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| By Courtney Llewellyn Reminder Assistant Editor WILBRAHAM The vacant seats on the town's boards and committees are filling up, thanks to residents who have stepped forward to volunteer their time and expertise. At the Sept. 22 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, four more seats were filled by willing applicants. Walter Clark was appointed to the Historical Commission, Kristine Clark was appointed to the Advisory Board of Health, Robert Page was appointed to the Council on Aging and Michael Margolis was appointed to the Open Space Plan Committee. All four appointees are required to take an oath of office before beginning their duties. "We've been doing pretty well [filling the vacancies]," Selectman David Barry said. "We had a list of 10 and now we're down to four." Seats that are still open include one on the Open Space Plan Committee, one on the Historic District Study Committee, one on the Personnel Board and at least one on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. The Board of Selectmen also expressed interest in appointing an alternate to their board. "We are looking for enthusiastic people who can contribute to policy development and service delivery in the specialized area of responsibility for each board," Board of Selectmen Chair Patrick Brady stated in a release. "Town government works best with willing citizens bringing their talents to our civic life." To learn more about the open committee seats, visit www.wilbraham-ma.gov. Those interested in participating in a board of committee can download a citizen participation reply form from the "Volunteer Opportunities" link. There is also information about the work of town boards and committees in the Annual Town Report, available at the Town Office Building. Individuals wishing to participate on a town board or committee should send a letter about their interest, a resume or the online citizen participation reply form to the Board of Selectmen at the Town Office Building, 240 Springfield St. E-mail can be directed to selectmen@wilbraham-ma.gov. Volunteers should be town residents and registered voters. "We thank the people who have stepped forward and offered their services," Barry stated. Other Updates Town Administrator Robert Weitz informed the selectmen that paving of Stony Hill Road is scheduled to begin on Oct. 3. Sewer work continues on Main Street, and Burt Lane will be closed to all traffic from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. until work in that area is completed. Weitz said the closing of the street went well on its first day. Work will continue within the parking lot area after 10:30 a.m. and will take place until sewer installation is complete. If there are any questions, residents are asked to contact the Department of Public Works at 596-2800 ext. 208. The Board of Selectmen also approved the renewal of a Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) Grant for the Rice Nature Preserve. WHIP is a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat primarily on private land, according to the grant's Web site (www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip/). Through WHIP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service provides both technical assistance and up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat. The town first received the grant in 2005, and the renewal will be used to hire contractors to remove invasive species in the preserve and control brush. The renewed grant is good until 2013. |