Town seeks volunteers for boards

By Frank Ruggiero

If “community service” made the New Year’s resolution list, the town of Boone has a few suggestions.

Mayor Loretta Clawson is hoping residents will start 2009 with a volunteer spirit by applying for positions on various municipal boards and committees.

Currently, positions are open for one resident seat each on the cable television advisory committee and board of adjustment, though town clerk Freida Van Allen expects further openings to become available in the next couple months.

Van Allen said an opening on the Boone Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) board is forthcoming, and June typically promises openings on the board of adjustment, community appearance commission and planning commission.

The Boone ABC Board oversees operations of the ABC store to ensure it complies with state regulations and town requirements. Members serve a three-year term, and the board meets every second Tuesday.

The Boone Board of Adjustment hears and decides on applications for conditional use and special use permits and applications for variances. The board also interprets the zoning map, including district boundary and lot lines. Members serve three-year terms, and the board, which also holds numerous alternate seats, meets every first Thursday.

The Boone Community Appearance Commission conducts studies and recommends to the Boone Town Council plans, goals and objectives related to the visual appearance, community beautification, landscape development and redevelopment of the town’s planning area, while also responding to requests from the town landscape planner. Members serve three-year terms, and the board meets every fourth Thursday.

The Boone Cable TV Advisory Board is responsible for reviewing franchise agreements with the area’s cable provider, examining rate increases on basic charges and making recommendations to the town council. Members serve three-year terms, and the board meets as needed.

The Boone Area Planning Commission makes studies and recommendations to the council regarding growth, development and redevelopment of the town and its ETJ. The commission develops and recommends policies, ordinances and administrative procedures, while also making recommendations to the board of adjustment, concerning proposed conditional use and special use permits, as well as proposed zoning map changes. Members serve four-year terms, and the board meets every second Monday – a recent change in scheduling.

The commission formerly met every first Monday, but planning commissioners requested a wider gap between its meeting and that of the Boone Town Council, which meets every third Thursday, to allow more time for review.

“Before being in elected office, I served on boards in the town of Boone for many years,” said Clawson, who formerly served on the Boone Community Appearance Commission. “I think that anyone with any community interest would be well served to apply for a board.”

That town has seen very few applicants, as of late, which Clawson attributes to the perceived workload. “We couldn’t get people because they think it’s overwhelming, but it’s not,” she said. “Most meet monthly, and it’s a very rewarding experience, certainly one I enjoyed before being elected.”

Clawson said interested parties should sign up for boards that best meet their interests, as some are more intensive than others.

For more information, contact Van Allen at (828) 268-6204 or e-mail freida.vanallen@townofboone.net. An online application is available at http://www.townofboone.net/departments/admin/pdfs/BOARDAPP.pdf.