Hatfield Planning Board Appoints Jeffress to Fill Vacant Seat

HATFIELD — October 5, 2022 — Hatfield's Planning Board and Select Board jointly appointed John Jeffress to fill a vacant Planning Board seat at their October 5 meeting. Jeffress, of 15 Bridge Street, was chosen over fellow applicant Eric Petrus van Gil of Cronin Hill Road; Chair Stephanie Slysz said she had recruited Jeffress personally, citing his construction and project management background as a needed asset following the departure of member Bob Wagner. Both boards voted unanimously to confirm the appointment, which runs through May 2023. The board also opened and immediately continued a public hearing on a special permit amendment for SV Properties LLC, which seeks to add modular units to its self-storage facility at 164 West Street, to a rescheduled November 10 meeting for lack of a four-member quorum. A lengthy debate over marijuana odor-control bylaw 7B.0.5(M) — centering on whether the word "shall" obligates outdoor growers to use odor mitigation technology that does not practically exist — ended with the board directing a resident advocate to draft specific proposed changes for a future agenda and a possible Town Meeting warrant article.