Bedford officials are looking for eight new members for various town government positions, and they are hoping residents will help fill those seats.

Town Manager Russ Marcoux said he is looking to appoint residents to two alternate Zoning Board positions, two alternate Historic District Commission roles, one Highway Safety Committee alternate, as well as one full-time and two alternate members of the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission.

“Even though we’re at midyear, it’s still important to have them filled or else you go a year with eight open spots. Right now we only have one sitting alternate for Zoning Board, for example,” Marcoux said. “It looks bad for the community to not have all of the positions filled.”

The positions would all include only one or two meetings per month, with each meeting during the evening. The only exception is the Highway Safety Committee, which meets during the morning.

Marcoux said the Zoning Board positions are important because if there are not two members to sit in on a hearing, there is potential the case can not be heard.

The Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission will be a busy board as well, dealing with many of the issues involved with the development of Bedford, including the access road and the other plans that come with it.

Whenever he’s around town, Marcoux said he seeks out Bedford residents, urging them to become involved.

“Last year, we made a real effort and it seemed like it was my first time out in town,” said Marcoux. “I met all sorts of new people, because a lot were not involved. Now, many of them are. I always ask people when I run into someone if they are involved in the community, and if they aren’t, why not?”

While Marcoux said he understands the busy schedule of residents, he hopes individuals interested in filling any of the vacant positions contact the Town Manager’s office or the Town Council.

“Everyone is busy, and everyone has a different fight to fight. I understand people are busy, but we have a town to run,” he said. “To do that we need volunteers, so I encourage people to get involved.”