Oliver Aguilo’s zeal to preserve trees in his own Haverhill neighborhood has brought him to the city’s Conservation Commission where he’ll play a role in saving trees along a new Riverside trail.
Aguilo succeeds Conservation Commission Vice Chair and Community Liaison Ralph T. Basiliere—the first to hold the community post, but who resigned from the board following his election as Ward 1 city councilor. Aguilo, himself, unsuccessfully ran for the Ward 6 City Council seat, after complaining about the condition of the 12th Avenue Playground.
“I say, I bring my kids from 12th Ave. to Swasey Park because the park near to my house is not in good condition,” he told WHAV.
He said former Mayor James J. Fiorentini asked him to serve after they talked about the condition of the park and upon learning Aguilo received his first bachelor’s in civil engineering when he lived in the Dominican Republic. After coming here in 2006, he said, he was enrolled at UMass Lowell where he earned his second bachelor’s in environmental engineering.
Conservation Commission Chairman Fred Clark said the new commissioner’s engineering background makes him “an excellent addition to an already strong and experienced Commission. He has hit the ground running, and we look forward to continuing to get to know him in the coming year as we work to preserve and enhance our city’s natural resources.”
He added Basiliere’s shoes are tough to fill. “No matter the size and scope of the proposal Ralph always approached each project with our community in mind while objectively applying the Wetland Regulations to strike a balance between preservation and growth,” he said.
Clark said he is particularly grateful for Basiliere’s efforts to increase public awareness as “he regularly engaged in public site walks and reviews, bolstering the relationship between the Commission and the community.” Specifically, he noted, Basiliere “brought attention to the need for climate resiliency, and our need to prepare as a community for ever-changing weather patterns. This was most notably reflected in the extensive review of the Little River Dam Removal Project.”