Peterborough hired a Town Planner and a Community and Economic Development Coordinator to replace Peter Throop, who resigned recently after serving seven years as Director of the Office of Planning and Community Development.
The town decided to split the position into two after none of the eight initial applicants presented a background broad enough to undertake all the responsibilities Throop took on, and to better position themselves when the state reopens for business after mass closures due to COVID-19, Town Administrator Rodney Bartlett said at the Select Board meeting on Tuesday.
Danica Melone accepted the Town Planner position, and will serve in the town’s renamed Planning and Building Department. She comes from the North Country Council, where she served 75 communities and administered grants, developed zoning ordinances, and participated in community visioning and master planning. The position involves technical plan review, developing land use policies, and ensuring compliance with municipal code and state standards., and Melone starts in mid-May.
Karen Hatcher accepted the Community and Economic Development Coordinator position, which will be a part of the town’s administration department. The position involves community outreach, advocacy, and large group facilitation. The town planned to wait to fill the position during the summer, but then the COVID-19 pandemic came to the region.
“It was immediately clear to us that we needed someone in place as soon as possible who not only had the skills and background to act as an advocate for Peterborough and its business sector through this incredibly challenging time, but also someone who already knew us, our community, and those people who they would be serving,” Bartlett said. They reached out to all initial applicants about the 30-hour-a -week position, but ultimately selected Hatcher, who starts May 4. “There was no question that we already had the person who we needed,” Bartlett said. Hatcher is the Executive Director for the Cornucopia Project, and serves as a Select Board member. She is a founder of the Peterborough Welcome Team and Monadnock Nonprofit Network, and has a professional background in business development consulting, with a focus on marketing and strategic planning.
Throop announced his intention to resign in December 2019, and his last day will be May 1.