WILBRAHAM – Pete Nothe, Wilbraham’s deputy fire chief was named to the position of acting fire chief by the Select Board at their meeting on June 3. Nothe has been with the fire department since 1987 and became deputy fire chief in 2017. Nothe will take over on July 1, as the current fire Chief David Bourcier is retiring.

Howard Barber updated the Select Board on the progress on the proposed roof project for Wilbraham Middle School (WMS). Barber said the project was, “at a standstill,” while waiting for the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to finish conducting a “formal evaluation process.”

The MSBA’s mission statement is to “partner with Massachusetts communities to support the design and construction of educationally-appropriate, flexible, sustainable, and cost-effective public school facilities.” The roof project at WMA is one of many projects that the MSBA is considering across the state. If selected, a portion of the costs associated with the project would be reimbursed by the organization. Barber said the district would be informed whether it has been selected on June 26.

If the project is approved, the district would be put in touch with an MSBA designated vendor and have 60 days to finalize a design.

The project would have to be voted on at a special town meeting as a bond would need to be secured for the cost of the project. Barber said the district would be responsible for the first $25,000 of the project. After that, the MSBA would reimburse the town for

Town Administrator Nick Breault told the Select Board that the town would be unable to paint a “thin blue line” between the yellow lines on the street in front of the police station, as had been proposed. He said that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has regulations about painting on highways.

Breault also brought up the current “handshake” agreement between Wilbraham and Hampden in which each town’s building inspector helps out in the other town when their inspector is unavailable due to sickness or vacation. Breault said that he would meet with his Hampden counterpart, Town Administrator Mary McNally, to discuss a more formal agreement, including the compensation for work done while covering each other’s town.