Brookfield board approves emergency water contract, appoints assistant assessor and signs a series of municipal actions

The Brookfield Select Board, meeting jointly with the Board of Assessors on July 16, approved an emergency operations contract with East National Water LLC and authorized a procurement contract with consultant Rebecca Raffley as the town copes with a sudden operator shortage.

The water commission told the board the town’s recent primary operator had his MassDEP T‑1 application denied in mid‑June and then gave two weeks’ notice effective Friday, leaving the system at risk when an emergency operator certificate expires Aug. 26. "We posted the job… not a single applicant came in," the water commissioner said, describing why the commission recommended contracting for interim operations. The commission briefed the Select Board after an emergency meeting and recommended award of the contract.

The interim contract shown to the board is $8,250 per month for a primary operator and a secondary operator; initial terms were described as two months with month‑to‑month extensions as needed. The water commissioner told the board the contractor’s contract lists regular hours as 8 a.m.–5 p.m., and that after‑hours service would be billed to the town at $80 per hour plus time‑and‑a‑half.

The board voted to authorize execution of the East National Water LLC contract and to proceed with hiring Rebecca Raffley to prepare bid documents for a longer‑term solution; the Raffley contract was capped at $3,000. The water commission asked the board to allow the contractor to begin as soon as the contract could be signed; the board authorized the chair to sign on the town’s behalf so the contractor could be presented the executed agreement the following day.

The meeting also covered personnel and capital matters. The assessors described a search that yielded roughly 25 resumes, a dozen phone screens and eight candidates; the assessor panel recommended Eric Nugent. A motion to appoint Nugent as assistant assessor carried, and Nugent told the room he will start Monday. "My name is Eric Nugent. I’m a Marine Corps veteran… I’m happy to do so with the town of Brookfield on Monday," he said.

Other actions ratified at the meeting included acceptance of two change orders for the Rice Corner Road culvert replacement (staff said cost impacts are covered within the project budget) and ratification of two fiscal‑year‑end transfers to close FY26 obligations.

What’s next: The contractor is expected to begin under the emergency contract immediately after signatures are exchanged; the town will continue recruiting for a permanent superintendent while procurement staff prepares bid documents for longer‑term operations.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the East National Water LLC interim operations contract and authorized the procurement contract for Rebecca Raffley (cap $3,000); appointed Eric Nugent as assistant assessor; accepted Rice Corner culvert change orders; ratified two FY‑end transfers.