Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 1/3/2024
LUDLOW — With the budget cycle for fiscal year 2025 already in mind, each department head met with the Board of Selectmen at its Dec. 19 meeting to request new positions.
Those departments include DPW, the Hubbard Memorial Library, town clerk, human resources, the Building Department, Fire and Police Departments, Veterans Department and the Council on Aging.
DPW Director Jamie Tomas requested two new positions that will help in different areas of the department and town.
“Due to increased workload and rapid growth to the town, with the rapidly increasing developments and subdivisions, infrastructure, maintenance has drastically increased. This includes street sweeping, snow plowing, tree maintenance etc. We are also trying to make improvements to our parks and recreation facilities,” Tomas said.
Tomas added that 30 years ago the DPW had approximately 30 employees and that number has been reduced to 16 over the years.
He said, “That poses a problem for a lot of different things and a lot of different reasons. I would like to see the number get back to 18 to 20.”
Hubbard Memorial Library interim Director Melissa Rickson met with the Board of Selectmen to request a library technician position.
She said, “We are looking for a full-time position to replace a part-time youth services assistant position. Beyond that we have been very busy in the youth room and seeing a huge increase in numbers, we are understaffed in comparison to other libraries in the area and of similar size.”
July Siebecker works in the Youth Services Department and added that the use of the library has increased and has had the same number of staff for the last 20 years.
Town Clerk Kim Batista discussed promoting within her department a new assistant town clerk.
She said, “The person I have now is really an administrative assistant so according to Massachusetts General Law she is not able to sign on when I am out, so I really need an assistant town clerk.”
The request is for more money to promote the current administrative assistant in the Town Clerk Department and will save the town money on overtime during elections.
Humans Resources Director Carrie Ribeiro said that she wants to promote a position as well.
She said, “This is a reclassification for the human resources specialist position. It would be a promotion for this individual. The reason for this change is since July 1 of this year, as I Have taken on the role of assistant town administrator, that is pulling me away from some of the duties that I am responsible for and are shifting over to the human resources specialist.”
Police Chief Dan Valadas and Detective Lieutenant David Kornacki met with the Board of Selectmen to request a detective sergeant and dispatch supervisor position.
Valadas first discussed the dispatch supervisor position.
He said that right now dispatch has nine dispatchers, a part-time position and two per diem dispatchers who fill in when needed.
“The dispatch supervisor position would be a brand-new position. They would immediately assume duties that are performed currently by sworn police officers. Basically, the dispatch right now it is run by an operations lieutenant for second shift and by a sergeant on the day shift. That entails all the grant writing, all the scheduling, processing of time, personal issues, as well as logistical issues would be their responsibility. It will free the lieutenant and sergeant to take on different responsibilities in the department,” Valadas said.
According to Valadas, the detective sergeant would fall under the civil service system.
“This is the same position I have been looking for since 2021. This position would be not that I take the new sergeant and put him in the detective bureau, it would allow me to take a veteran sergeant, move him into the second shift detective bureau and then the requested position would fill the void in the patrol,” he added.
Building Commissioner Leslie Ward said that she requested a full time local inspector to alleviate the workload.
Ward added, “Last year I was authorized a part-time inspector and that was very helpful, however, he cannot work the part-time hours, the 19 and a half hours that was authorized. He can only work 13 hours so although I delegated as much as I could to him, he is overwhelmed. It’s a constant stream of requests and inspections have to happen first. I work 10-11 hour days to try to catch up If I had a full-time inspector the time complaints would go away.”
Fire Chief Ryan Pease requested a new firefighter paramedic because of the increased call volume and a reclassification of a secretary/clerk.
Pease said, “My four year plan has been to add one firefighter per shift, per year to have all four shifts with an additional firefighter which would bring them up to staffing of nine per shift. Currently right now we are funded staffing of nine for two shifts and eight for two shifts. To continue with this plan I am asking to bring in another firefighter in this year.”
Veteran Services Director Eric Segundo requested a full-time administrator to assist him at the Veterans Center.
He said, “Currently right now I have a part-time, 18 hour person only coming in 3 days a week which leaves me two days by myself at the center. From October 2023 to present, received 3,299 calls in which 1,200 were voicemails. We have the food pantry as well. I am not complaining because I love what I do but I need some help.”
Senior Center Director Jodi Zepke requested the current clerk and dispatch positions to be reclassified and a new assistant director position and senior clerk/administrative position to be added to help with the increased use of the senior center.
“I am asking for the reclassification of the clerk position. This actually should have been done last year and it wasn’t. I was concerned with getting more hours for this position so I am trying to bring it up to where it should be. The second one is a reclassification for the dispatch position. This position in the new building has exploded with responsibilities and now does so much more,” Zepke said.
Zepke said that the Senior Center currently has volunteers at the front desk and only one person taking care of 400 people who come in before noon.
She added she would like to add continuity at the front desk and be able to accommodate all the requests.
“My third request is to unfund the program coordinator position in to create and fund am assistant director position. The program coordinator now is the assistant director so just trying to turn that position because of all the new responsibilities in the new building,” Zepke said.
Board Chair James Gennette said that no decision would be made during the meeting and will all be discussed and decided before the budget is made.