I would like to correct a possible misconception created by the Jan. 17 article, “No Pay For Oxford Inland Wetlands Help — For Now.”
The article correctly stated that I had in the past filled in for the Inland Wetlands Enforcement Officer when he was sick or on vacation, on a volunteer basis.
The article went on to report that in 2010, “Mr. Adamski asked to be paid for his services,” but the article does not state the reason for this request.
I am not the only member of the commission with the state certification to act as enforcement officer, but for some reason, only my name was brought up at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting.
In 2010, The Inland Wetlands Commission unanimously decided that no commission member will fill in for a paid town employee on a voluntary basis.
This was made clear to the Board of Selectmen in a letter from the Chairman of the Inland Wetlands Commission. While I have, and will continue to volunteer hundreds of hours a year to various town and school projects, I intend to abide by the decision of my commission.
The statement by a Selectman that paying a commissioner to do work for the town may violate the town charter is questionable, since it appears there are people from other commissions working as paid town employees. I would also like to correct a statement made at that meeting that mid winter is a slow time for Inland Wetlands.
In addition to a backlog of work that has been deferred since the Oxford building boom, such as infrastructure inspections, there are many more severe storms in the fall through spring that cause erosion and runoff from construction sites each of which must be investigated, and corrected.
The writer is a member of the Oxford Conservation Commission/Inland Wetlands Agency.
