Adams Considers Community Development Reorganization

By Jen ThomasiBerkshires Staff
10:55AM / Thursday, June 12, 2008Print Story | Email Story

ADAMS – Concerns about the amount of work that Director of Community Development Donna Cesan takes on prompted a lengthy discussion on the roles and responsibility of several town employees at the Wednesday night meeting of the Board of Selectmen.

Worried that Cesan was undertaking too much of the department's workload, the board and Town Administrator William Ketcham considered reorganizing the department to relieve some of the pressure on the director.

"This was first thought up to relieve you from some work. If we get some of this off your back, you could dedicate more time to community development," Selectman Donald Sommer told Cesan at the board's workshop meeting.

The reorganization would see the building inspector and code enforcement officer moved into their own separate department, giving the community development department more freedom to work on grants and economic development issues.

"This will give you more time to focus on what's out there and available for the town. How do we capitalize on more projects? How do we move forward? We need to make a change because you're too valuable to be an administrator," said Selectman Edward Macdonald.

Ketcham said the current arrangement – in place since 1984 – mandates that the director be involved in enforcement when Cesan's primary focus should be on improving the downtown, moving the Greylock Glen project forward and pursuing grants.

Cesan, joined by Building Commissioner David Pelletier and Code Enforcement Officer Scott Koczela, said she was opposed to the reorganization, worried that a separation would compromise the "comprehensive focus" of the department.

"I think we could serve the public better if we remain under one umbrella. We can meld business and economic incentives that the town is providing and I don't think it would as well if we were in different departments. We wouldn't have that day-to-day collaboration and involvement," said Cesan, who also noted that she does not use her time on enforcement issues but rather, she collaborates with Pelletier and Koczela on those issues.

Cesan also said that a major hindrance to the department is the office space configuration, which has Pelletier and Koczela in the basement and Cesan on the first floor of Town Hall. Pelletier, a former building inspector in Pittsfield, is still new to the job and staff shortages in the department over the years have further complicated a difficult working situation.

Additionally, a new grants manager is expected to begin working on June 30, a position that will move "40 to 50 percent" of Cesan's current workload to another employee.

"I think we have been so successful is because I've had a comprehensive overview. Without that, I'm concerned," Cesan said.

The board voted unanimously to table the discussion on the reorganization until October to give the department time to review how having a grants manager relieves the pressure on Cesan.

"I hope this grants manager fixes the problem," said Selectman Joseph R. Dean Jr.

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Your Comments

iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.

Honestly, I don't think this is a bad idea....go figure, I actually agree with the board on this one. Donna has done some wonderful work for the town putting in countless hours and championing difficult projects that the political powers that be sometimes had a hard time accepting. The Greylock Glen project is no small undertaking and it's already two years behind from an administrative and fundraising perspective. The town can't afford to fund the project so the premise, as devised 3-4 years ago now, was to do a marketing study/feasibility study and promote it within the private sector....that hasn't happened. It's not for lack of effort....there just aren't enough qualified hands in the mix cooking up the stew. Donna is a very capable project manager/grants manager. Is she a full blown operations/administrative/PR specialist? No...I don't see those as her strengths....just distractions for her. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I'm still a strong advocate for community/volunteer outreach. Donna had some very capable and talented people working around her at one time....where have they gone? Politically exiled from what I've been told. Who knows....I'm just a retired citizen of Adams trying to throw my thoughts out there. Good luck Adams and good luck Donna.
from: Amused	on: 06-12-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Could one of the town fathers or it's son, Town Administrator Ketcham explain to me why we would need a grants manager to do half of what we are paying the Community Development Director currently to do so she can concentrate more than half of her time to a waste of time project like the Greylock Glen. I sincerely hope that this grants manager position is paid by grants money and not one dime of her salary or the Community Development Director's salary is paid with taxpayer dollars. And I agree with Amused and as difficult as it is to write with the Board of Selectmen.
from: Adams Taxpayer	on: 06-12-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Wow. About time! That department has been dropping the ball for a few years now and anyone working there doesn't stay.
from: Adams-ite	on: 06-12-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Get your facts straight before making statements that are blatant lies.
from: Not Amused	on: 06-13-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Sorry, they are not lies. Duck and cover as much as you want but this came directly from a source at town hall. In order for Adams to fix itself, first it has to admit that it has a problem. Unfortunately, it never will. The state ethics commission has quite a file going that unfortunately it can't disclose. Oh well. Keep on truckin Adams. Nothing like being mired in the mud.
from: Fed Up In and With Adams	on: 06-13-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

