By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – Ward 7 Councilor Donald Landers sees the value of having an event coordinator for the city and is proposing that funding for the position could come from the Marlborough Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). His request for consideration of the plan, presented at the Aug. 25 meeting, met with some opposition from councilors before being referred to the Operations and Oversight Committee, chaired by Matt Elder.
Landers suggested having members of MEDC attend the committee meeting and “insure that events we have will not go away.” Councilors Elder and Joe Delano said they did not believe that this type of program falls under the guidelines of the MEDC. Landers argued that these activities and programs contribute to the objectives of the MEDC – attracting new businesses and enhancing existing ones.
Landers expressed gratitude to the many who have volunteered to help with the city’s downtown activities but he said the number of volunteers keeps decreasing.
“We don’t want to lose momentum,” he said. “The coordinator would work cohesively with Ye Olde Marlborough and the Chamber of Commerce to continue with existing activities and broaden the scope.”