Director of the governor's Western Massachusetts office Ryan Chamberland was the guest speaker on Thursday at the bi-annual Berkshire County Selectmen's Association dinner.

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Lee Selectman David Consolati would love to take a bridge down and replace it with a new one in the exact same spot. 

 

But, before he can do that, the town must spend a quarter of a million dollars in engineering and then perform a $60,000 environmental study, among many requirements, throughout a two-year process with the state.

 

He wants the state to essentially pre-package plans that need to only be adjusted by size of the bridge and shorten the approval time.

 

"I would like to see the state come up with a set of plans for bridges. Give me something so I can avoid $250,000 in engineering," Consolati said on Thursday. "Give me stock prints that I can just pull off of the shelf."

 

Richmond Town Manager Matt Kerwood said there are benefits to an array of state programs like the Green Communities one. But, in a small town, there isn't enough staff to handle the paperwork to stay in it so it becomes more of a hassle than it is worth.

 

Florida Selectman Neil Oleson says the town doesn't have enough demand to hire a full-time building and plumbing inspectors and the state continues to raise the required training for private contractors so much that it doesn't make sense for most to do it part time.

 

"The state of Massachusetts keeps raising the bar higher," Oleson said. "We've got people waiting for building permits but we don't have an inspector."

 

Those were only a few of the concerns voiced Thursday night when some 50 selectmen from all over the Berkshires gathered at Crissy Farms for the biannual Berkshire County Selectmen's Association dinner. The guest of honor, Ryan Chamberland, understands exactly the issues towns are facing.

 

"One of the most frustrating things for me is to do a feasibility study on putting a playground at a school," the former Blackstone selectman joked. "I think there is a lot of things we can do in that area."

 

Knowing the issues he faced in trying to run a town, Chamberland jumped at the opportunity to work with Gov. Charlie Baker to make it easier. Chamberland now heads the Springfield office, where he sees he can link the administration with the needs of Western Massachusetts towns.

 

"We are kind of like the first line of defense for Western Mass. We like to think we are a voice to let Boston know what the needs and the concerns are," Chamberland said, encouraging town officials to contact him about any issue they face regarding the state. 

 

The Springfield office director used Thursday's dinner as a way to connect with municipalities. The Berkshire County Selectmen's Association is a collaborative representing all 30 Berkshire towns run by boards of selectmen.

 

"We basically use these meetings twice a year to give selectmen an opportunity to get some education and network," said Jim Lovejoy, the former president of the organization and now a member.

 

"It is great to meet selectmen from different communities ... a lot of the issues [we face] are the same."

 

In addition to the meetings being a source of networking for town officials, who are often volunteers or paid only small stipends, the elected representatives get to connect with others who sit on state boards — like the Massachusetts Municipal Association or the Governor's Council. 

 

"We try to use this as a way to bring concerns from the local select boards to the state... The people who go to Boston can make a tremendous impact," Lovejoy said. 

 

Sheffield's Rene Wood speaks with Chamberland about issues facing her town.

For Chamberland, the biannual meeting represented a chance to speak and listen to the concerns of many communities, which fits in with the Baker administration focus on helping municipal governments.

 

"The governor and lieutenant government made municipal governments a priority," Chamberland said, pointing to the release of $100 million in Chapter 90 road funding for cities and towns as one of the very first things the governor has done.

 

In the first 100 days of the administration, Baker release that $100 million; signed a bill for $200 million more in March; released $30 million for pothole repairs; and signed a community compact order that increases the role of municipal governments in state decisions, he said.

 

The executive order of the community compact creates a committee to represent cities and towns in the cabinet, it restructures the Department of Revenue to include a commissioner for the division of local services, and aims to craft contracts between municipalities and the state outlining exactly the expectations they have of each other — creating what the administration sees as more accountability.

 

"It put the lieutenant government to be the champion of it and it raises town government to the cabinet level. There are selectmen from around the commonwealth on this committee and the lieutenant governor has taken this compact on the road, traveling back and forth. I know it is on her schedule to come out to Berkshire County. This has been a great opportunity for her to sit down and talk to boards of selectmen and town administrators to get a firsthand look at what you guys are dealing with," Chamberland said. 

 

"As you can imagine, there are some reoccurring themes that come up: Chapter 70 formula needs to be changed, there needs to be more money for the beat-up roads. Out here, especially, there is broadband."

 

The contract is a way for towns to "hold the administration accountable," he said. 

 

Meanwhile, the administration is looking to find ways to reduce the amount of bureaucracy, red tape, and unfunded mandates that have been making it difficult for towns.

 

"We do need to figure out a way to help you in these areas. We are putting all these regulations and all of these hoops and ladders you have to climb and jump through. It is kind of crazy," Chamberland said. 

 

But, first the administration needs to understand the issues. The director has plans to visit every Western Massachusetts town in the next two years to speak face to face with officials.

 

"There are a lot of things we need to work on," Chamberland said. "You guys know best what is going on in your communities."

 

Whether the issue was the time it takes the state to reimburse towns for veterans benefits or getting schools the technology to comply with required testing or bringing broadband to underserved towns, Chamberland listened and noted many of the local concerns.