Boilard ready to tackle town's challenges

Date: 10/4/2010

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

WILBRAHAM Bob Boilard, the newest member of the Board of Selectmen, is ready to "make a positive impact as the town moves forward."

Boilard won the Sept. 25 special town election that was deemed necessary after a recount showed he and former selectman, David Barry, finished with a tie. The original count showed Boilard had won by one vote, 649-648. This time around, it wasn't nearly as close. With 25 percent of registered voters hitting the polls, Boilard won convincingly, capturing nearly 57 percent of the vote, 1502-1061.

"I was very happy and surprised at the turnout. I was hoping for 20 percent at best, but 25 percent was fantastic for a very busy fall day," Boilard said. "I do thank all the voters that came out and cast a vote for their candidate of choice. As we all learned from the May 22 election, every vote does count."

Boilard listed solving the issue of the declining use of the town's disposal and recycling center, using technology to increase services and lower costs for the town and increasing staffing for the emergency services as top priorities that the town needs to address, but added that during his campaign, another issue came to his attention.

"I would also love to have a sit down with our seniors to see what they would like to see for our town, ie. facilities and activities," Boilard said. "They piqued my interest very much on the Sept. 16 'Meet the Candidates' forum."

Another issue raised during the campaign was the question of whether or not the Community Preservation Act (CPA) program has run its course and if the funding could be used elsewhere, such as building a facility for seniors. Boilard said that while it ultimately will be up to the voters to decide whether the program remains, without state funding matching town funds, it takes away much of the program's effectiveness.

"In these tough economic times most would agree that a little extra in our own pockets would be nice. The CPA has done some great things and inevitably it will be up to the residents of Wilbraham to make that decision to reduce or eliminate the program," Boilard said. "As the CPA program moves forward, there will be less and less state money to assist, making any larger purchases difficult. We've gone from a 100 percent match down to roughly 33 percent this past cycle and I wouldn't be surprised to see 16 percent to zero percent soon."

"Whether [eliminating the program] is shortsighted or prudent will always vary, depending on who you talk to," he added.

As the issue of Stretch Energy has found its way into towns such as East Longmeadow, Long-meadow and Agawam recently, Boilard said it was important to gain as much knowledge as possible about the subject before he would be able to have any clear opinion on the issue.

"For me, I would have receive more information on the Stretch Energy program and what it entails first before I cast a true judgement," he said.

He did say that at first glance, while it could have positive environmental effects, its effects on the town financially could be detrimental and because of that, no snap judgements should be made.

"From what I do know, it places restrictions on how someone or a business can build by passing codes for energy efficiency. I also understand that, with these restrictions, there will be much higher costs for both materials and labor, which in one sense of the word can be a disadvantage," Boilard said. "Programs like these may seem great on the surface, but with any program we all have to look hard at the long-term impacts before moving forward."