BETHEL – At Monday night’s selectmen’s meeting, officials filled six of seven board vacancies.

Selectmen appointed planning board alternate Rocky Freda to a 3-year voting position, then needed to select another voting member and two alternates, one to fill Freda’s remaining 1-year term.

David Nivus was chosen as the second voting member, while Lawrence Engdahl – the only candidate present at the meeting – got a 3-year seat as an alternate. Jody Shimamura was appointed to fill Freda’s 1-year term.

The new planners and alternates were scheduled to attend an orientation meeting Wednesday night at the town office to give them a running start before their first meeting, said board Chairman Al Cressy.

That meeting takes place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, in the town office.

Others appointed to boards included John Mason and John Head to the airport authority.

Then officials tackled a problem with the recreation board.

Town Clerk Christen Mason said she wasn’t aware that there were three vacancies on that board or she would have advertised for candidates.

One applicant, Jim Merrill, responded, but his application was turned in after deadline.

“At the last meeting, it was brought to my attention that Brett Shifrin had resigned from the board, leaving a one-year vacancy,” Mason said.

Mason said recreation board member Scott Parker called her because he was unaware that his term had expired.

Rather than vote to appoint Merrill to one of the positions, selectmen tabled the matter, advising Mason to re-advertise the vacancies so they could appoint candidates to the board at their next meeting.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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