Selectmen okay plan to form DPW, but take no official vote
By Caitlyn Kelleher

Selectmen agreed with Town Administrator Kevin Paicos' design to restructure the highway, sewer, water, and grounds departments into a Department of Public Works.

But, the board decided, at their meeting on Oct. 2, to hold off on an official vote until a department of public works director could be hired. Selectmen decided they wanted to give the new employee a chance to review the design without having to restructure the departments multiple times.

"(The employees) are very concerned about shaking this up and they don't want it to change again when the director comes in," Board Chairman Jonathan Dennehy said.

Voters approved the hiring of a DPW director/town engineer in May at the Town Meeting. This person would oversee the highway, water and sewer superintendent and the municipal grounds superintendent, as well as take responsibility for other issues that do not have oversight, Paicos said.

"We have two people that get along and everything goes smoothly," he said.

Acting Highway, Water and Sewer Superintendent Jim Zarozinski and Grounds Superintendent Steve Nims currently report to Paicos.

The two share laborers when the need arises, such as in the winter when more people are needed for plowing duties or when other issues arise, Paicos said. In the next few years these are going to be the departments which will need to see the most growth, he said.

"This is so they grow in a way that promotes efficiencies and effectiveness," he said.

The director will also be a professional engineer, Paicos said of the job description. The job would also include supervising solid waste management, building maintenance, the dams and waterways, as well as the clerical staff for the department and providing engineering reviews for the town.

"We have no engineering capability now," Paicos said. "We have no building maintenance. That's a very strange situation and not a good one."

Water and Sewer Commission Chairman David Berger agreed with the need for the position.

"This DPW director is something we probably desperately need," he said.

Berger said that he wanted the board to have more oversight of the director than Paicos' original design created. But, an elected board - like the commission - can not have oversight of a town employee other than the selectmen and school committee.

Although, Paicos said he agreed there should be a direct line of communication and policy direction from the commissioners.

Berger said he was glad that the director will be able to provide a professional review of project, plans and help the departments expand.

The commissioners will officially be reviewing the plans at their next meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Selectmen gave Paicos the go ahead to draft a job description and begin the advertising process. Paicos said he hopes to have someone on board by Jan. 1.

In other business:

 Selectmen voted to cancel the special town meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 14. They decided there was nothing pressing on the agenda and that they were not going to be ready for a discussion of mid-year budget issues until further into the fiscal year.

 Paicos expressed concern about the increasing cost of the employee health insurance. He said the 16 to 17 percent increase they are facing is significantly more than 10 percent increase he budgeted for.

 Selectmen took no action on the Chapter 61 land off Russell Hill Road because the seller's pending purchase and sale failed so the town no longer had to decide whether to act.

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Caitlyn Kelleher can be reached at (978) 827-3386, ext. 15, or e-mail: caitlynkelleher@ aol.com