CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town's long dormant Recreation Committee has been resurrected to provide some oversight for activities — including weighing on where the proposed pickleball court should go. 

 

Select Board Chairman Ronald Boucher said the committee would be looking at the recreational facilities and planning events, such as a proposal for concerts at the Town Field.

 

"There was a Recreation Committee many years ago and, as everything happens, sometimes it becomes difficult because people drop off, and no one shows interest," he said at Thursday's meeting. "This all came about because we had talked about maybe doing some concerts, music in the rec field during the summer months, and doing some things and actually fixing up the pavilion down there and doing some repairs."

 

Town meeting approved using up to $65,000 from the free cash account to repair the pavilion — which needs a roof and a pad — with possibility of making some other improvements. 

 

"We wanted to have something of a committee put together so we can do these things and in the betterment of the town," Boucher said. "It's not like we don't want to do something. It's just we want do it the right way."

 

The new five-person committee was among a list of appointments made by the Select Board on Thursday. Members are Stephen Meranti, Edward Denault, Joseph Bushika, Amy Cariddi and Danielle Luchi, who is also on the Select Board. 

 

One of the first things the committee is charged with is providing input on the pickleball court. 

 

There's been a bit of a push and pull between the Select Board and the Council on Aging on the appropriate location for the court. The COA would like the lines overpainted on the existing basketball court at the Town Field but the board has been eyeing a section of parking lot at the Community Center. 

 

Two weeks ago, COA members Robert and Lauren Norcross had demonstrated how the court would work by putting taped lines on the court. The COA is proposing to purchase its own paddles and portable net; anyone else using the court would have to bring their own. 

 

Luchi has conveyed strong doubts that pickleball could co-exist with the basketball court and the school's possible use of the field. Boucher has said he was willing to look into the cost but thinks the court would be easier for the COA to access if it was closer to the center. Both board members expressed concern about parking. 

 

Boucher said he was having Highway Foreman Kyle Hurlbut get an estimate on how much it would cost to line a court, possibly using Williamstown's line machine. The COA leaders had stated the council would be willing to cover the cost of lining but Luchi wanted more assurances on that end. 

 

"I was just wondering when the Council on Aging actually met to discuss this, because I haven't seen an agenda come through with pickleball as a topic of discussion," she said. "It seems like this was just thrown together on a whim because people want to play pickleball there."

 

A member of the COA attended the meeting and said the council wanted the court at the field and couldn't understand why striping the court had become such an issue. 

 

Boucher lobbed the matter to the new Recreation Committee.

 

"They're going to be asked to review it and make sure wherever we put it makes sense," said Boucher. "And believe me, I'll ask them not to take too long."

 

Luchi asked that the horseshoe pits that had been dropped on the lawn in front of the center's entrance be moved, saying they posed a hazard for people entering the building and for the cars parked nearby. The board voted to move the pits to the rear of the building. 

 

In other business, 

 

• Marilyn Gomeau was appointed as temporary town clerk. The former North Adams city clerk will work 16 hours a week, from 8 to noon Monday through Thursday. She replaces Jessica Sweeney who was appointed last year but is leaving because of the growth of her business. Gomeau will complete the term of former Town Clerk Carol Jammalo who resigned last summer; at that point, the post will become a permanent appointed position. 

 

Boucher, a former North Adams City Council president, said Gomeau was always professional and always prepared. 

 

"I'm glad that you showed interest in the position," said Luchi. "I think you're way qualified and just the person we're looking for."

 

• The board voted that anyone using the Community Center leave it as it was found. There were complaints about chairs not being put away. 

 

• Ethan Corkins was hired as a seasonal worker for the Department of Public Works. 

 

• The board made the following one-year appointments: BJ Church, building inspector and zoning officer; Kyle Hurlbut, cemetery commissioner; Norman Rolnick, gas and sewer connection inspector; town counsel, KP Law; Police Chief Michael Williams, emergency management director; Fire Chief Carlyle "Chip" Chesbro, emergency management response and fire warden; Stephen Meranti, wire inspector; Kevin Hempstead, fire police officer; Carl McKinney, Northern Berkshire Solid Waste, Jeffrey Levanos, alternate; Ronald Boucher, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission alternate; Tracy Pierce and Allan Reutlinger, Board of Assessors; Peter Wheeler, police sergeant; and Natasha Antona, Peter Kirchmann, Jeffrey Mullen, Christopher Ware and Todd Winthrop, police officers.

 

Marilyn Gomeau, Board of Registrars clerk; Jeanne Moulthrop, election warden; Raymond Moulthrop, Arlene Vachereau, Janice Evens, Marion Jammalo, and Peggy Slade, ballot box clerks; Laurie Boudreau, Susan Brandon, John Fosser, Carla Fosser and Carol Martin, counters; extra counters Debra Bua, Maryrose Calnan and Charles LeWitt.

 

Three-year appointments: Jason Morin, Board of Appeals, and Jeanne Moulthrop, Historical Commission.

 

Five-year appointments: Raymond Moulthrop (2025), Michelle Shulse (2026), James Howe (2023) and Eric Rougeau (2024), ADA Commission.

 

Currently vacant positions: Hoosac Water Quality District, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission alternate, Board of Assessors, ADA Commission, and three Conservation Commission alternates for one, two and three years.

 

Anyone interested in serving in these positions should contact Town Hall.