Select Board conditionally backs new building commissioner amid legal review

HUBBARDSTON -- January 12, 2026, Hubbardston Select Board advances building commissioner candidate contingent on legal review. The board voted unanimously Monday to move forward with Robert "Bob" Garside, an LLC operator who provides building commissioner services to roughly ten Massachusetts municipalities at a rate of $50 per hour for up to 19 hours per week, putting the annual cost near $50,000. Select Board member Kris Pareago, who led two rounds of interviews alongside town staff, told the board the group's preference was Garside because he "takes it out of our hands," but members flagged unresolved questions about Chapter 30B procurement compliance and whether Garside's subcontractors must be individually appointed by the town. The board also unanimously reauthorized signatory authority on a $75,000 Rural Development Fund grant for 21 Gardner Road and appointed former assistant treasurer-collector Sarah Ris to a temporary holdover role at her current rate for up to 10 hours per week through January 31. Interim Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald was tasked with contacting reference towns before the board's next meeting, rescheduled to Tuesday, January 20, 2026, due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.