviewed the history of their tribe in the area. He was not sure what their specific name was for the area but will try to find out. Provided some of their history in the area and discussed how resources could be provided in the future.
3. Rich Holschuh of the Atowi Project provided some of the history of his tribe in the area, and their language. He will also provide some resources to be included in physical and digital resources.
4. Both agreed this area was very important to native American tribes.
5. Discussed how involved they would like to be during the construction phase. They did not need direct involvement but if during work, artifacts are found, they would like to be notified so they can be documented.
6. Both encouraged the messaging to include the tribes that are still in the area and this isn’t just history.
7. Discussed how information can be included on the informational kiosk, the number of signs and content

New Business: RRPC Regional Plan

1. There is a public hearing on March 17^th to review the proposed new regional plan.
2. This includes the updated land use maps for Rutland Town.

Approval of Minutes January 29^th, 2026:

Mr. Peterson moved to approve the minutes. Mr. Hunter seconded the motion. There was a clearical change made. The motion passed unanimously.

Adjournment:

Mr. Stearns moved to adjourn. Mr. Hunter seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted, Bill Sweet

 

______________________________________       ____________

Barbara Pulling                                                           Date

Rutland Town Planning Commission Chair