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Date: 10/19/2022
EAST LONGMEADOW – A screening committee consisting of Town Manager Mary McNally, Deputy Town Manager Tom Christensen, East Longmeadow Police Chief Mark Williams and Hadley Police Chief Michael Mason selected Sgt. Steven Manning to be the town’s first police lieutenant.
McNally announced his appointment during the Oct. 11 Town Council meeting. “Steve’s our first police lieutenant and I think he takes that burden and responsibility seriously,” she said.
Additionally, McNally reported James Gardner had been hired as the new building commissioner. She said he had “great experience” and was “a real asset to the town.”
The town is also in talks with Chris Lizotte, who had previously interviewed for the veterans’ service officer position last year. “The district didn’t think we could afford him,” McNally said. “Now, we basically don’t have a choice but to afford him.” She said the only other candidate requested a starting salary that was $20,000 higher than Lizotte’s request.
McNally told the council that state Rep. Brian Ashe’s office is trying to secure a new van for the Council on Aging. The Tri-Town Trolley’s existing transport vehicles are from 2011, 2013 and 2019. She said the repairs for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 (FY23) are higher than for the entirety of FY22.
East Longmeadow was also awarded a $20,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for hazard mitigation efforts.
McNally said the town had met with the engineering consultant firm Tighe & Bond and Berkshire Design Group to review Heritage Park for its renovation. The wetland areas were marked off and bids will go out for the design. First, however, the town must be approved for a Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities grant. McNally said the town officials have been examining options to “reduce or eliminate” portions of the plan to cut costs.
Town Accountant Stephen Lonergan told the council that the end-of-year financial matters were nearly completed and that the FY24 budget process could get underway once the free cash amount had been certified by the state.
In July, Lonergan said, the town received an “excessively high” natural gas bill from Eversource. The Department of Public Works questioned the roughly $17,000 bill and Eversource is working with the department to find the correctly assessed amount.
Lonergan also shared that a baseball scoreboard had been anonymously donated to Leahy Field. The board, which replaces an outdated one that needs repair, will be installed later this year.