OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen The Village of Brocton will likely eliminate its Planning Board after the resignation of all of its members at the end of the year.

BROCTON — Two years ago, Brocton and Portland considered merging Planning and Zoning Boards due to a decline in membership and lack of interest. Both municipalities were seeking interested members of their communities to serve on each board.

While Portland was able to rally enough support to fill both of its boards, the Village of Brocton struggled to find new faces interested in becoming involved. The issue came up again at the most recent Brocton Village Board meeting, as the members of the Brocton Planning Board have all submitted their letters of resignation for the end of the current year, effective Dec. 31.

Nearly two years ago, Brocton Planning Board Chairman Bill Westin said, “We have an issue here in the Village that it’s hard to get members for both boards to step up.” Now, Westin and his fellow members – William Maher, Steve Mawhir, and Terry Presto – are set to resign. That leaves the Village with no Planning Board if the vacancies are not filled.

Village Attorney Peter Clark explained that the Village is not required to have a Planning Board, but it is required to have a Zoning Board of Appeals. Currently, three members sit on the Brocton Zoning Board: Donna Frost, Malinda Marsh, and Tammy Thompson, the Deputy Supervisor of the Town of Portland.

The Village of Brocton will now evaluate its options moving forward. It is unlikely that the Planning Board vacancies will all be filled in time for the new year, which leaves the Village with the decision on whether to eliminate the Planning Board entirely and have its duties fall on the Zoning Board, or in the hands of the Mayor and the Village Board of Trustees. Brocton could also reengage in discussions with the Town of Portland for merged boards to oversee both the Town and the Village through a shared services agreement.

If a merger between the municipalities were to take place, both the Town Board and the Village Board would need to approve the agreement before it takes effect. No decision has yet been made on the direction the Village plans to take on the matter.

While it is hard to find invested adults in the community, the latest meeting showed that the next generation might be much more engaged in community service. One Brocton student who attends P-Tech Academy visited the recent Village Board meeting to observe how the Board operates and inquire about volunteering opportunities in the village. The Village Board directed the student to volunteer with the Sweetest Day Expo and Festival, presented by the Arch Festival Committee, to be held at Brocton Central School on Saturday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mayor Craig Miller thanked the student for his interest in volunteering.

Additionally, a group of students from Cassadaga Job Corps attended the meeting along with an instructor to offer their services to the Village. The Village Board authorized the group of Job Corps students to make improvements to Ryckman Park, contingent upon insurance and liability coverage. The group hopes to begin its work in the coming weeks.

“It sounds like an awesome idea. We’d love to have you,” Miller said.

The Brocton Volunteer Fire Department responded to 35 calls in the month of August, including 26 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) calls and two fires. The Village Board approved the replacement of windows at the Fire Hall along with closing the exterior of the building in the amount of $5,212 from Miller & Sons Construction to be paid from the shared buildings fund.

The Village is also moving forward in the legal process in hopes of cleaning up the debris left from a fatal fire on Old Mill Road on Christmas morning last year. “We’ll find a way, one way or another, to get it cleaned up,” Clark said previously. “I’ll figure a way out so we can get it done.”