Rotary awards standout employees
2008 winners of the Rotary's Vocational Awards will be honored Wednesday
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Susan Chapman is one of the three employees being honored by the Ashburnham-Westminster Rotary Club. JOURNAL PHOTO/JEFFREY W. BOUDREAU

One goes above and beyond with her work maintaining, cleaning and monitoring the Westminster Town Hall, the Public Safety Building and the offices of the Department of Public Works.

One oversees the management of 1,200 line items in an approximately $27 million budget as well as oversees the procurement process and the transportation and food services aspects of the Ashburnham-Westminster School District.

One organizes, plans and updates the road maintenance in Ashburnham no matter whether weather conditions have produced rain, snow, sleet or thawing.

Susan Chapman is a maintenance worker for Westminster.

Sherry Kersey is the business administrator for Ashburnham- Westminster Regional School District.

Stephen Nims is the highway superintendent in Ashburnham.

These three are the winners of the vocational winners for the Ashburnham-Westminster Rotary Club's second annual Employee of the Year ceremony. The award s event will start at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, at Wachusett Village Inn, 8 Village Inn Road in Westminster.

Sherry Kersey, the business administrator for the regional school system, is being honored for her hardwork. JOURNAL PHOTO/JEFFREY W. BOUDREAU

The event was started last year to recognize municipal employees for their skills and efforts in the workplace and the community. The Rotary recognizes an employee from each of the two towns and from the School Committee. The nominees are nominated by their bosses and chosen by selected town or school officials.

The winners are also honored with a plaque in each of the towns and one in the school district.

Susan Chapman has stood apart for her efforts and extra work in managing parts of the transitions from the Town Hall on Bacon Street to the one on South Street.

"It is a true pleasure to work with someone who takes great personal pride in what she does," wrote Westminster Town Coordinator Karen Murphy in her letter to the Board of Selectmen.

Stephen Nims, of Ashburnham, was picked as Ashburnham's employee of the year. JOURNAL PHOTO/JEFFREY W. BOUDREAU

Murphy said many of the jobs Chapman has taken on are things that would normally have fallen on her because others may not have stepped up to do them.

"There are a million little things," she said. "She doesn't just put in her time."

Chapman started as a maintenance worker for Westminster since 2004.

Chapman is always looking to take on new projects and fix small items. One of the things that Murphy noted was that Chapman took the time to trim off the fraying edges of the flag that flies in front of the Town Hall and sew a new seam.

"With no increase in personnel or hours (or pay for that matter), Sue has done an excellent job of assuring the completion of the punch-list items and relentlessly pursuing vendors and contractors to achieve full functionality of the building," Murphy wrote.

Murphy said Chapman has taken the extra effort to learn the highly computerized HVAC system at the Town Hall, and of helping to dispose of the surplus office equipment and furniture from the old Town Hall.

"She got rid of it all and I was amazed," Murphy said. "Normally, it's just the basic maintenance of the building. She's just so efficient."

Sherry Kersey is the person that makes the dollars work to keep the School Committee and superintendent's plans in action as the business administrator for the Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District.

"Her responsibility extends beyond keeping the financial records," Superintendent of Schools Michael Zapantis said. "I think people have come to understand this is complicated if you do it right."

"Sherry is extremely thorough in her work," he said. "She's always trying to prove in multiple ways how we arrived at the figure."

He said the readability of the school district's budget, the monthly reports, and Kersey's ability to answer questions has helped her earn the respect of the School Committee, the other administrators, and the town officials.

"I feel like she helps build bridges," Zapantis said.

Each of the school district's principals wrote down their reasons for choosing Kersey as this year's honoree. Oakmont Regional High School Principal David Uminski cited her ability to balance the black-and-white of money with the gray of education.

"She is always available to answer questions about funding sources and facility issues," Uminski wrote. "Unlike other business managers I've known, Sherry comes across in a very human way. She does not view her responsibilities as black-andwhite, she does not subscribe to the philosophy of running the financial side of the district in a strictly business-like manner. … She has demonstrated fiscal responsibility while still understanding the unique business of public education."

Kersey is part of the administrative team that meets every week within the district to discuss not only the financial aspects of the district, but also the educational issues within the schools.

"It's important for the business administrator to see the struggles of education," Zapantis said. "It's important for her to understand the classroom dynamics. … There is a whole human side that a business administrator needs to see."

Zapantis credits the extra hours beyond the business day Kersey gives as part of her dedication to the job, including working over the weekend, bringing work home and the evening hours she spends at School Committee meetings, Briggs Building Committee meetings and at other commitments. She was also a member of the district's negotiations team.

"With all of those important stakeholders, Sherry has been able to maintain a budgeting plan that is fair and proactive," wrote Westminster Elementary School Principal David Marble. "She listens to all points of view, considers all options, and makes decisions based on the needs of the entire district."

Kersey started with the district more than 10 years ago and worked in the business office. She was appointed to serve as the interim business administrator in 2003 and was promoted about a year later.

"I think people have grown to respect her and her leadership," Zapantis said.

She is also in charge of the overseeing the Food Services Department and the transportation issues of the district.

Stephen Nims spends his days overseeing not only the road maintenance and plowing, and the Parks and Recreation Department, but is also the second-in-command for the Ashburnham Department of Public Works.

"He's in command when I'm not here," said Don Ouellette, the director of the Department of Public Works, who nominated Nims. "Sometimes he's in charge when I am here."

Nims is a long-time employee of Ashburnham, and Ouellette said he has helped make the transition from individual departments to a DPW easier.

Ouellette said in addition to helping with the switch to a DPW, Nims has had a year with a little bit of every kind of weather, making his job much more difficult. The year started out with significant snowfall in the late winter and early spring, and then moved into flooding rain in April. Ouellette said the damage the flooding did from the April 16, 2007, storm was massive through town, and Nims' was responsible for managing the cleanup.

This winter Nims has been dealing with the constant snow, which while not recordbreaking were heavy and often. Ouellette added road maintenance issues with these storms became harder because of thawing.

Ouellette said the thawing between the storms means Nims has to have his staff out repairing potholes and other road issues before the next snowfall.

Ouellette added that the parks in town are some of the best maintained and are in beautiful condition, thanks to Nims' management and oversight.

"For a town our size, they are amazing," Ouellette said.