Volunteer Needed For A Town Board Or Committee In Westwood

Press release from the Town of Westwood:

August 22, 2020

Are you interested in serving your community? The Town of Westwood is looking for residents to volunteer to serve on many of its local Boards, Committees or Commissions. You can choose your area of expertise from Finance to Environmental to better serve your community. Resident participation results in a stronger and more responsive local government. The below listed Boards are currently seeking members, but the Town has many other Boards and Committees that do not have membership restrictions. Please contact the Select Board’s Office if you would like to learn more about any board/committee.

The Westwood Select Board is looking for interested volunteers to fill the current vacancies on the following:

Communication and Technology Advisory Board – 2 Member Vacancies
CTAB’s mission is to optimize existing technology resources, and to provide new technology guidance to enhance performance and produce better services for the Town.

The Communications and Technology Advisory Board (CTAB) is composed of seven members appointed by the Select Board to two-year overlapping terms. The Board meets generally on the second Tuesday evening of the month. As required, CTAB members participate in other meetings and activities with employees and officials of Town government whenever needed to help oversee Information Technology systems as well as broadband, cable and high speed Internet access activities in Westwood.

Conservation Commission – 1 Associate Member Vacancy
The Conservation Commission is the official agency specifically charged with the protection of a community’s natural resources. The Conservation Commission also advises municipal officials and boards on conservation issues that relate to their areas of responsibility. The Conservation Commission under the powers of the Wetlands Protection Act, Rivers Act and the Town of Westwood Wetlands Bylaw, functions to regulate work in or near wetlands and river resource areas and encourages and works towards the acquisition and management of Conservation land.

Council on Aging – 1 Member Vacancy
The Council on Aging coordinates and develops programs and services designed to assist the elders sixty (60) years of age and older residing within the Town of Westwood. The Council is comprised of eight members appointed to three-year overlapping terms. The Council on Aging is dedicated to serving seniors and assisting their families and friends with aging issues. In cooperation with other organizations, the Council on Aging serves both elders who are well and those with some degree of frailty.

Historical Commission – 2 Member Vacancies
The mission of the Westwood Historical Commission is to identify, document, and protect Westwood’s historic resources, to increase public awareness of Westwood’s heritage and the value of historic preservation, through the guidance and council of the Massachusetts Historical Commission, in cooperation with other Town boards and committees. The WHC endeavors to be a preservation information resource to all citizens of Westwood and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by means of research, public meetings, and local media outlets.

Housing Partnership Fair Housing Committee – 2 Member and 1 Alternate Member Vacancies
The Housing Partnership Committee meets periodically to review housing marker statistics, Town Zoning bylaws, Town demographics, and proposed housing developments in an effort to provide greater diversity of housing opportunity within the Westwood community.

The Fair Housing Committee is a sub-committee of the Housing Partnership Committee and meets periodically to develop housing goals and to review any grievance that is filed alleging discrimination in the sale or rental of Westwood real estate.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee – 3 Vacancies
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee was created by the Select Board to help make Westwood a more “walkable” and “bike-able” community by engaging residents and Town departments in a sustainable and ongoing process of identifying needs, designing solutions and implementing improvements. The Committee continues its commitment by researching ideas on how to encourage walking and biking by consulting with neighboring towns, attending presentations from local agencies, meeting with our own Public Works Department, and seeking input from Westwood residents.

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee was created by the Select Board in 2009 to help make Westwood a more pedestrian and bicycle friendly community by engaging resident and Town departments in a sustainable and ongoing process of identifying needs, designing solutions and implementing improvements. Since its inception, the committee has been researching ideas on how to encourage walking and biking by consulting with neighboring towns, hearing presentations from local agencies and our out Department of Public Works, and by seeking input from Westwood residents.

Recreation Commission – 1 Member and 1 Associate Membership Vacancy
The Recreation Commission is an advisory and policy-making board representing the residents of Westwood. This board, consisting of residents appointed by the Select Board, advises and supports the year-round department programs, activities, and community events. The Recreation Commission also assists the department with the management and use of fields and recreation facilities on Town sites.

The goal of the commission is to ensure that the department provides diverse programming that stimulates physical, social, creative, athletic, and educational development.

Westwood Environmental Action Committee – 1 Member Vacancy
Westwood Environmental Action Committee (WEAC) serves as an advisory committee to the Select Board. The Committee identifies environmental issues to the Select Board attention to work with them on solutions that benefit the town and its residents. The mission of WEAC is to promote energy and resource conservation, renewable energy, water conservation, green buildings, more efficient vehicles, tree planting, recycling and environmental education in the Town of Westwood.

Zoning Board of Appeals –2 Associate Member Vacancies
Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 40A and the Westwood Zoning Bylaw provide that the Zoning Board of Appeals shall have the power to hear and decide the following: Appeals of the Building Commissioner’s decisions and any applications for Comprehensive Permits, Special Permits and Variances. The hearing process is quasi-judicial in nature and has time constraints under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 40A.

If you are interested in serving on a board/committee in Town, please fill out an application/statement of interest and send it along with a copy of your resume to phealey@townhall.westwood.ma.us or via mail to:

Tish Healey
Assistant to the Town Administrator
580 High Street
Westwood, MA 02090

Message from the Town Moderator- Finance and Warrant Commission

The Town of Westwood has a Finance and Warrant Commission comprised of 15 residents appointed by the Town Moderator; each appointment is for a three-year term. The terms are staggered so five members are appointed each year. The Finance and Warrant Commission, reviews the budget requests for both Town and School Departments, discusses and votes on Articles presented to Town Meeting, and provides an annual written report. If you have attended a Town Meeting, or have reviewed the Finance and Warrant Commission’s Annual Report (that is mailed to each household) then you can appreciate the dedication the members have for the Town and the spectacular job they do every year.

Serving on the Finance and Warrant Commission does take time, but members gain a greater knowledge of the town’s operations. Each summer, I accept cover letters and resumes from residents who have an interest in serving. If you are interested to serving on Finance and Warrant Commission, please send me your cover letter and resume to james.osullivan@townhall.westwood.ma.us

Thank you for your time and I hope you consider serving.

Jim O’Sullivan

Westwood Moderator

This press release was produced by the Town of Westwood. The views expressed here are the author’s own.