GREENFIELD — The retired longtime regional health agent Glen Ayers is coming back to work pro bono for the Greenfield Health Department in an effort to “help rebuild” an inspection team that has been short-staffed on-and-off since its former longtime director Nicole Zabko left in the summer of 2017.
“My time is very limited,” said Ayers, who retired in May after 11 years as the regional health agent for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. “I’m not interested in being a full-time health agent. In fact I don’t think that would help solve the problem.”
Ayers told the Greenfield Board of Health he wants to help both in a mentoring role for whomever they hire for the vacant director and inspector roles, as well as with the occasional special projects.
He explained tersely he wants it known that he is working specifically under the direction of the Greenfield Board of Health, led by Steve Adam, and not the Mayor’s Office.
He added that he does not want to stipulate that he will be working one day a week or anhy particular schedule, but rather when needed and mostly for organizational guidance. Ayers also extended his help regarding work on lead paint, since that expertise can be extremely limited to come by and requires in-state licensing and approvals.
In December the department received funding from the City Council to help staff itself through the remainder of its budget year, June 30. The council provided $19,000, in addition to its remaining money in its account, which allows the department to hire a future director and full-time inspector.
The department went without an inspector for about a month, which caused some public ire and led to delays to some local businesses trying to open downtown. The questions over funding the department were tied to concerns about how the department in the first place spent its budget and if it spent it appropriately.
Just over a year ago, the health director of five months was fired by the mayor, following reporting by the Recorder of his lack of qualifications for the job. With this departure, the department was short-staffed for almost all of 2018.
Last month, the department rehired a former health inspector to do per diem work, mainly so businesses trying to open would not be prevented from doing so.
The department is still searching for full-time inspectors, but city officials involved in the hiring process have said that there is a shortage of qualified inspectors, and those who they had an eye on, at times were wary of coming to work in a department that has been seen as publicly unstable.
Longtime chairman of the Board of Health and current member Dr. William Doyle has been a public critic of the state of affairs that have affected the department.
“Certainly, I’m very impressed you’re stepping up to the plate,” Doyle said.
“I live in Greenfield,” Ayers said, “and am appalled by the situation.”
Reach Joshua Solomon at: jsolomon@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 264