After 17 years of voting on the Windham Zoning Board of Appeals, Richard Larrivee of River Road has decided to retire due to health concerns.

“It was a very interesting board and that’s why I stayed on for so long,” Larrivee said of his tenure.

Larrivee said he particularly enjoyed analyzing an issue and seeing its resolution in a single meeting.

“I liked the idea of looking at a problem, voting and deciding on it right there,” Larrivee said.

This was one of the reasons why Larrivee joined the board in 1988. After retiring from his day job and going into business for himself selling and repairing farm machinery, Larrivee decided to serve on one of the code enforcement boards and so chose the Zoning Board of Appeals.

As a member of the Zoning Board, Larrivee saw Windham through a time when increased commercial growth put pressure on the ordinances of the town. And although he believes Windham has since outgrown its old ordinances, he always voted “by the book.”

“You had to stick by the ordinance. Somebody would come with a complaint and you just couldn’t give it to them.” Larrivee said. “You had to take it very seriously because you’d be in court if you didn’t and I never really liked to go there.”

Larrivee, a Windham native who has lived on River Road since he was nine years old, will now be spending his Thursday nights at home with his wife Martha.

“Dick has been on board for a long time and he’s made some significant contributions,” Ed Woodbury, chairman of the Zoning Board, said of Larrivee’s resignation. “And he will be missed by not only me but by everyone involved.”

The Zoning Board is currently accepting applications for two alternates to fill the vacancies left by Larrivee and Stephen Ambrose who resigned this past spring.