Volunteers needed for Planning Commission, Recreation Committee, Conservation Commission & Tree Committee
March 4, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout March 30: This post was updated to add Tree Committee details.
The Town of Waterbury is seeking to fill one position each on the Waterbury Planning Commission and Tree Committee as well as four openings each on the Recreation Committee and the Conservation Commission.
The Waterbury Select Board makes appointments to boards, commissions and committees. Members are volunteers and are not paid for their time serving on such bodies. The board currently is seeking volunteers in order to make appointments in April.
Planning Commission
The five-member Planning Commission has the legislative function of drafting zoning, subdivision, design review, and other land use regulations for consideration by the Select Board.
The commission also drafts and revises the Municipal Plan and engages in various planning projects. Examples of these projects from the past and present include supporting downtown and village center designation for Waterbury’s two villages and conducting transportation studies. The Planning Commission meets for two hours (or more) on the second and fourth Monday evenings of each month. Additional projects and special meetings are not uncommon. There is currently one vacancy.
More information about Planning Commission meetings is online at waterburyvt.com/boards/commission.
To apply, send an e-mail describing your background, interest in and qualifications for being a Planning Commission member, and contact information by 4 p.m. on Monday, March 13 to Town Clerk Karen Petrovic at karen@waterburyvt.com.
Direct any questions to Planning & Zoning Director Steve Lotspeich at 802-244-1012 or slotspeich@waterburyvt.com.
Recreation Committee
The Recreation Committee has 11 positions with just four active members currently. The group meets at least six times a year.
Its mission is to discuss and identify potential improvements and expansion of recreational opportunities in Waterbury, to collaborate with elected officials and municipal staff to develop and support ongoing and new recreational programs, and to advise town officials and staff on community consensus related to recreational needs. Committee members also assist with various recreational events and programs as needed.
More information about Recreation Committee meetings is online at waterburyvt.com/boards/recreation.
Anyone interested in joining the committee should send an email explaining their interest and qualifications to Town Clerk Karen Petrovic at karen@waterburyvt.com.
Direct any questions about the committee to Chair Frank Spaulding at frank802wat@gmail.com.
Conservation Commission
The nine-member Conservation Commission currently has two open seats and anticipates a total of four openings soon.
The commission is charged with representing the public before and advising all municipal bodies, including the Select Board, the Development Review Board and the Planning Commission regarding a broad array of conservation issues.
The Commission is responsible for developing and maintaining an inventory and conducting studies of Waterbury’s natural, scenic, and recreational resources and other lands which have historic, educational, cultural, scientific, architectural, or archeological value and it assists in planning for their conservation.
The Commission is now conducting a communities values mapping project in conjunction with the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife. (Learn more about that project here.) Recently, the Commission has been commenting on the Parks Steering Committee efforts, the revised Unified Development Bylaws and occasionally on development permit applications before the Development Review Board.
The Select Board appoints members to these positions. To apply, please contact Town Clerk Karen Petrovic at karen@waterburyvt.com or 802-244-5858 to send a letter of interest. For more information, email or call Commission Chair Billy Vigdor at waterburyccvt@gmail.com or 802-917-2272.
Tree Committee
The Tree Committee is an advisory group that plans and carries out activities related to planting, maintaining, protecting and removing trees within the public street and road rights-of-way and in public parks and cemeteries.
The committee’s projects include applying for and implementing tree planting and maintenance grants, carrying out tree inventories, monitoring tree pests such as the emerald ash borer, and educating the public about the benefits of trees. The committee meets once a month or every other month to fulfill this mission.
Co-Chairs of the committee are Jane Brown and Steve Lotspeich, who is retiring as town Planning and Zoning Director and will be stepping down from the committee. Meeting agendas and minutes and member information is online on the town website under Boards and Meetings.