From the Desk of the Town Administrator, Michael Canales

Stockbridge has forged a collaborative partnership with the neighboring towns of Great Barrington, Lee, and Lenox. Together, we have established a shared inspectional and enforcement program, catering to the specific needs of each town while meeting the requirements set forth by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The central goal of this venture is to optimize resources and reduce redundancies. As part of this partnership, the Four Town Municipal Inspections Department will be created to oversee and coordinate inspection activities.

A crucial aspect of this collaboration is the appointment of Matt Kollmer who will serve as the Building Commissioner. This role entails overseeing various aspects of building inspections and regulations across all four towns. Additionally, three local inspectors will be appointed to form the core workforce for this program. Their primary responsibility will be to conduct inspections, enforce regulations, and provide support to the communities.

These inspectorial roles are distributed as follows: one inspector for Lee and Lenox, another for Great Barrington, and a third inspector for Stockbridge, serving half-time and assisting as needed in any of the four towns. This flexible approach ensures that the program can efficiently adapt to the evolving needs of each town, especially during peak seasons or special circumstances.

Residents and businesses in Stockbridge, Great Barrington, Lee, and Lenox can anticipate numerous advantages from this cooperative initiative. Most notably offering greater convenience and quicker response times for applicants. The pooling of resources will enable the towns to invest in advanced training and professional development for the shared inspectors, resulting in more knowledgeable and capable enforcement personnel.

This program is founded on efficiency and resource sharing, once all the positions are filled. Currently we have Matt Kollmer as commissioner and one inspector, Rian Dowd, who are keeping all four towns covered. Jennifer Carmichael, Administrative Assistant, provides years of experience in the Stockbridge office. In the next months we hope to have the remaining two inspector positions filled and the department running to its full capabilities.

Stockbridge, in partnership with Great Barrington, Lee, and Lenox, is taking a proactive approach to improving services, enhancing regulatory compliance, and creating a more efficient and responsive system for our communities. The Four Town Municipal Inspections Department is a promising model of cooperation that builds on the model of Tri Town Health that has served our communities well for many years.

Model photo and detail of an illustration by Norman Rockwell hanging in Town Offices.
Photos: Patrick White