To the Editor:
Susan Gill’s term as member of the Tiverton Planning Board will soon expire. She richly deserves re-appointment by Town Council. Her three years of volunteer service on the Board has been nothing short of exemplary.
Susan led the effort to update the Board’s By-Laws and create a new Policies and Procedures document to clarify the Board’s role and responsibilities. She researched the Board’s fee structure and escrow requirements and drafted recommendations for improvements which the Board subsequently approved. She made a significant contribution to the update of the Comprehensive Community Plan. She responded to a request by the Town Treasurer to evaluate and define the status of Sureties (infrastructure improvement guarantees) currently held by the Town.
For the past several months, Susan has been staffing the Planning Office and serving as interim Administrative Officer (AO) of the Planning Board at no cost to the Town. The AO job is the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the Town’s planning function and involves meeting with developers and helping them navigate through the subdivision and land development process, as well as drafting Planning Board meeting agendas and minutes, presiding over ad hoc Technical Review Committee meetings, issuing Certificates of Completeness/Incompleteness for development plans and a myriad of other tasks essential to the smooth operation of the planning office.
Susan’s unstinting and highly effective service as an uncompensated volunteer deserves the respect and support of the Town and its elected leaders.
Stuart B. Hardy
Stuart Hardy is Chairman of the Tiverton Planning Board