UPDATED: Parks & Rec Deputy Director Leaving Spicer Administration For Tremblay Administration

Originally posted at 11:05 p.m. on July 23. Updated at 12:15 p.m. on July 24.

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FRAMINGHAM – The Deputy Director of the City of Framingham’s Parks & Recreation Department is leaving to become the Assistant Director of Facilities & Capital Planning in the Framingham Public Schools.

Tom Begin, who has been the Deputy Director of Framingham Parks & Recreation since September 2016, is moving to a position with the Framingham Public Schools District.

He will be the Assistant Director of Facilities & Capital Planning, reporting to Matt Torti, the Director of Facilities & Capital Planning, a department formerly known as Buildings & Grounds in the public school district.

This is a newly-created position, said Framingham Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Inna London.

“This is a new position created to fix a union issue in which union members were reporting to and being evaluated by another union member. Legally, this was a necessary fix,” said Assistant Supt. London.

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Framingham Public Schools is undergoing a re-organization of its central office, and re-named that department as of July 1 , according to emails sent to employees.

“The reason behind the position is that for decades we have had an employee engaging in a lot of the work that we are now reassigning to the assistant director to comply with union rules; this was a needed change. The name of the department is still under consideration and has not been finalized,” said London to SOURCE on Saturday, July 24.

There has been talk amongst City Councilors to merge some city and school functions, including buildings & grounds.

A Structural Deficit Committee was recently formed to deal with that discussion, and just held its second meeting this week.

The position of Assistant Director of Facilities & Capital Planning was posted by the Framingham Public Schools about a month ago.

The Assistant Director of Facilities & Capital Planning is “responsible for managing the operation of our facilities by overseeing maintenance, construction, housekeeping, and general upkeep of the District’s facilities. Under the direction of the Director of Facilities Management & Capital Planning, the Assistant Director will likewise be responsible for managing long-term capital planning efforts, including but not limited to new school construction and facilities renovation projects. The Assistant Director will oversee all aspects of capital construction projects, from capital budgeting through final project execution. The individual in this role will also manage many facility access activities involving external parties, including but not limited to elections, building inspections, and third-party energy audits and related projects,” according to the job description.

Assistant Superintendent London said Begin starts on August 9 at a base salary of $110,086.46 plus a $3,500 car allowance.

Begin was making $101,792 as Deputy Director of Framingham Parks & Rec Director.

There were 14 applicants for the position, said London.

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The job description stated “Bachelor’s degree is preferred. Must possess a valid driver’s license and the Massachusetts Unrestricted Construction Supervisors License.”

Begin has a Bachelor’s in political science & government from Framingham State in 2006 and a Masters in Public Administration in 2019.

Begin has been with Parks & Recreations for almost 8 years, originally hired as its Operations Manager.

The Framingham Public School position is responsible for:

Facilities Management:

• Responsible for oversight of the care, condition and appearance of district facilities and grounds.
• Ensures that all district facilities maintain a safe environment for all staff, students, and visitors.
• Ensure that all school buildings comply with all local, state and federal regulations and guidelines.
• Inspects all school buildings and grounds regularly to determine that high quality, cleanliness, safety, and security are maintained.
• Assist with managing and overseeing hired contractors for facility and grounds needs.
• Monitor all buildings for compliance with fire and building codes.
• Assign work priorities to maintenance, custodial and office personnel in conjunction with the Director.
• Supervise personnel in a manner consistent with school district policies and collective bargaining agreements.
• Collaborate with principals, directors, other administrators, and staff responsible for programs using district facilities.
• Oversee pest control for district buildings and grounds.

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Administrative Responsibilities

• Assist with preparing the annual budget for all maintenance and repair needs of all school buildings within the school district and the annual budget for capital improvements.
• Review invoices, purchase orders and quotes for items required within the department.
• Oversee inventory, bid process, and ordering of all departmental supplies.
• Attend numerous meetings as requested by the Director.
• Prepare and generate reports and other documentation relative to the custodial and maintenance needs of the district.
• Interview and recommend the employment of personnel.
• Evaluate employee performance improvement, conduct employee evaluations, provide support for continuous employee performance improvement, and assist in the employee remediation process.
• Identify training needs and implement programs for departmental personnel.

Capital Planning

• Review facility conditions, establish goals and standards, assist in assessing facility care and develop corrective actions for continuous improvement.
• Assist in preparing and delivering written documents outlining the district’s capital goals/plans, both for internal and external audiences.
• Interface with PFD, external contractors, and FPS staff on every stage of capital construction, from design through project completion, functioning when needed as FPS’s own project manager on such projects.
• Assist in developing space planning scenarios/configurations as new projects roll out requiring different uses of school space and as the district’s needs for swing space continue to evolve.
• Assist in regular assessments of the district footprint, together with demographers where appropriate, to determine where more or less district capacity is required to serve students and families best.

Begin is one of 10+ high profile positions in the Spicer administration to depart in the last 18 months. The Mayor is in a 3-way battle for re-election for another 4-year term in November.

• CFO Mary Ellen Kelley left in June 2021, after 16 years with the Town/City of Framingham. The Assistant Director Jen Pratt is now overseeing the department.

• Community & Economic Development Director Kevin Shea, said he retired in June, after the City Council voted to eliminate his salary in June. The Assistant Director Erika Jerram is now overseeing the department.

Since January 2020, the City has hired a new police chief, a new fire chief, a new DPW director, a new library director, a new highway & sanitation director, a new water & wastewater sewer director, a new assessor, and is advertising for a new health director, after Sam Wong left in the middle of the pandemic in December 2020.

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