The Gardner Zoning Board of Appeals on Sept. 16 encouraged members to attend an upcoming training at Greenfield Community College and confirmed that a recent Emerald Street site visit did not require a formal board vote.

Chair Raymond Lafond told members Mariela in the zoning office would coordinate attendees for the session, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Lafond said, "There's no cost to you. The city is gonna put the tab. It's $50." He described the training topics as "roles and responsibilities of planning zoning boards, site plan review, planning with community support" and emphasized "reasonable and defensible decisions" as a key focus.

Board members noted the session will include a breakfast and that the city will cover the registration fee. Construction of a carpool plan for attendees was discussed to limit vehicle use. The new building commissioner, Melissa McDonald, indicated she planned to attend.

Separately, members reviewed a staff summary of an Emerald Street site visit assembled by Member Cornett and concluded no formal vote on the site visit was needed. The summary listed dates and observations from that inspection; members who attended reported they did not need to hold an additional on-site vote to record those observations in the file.

The board asked interested members to notify Mariela and the chair by the Friday before the training so staff could finalize arrangements.