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Date: 8/24/2022
BELCHERTOWN – During the Belchertown Select Board’s Aug. 15 meeting, the board acknowledged the retirement of a longtime town employee and agreed to name Belchertown Police Lt. Kevin Pacunas the acting police chief.
As the meeting’s first order of business, board Chair Jen Turner announced that longtime Executive Assistant to both the Select Board and Town Administrator, Ann Pittsley, would be retiring at the end of September.
“We wish her all the best, she served the town for 32 years, she has served under 24 select people and was honored in 2004 by the board as employee of the year and was presented with a plaque at that time by the Chair Linda Barron at the Annual Town Meeting,” she said.
Town Administrator Gary Brougham reflected on the importance of Pittsley to the town.
“Ann has provided 32 years of very dedicated and professional service to the town of Belchertown. She is the heartbeat of the Finnerty House. I am very sad to see her go, it’s like the breaking up of the family, we’ve been together for so long,” he said.
Vice Chair Jim Barry also spoke highly of Pittsley and said, “She’s been spectacularly helpful, professional and always with a stiff upper lip in regard to what is going on.”
Acting police chief appointment
With details still being finalized with the appointment of Pacunas as the next police chief, board member Ron Aponte said there has been confusion about who to report to with Sgt. Bruce Jenks currently serving as the department’s acting chief.
“Obviously, Lt. Pacunas has been appointed and we are going through the process of contract negotiations, we are undergoing a background check and we might still be a week or two from finalizing everything,” he said.
Aponte said that he spoke with Pacunas and both agreed it could be “cleanest” to name Pacunas acting chief until his contract is finalized.
“That way there is once again a clear line of organization and a clear line of command who should be making those decisions. It would certainly aid in that transition to Chief Pacunas,” he said.
Along with naming Pacunas the acting chief, board Clerk Ed Boscher suggested sending a letter of gratitude to Jenks for his work as acting chief, which he has now done twice. Aponte and the rest of the board agreed to send the letter.
“Obviously the first one was a much longer acting chief tenure but certainly he has done a stellar job and we are lucky to have Sgt. Jenks,” Aponte said.
The board unanimously agreed to name Pacunas the acting chief as of Aug. 16 through his official appointment as the next police chief pending the background check and contract negotiations.
Town Administrator report
During his regular report, Brougham said that some issues had arisen over the work with Sportshaven Mobile Home Park as the park undergoes a project to bring in safe and reliable drinking water.
“The group is getting bigger and more difficult to manage, we’ve had a recent change with our primary contact at DEP [Department of Environmental Protection]. After having been told the water was approved for connection, the new contact required additional analytical work which set back the connection from the new source to the old infrastructure,” he said.
As of Aug. 11, Brougham said the consultant was seeking two additional bids for the project, which he anticipated could take between four and six weeks to finish. Brougham added that he had some concerns about the water supply as the ongoing drought continues.
“In prior years when there has been a drought, the well at Sportshaven has not been able to provide enough quantity, let alone quality, of water. If we get this new source connected, we don’t have to worry about a reliable supply,” he said.
Brougham added that he has already begun work with the Health Department to relicense the park once the new water supply is up and running.
While there were some concerns about the availability of the parking lot at Town Hall during the Belchertown Fair due to redevelopment of both its lots, Brougham said he received word from Department of Public Works Director Steve Williams that at least the main lot would be available that weekend.
After months of discussion, the board also appointed a three-member task force, led by Barry, to establish a flagpole use policy for the town. The board also clarified that the task force would be disbanded when the board accepted a policy, which Barry said could take about a month.
The Belchertown Select Board next meets on Aug. 29.