Borough appointments approved; more vacancies are identified

NORTH WALES » One longtime volunteer is stepping down, as council has reappointed a long list of others, and are seeking still more to fill vacancies.

“Initially, we advertised a larger list, but unfortunately we did not get a member applicant for each of the vacancies,” said borough Manager Christine Hart.

During their Jan. 3 reorganization meeting, three new council members were sworn in and borough staff said they would begin contacting members of various borough boards and commissions whose terms expired at the end of 2021 about reappointments. Hart brought a lengthy list of those reappointments to council for votes on Jan. 25, based on those who have expressed interest in returning.

Those approved by unanimous votes included:

Historical Architecture Review Board — Charlie Guttenplan, for a term running through 2026.

Historic Commission — Nick Paulson and Ruth Black, for terms running through 2026.

Human Relations Commission — Johanna Owings, for a term running through 2024.

North Wales Area Library board — Jackie Oberholtzer, for a term running through 2024.

North Wales Water Authority board — Al Tenney, for a term running through 2026.

Parks and Recreation board — Gina Calhoun, for a term running through 2026.

Planning Commission — Jocelyn Tenney, for a term running through 2025.

Vacancy board chair — Jocelyn Tenney, for a term running through 2022.

Zoning hearing board — Andrew Berenson, for a term running through 2026, and Joel Roberts as an alternate member for a term running through 2022.

For the zoning hearing

board, council also voted unanimously to accept the resignation of longtime member Tony Kratowicz, whom Hart and Berenson said had served about ten years on that body including a stint as its chairman.

“I want to say thank you to Tony for the amount of work he’s put into this,” said council President Sal Amato.

Vacancies left after that batch of reappointments include one spot on the town’s shade tree commission, running through 2026, and one on the human relations commission running through 2024, both of which Hart said were left open when incumbents did not seek reappointment. Vacancies that had already been open include two spots on the Historical Architecture Review Board, both for terms running through 2023, one of which must be a licensed real estate broker; one space on the Civil Service Commission, running through 2025; and one on the town’s Uniform Construction Code board of appeals (which is shared with Upper Gwynedd) running through 2026. Details on the vacant positions are available under the “Opportunities” tab on the borough website, and those interested can send letters of interest and resumes to Hart at chart@ northwalesborough.org or 300 School Street, North Wales PA 19454.