After three weeks of interviews and a lengthy discussion on Saturday, the Board of Selectmen appointed volunteers to the Westfield RFP Review and Recommendation Committee.

The committee is charged with making suggestions to the Selectmen for a request for proposal, or RFP, for the construction of senior affordable housing on the Westfield property in West Wareham. It has an older RFP for the project to work from.

The seven-member committee will consist of: James Franklin, William Heaney, Joseph Mulkern, David Nilson, Michele Rose, Bruce Sauvageau, and Sandy Slavin.

In its fifth appearance before voters, a proposal to construct affordable senior housing on the 77-acre Westfield property in West Wareham was overwhelmingly approved on the final night of fall Town Meeting in October. The project will include 150 to 200 units of affordable senior housing, with 50 to be rented for less than $500 per month, which would enable Wareham to meet a required quota of affordable housing set by the state

Franklin served on the now-disbanded Westfield Advisory Committee, which brought suggestions for the property's use to Town Meeting in October. Sauvageau is a former Selectman who helped create the town's first request for proposasl for senior housing on the Westfield site.

More than a dozen people applied for a seat on the RFP committee. The Board of Selectmen struggled to decide who to appoint on Saturday, and worked to make decisions not based on personal politics or personal opinions on the project, which was hotly debated each time it appeared before Town Meeting.

A visibly frustrated Selectman Brenda Eckstrom nearly walked out on the discussion, saying she chose candidates based on "what would be in the best interest of the town," and wanted to ensure that her colleagues did the same. This spurred a discussion about what the Board was looking for in candidates.

"I tried to make my decision based on who was the most experienced in the field of RFPs, who understood the project the best, and who would give us the best advice based on their knowledge and experience," Selectmen Chair Jane Donahue said.

Citing the fact that this incarnation of the Westfield project is different than previously proposed projects that failed to garner Town Meeting approval, Selectman Steve Holmes said: "I was looking for people who are not entrenched in the past."

After much discussion about candidates, how to approach voting, and after two round robin votes to help narrow down candidates, the Selectmen eventually came to a consensus.

The new committee will begin its work on Thursday, February 24, and if all goes as planned, it will submit its suggestions to Town Administrator Mark Andrews and the Board of Selectmen on April 1.