Wakefield council discusses priorities with new manager

By P.J. GLISSON

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Wakefield - Bob Brown began as Wakefield's new city manager on Tuesday, and by Wednesday, said he received about 18 visitors before meeting at the end of the afternoon for a 90-minute work session with city council members.

After the work session, he planed to have a hamburger with members of the city's volunteer fire department.

Brown said he has big plans for the city and council members were glad to hear them.

"We have to figure out how to merge the past and the future," said Brown in relation to how best to encourage tourism and general economic growth.

The new manager, who already has reviewed the city budget with treasurer Sherry Ravelli, said he hopes to have an updated master plan, recreation plan and capital improvement plan in place by 2020.

He said those updates are essential in relation to applying for government grants. Helping Wakefield to achieve a redevelopment-ready status with the state also will help in attracting grants, he added.

He also wants the planning commission to review all city ordinances, including those on zoning, so the city can work toward updating them all.

Brown added that the city can and should also determine how and when to correct and beautify street signs and to synchronize street lights.

"You've got four different kinds of street lights out there," he said, pointing out that using a standard style will ease maintenance.

Mayor John Granato said the city needs to be sure that budgeting priorities are included in annual budgets, and council member Pat Mann added that all projects need to be issued with completion dates.

Mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro said blight is a continuing issue. But added the city also needs to address its own related issues, as with its Quonset hut, which council member Kay Wiita described as "a thorn in our side."

Brown said the city should determine only a few priorities in blight, then notify offenders and set timelines. He added the city also must decide how to administer fines, when warranted, and follow through with enforcing consequences.

Tarro also pointed out a problem with water leaks "all over the place" and emphasized the importance of flushing fire hydrants twice a year.

Brown said city employees will follow a flushing schedule and residents will be warned of brown water that may travel through pipes during the process. "I'd like to keep it under a week because I don't want to inconvenience residents or upset schedules," Brown said regarding potential flushing routines.

The new city manager also spoke of coming to terms with the old city hall and considering the feasibility of a new city garage. Perhaps later, changing local election times to synchronize with national elections, which could result in money saved, he said.

Staff accountability

Wiita spoke of the importance of daily accountability among staff, and Brown agreed.

Brown said office memorandums need to be updated and consolidated within a master book for easier tracking, and he agreed that a better system is needed for work orders. He also intends to create a more efficient email trail, which then will provide additional documentation of any action taken.

He also will ask for weekly reports that document projects and hours worked, and he will review the employee cell phone policy.

Finally, Brown said he will address the city's personnel manual, update employee job descriptions and conduct annual employee evaluations.

"I'm going to put a procedure together," he said in relation to evaluations.

Brown said any changes made will, by necessity, occur gradually and sensibly, with an eye to improving staff harmony. Moreover, he said of himself and the council, "We'll be accountable, too."

"We all have high expectations of each other," he said, "It's a circle here; we're all in this together."