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Date: 9/5/2023
SOUTHAMPTON — The Southampton Select Board will enter into negotiations with Community Paradigm Associates to conduct the search for its next town administrator. With roughly four months left before Town Administrator Ed Gibson leaves the position, the Select Board hopes to move quickly to get the process started.
One of three finalists, CPA stood out from its competitors for its Massachusetts location, competitive price and ability to offer a screening panel for the candidates.
Board member Jon Lumbra noted that he found CPA’s proposal to be the “most attractive and cheapest,” adding that he particularly liked that CPA would put together the screening panel to choose both the semifinalists and finalists. This would allow the candidates’ names to remain private until they become finalists.
The expected $12,800 cost will cover both the company’s fees and advertising costs. The board had set aside approximately $5,500 in its budget for the expense and will currently take the remaining amount from ARPA funds.
According to CPA’s proposal, the search should take 12 to 13 weeks, meaning it would wrap up shortly before Gibson’s departure.
Fire department updates
After hearing a detailed report of concerns about the Southampton Fire Department at its last meeting, the board moved forward with getting more information about the most pressing needs for its equipment.
The board approved directing Interim Fire Chief Richard Fasoli to have 1911 inspections performed on engines one and four, as well as ambulance two, using money from the fire department budget and letting the board know the dates for the scheduled inspections.
The department had been performing annual inspections on its apparatus, but the report had outlined the need for a more detailed inspection of the aging pieces of equipment. The annual inspections only look for safety issues while the 1911 inspections will look in more depth at the state of the equipment.
The inspections should cost roughly $1,000 per piece of equipment. The inspection report could then be used to build a case for replacement on grant applications.
“It’s cheap money to determine our full liability,” said Lumbra.
The board also completed plans to finalize the job description for a new fire chief at its next meeting.