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Date: 3/15/2023
LUDLOW — Over the last few months, residents and the Board of Selectmen have expressed concerns with the current state of the Board of Public Works (BPW).
Some concerns stated at meetings involve turnover caused by low morale, making it almost impossible to conduct business.
There are two questions on the upcoming ballot on March 27. Both questions were approved by voters at Special Town Meeting in January and will be presented to the community.
One question reads, “Shall the town vote to have its Selectmen act as the Board of Public Works?”
If the vote passes, the BPW would be taken over by the Board of Selectmen.
Town Administrator Marc Strange explained, “In the event that this question passes, the only thing that will change is the DPW will be like the Police or Fire department and fall under the Board of Selectmen. The board will have a DPW superintendent who is qualified to run that department.”
The selectmen have publicly said and included in the Special Town Meeting warrant background in January 2023 that since 2014, the BPW has not been able to keep a DPW superintendent for more than two years due to micromanagement and lack of knowledge necessary to secure capital funding in grants.
Board of Selectmen member Derek DeBarge said, “Out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, Ludlow is one of six that still have an elected BPW. I can speak for the board and most community members that I talk to that we need a change in government, and this can be a good step.”
BPW Chair Steve Santos thinks that the Board of Selectmen already have a lot of “stuff on their plate.”
Santos said, “I do not think people or the Board of Selectmen understand how much the BPW does for the communtiy and how much we help. We work with the sewers, filling potholes and paving the roads, maintaining the athletic fields, garbage disposal, the transfer station and much more. Our board also has a lot of construction or engineering background which makes it useful.”
Santos added, “I think there is a lack of communication because our BPW is not in Town Hall and is in a separate building. At the end of the day I think it is up to the voters and I urge everyone to go out and vote regardless of outcome of the BPW.”
The BPW recently hired Lee Corbert at its Jan. 10 meeting as the new DPW director.
There are currently two BPW openings on the ballot for the March election. Santos is not running again, and Soares was supposed to run before deciding to resign on Feb. 24. This leaves only three members of the BPW if the town decides to vote to keep the BPW. Soares decided to resign after the deadline for candidates to be officially placed on the ballot, so voters will still see his name.
During the March 7 Board of Selectmen meeting, Strange expressed concern in the fact that Corbert recently recommended to the BPW a promotion for an open public works position but at its March 1 meeting, the BPW voted to not promote the applicant based on “not having the requisite credentials.” In that same meeting, the BPW promoted another staff member to another vacant public works positions who had similar credentials.
This, he said, showed a disconnect between the BPW and the DPW director and the Board of Selectmen expressed that it seems like a common theme with the BPW.
DeBarge added, “It looks like the BPW is exercising their authority over the new DPW director which they hired, and they are now going against his recommendations. We know we have had a lot of DPW directors in a short period of time and another director already not getting along with the BPW. I hope people are paying attention to this because we need change.”
Strange said, “Most concerning is we have heard from multiple DPW staff members that have lost faith in the BPW ability to lead, morale is low, employees don’t feel appreciated, vehicles are not being maintained and safety protocols are not being followed. It seems like people are looking for an exit ramp.”
Strange mentioned that there are Ludlow residents who send their complaints about town clean-up or the transfer station to the Board of Selectmen but that is out of their control to fix.
The board stated that they are unhappy to hear about the constant struggles of the BPW and hope the vote goes their way so they can manage the situation better.
Question two on the ballot was also approved at Special Town Meeting in January.
It reads: “Shall the town vote to have its elected Treasurer and elected Collector become an appointed Treasurer/Collector of the town?”
Board of Selectmen Chair Tony Goncalves added that the current collector, Fred Pereira, is retiring after nearly 40 years at the position and combining the two positions can save the town approximately $150,000 each year.