Selectmen Approve New Volunteer Policy for Animal Shelter

Selectmen approved a new volunteer policy for the town’s animal shelter. The new policy, written by the Animal Advisory Committee, outlines the procedures and responsibilities of the volunteer program. It includes hiring a Volunteer Coordinator, an unpaid position, that will oversee the volunteer program. The Animal Advisory committee is working with the Personnel Committee to put together the job description. The board also approved a formal assessment of the shelter. The assessment will be conducted by a veterinarian from Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and will likely take place in Nov. or Dec. The report will include recommendations for improvements based on guidelines from the Assoc. for Shelter Veterinarians’ “Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.” The evaluation “should assist the town in improving the shelter in focused ways that reflect state-of-the-art practices” says Richard Panofsky, Chairman of the Animal Advisory Committee. There is no cost for the assessment, but the town will be responsible for travel expenses for the evaluator, up to $600.