« Previous Story | The Industry Report Home Page | Next Story »

Jay Peak's Stenger vs. Border Speed Trap

By J.D. O'Connor
July 10, 2006

So much of a hurry, it seems, that they frequently blow through leafy North Troy - a smallish hamlet on the Canadian border - at 50 miles per hour or more.

The people of North Troy, all 650 of them, grew tired of the speeders. They hired an aggressive police chief to slow them down and he is good at his job.

So good, in fact, that Jay Peak President Bill Stenger pointedly attended a recent meeting of the village trustees to ask North Troy to cut his customers some slack. If he was expecting a warm reception, he didn't get one.

In what has shaped up into a full-blown war between the popular resort and a town full of intractable Vermonters, the people of North Troy appear to have won out - for now.

"We work very hard to let it be known we're open for business," Stenger told the trustees. "That doesn't make them feel welcome."

One person who gets a speeding ticket and refuses to come back will probably warn off 100 potential customers, Stenger said.

But Village Trustee President Rene Patenaude was unimpressed.

"If you don't want to have any encounters with our police department, don't," he said, setting the tone for the argument to come. "Just do what you're supposed to do. It's that simple."

Stenger has said he supported the the town in its bid to secure its streets from speeders, but feels the police are picking on Canadian tourists making their way to his area - 55 percent of his customer base. He also argues that the area where the speed limit drops from 40 to 25 was not reasonable.

Stenger upped the ante by stationing resort employees along the road into Vermont warning motorists of the trap. There's also a sign on a tree a half mile inside Canada warning about North Troy. Stenger has said additional warnings would appear in resort publications.

In an effort to appease the village elders, Stenger has indicated he would be willing to buy a mobile speed limit sign - one equipped with attention-getting flashing lights - and donate it to the town.

North Troy Police Chief Lenny Zenonos remained polite about the offer, saying he would welcome anything that helped inhibit speeding in his jurisdiction.

« Previous Story | The Industry Report Home Page | Next Story »

Email To A Friend

Comments

I live in N. Troy and I ski at Jay and LOVE it. This should not be an argument - the speeders simply have no excuse. I appreciate the balanced tone of this story - our cop has been vilified. One of the best walks in our village is from the border to the intersection where Canadians have to turn right to get to Jay Peak. It's the outskirts of the village and driving fast through this tiny village is a form of disrespect. I remember this when I drive through other people's home towns and it is not too much to ask the same courtesy of Jay skiiers.

Posted by: Kim Velk | October 1, 2006 04:48 AM

	Thanks for giving us the local perspective, Kim. Your input in this forum is appreciated.
	Posted by: J.D. O'Connor Industry Report | October 1, 2006 10:14 AM