LYNDEBOROUGH – After a round-table discussion with Jay Minkarah, executive director of Nashua Regional Planning Commission, members of the town’s land use boards agreed they could use some professional help in several areas. They also agreed there should be more communications between boards.

The joint meeting, on Thursday, July 1, was hosted by Town Administrator Russ Boland and Mark Chamberlain, selectmen’s representative to the Planning Board. Attendees included members of the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment, Conservation Commission, Budget Committee, Heritage Commission and Historic District Commission, as well as Building Inspector Leo Trudeau.

Minkarah described NRPC’s Circuit Rider Program, which aids land use boards with support where those towns might not have a town planner. The rider helps with applications to the planning board and ZBA, making sure they comply with zoning regulations, and makes recommendations.

“What we do depends on what a town wants,” he said. “We work with people. We track changes in regulations and the state RSAs which change regularly.”

Planning Board Member Bob Rogers said, “It would be good to have somebody looking at our regulations, you would see what we don’t, find the inconsistencies.”

Trudeau said he agreed. “I read the regulations regularly. It’s a great idea for you people to look at them, especially the RSA changes.”

Karen Grybko said, “From the ZBA perspective, more people are wanting to build, and they are pushing us to get what they want.”

Chamberlain said, “The whole application process needs to be less confusing for the applicant. (Having a professional outsider) would make it easier for the board.”

Minkarah said the rider would “attend all meetings, discuss agendas and issues with the chairman, and work directly with the applicant,” and provide services as they are needed.

Asked if NRPC could “help straighten out the filing system,” Minkarah said they could help set up a single system for all boards. He added, “We could help boards work together, work out the details of regulations and problems.”

Lyndeborough is a member of NRPC and the costs of the circuit rider would on top of the annual membership fee.

Asked if there was money in the budget, Boland said, “I think we can find it.”

Asked when he could start, Minkarah said, “As soon as you decide what you want.”

Trudeau summed it up: “We are ripe for some oversight.”

NRPC, which serves 13 towns, was formed in 1959, the oldest of the state’s nine regional planning commissions. It was started by Nashua and Hudson to deal with traffic congestion and coordinate land development.