Hinesburg’s zoning administrator retires

Photos and story by Lynn Monty

Hinesburg Town Clerk Missy Ross tamped down loose dirt around a Red Oak with her bare feet as colleagues shoveled soil onto the newly released roots of the special tree.

Director of Planning and Zoning Alex Weinhagen said it was the state tree of New Jersey, and could grow to about 70 feet. The species, a perfect street tree, was planted on the Town Hall green on Charlotte Road to honor retiring Zoning Administrator Peter Erb, originally from Shrewsbury.

Erb, 74, will retire at the end of June after 14 years of service. A tree dedication and retirement open house were held for him at Town Hall June 18.

Weinhagen hand-burned the reclaimed, wooden dedication plaque with a magnifying glass in strong afternoon sunshine the day before.

“It’s the most perfect gift they could give me,” Erb said of the Red Oak and the plaque. “I have worked hard for wilderness my whole life, and I am a woodworker.”

Erb’s wife of 47 years, Dee Dee Erb, is looking forward to seeing more of her husband, but she’s doubtful he will ever stop working. They have three daughters, three son-in-laws, and five grandchildren, she said.

Prior to becoming zoning administrator, Erb was a cabinetmaker. He has a shop at home where he plans to build furniture, lamps, and dollhouses for his friends and family in his retirement.

Erb also worked for a time at Spring Lake Ranch, a community for people with psychiatric diagnosis in southern Vermont. There, he was house advisor, carpenter, and ended up co-directing the facility until a change of leadership took place.

Fifteen years ago, Erb inherited land in Hinesburg, and was offered the job with the town. He had served on the planning commission in Shrewsbury for years and was well prepared, he said.

“In Shrewsbury, I felt like we were saving the world with all of our big plans, but when I came here, I realized our success was because nobody wanted to live in Shrewsbury,” he said. “It had nothing to do with what a good job we were doing.”

His environmental ethics and strong passion for good development posed more than one challenge in his time at Town Hall, but he has loved the arguments, the disparity, and big furor, he said.

Special Events Coordinator Renae Marshall has worked closely with Erb over the years. “He wants what’s best for this town,” she said. “Planning and zoning is hard. Sometimes people are angry when they come in, and Peter has a way of dealing with difficult situations.”

As for passing the baton to a new Zoning Administrator, Erb hopes slow growth stays on the radar. “Right now we have adopted a growth area,” he said. “We should treasure what we have so some future generations can decide what they want to do. Whatever happens, it needs to be community driven, not market driven, and it needs to grow coherently and slowly.”