Thornbury BIA board needs new members

The Thornbury BIA board of directors needs at least one new director.

At its meeting on Nov. 2, the BIA sought nominations to the board for the 2022-2026 term. Three current members and one newcomer agreed to serve on the board, which will give the board five total members, once a representative from the new council is appointed.

Current members Stephanie Hensel, Lesley Fisher and Renee Desochers will continue to serve on the board and they will be joined by newcomer Sarah Bevridge.

With five directors confirmed, the board is short at least one member. The BIA bylaw requires a minimum of six board members and a maximum nine members, with one being a council representative.

Outgoing board chair George Matamoros, who is retiring from the position at the end of the term, said the BIA would spend the next month trying to recruit at least one new member.

Matamoros said he was hopeful that the town and BIA’s joint preliminary plan to change the BIA’s part-time coordinator position to a full-time job, split between the town and the BIA, would help attract more board members. At the meeting, the board voted in favour of setting aside money in the 2023 BIA budget to help fund the full-time position.

The town’s director of community services Ryan Gibbons said he is preparing a business case for the full-time position, to be split between the town and the BIA, to go to the town’s 2023 budget process for consideration.

“If we want to move forward as a BIA and compete with Collingwood and Meaford, we need to have someone,” said Matamoros. “This is a key element in the incoming budget.”

Anybody interested in serving on the board can contact the BIA through its website.