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Debra Jarvis, a former fire chief and principal of a management consulting firm in Overland Park, Kan., and Richard Downey, village administrator in Kronenwetter, Wis., with a background in municipal management, are the finalists for Williamstown town manager.

Williamstown Interviewing Town Manager Finalists

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The administrator of a similarly sized Midwestern town and a principal in a management consulting firm are the finalists to be the new town manager.
 
The Select Board on Monday decided on an interview schedule to consider the two finalists recommended by the Town Manager Search Advisory Committee it created this summer.
 
Richard Downey, the village administrator in Kronenwetter, Wis., and Debra Jarvis of Vision Values LLC in Overland Park, Kan., will meet with Town Hall staff and other stakeholders on Thursday and be interviewed by the Select Board from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday morning.
 
There will be a meet-and-greet for residents at the Williams Inn on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m.
 
The Select Board plans to meet on Friday at 1 p.m. and could make its decision as early as that session.
 
Jarvis brings experience in both municipal government and diversity, equity and inclusion work, a major priority for town government, to the table.
 
She is a retired fire chief with 25 years of experience in fire departments in the Chicago and Indianapolis areas, according to her biography on the Vision Values website.
 
Vision Values touts itself as building "bridges of understanding within your organization to achieve optimum performance."
 
Jarvis has spent the last 10 years doing leadership, management and DEI consulting. She has completed a certificate program in diversity, equity and inclusion at Cornell University, the firm's website says.
 
Downey has served as village administrator in the central Wisconsin town of Kronenwetter since 2012.
 
On his Linkedin bio, he lists his specialties as "union negotiation, economic development, human resources, grant administration, local and state government."
 
Economic development was a major priority for town officials when they hired Williamstown's previous town manager, Jason Hoch, in 2015. Hoch resigned this winter after a tumultuous six months following the release of a federal lawsuit against him, the town and the former police chief, who reports directly to the town manager.
 
Prior to arriving in Kronenwetter, a town of 7,800 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, Downey served as an administrator in several Midwest communities.
 
He was city administrator from 2000-03 in Elkhart, Kan.; from 2003-11 in Rock Falls, Ill.; and for three months in 2011 in Washington, Ill.

Tags: candidate interviews,   town administrator,   

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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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