SUNDERLAND — As he sits back and reflects on years of service to Sunderland residents, a common thread becomes apparent in the projects longtime Selectboard member Tom Fydenkevez recalls.
When Sunderland Elementary School’s roof caved in, the community came together to quickly repair it and neighboring towns continued students’ education. When Frontier Community Access Television (FCAT) was formed, residents were the chief priority. When South County EMS finally came together, it was for the benefit of the community. And the veterans memorial outside the Town Offices? Community-led.
“Everything that’s been accomplished in our town has been because of the people,” Fydenkevez said in an interview at the Town Offices last week. “We’ve never had a problem getting people behind projects to move the projects forward and I think that’s the strength of the town: it’s our people.”
He noted that strength extends to their regional partnerships with Deerfield and Whately, even if it takes years of debate to carry out something like the creation of South County EMS. Former Whately EMS Director and current South County EMS Board of Oversight member Gary Stone had his reservations about the regional agency, but threw his full support behind it once voters gave it the green light.
“I think that’s the epitome of what good government is all about,” Fydenkevez said.
And now, after 24 years of service on the Sunderland Selectboard, Fydenkevez is taking a step back from the weekly meetings and constant negotiations — although not completely. The longtime public servant, with his roots placed in the town’s Planning Board and Conservation Commission, has rejoined the Coast Guard Auxiliary and looks forward to dedicating his time to that cause. He last day in office will be May 5.
“I think it’s time. … Twenty-four years is a long time and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” Fydenkevez said. “About a year ago, I joined back up [with the Coast Guard] and I made a promise to one of my good buddies to get back involved.”
His long journey into town government began decades ago when he joined the Conservation Commission, Planning Board and the Strategic Economic Development team. After those years of service, Fydenkevez said some friends convinced him to run for Selectboard and it was history from there.
Asked about projects and initiatives he’s proud of, Fydenkevez said bringing a town administrator aboard was a huge accomplishment that “made our government more professional.” A few years after, Sunderland Elementary School’s roof collapsed in February 2003, which Fydenkevez said forced an all-out effort from town officials, the public and state government to get kids back into school.
After the roof was complete, D.F. Pray, the firm hired to complete the project, sued Sunderland for what it described as “‘outrageous, conscience-shocking and coercive’” behavior intended to deprive the company of the money it’s owed for completed work,” according to a 2005 Greenfield Recorder article. It was during this lawsuit, which sent Fydenkevez to Boston to a federal arbitrator, that he said he learned an important lesson about public service.
After hours of settlement negotiations — “I had parked out in Alewife; I didn’t know if the T ran at 10 at night” — the town agreed to pay the contractor an additional $975,000. While this contentious process was happening, however, Fydenkevez said D.F. Pray attended the reopening of the school and its employees were polite throughout the process.
“When we had the grand opening, D.F. Pray was there and they were good people,” he said. “You grow, because you learn it’s negotiations, it’s business. It’s not a personal thing.”
On a more local level, Fydenkevez said he learned about the importance of having friends who aren’t afraid to tell you the hard truths. Among that group, he counted his fellow Selectboard members, friends and the late state Rep. Steve Kulik as his mentors and friends.
“When you screw up, they’re not afraid to tell you that you screwed up. … They keep you grounded. If you’re thinking about doing something, they’re the people you pass things by,” he said, sharing a conversation he had with the longtime state representative. “I asked Steve about how he voted … and he said, ‘Tom, you have to live with yourself.’ … That was very important to know.”
While he’s stepping back from the Selectboard, he told his fellow members that he’d still like to be a part of the South County EMS Board of Oversight, serve as the town’s appointee to the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and be appointed to the Council on Aging.
Among the biggest contributors to his years on the board, Fydenkevez emphasized, was his family.
“I’m very fortunate. My family’s been very supportive,” he said, noting he’s had years of night meetings, and the occasional person confronting him about town business out in public. “If you don’t have the support of your family — your wife and your kids — that would’ve been very difficult.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.