SPRINGFIELD CENTER — Springfield Town Planning Board Chairman Jim Willsey has resigned from the town planning board due what he described as a lack of support from the town board.

Willsey resigned by letter Tuesday attributing the decision to the "non-support from the town board."

"My time was up," said Willsey, who served 2 years on the board. "I would have liked some more support from the town board."

"Jim Willsey did a good job," said Tom Armstrong, Springfield Town Supervisor, who called Willsey as soon as he received the letter of resignation. "It was a hard job to do."

"I think Jim was an extraordinarily effective chairman. In terms of detail, organization, and the orderliness of the meetings for the site plan review, Jim did an outstanding job," said Dan Rosen, also a member of the planning board.

Though he had not yet written a letter to the board, Rosen said Wednesday he will resign from his position on the board. "I see no purpose in staying," he said.

Armstrong said it was too soon to know who would replace Willsey. Though the town board has the right to appoint a new chairman, Armstrong said the planning board will hold it's own election.

"They have lost a lot of good people," said Jeannette Armstrong, Springfield Town Clerk. "Everybody is quitting because they are not being appreciated or being paid for their job."

As of Dec. 1, Tom Armstrong, had resigned from his position as coordinator of the Springfield Community Center.

"People on the town board felt I wasn't doing the job quite good enough," Armstrong said. "As long as that's the case, I quit."

Even after stepping down from the coordinator job, Armstrong has been carrying out the duties until a replacement is found.

During the Springfield town board meeting Monday, a motion was made by councilman Gary Sikkema to appoint Jeanette Armstrong as coordinator of the community center. The coordinator would need to handle the scheduling of events and meetings as well as providing keys to building users.

Jeannette Armstrong said she would not be coordinator.

"I don't feel I should have to do it," she said in response.

"She resigned from something she didn't want to do in the first place, " said Armstrong. "It's not the town clerk's job."

As of the Springfield town board meeting on Monday evening, the town board had not yet acted on the future of Bill Harman's term on the planning board, which ends Dec. 31.

Councilman Gary Sikkema requested that people bring in names of interested people to January's meeting.

In other news:

• Attorney Mike Trossett will replace the vacancy left by Paul Elkan for the town board. Trossett, who works in the District Attorney's office and has an office in Cooperstown, will work on Mondays and Wednesday afternoons for the town.

• A motion was made by Tom Armstrong for the board to tell Glimmerglass Opera that the Town of Springfield will not buy the Pied Piper building.

Glimmerglass Opera had offered to sell the building to the town for $10. Since then, Jeannette Armstrong said Glimmerglass Opera has had several requests for buying the building.

George Rutler, President of the Springfeild Historical Society, said that the building was historically significant and grant money could be available for restoration.

The town of Springfield didn't want an extra building, said Armstrong.

Clerk Jeannette Armstrong explained that the town board did not want to purchase the building in fear of a high cost of tearing it down.

"If it could be restored or used for a commercial building by someone, all the better, " she said.