Peterborough’s new Town Planner Danica Melone started work last Tuesday, filling one of the two vacancies left upon the resignation of Director of the Office of Community Development Peter Throop and assistant planner Kristen Bixby.
Melone said she wants residents to feel as though they can approach her. Her door is open (figuratively speaking during the pandemic), she said.
Melone is a lifelong Granite Stater, “and I never want to leave,” she said. She grew up in Hollis and holds a B.S. in tourism planning development from UNH Durham, which she said is especially applicable to areas of New Hampshire with lots of natural resources and some degree of a tourism economy. Melone previously worked for the North Country Council, where, among other projects, she worked on a guide that translated zoning ordinance so it could be better understood by residents, and designed the North Country Byways Council website.
She said she’s eager to dive into ongoing projects left behind by her predecessor. She conducted her interviews over Zoom and hadn’t met any Peterborough employees in person before starting work. Melone said she enjoys the rural aspects of the state and is living in Bradford.