Adams Board of Health 'Blindsided' by Code Officer Cut

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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Board of Health member Bruce Shepley told the Selectmen the board felt blindsided by the loss of its code enforcement officer.

ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Health is demanding answers after being "blindsided" by the termination of the town's code enforcement officer.

The job will disappear on July 1 as part of a deal the Selectmen endorsed to fund an increase in the assessment to the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District. Two other full-time posts were targeted as well.

The Board of Health, however, says it was not consulted and wants to know who will handle the inspector's myriad duties.

"The only thing known by the Adams Board of Health is that there is a lot unknown, but a plan has been put in place to eliminate the full-time position and no other parts of the plan are in place," member Bruce Shepley said.

He described the board as being "blindsided by the action and said the board is not aware of any plans in place to accommodate the change in staffing.

He asked if the building inspector is qualified to take on some of the jobs the code enforcement officer held, if shared services will meet the town’s needs, if the state can actually step in and help because of the downsizing of many state health positions, and what certification board members need to cover what the code enforcement officer once did.

He said there were 117 complaints, visits, and actions in 2014 by the code enforcement officer, as well as 190 permits issued. Shepley said the current code enforcement officer’s skill and experience will be greatly missed in the town and will have repercussions.

"The boards of health in the towns and cities throughout the commonwealth are the gatekeepers to the function, the appearance, and the presentation of the community," he said. "There are too many property owners who do not have a vested interest in the welfare and the future of the town of Adams, and if enforcement becomes lax those that have selfish intent will exploit very opportunity.”

Director of The Council on Aging Erica Girgenti also aired her concerns about the loss of the position. She said the council has always depended on the code enforcement officer and she wished that conversation took place.

"I am really nervous about that, and I can't tell you how much that department really works with us," Girgenti said. "You see a lot of seniors who come out of condemned homes.”

George Haddad, a former selectman, asked the board members to be careful how small they make the municipal services.

"The more we try to take this town apart and try to shrink ourselves we are going to be creating a larger problem out there," Haddad said. "Once it gets rolling down the hill, it's going to be twice as hard if not impossible to stop."

Selectman Arthur "Skip" Harrington said the town is not trying not shrink, but to live within the revenue streams it has and reduce spending until the economy can grow.

Selectman John Duval asked that the Board of Health create a list of concerns so they can be addressed.

The Selectmen also approved the annual town meeting warrant for town meeting, although reluctantly for two citizen petition articles that would eliminate single-use plastic bags in retail and Styrofoam in restaurants and town facilities.

Harrington said this would bring even more burden to the Board of Health that, according to the bylaw article, would have to help enforce the bylaw and interpret it.

"What a great time to propose this," Harrington said. "We just reduced the enforcement by a whole person and this person from out of town has decided to burden our Board of Health, I assume without their knowledge, with enforcement and interpreting this bylaw.”

Shepley said the Board of Health had no knowledge of this proposed bylaw.

Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco said the citizens petition came from an attorney from Pittsfield who has been circulating through the Berkshires trying to get the bylaws on as many town meetings as he could. Mazzucco said he has asked him to do some "ground work" in town and talk to affected departments and retailers, but he has refused.

Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco said no ground work has been done on a couple of citizen petition bylaws on this year's warrant.

"At no point has he requested to be on the agenda for whatever reason he doesn’t drive and doesn't think he can make it to a meeting,"Mazzucco said. "I told him several times that ... it’s not as simple as just getting it on the warrant you have to do the ground work and we have had no response.”

The bylaws also require the Police Department help enforce the new rules. Police Chief Richard Tarsa said the bylaws never came before him and has an issue pouring resources into investigating plastic bag use.

"This is the first I have seen of this and I am the chief of police ... investigation of plastic bags?" Tarsa said. "Honestly, I have bigger things to do than to enforce a plastic bag bylaw it is as simple as that."

Tarsa urged town meeting members to educate themselves and not approve the bylaws. Mazzucco agreed and said the bylaws would "be a nightmare going forward."

Williamstown town meeting on Tuesday night overwhelmingly approved two similar bylaws that had not been vetted through the normal hearing process. The enforcement provisions were removed on the floor.

The Selectmen also authorized Mazzucco to sign a power purchase agreement for the Wastewater Treatment plant so the town can lock in a stable rate.

Mazzucco said he is looking for cost estimates from venders who can proved the board of health with the proper certification for their added responsibilities.

Chairman Richard Blanchard asked that anyone interested in being appointed to an open seat on a board or committee should contact the town administrator's office within two weeks.

There will be a hazardous waste collection Saturday from 9 to 11. Anyone with waste should call 413-743-8208 and inform the organizers what they are bringing so they can be notified if it can be collected or if there is a fee.


Tags: board of health,   code enforcement,   health & wellness,   school budget,   

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Adams Sees No Races So Far

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — With less than a week left before nomination papers are due, there are currently no contested seats.
 
Only selectman incumbent John Duval has returned papers. Selectman Howard Rosenberg has decided not to seek re-election. 
 
Rosenberg, who was elected in 2021, said he has chosen not to run again to make room for younger candidates.
 
"I feel strongly, we need younger people running for public office,  as the future of our town lies within the younger  generation. The world is so fundamentally different today and rapidly changing to become even more so. I believe we need people who are less interested in trying to bring back the past, then in paving the way for a promising future. The younger generation can know that they can stay here and have a voice without having to leave for opportunities elsewhere," he said.
 
The only person to return papers so far is former member the board Donald Sommer. Sommer served as a selectman from 2007 to 2010 and before that was a member of the School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. He ran unsuccessfully for selectman in 2019 and again in 2021 but dropped out of before the election.
 
Incumbent Moderator Myra Wilk and Town Clerk Haley Meczywor have returned papers for their respective positions.
 
Assessor Paula Wheeler has returned papers and incumbents James Loughman and Eugene Michalenko have returned papers for library trustees.
 
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