ADAMS, Mass. — The Fire District is considering holding a special election and district meeting sometime this winter. 

 

The exact warrant has yet to be determined, but the need for an election and meeting arose following a vacancy on the Prudential Committee and several items that were not anticipated at the annual district meeting.

 

The committee is still in the process of gathering information before finalizing the warrant, but they may need to request voters authorize funds to fix the fire department's Engine 2 apparatus, which has rust jacking. The cost of the repairs is currently unknown until Fleetmasters in Windsor Lock, Conn., completes its inspection of the apparatus. 

 

During the Prudential Committee meeting on Tuesday, Lennon informed the board that he has contacted a few companies that handle apparatus repairs, and the closest one he found with staff available was Fleetmasters. The company can take the truck as early as next week and likely will need it for about two days to complete the inspection. 

 

He explained the issue to the company's representative and was told that the presence of rust jacking does not necessarily mean "it's bad," and, if caught early, there are repairs that can be done.

 

"We'll get that result from him, and hopefully go from there. … If they say it's something that's serviceable … we would have to go ahead and put up a bid for it," Lennon said.

 

The Prudential Committee is considering holding the district meeting on the same day as the special election, possibly in February.

 

It was announced during its meeting that committee member John Pansecchi rendered his resignation, prompting the need to hold an election to elect a third member of the board. The board is currently made up of its chairman, Richard Kleiner, and vice-chair, Michael Lahey. 

 

Pansecchi said he had not planned to join the committee following his retirement as fire chief but stepped into the role when no one else ran for the seat.

 

“I have found I am not enjoying [the position]. This coupled with a text conversation [Kleiner] and I had, along with the time change of the meeting, has led me to the following decision. I have decided to resign as a member of the Prudential Committee effective immediately,” he said in his resignation. 

 

In a follow-up with iBerkshires, Pansecchi explained that the correspondence referenced in his letter was a text message from Kleiner accusing him of being hostile toward new Fire Chief David Lennon after Pansecchi disagreed with Lennon over solar panel inspection requirements.

 

Lennon told iBerkshires that he is looking into whether the Fire Department is required to conduct a separate review of solar-panel plans and a post-installation inspection when those responsibilities are already handled by the building commissioner.  

 

He also said he has spoken with state code-compliance officials but has not yet determined how the district should proceed. He is coordinating with the building commissioner to determine whether the two departments are reviewing the same requirements and whether a separate Fire Department inspection is necessary.

 

Lennon’s investigation into clarifying the requirement was included in his report to the district, which Pansecchi commented on during the meeting because when he was chief he did these types of inspections.

 

Following said meeting, Pansecchi claimed Kleiner texted him that “ 'if it happens again, I'm going to shut you down,' which means now every question I ask, I've got to worry about him thinking I'm coming across hostile if I don't say it the right way, or my tone isn't right.” 

 

“He can come across saying it's hostile," Pansecchi said. "Personally, I'm not working that way. I just don't think it's fair to have to work that way.” 

 

Additionally, during a Sept. 1 Prudential Committee meeting, members agreed to move the meeting time from 5 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. because the earlier time worked better for a majority of the committee. Pansecchi said the change conflicts with his schedule and also expressed concern that the earlier time is less convenient for members of the public.