A newly formed Public Communications Committee in Woolwich aims to produce a triannual community newsletter and foster content sharing with public access television and the town website.

The five-member committee formed after a brainstorming session among town staff and volunteers who “wanted to see information on the (town’s) webpage more readily available and easily found,” said Woolwich Town Administrator Lynette Eastman.

A call was sent out for volunteers, said Eastman, who filled out applications to serve on the committee and were appointed by the Board of Selectmen to serve staggered terms. The committee became official at the consent of the selectboard six months ago.

At the committee’s July meeting, Kelly Corbett was elected as chairperson and Woolwich selectperson Allison Hepler serves as an ex officio member and secretary of the committee. Also on the committee are J. Collins, the webmaster of the town’s website, Edna White and Rebecca Roche. Corbett and Hepler were not immediatly available Tuesday for comment.

“There is room for two alternates on the committee,” said Eastman, noting that alternates are non-voting members on the committee unless a voting committee member is absent from a meeting.

According to the minutes from the Public Communication Committee’s July 24 meeting, the committee has agreed to publish a triannual newsletter, with a tentative release schedule of Oct. 15, Jan. 15 and April 15.

“There is no operating budget for the committee and I don’t know if there will be,” said Eastman, so the newsletter will be made available online to avoid printing costs.

“Going forward, if they wanted a budget, it would have to be appropriated at Town Meeting,” said Eastman. “So they would have to submit a request for what they estimate it would cost to print three newsletters, that would be added as a warrant article and then people could vote it up or down.”

The committee proposed to include in the newsletter feature articles and news stories, as well as information about the town website and municipal calendar.

Content would be created by committee members and local contributors. The Woolwich Board of Selectmen will not preview material for the newsletter, according to the minutes, and “encourage its publication.”

The committee will be responsible for aggregating information about local events to be posted on the website, which Collins said gets 6,000 hits per month. Additionally, the committee is looking into making certain cable programs available on the website, and sharing events information.

Hepler suggested the committee also be responsible for the sign on Route 1 by the Woolwich Town Office, for which she currently is responsible, and also that the committee be added as an administrator of the town’s Facebook page.

Volunteer applications for people interested in serving as alternate Public Communication Committee members are available on the town’s website at www.woolwich.us and also at the town office, located at 13 Nequasset Road, Woolwich. For more information, contact the town office at 442-7094.

rgargiulo@timesrecord.com

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