The Envelope Please ...

It's award season and as the Grammys, People's Choice and Oscar awards fill the screen, some other more local selections are being made as well.

Several citizens were tapped to serve Monday

Certainly less glamorous, but arguably much more important, empty slots on a variety of borough boards and committees were filled Monday by unanimous votes of borough council.

On the Planning Commission, council accepted the resignation of member Chris Huff and appointed Jim Derr, who also serves as the chairman of the Environmental Advisory Commission, to finish Huff's term.

Borough Manager Jason Bobst said Derr was the only person to apply for the post. The term will expire on Feb. 1, 2014.

Council also re-appointed Borough Council President Stephen Toroney to another four-year term on the planning commission, a post he will hold until Feb. 1, 2016.

Sue Repko

Sue Repko, recently named as the executive director of Pottstown's Mosaic Community Land Trust, was unanimously appointed to a five-year term on the Pottstown Downtown Improvement District Authority.

Repko, who also writes the Positively Pottstown blog, hosted on The Mercury's Town Square blog site on the web, will serve until Jan. 1, 2017.

Two of three empty slots on the Historic Architecture Review Board were filled by council as well.

A seat which expires on April 1, 2015, was filled by code enforcement officer Bill Sharon, who was re-appointed.

A second seat, which expires on April 1 of this year, has been filled by Patricia Derr.

That seat had been held by former HARB Chairman Joseph Fay, who resigned in December in the wake of council's decision to removed HARB jurisdiction from the downtown area.

A third seat, which must be held by a real estate professional and whose term expires on April 1, 2015, has yet to be filled, although Borough Councilman Joseph Kirkland said he believes he has identified a candidate.

That seat was vacated by Stephanie Stranick, who was the board's Realtor and who also resigned over dissatisfaction with council's decision about HARb jurisdiction downtown.

Left unfilled is the council appointment to the board of directors of the Pottstown Regional Public Library. Councilman Jody Rhoads, who had held the post, submitted his resignation, telling council "it's just not going to work out.,"

Toroney has been unable to convince any other members of council to volunteer for the appointment.

If you would like to volunteer for a borough board or committee, contact Bobst and your name can be put on a list. He can be reached at 610-970-6511 or via e-mail at jbost@pottstown.org.

Or, you can write him an old-fashioned letter at 100 E. High St., Pottstown, PA 19464.