Volunteers share input on more than 40 county boards

As summer is coming closer and activities pick up, Sanders County boards are looking for help in keeping projects moving.

The county is looking for volunteers to join over 40 boards, with nearly half of these having vacancies and some possessing several vacant positions. Many of these boards meet once a month and some quarterly. According to Jennifer Ekberg, executive assistant to the county commissioners, anyone can apply and they “vary in degree of involvement.”

Some of these board seats require less experience and participation than others. However, Ekberg added that “most of these boards only have the older generation,” and “we need to get the younger generation involved.”

Board members make decisions and vote on issues in the county that relate to each prospective board. Dewey Duffel, the secretary-treasurer for Western Sanders County TV District, has been participating on his board for over five years. He said that a lot of what they do is handle paperwork involved with television operations in the county, as well as handling repairs and maintenance on the five transmitters scattered around their district.

There are two other TV districts in the county, one in the Hot Springs area and one in the Plains/Paradise area. The board Duffel is a part of handles transmitters from Thompson Falls to Heron. According to Duffel, there are currently four board members on the Western Sanders County TV District and they would like another to join, especially if that person lives on the far western end of the county, as the current board members live in Thompson Falls and Trout Creek. Though Duffel has experience in broadcasting himself, having worked as a radio operator on commercial ships, he says that there is not a lot of experience required to join. According to Duffel, a basic understanding of how radio/television waves work and a desire to help, are enough to get involved.

Jennifer Austin is the secretary for the Whitepine Cemetery District and said, “It is so important to be on a board and to be involved.” According to her, if no one is involved with these kinds of things then they will disappear. The cemetery board handles the affairs of the Whitepine Cemetery, and is responsible for upkeep and maintenance, as well as handling the history and lot assignments in the cemetery. Her board meets once a month and they are currently working on upgrading one section of the cemetery.

Prospective board members must learn the bylaws of their board and attend meetings. Community members must be at least 18 to join a board and must fill out an application, which can be found through the county website, http://www.co.sanders.mt.us. Interested parties should contact Ekberg at the commissioner’s office, 827-6966, for more information or to ask about applications. Board vacancies are posted on the county’s website.