You Are So Wrong! Keep telling your lies and maybe people will believe you. You don't work at town hall and you don't have a clue.
from: Not Amused	on: 06-14-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

I know more than you'll ever think you know so just give it up and stop defending the indefensible. Half of the issues with Adams remain simply because it cannot own that it has issues. The town plays games with its employees and volunteers, then sweeps everything under the carpet using a broom of denial and ignorance. Just go back to "work" on Monday, continue the formation of your union, and spend your work time trying to figure out how you're going to elect good ol' Ed again given that he has almost single handedly crushed any hopes the town had for reclamation these past few years. Good luck all.
from: Fed Up In and With Adams	on: 06-15-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

From the Editor: I have removed the comment made by Fed Up In And With Adams because it appears to be a personal attack. I can always count on Adams readers to provide a lot of comments but I do have to draw the line on occasion. Let's keep it civil. If anyone has a problem with my actions, they can contact me at tdaniels@iberkshires.com.
from:	on: 06-15-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Okay Editor, I'll give you that. But, just between you and I, I'm somewhat (more than I can say here) of a Town Hall insider who is just sick of the petty politics played by a certain few individuals in Adams. I know this goes on everywhere but I hate the fact this goes on in my town and I wish that there was a way to simply hold people accountable. I'm not saying that the Community Development structure doesn't need to be looked at, it probably does, but there are other things going on here that a good, investigative journalist could pull to the surface simply by asking the right questions. What would be the purpose? Let's just say that, through the years, many a town project, hiring, election, pay raise, etc., was done in such a way that might get the perpetrators involved in serious trouble and the town simply doesn't deserve to have to deal with it. There is way too much in the way of back room negotiations and "Tammany Hall"-like arm twisting going on a the highest levels. I simply have gotten tired of the pushing and "pay-back" that goes on amongst our elected administrators simply because they are not questioned, ever. I'll blog from time to time but will no longer make references to names. In the meantime, good people continue to drop out of town service without question and the town wonders why it continues to flounder.
from: Fed Up In and With Adams	on: 06-16-2008 12:00AM I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Cheshire Town Meeting Oks Budgets, Debates Potential Prop 2 1/2 Override

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
10:12PM / Monday, June 08, 2026

Moderator Carol Francesconi, left, and Anne Marie Furey were presented flowers in memory of the Rev. William Furey, their brother and husband, respectively. The town report was dedicated to him.

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Town meeting on Monday approved all 35 articles on the annual meeting warrant, including a total spending for fiscal 2027 of more than $8.5 million.

Some 77 of the town's more than 2,500 registered voters filled the Cheshire Community House meeting room, debating on a number of articles during the meeting that lasted nearly three hours

The town dedicated its annual report to the Rev. William David Furey, longtime pastor of First Baptist Church and more recently Berkshire Union Chapel in Lanesborough. Furey died last year at age 77.

His wife, Anne Marie Furey, and his sister, Town Moderator Carol Francesconi, were presented with a bouquet of flowers in tribute to him.

He was an exemplary member of the community who left a lasting impression in each and every life that he touched, said Town Clerk Whitney Flynn.

Voters approved several warrant articles that make up an operating budget of $3,840,314 for fiscal 2027. Of this amount, $1,642,481 is allocated for the general government budget, which was approved after clarification of a few questions.

One item was the administrative assistant's salary. Prior to the annual meeting, the town eliminated the executive assistant salary of $54,309 in favor of a part-time administrative assistant salary of $27,155, to reduce costs considering the financial constraint the town is in.

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