The Town is advertising its need for volunteers to join the Cultural Arts Council. While I’m sharing that news, I’ll highlight other committees with vacancies.
For all of these positions, except for those I indicate otherwise, members are appointed by the Select Board.
The Cultural Arts Council currently has one listed vacancy but is advertising for multiple new members. (It’s possible that someone is planning on stepping down.) Below is their recruitment promo:
Council members help support and fund local programs in the arts, humanities, and sciences—including concerts, festivals, school field trips, theater, dance, music, lectures, and other community-based cultural experiences.
If you are passionate about strengthening arts and culture in Southborough, consider volunteering and helping bring meaningful programs to our community!
✨ Get involved and help make a creative impact in Southborough!
The Recreation Commission is continuing to use the TV Show Parks & Rec to try to drum up interest in filling the two seats on their committee:
Low Commitment. Big Impact. 💚
Southborough Recreation is looking for new Commission members!
Want to make a difference in your community without a huge time commitment? This is a great opportunity to help shape programs, events, parks, and recreation opportunities for Southborough residents.
Low commitment. Big impact. Join us!
The Community Preservation Commission has three vacancies, but only two can be filled right now. One is for a citizen-at-large (appointed by the Select Board). The other is on a committee which also has a seat that needs filling — the Conservation Commission. (The ConCom appointment is by the Select Board. For their representative on the CPC, ConCom makes the appointment.) [Note: A third seat will remain vacant for now, since it is designated for a representative of the currently defunct Open Space Preservation Commission.]1
The Community Preservation Committee makes recommendations to Town Meeting for projects related to preserving historic resources, land for recreational use or open space, or supporting community housing. (You can read more about that here and view the forum they held over the summer here.)
As for Conservation’s seat, that’s about more than just the opportunity to serve on CPC. ConCom advertised earlier this year about their own important role in town (and posted the image right a couple of years ago):
The Commission is a 7-member board who oversees permitting near wetlands and management of Conservation owned properties. Members do not have to be experts in the field but those who have experience in engineering, soil science, stormwater, or wetland permitting are always welcome and encouraged to apply. Otherwise, interested residents should be open to learning about the Wetlands Protection Act, Southborough Wetlands Bylaw, and Southborough Erosion Control & Stormwater Bylaw and their requirements. New members get a free orientation training from the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) to get an overview of wetlands permitting.
The Conservation Commission meets every 3 weeks on Thursdays at 7pm via Zoom. The Commission is staffed by a full-time Agent and administrative assistant. Potential members should be able to spend a few hours every two/three weeks between meetings and reviewing materials.
Interested? Fill out a volunteer application or contact the Conservation Agent, Melissa Danza at mdanza@southboroughma.gov or 508-281-8984.
Below are other committees that are currently listed as having a vacancy (or more):2
- Advisory Committee (appointed by Town Moderator)
- Cable Television Committee (2 seats)
- Council On Aging
- Golf Course Committee
- Historical Commission (2 seats)
- Master Plan Implementation Committee (appointed by Planning Board)
- Personnel Board (appointed by Town Moderator)
- Taxation Aid Committee
- Wastewater Study Committee
- Zoning Board Of Appeals (Alternate member)
You can learn more about the opportunities by reading their sections of the Town website (here), which includes their responsibilities and links to recent agendas and minutes. For many, you can also view past meetings here.
To apply for any of the above open seats, click here. (Although, for the Moderator’s appointments, I suggest reaching out to him directly as well at moderator@southboroughma.com).
(image of Town seal from Town website and hands edited from public domain image by Karen Arnold)
- The OSPC is in a holding pattern due to lack of quorum. The Select Board is currently refusing to make appointments to the committee while it looks into making a recommendation to Town Meeting to restructure it or merge it with the Stewardship Committee. You can read more about that here. But it is worth noting that even when the OSPC was active, their CPC seat has mainly been vacant over the past few years.
- While the Cemetery Expansion Committee is also currently listed as having two vacancies, the Select Board is scheduled to vote on Tuesday night to reduce the number of members in the committee from 5 to 3. And the Select Board is also scheduled to appoint two members to fill the listed vacancies on the Tricentennial Committee
The PILOT Committee and Southborough Public Accessibility Committee appear to be defunct. And although the Economic Development Committee has 3 vacancies, the Select Board seems to have given up on supporting that committee.
