EAST?LONGMEADOW – The town continues its search to find a new library director and building commissioner.

Although a top library director candidate might be recommended to the Town Council in the next month, a search for a building commissioner needs to be restarted because the previous selection for the position declined to accept the job,     Interim Town Manager Denise Menard told Reminder Publications.

“We had a good qualified candidate that was in the original search and made it to the second search,” she added. “I’m going to approach someone who is another town that works part-time to see if he would maybe like [fill in on a temporary basis].”

Currently, the town has a Springfield building commissioner working on a part-time basis for East Longmeadow, she noted.

“We have not had one building inspection that’s been delayed by this process,” she noted. “We have somebody that has been filling in and doing a great job filling in for us … Zoning violations are being addressed. Across the board, we’re covered. We’d like something permanent.”

Menard said a committee overseeing the search for a new building commissioner includes herself, Planning Director Robyn Macdonald, and Town Councilor Michael Kane.

“The three of us recommended to the council that we wait until January to see if maybe we could get a better pool of candidates,” she explained.

She added the committee doesn’t believe the town should settle on hiring a candidate that wouldn’t remain in the position for several years.

“We want to make sure that when we make the pick that they want to stay,” Menard explained.

This would be the third search for a building commissioner. Then-Acting Town Manger Robert Peirent suggested the town do a second search after the first failed to find candidates that were a good fit for the position. The Town Council agreed with his recommendation. Former Building Inspector Daniel Hellyer retired from the job this past summer.

The Board of Library Trustees is currently working to find its top candidate by vetting its three or four finalists, she added. A decision would likely be made by Nov. 17. Menard said recommendation might come before the Town Council at its Nov. 22 meeting.

Former Library Director Susan Peterson retired from the position on Jan. 8 after more than 11 years on the job. The board offered the position to a candidate during its initial search, but that candidate and the runner up declined to take the job. The board is currently on its second search process and during the search period Sharon Bellenoit has served as acting library director.

“They had a candidate that they offered the position to when I started, that was Aug. 16, back then they had a candidate and [that person] backed out, so it’s really been since the summer,” Menard said.