Category Archives: Washington County

By David Delcore
Staff Writer

BERLIN – You can add a mystery restaurant to the growing mix of establishments that could be coming soon to the Barre-Montpelier Road.

Town Administrator Jeff Schulz confirmed this week that owners of the shopping center now anchored by Big Lots intend to apply for a permit to build a free-standing restaurant that would be constructed next to Pizza Hut. The chain restaurant, which Schulz said he wasn’t at liberty to name, would represent the newest addition to the Central Vermont Shopping Center and further fuel the recent revival of a retail strip once dubbed Berlin’s “million-dollar mile.”

Though still in its infancy, the project recently cleared a key hurdle recently thanks to a 13-year-old permit the shopping center’s owner obtained for a bank that was never built. That permit, Schulz concluded, is still valid and site and utility improvements were made at the time – effectively preserving Pomerleau Real Estate’s right to pursue a revised version of the project that wouldn’t be allowed under current flood plain regulations.

The deciding factor, according to Schulz, was that the bank was part of a broader project that included interior renovations to the L-shaped plaza that were completed as proposed. The proposed restaurant would be built next to Pizza Hut, which is part of the 106,000 retail complex.

Although Schulz has determined the bank permit is still valid, he has concluded the proposed restaurant will require a trip to the town’s development review board. Based on changes to the project, which was permitted in 1999, the board must review and approve an amended site plan before construction can commence.

For the complete story, see Thursday’s Rutland Herald.

By David Delcore
Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — A summer scene befitting a Norman Rockwell portrait was spoiled Monday morning when more than a dozen police cruisers, an armored vehicle and the big box truck that houses Vermont’s equivalent of a S.W.A.T. team set up shop in Washington to take what proved to be one unarmed man into custody.

The mission, which featured what Sgt. Mike Kamerling described as a “just in case” response, was a success and Alfred Perreault, 68, was arrested without incident less than 48 hours after he allegedly assaulted his wife, Sara, at their Route 110 home over the weekend.

The Saturday evening altercation triggered a bizarre chain of events that, Kamerling says, began when Sara Perreault was transported to Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin where she was treated for injuries allegedly inflicted by her husband and ended shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday when specially trained members of the state police “Tactical Support Unit” entered their home and arrested him.

Alfred Perreault was home alone at the time, though Kamerling says that wasn’t the case when police responded to the reported domestic dispute shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday.

According to Kamerling, Alfred Perreault left the home before police arrived on Saturday, but his car was spotted back in the driveway on Sunday.

Neighbors say police staked out the Perreaults’ home, which was locked, looking for some sign of activity throughout the day on Sunday and Kamerling confirmed they obtained a search warrant on Monday after repeated attempts to contact Alfred Perreault by telephone had failed.

According to Kamerling several calls – some placed by family members and others by authorities – went unanswered on Sunday and again on Monday.

For the complete story, see Tuesday’s Times Argus.