Snow whirled across the road and an icy wind cut like a knife, which delayed a few board members for the Marion Planning Board’s January 19 meeting.
As the members gathered at the Marion Music Hall – a change of venue to accommodate a Board of Selectmen meeting at the Town House – they chatted amongst themselves and displayed frustration with a possible approaching winter storm while waiting for the rest of the board to arrive.
When the entire board had arrived, members briefly approved minutes from previous meetings, and then discussed the new town planner. These discussions made up the majority of the meeting.
Marion has recently hired Kenneth Buckland as the part-time town planner, and they were pleased to report that he began work this week.
Planning Board member Norman Hills reported that Buckland has already met with several members of town government, including Department of Public Works Superintendent Robert Zora. Hills continued on to discuss Buckland’s role as the Town Planner.
“We intend to set up office hours. They can impart wisdom … or their opinions,” he said. “We’ll have the schedule finalized soon.”
“I’m pleased to hear that,” said Planning Board Chairman Robert Lane, “as it’s something we talked about doing during the interview process.”
Hills also recommended increasing the consulting and planning budget request amount from $12,500 to $16,450, to pay for Buckland’s town planning expertise.
“We have enough to cover until the end of the year,” Hills explained. “If we get the increase, we can cover his salary until mid-June, which gives us more time to clarify our plans.”
After the new details concerning the town planner had been covered, board member Eileen Marum made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
“I think we’re done here,” said Lane as he and the rest of the board agreed with Marum. “Thank you for coming out tonight, for such a brief meeting,” he joked.
The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for February 2 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.
By Andrea Ray
