R.R. Charlebois coming to Milton

By NATHAN LAMB | Milton Independent Staff Writer
miltonreporter@yahoo.com

Spacious fields flank Route 7 just north of the Milton/Colchester line, but the Colchester-based R.R. Charlebois company is planning big changes to the area.

The heavy truck sales-and-service company has filed paperwork outlining intent to establish an 80,000-square-foot operation headquarters on the east side of Route 7. Also planned for nearby is a 40,000-square-foot facility for the company’s charter bus operation, which is known as Premier Coach Company.

Having run both operations for more than 12 years on a 13-acre lot in Colchester, company president Ron Charlebois said the move was about getting more space.

“Our motto is that we service what we sell,” he said. “Selling doesn’t require the space that service does. We’ve gotten a little behind on that, and we’re got to build for the future; this will allow us to do that.”

The construction is slated for a 75-acre parcel known in Milton as the Sanderson property, which would be subdivided as part of the plan, according to documents at the town offices. Designs show the truck operation covering much of 55 acres on the southern part of the property, with the bus company housed on a small parcel to the north. Current specs show the operations serviced by a shared access road off Route 7.

The trucking headquarters would include office space, two showrooms, and service areas, said Charlebois. The bus operation would include business offices and terminals. Both locations would have staff, equipment, and visitor parking as well.

Charlebois said the company is hoping to break ground on April 1 and be in the facility by early 2009. He added the town has been very supportive and receptive to the plans.

Permitting for the project is likely to begin in December, said town economic development director Carrie Violette. In addition to local site plan review, state-level Act 250 review would be involved as well.

Violette termed the project a positive from an economic development standpoint, saying it would bring both tax revenue and jobs to Milton. While traffic is often a concern with such operations, the buildings would be within an industrial zone and situated close to I-89, which would be the primary access and egress, said Violette.

The only other potential issue identified at this point is aesthetics, she said.

“It’s a gateway location at Milton, it’s the first thing you see when you come over the town line,” she said. “We’ll be looking at landscaping and whatnot to make sure it’s appealing…they seem more than willing to work with us on that.”

Overall, Charlebois described the move to Milton as the product of a three-year search for the right location.

His company came to Colchester in 1988 as an offshoot of the Charlebois Truck Parts, Inc. off Riverside Avenue in Burlington. The business has grown since then, becoming independent in 1999; because of that, they’ve now outgrown the Colchester location as well.

While his operation is moving a few miles up Route 7, Charlebois spoke well of Colchester, saying the community has been proactive about attracting and keeping businesses. The town and Charlebois could have a confluence of interests along those lines in the near future, since the company will likely lease its current 20,000 square-foot facility at 41 Hercules Drive.

In the big picture, Charlebois is looking forward to the new location. Having been in the trucking industry for 45 years, he’s spoke of the move as a long term investment, noting that his son Randall is taking on an increasingly large role with company.

“We’re building this for more than today,” he said. “We’re building this for the next 20 years.”