WHATELY — Mark A. Pruhenski is looking forward to regaining 10 hours of his life every week.
The Whately town administrator has driven 75 minutes to and from work for nearly two years, but a new job in Richmond promises to cut two hours out of the Great Barrington resident’s daily commute.
He is unsure when his last day in Whately will be, but he starts as Richmond’s town administrator on June 2.
Pruhenski, 42, said he replaced Lynn Sibley in Whately after working as a special projects manager in Great Barrington. He said he started working in Whately because he was interested in becoming a town administrator.
“I had been doing some research and Whately was just a perfect fit. It was a western Mass. community, a small town. It was exactly what I was looking for at the time,” he said. “Whately had a number of projects ahead of them and that was, obviously, appealing to me. … The projects that were on the horizon here were certainly intriguing.
“I have no complaints. This town is very fortunate to have a number of dedicated board and committee members and a great staff,” Pruhenski continued. “The town really welcomed me and I think we were able to accomplish a great deal in a somewhat short period of time.”
He said the job opening has been advertised and a three-member search committee has been appointed to review résumés, potentially interview candidates, and recommend three to the Select Board.
Pruhenski said when he started almost two years ago, the town faced the Mill River project, which involved relocating a channel along the river to protect Whately’s drinking water wells put at risk by erosion. He said the project required coordination with the Massachusetts and federal emergency management agencies and received $220,000 in grant funding.
Paul Newlin, a Select Board member, had a hand in hiring Pruhenski and said he has exceeded his expectations.
“He makes sure he’s thoroughly well-informed and he helps the board. He’s on top of things. He’s just really on the ball,” Newlin said. “He puts in a lot of time and puts it to good use. … I just hope we can replace him with someone half as good.”
Pruhenski said one of the biggest accomplishments of the past two years was the consolidation of the town offices at 4 Sandy Lane. The town bought the building from the Massachusetts Library System for $810,000 in 2015. Before the move last year, the town offices operated out of the Center School and the Town Hall. Pruhenski said efficiencies, technology and communication have greatly improved.
“I think everyone here is thrilled with it,” he said. “We have enough meeting space now, and adequate office and storage space.”
Newlin said the transition produced a turbulent time for the town, but Pruhenski handled it well.
Pruhenski also said Whately expects to launch a new website on July 1. He also said the sale of a cell tower site on Christian Lane to American Tower will result in either a $1.2 million lump sum for the town or $1.6 million over 10 years.
“I think the town is on a great track and, obviously, I wish everyone the best going forward,” he said.