Guard duties call Paicos away from Ashburnham
By Caitlyn Kelleher

Town Administrator Kevin Paicos will be out of the office for the next four weeks to fulfill a National Guard service requirement.

Paicos has hired Paul Bouchell, as an interim town administrator, pending the final approval of the Board of Selectmen. The selectmen authorized Paicos to hire him but each had requested to meet him before the appointment became finalized.

"He's being brought in to keep the ship running," Paicos said.

As a medic in the National Guard, Paicos has done weekend training sessions since he was hired by the town in July 2005. Paicos re-enlisted in the guard's Special Force division last summer with permission of the selectmen.

"This is the first time I've been gone for four weeks," he said. "This is different. They really need somebody here."

Bouchell is the former town administrator in Tynsborough where he worked for nine years. He also served as an intern under Paicos 10 years ago in Easton.

Bouchell has worked part time for Ashburnham on consulting projects, such as a project to reorganize the town's insurance policies to help save money and create a draft of a policy book, which the selectmen are in the process of reviewing.

Bouchell will be working on the day-to-day operations, handling any crises that occur and a series of projects that Paicos will leave him. Some of the projects that Paicos plans to leave Bouchell include finding a financially feasible place to house town hall employees during the renovations.

"This is obviously a quick thing that we can't anticipate," Board of Selectmen Chairman Jonathan Dennehy.

Dennehy said, as of midday Wednesday, he hadn't yet spoken with Bouchell.

"The three of us selectmen will work closely with (Bouchell) to make sure he's getting the support he needs and that things are getting done," Dennehy said.

On Tuesday night, Paicos said the number of hours Bouchell would be in the office each week was still being worked out as was the salary.