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Date: 1/3/2023
SOUTHAMPTON – During their regular meeting on Dec. 20, the Southampton Selectboard elected Mark Mancino as the 11th member of the town’s Public Safety Building Committee (PSBC) and also considered the possibility of adding associate members to the committee.
The PSBC is tasked with identifying and determining a viable site for a new public safety complex in town.
Background
The Southampton Select Board officially approved the general composition of the Public Safety Building Committee during a meeting last December.
In a unanimous vote, the Select Board agreed that the committee will consist of the town administrator, a member of the Select Board, the police chief, the fire chief, a member that represents the senior community via the Council on Aging Board or Friends of Council on Aging, a member of the Finance Committee, a member of the Historical Commission, as well as four members of the community and/or surrounding communities, preferably with experience in engineering, construction, architecture, financial management or previous public safety experience.
Selectboard meeting
Committee Chair Sarah Stine announced in a meeting last month that she was resigning from the committee by the end of November, which consequently leaves a vacancy that the Select Board had to fill. At-large member Mark Darnold was elected as the new chair of the PSBC.
During the Dec. 20 meeting, the Select Board considered three different candidates to fill the vacancy: Mancino, former Southampton Fire Chief William Barcomb and Janet Brown, who served as the chair of the PSBC in its prior iteration.
“I’ve lived in town for 30 years, and Southampton has been a good town for me,” Mancino told the Selectboard. “I’ve never had a chance to give back, so I’d like to use the building committee to start doing that.”
Mancino said he is perfect for the committee because of his background in construction, building systems and maintenance. “I think I can contribute a lot to the committee,” said Mancino, adding that he has worked the last 12 years in the hydroelectric field.
The Selectboard will also consider the possibility of expanding the PSBC’s scope to add associate members during their next meeting on Jan. 17, especially since the committee requires members with different fields of expertise.
“I don’t want to discourage anybody from participating in any committees,” said Selectboard and PSBC member Maureen Groden, who presented the idea of associate membership. “I can’t say how important it is to have people with a building background.”
The committee is currently in the process of selecting a design firm for the project. The Selectboard will see if they want to change the committee charge during the next committee.
“I just feel that both our retired Chief Barcomb and Janet Brown have been very invested in this committee over a long period of time, and I don’t want to dissuade them in any way from participating or giving their opinion on the direction of the committee,” said Groden. “To have some associate members would be helpful.”
The next PSBC meeting is Jan. 9.