Yennerell completes first year in Springfield

Tom Yennerell ticks off the positives he’s seen in his first year as Springfield town manager. “I think many people are interested in moving Springfield forward,” said Yennerell.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20151123/NEWS02/151129811

PHOTO BY LEN EMERY Springfield Town Manager Tom Yennerell is marking his first year on the job. Published November 23, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Yennerell completes first year in Springfield By Susan Smallheer STAFF WRITER SPRINGFIELD — Tom Yennerell ticks off the positives he’s seen in his first year as Springfield town manager. “I think many people are interested in moving Springfield forward,” said Yennerell. “There’s an awful lot of interest.” “There’s a lot of agreement that the focus should be on the downtown and economic development,” he added. And what else? “I think the town is on the cusp of doing significant improvements,” he said, referring to the anticipated demolition of the old Jones & Lamson Machine Tool Co., a contaminated former industrial site that stretches for more than a quarter mile along Clinton Street, at one of the main entrances to town. Yennerell came to Springfield a year ago, with 17 years experience as a town manager — 10 years in West Rutland, five years in Mancos, Colo., and two years in Henniker, N.H. — before being hired in Springfield in the fall of 2014. Yennerell had managed towns about a third the size of Springfield, and he said getting to know all the town employees and their various jobs and responsibilities was the biggest challenge since he came to town. “It’s a pretty complex operation,” he said of the town and its 100 employees. Adding to the challenge is the fact that the town has four different unions representing the police, fire, highway and library employees. But in his first year, he’s already finalized three new contracts — all with different unions. “I’ve had no issues,” he said, noting that talks start the first week of December with the fourth union — the firefighters. Yennerell, 62, a native of western Pennsylvania, came to Vermont in 1981 to Pittsfield to run the Pittsfield Inn. He eventually became chairman of the Pittsfield Select Board, and he admits a big piece of his heart is still in Pittsfield. He left Pittsfield in 2002, when he moved to Pittsford. “When I saw the video about what happened to Pittsfield during Irene,” Yennerell said. “I knew everyone in those videos. I miss it. Some days I wish I had never left.” Yennerell and his ex-wife ran the inn, and during the day he was a “rescue skier” at the Killington Ski Area, providing first aid and getting injured skiers down the mountain to more help. Yennerell said it was the draw of excellent backcountry skiing that drew him to Colorado for five years. In his time away from the town hall and its endless supply of meetings, Yennerell likes to backcountry ski, hike, bicycle and “flatwater” kayak. Divorced, with no children, he and his partner live in Springfield off Skitchewaug Trail. Yennerell says he wants to guard her privacy, but said that she had recently started volunteering Mondays in Springfield. Yennerell said his favorite hike remains hiking up Pico Mountain. “It’s a great hike, and in an hour and half you get up on top of a 4,000-foot mountain and you’re in the mountain environment and you’ve got great views.” He said he’s hiked Ascutney Mountain in October, and came away impressed with the 360-degree views. Yennerell left West Rutland and headed west to Mancos, a small town, population 1,400 in the southwestern corner of Colorado. It’s 50 miles from the Four Corners, where the states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona meet, Yennerell said, the largest town in a valley of about 5,000. Visiting family who lived in Colorado had inspired his western wanderlust, he said. But after five years in Colorado, it was time to return home to the East Coast, he said. He said his goal was to return to Vermont, which in his world view gives its towns more power and autonomy than the states of New Hampshire and Colorado. Springfield has been a good fit, he said. He sees himself staying in Springfield until he’s ready to retire, whenever that is. “I just thought that the structure of the municipal statutory structure is more conducive to getting things done,” said Yennerell. “Municipalities in Vermont have more power and flexibility,” he said. In New Hampshire and Colorado, he said, the state hands down many more mandates. “You name it,” he said. In New Hampshire, the state even sets the town’s tax rate, he said. If there was one thing all four small towns he’s managed have in common is a wish for more economic activity. “Everyone wants more economic development. It’s such an overworked phrase,” said Yennerell. “There are challenges, and good things. There is far more positive things going on. One of our weaknesses is we don’t get all the news out about the positives going on.” “I think there’s a lot in Springfield and it’s a future place to do business,” Yennerell said. “I think we have really qualified and experienced staff that do a good job.” Yennerell said he’s been spending time working with Southeastern Vermont Community Action for a program during the summer of 2017, when a group of southern New Hampshire teenagers, “Work Camp New England” will come to town for two weeks to work on houses whose owners need help. “They’ll be able to do painting, roofs, decks and ramps,” said Yennerell. “We’ll have 150 to 200 kids for two weeks,” he said. Yennerell’s first year as Springfield’s town manager has also seen tragedy. The town was shocked in April by a murder outside one of its small neighborhood stores: a neighbor confronted a neighbor over heroin sales. The slaying of local contractor Wesley Wing struck a deep chord in Springfield, and Yennerell said the town’s Project ACTION has been working on solutions to the complex problem of drugs in town. Police foot patrols in the downtown area have also helped curb drug-related crime. That, and some arrests and sentencing have gotten some of the bigger drug dealers out of the community, he said. The goal, he said, is to send the message that Springfield is not hospitable to dealers. Select Board Chairman Kristi Morris said the board is currently evaluating Yennerell after his first year on the job and he said he was pleased with Yennerell’s work. “I’ve very excited,” he said of Yennerell’s tenure. “So far he’s been diligent about meeting our goals and expectations.” Yennerell succeeded longtime Town Manager Robert Forguites, who retired after 16 years. Forguites is now one of the town’s two representatives to the Vermont Legislature. The two men worked together for several weeks before Forguites retired. “We felt we needed someone who was more proactive,” Morris said, while praising the job Forguites had done. “Tom’s first six months were a learning curve, but he’s diligent about doing research and diligent about goals and expectations for department heads,” said Morris, a seven-year veteran of the board. Selectman George McNaughton said Yennerell deserved a year to get acquainted with the town and its issues. But, he said, he wants Yennerell to chart a more aggressive course in his second year, with an emphasis on economic development. “It takes a year to figure out the problems. What can he do about the dilapidated buildings and get the blight fixed? If he can come up with an aggressive plan, he’ll get major kudos for me,” McNaughton said. http://www.vermonttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/RH/20151123/NEWS02/151129811