Lee, Lenox, and Stockbridge — With Lee’s Aeroldi Building to be demolished as the town’s public-safety complex moves forward, its tenant, Tri-Town Health Department, will be moving to the Stockbridge Town Hall, 50 Main Street, during this holiday season.
The department’s offices will be closed to the public from January 2 through January 10 to allow for the move; however, staff will be working and available by phone and email. The agency’s online system for commercial permits, including restaurants, will remain accessible despite the measure hitting during Tri-Town Health’s busiest time of year.
“We’re in the middle of permit renewals for our towns, for all of our restaurants,” said James J. Wilusz, executive director for the Tri-Town Health Department that includes the health departments of the towns of Lee, Lenox, and Stockbridge. More than 300 businesses are involved in the annual permit-renewal process that began in November, he said. “I just want to reassure people that [the permit process] is functional,” Wilusz said.
Tri-Town Health’s offices will also be closed during the holidays, from noon on December 24 through Christmas Day, as well as January 1. A professional firm is assisting with laying out efficient office space and partitioned work areas.
The office phone number will remain (413) 243-5540, but the new mailing address will be P.O. Box 307, Stockbridge, MA 01262.
The relocation comes after the agency began headquartering at the Aeroldi Building in the early 1970s, Wilusz said, a facility that now has aged infrastructure and wiring as well as roof leaks. He has been at that site for his full tenure, almost 25 years.
“It has not been a pleasant last 15 to 20 years in this building,” Wilusz said. “We thought we had a couple of years that we were going to be able to weigh our options. Then, with the Lee Public Safety Building going, that process moved quickly.”
Wilusz said the agency needed to vacate the building in six months and he was concerned, not knowing what the department’s options were for operations. With the fate of Tri-Town Health’s 10 employees and on-site laboratory uncertain, the town of Stockbridge stepped up.
“When we learned that the Tri-Town Health Department needed a new location to operate from, we quickly assessed our options,” said Stockbridge Town Administrator Michael Canales. “I reviewed the use of Stockbridge Town Hall versus the cost of renting commercial office space. It became clear that the planning room in Town Hall, which was primarily used for occasional department head meetings, could be repurposed without disrupting other operations. Additionally, we identified other unused or underused spaces both upstairs and downstairs in the building that could accommodate their needs.”
The town of Lee housed Tri-Town Health for years, and Lenox, with its Public Safety Building under construction, would not be able to provide space for at least two years, he said, leaving Stockbridge “in the best position to step up.” Meetings began between Wilusz, Canales, Lee Town Administrator Christopher Brittain, and former Lenox Interim Town Manager and State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D – 3rd Berkshire District) to coordinate the relocation before bringing the proposal to the Stockbridge Select Board for approval.
“This move allows us to work even more closely with Tri-Town Health and offer their important services right here in Town Hall,” Canales said. “We’re proud to be the new host community and look forward to supporting their efforts in serving the residents of Stockbridge and beyond.”
The Stockbridge offices will expand the agency’s space from the Lee site’s approximately 1,000 square feet to about 1,600 square feet, Wilusz said. Two inspectors currently work in less than 100 square feet of shared office space, he said, with three employees in another office.
The Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative staff will be located on the ground floor. Grant funded, the Collaborative was developed in 2021 to share services—nursing, inspection, community partnerships—between the Tri-Town Health District and the towns of Alford, Great Barrington, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Sandisfield, Sheffield, and Tyringham. The rest of the Tri-Town Health team will be upstairs, including a director’s office, assistant director’s office, and three inspector offices.
The group is also allotted seven designated parking spaces at Stockbridge Town Hall in addition to an electric-vehicle charging station spot, with that tally sufficient as inspectors are often in the field, Wilusz said.
The department currently pays $7,200 in annual rent for the Aeroldi Building, he said, split between the three membership towns. With a slightly higher lease rate in Stockbridge that includes heat, electricity, and custodial services, he anticipates an updated cost agreement soon.
“It’s a little bit bittersweet because I don’t want to leave Lee, personally,” Wilusz said. “We’ve always been in Lee. It’s sort of the central hub for our membership towns, but we’re literally moving three miles down the road into another central location. Lenox and Lee are still central. I find it almost all beneficial. We’re going into a larger space, a lot of light, a lot of windows. Stockbridge welcomed us with open arms.”
Tri-Town Health Department will next meet virtually, via Zoom, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 19.
