The town of Colchester has been grappling with significant issues regarding the housing of Vermont Construction Company workers. Last week, the company was issued an emergency order to vacate a portion of its office space at Hegeman Avenue. It was discovered that part of the building was being used to house an estimated 17 people without any approvals for life safety features in a public building. Town zoning and state fire marshal officials who visited the property found it to be "structurally unsafe," with no smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, no fire extinguishers, and several electrical violations.

Repeated Violations and Emergency Orders

This is not the first time Colchester has cited the company for housing its workers in unsafe and unpermitted conditions. In September, similar circumstances were found at a house at 28 Vermont Avenue, where 60 people were living in similar conditions. Tenants, who were seasonal workers employed by the company, were living in small, congregate sleeping areas, with no sprinkler or fire alarm systems in place as required by the state when more than 10 people are housed in a single space. Visible mold was also found at the Vermont Avenue home, with no carbon monoxide alarms and broken smoke detectors.The property at 28 Vermont Avenue was also issued an emergency order to vacate in September and has remained empty since then. Cathyann LaRose, Colchester's planning and zoning director, described it as "derelict."In an emailed statement, Dana Kamencik, one of the owners of Vermont Construction Company, said the company was "working closely with the appropriate authorities to address these issues and ensure compliance moving forward." The company, which was incorporated in early 2016, is a "young and growing business" and takes the recent violations seriously.Vermont Construction Company owns at least four other residential properties in the county, including two in Williston, one in Essex Town, and one in Shelburne. After the violations at the Colchester property, tenants were moved to a similar residential property it owns in Williston.Sponable said the state had identified "issues that we're working through" at both the Shelburne and Essex properties but had not identified hazardous conditions similar to those in Colchester.

Dormitory-Style Living and Safety Measures

Dormitory-style living is more common in areas closer to ski resorts that employ seasonal workers. However, most ski areas have buildings set up more like college dormitories with sprinkler systems and fire alarm systems.Vermont Construction Company purchased a single-family home at 281 Hedgerow Drive in Shelburne to house company employees. At one point, it had 15 residents, but it has since racked up several violations, including failing to provide sprinkler and fire alarm systems. A follow-up inspection found that the sleeping quarters had undersized windows and could not be occupied at that time.A representative for the company told fire marshal officials at the time that the plan was to find new housing for the majority of the residents, leaving two staff to rehab the house. The property has since generated numerous written complaints from residents, and police have an extensive call log originating from the property.In Williston, residents have similarly complained of trash at 192 Aspen Lane and the company also owns a residential property on White Birch Lane. Sharon Kelley, the zoning administrator and health officer for Essex Town, said there have been several verbal complaints about trash build-up at the property on River Road but no violations have been issued.Kamenick did not respond to an interview request or a follow-up email with detailed questions on Monday afternoon but said in his initial email that the company "would respond to any complaints promptly.""We view community feedback as a critical part of our growth, and we are committed to resolving any concerns and continuing to build trust with the people we serve," he said.VTDigger is a nonprofit newsroom that reaches nearly half a million readers each month, but only 2% of those who rely on our news donate to support it. A $15 gift could make a big difference this year. If everyone reading gave that amount, we’d reach our year-end goal today.We are so grateful to our small but mighty group of contributors who have helped VTDigger become Vermont’s most trusted in-depth news source over the past 15 years. If you haven’t already, please consider a special year-end gift and keep us digging.