A series of departures and retirements has left several towns confronting a regional shortage of qualified building inspectors, with four municipalities turning to a newly formed private company while Sharon filled its vacancy with a veteran inspector and contractor.
The vacancies arose throughout the spring and summer, when Jim Clark left his positions in Falls Village and Norfolk in May, Joseph Manley retired from Kent and Warren in July, and Stan MacMillan retired from Sharon in June.
The search for a building inspector was a shared concern among Falls Village, Warren and Kent town leaders. Before a recent Council of Governments meeting, Falls Village First Selectman Dave Barger said he spoke with Warren First Selectman Greg LaCava and Kent First Selectman Eric Epstein about their vacancies. LaCava told them that Warren contractor John Papp was forming an LLC to provide building inspection services.
“We had a vacancy and people weren’t knocking down the doors to take it on because of the stringent requirements,” Barger said.
He reached out to Papp, as did Kent’s Eric Epstein and Norfolk First Selectman Henry Tirrell. Papp has since been hired by all four towns.
Barger said Papp works as a subcontractor and his firm, Litchfield Building Inspection Services LLC, gets a percentage of the building fees.
“It’s interesting,” Barger said. “We no longer do anything by paper. Everything is electronic. This has moved Falls Village into the 20th century. Someday we’ll get to the 21st,” he joked.
Papp, 40, of Warren, and his associate, Jonathan Abbott, 33, of New Preston, were familiarizing themselves with the Kent office last week as they took on their new roles.
Papp acknowledged that the requirements for becoming a building inspector can make the field difficult to enter. There are approximately 200 inspectors around the state, he said.
A longtime contractor, Papp said he was looking for a new experience. He’s finding that Kent has a lot of new construction, especially with three private schools within its borders.
Asked if he’d take on other towns if needed, he said his team would definitely be willing to expand.
In Sharon, William Pietrefase, 61, who took over for MacMillan in Sharon as both building inspector and fire marshal, attributes the shortage to the rigorous and time-consuming courses needed to qualify for the inspector’s job.
William Pietrefase is the new building inspector and fire marshal in Sharon. Ruth Epstein
There are 12 modules that have to be completed, including electrical, plumbing, residential energy and pool and spa installation. Completing all 12 can take multiple years. Classes are held in Hartford, but there is a shift toward online courses.
An alternate route for those with years of experience in the building trades is available. Candidates can challenge having to take particular courses and skip the test.
Pietrefase’s route to his position was a circuitous one. He began his career as a liquor salesman and was familiar with the area because he serviced customers in Sharon. He then worked as a building contractor for 35 years, but the physical demands of the work eventually took their toll.
In August 2022, he was hired as building inspector in Winsted. “They gave me two years to get certified,” he said. “I did it in seven months.”
Josh Kelly, Winsted’s town manager at the time, sent him to fire marshal school, which he was pleased to do, since many of his family members were firefighters.
After 18 months, he became a building inspector in Torrington, his hometown. He was there for two and a half years before learning that MacMillan was retiring. “I applied because this would give me the opportunity to do both,” Pietrefase said.
Pietrefase said Sharon has a lot of construction going on, a mix of both commercial and residential. “It’s a dynamic situation for a small community.”
The two jobs equal a 35-hour-a-week position, but he is on call 24/7 for incidents requiring a fire marshal.
Being an inspector is a natural step for those in the building trades, Pietrefase said, because it allows them to continue using the skills they have learned.
This fish took a Wooly Bugger in basic black, with rubber legs. Always get the rubber legs.
Then I hit on a succession of inflatable pontoon and belly boats, powered by oars and/or swim fins, and there I have remained.
Did I forget to mention that no motors are allowed on this lake? Well, no motors are allowed, and it’s no good arguing that a small electric trolling motor couldn’t possibly hurt anything. Ask me how I know this.
It’s a quiet, rejuvenating few weeks. The phone gets enough signal on one end of the deck to receive messages and maybe make a call if the wind is right. If something comes up, it’s only 15 minutes to so-called civilization.
When not fishing, I read, visit assorted cousins, listen to baseball on the AM radio and/or stare blankly into the middle distance.
Bassing with a fly rod in still water is a different game than chasing trout in streams.
A medium-fast-action rod, 8 to 10 feet, in line weight 7 or 8 is the starting point. The flies are big, and the wind is constant, so the angler needs some power, tempered with a bit of finesse.
I usually bring two rods. One is rigged with a floating line with a heavy front taper for turning over surface flies such as poppers.
The other has either a sink-tip or intermediate line. The lake is not all that deep, and the Woolly Buggers, Clousers and other streamers are heavy. The idea is to stay out of the vegetation while getting close to where the lunkers are hunkered down.
I use short nylon leaders, 7.5 feet with 1X tippet out of the package, and modify them constantly with additional sections of fluorocarbon tippet, snaps and droppers.
Surface action is usually minimal during the day unless it’s overcast. The lake runs east-west, so the angler can track the midmorning and late-afternoon shadows and work those areas.
Or the angler can wait until about 6:30 p.m., when things start to pick up.
Or get out there at the crack of dawn, which is best if surface action is the goal.
For subsurface fishing, some experimentation is required to find the right combination of flies, leader and sink rate. The angler also has to decide whether to troll.
There are a few places where a dry-dropper rig is appropriate, the dry being an extremely buoyant popper with a piece of stout fluorocarbon tippet tied to the bend of the hook and something heavy and wiggly at the end, like a stonefly nymph with rubber legs. (Always get the rubber legs.)
If this sounds like a bobber, it’s because it is. Don’t tell anyone. The purists don’t like it.
A net with a long handle is necessary. There is no leverage when sitting in what amounts to a floating chair.
I do not bring my phone for fish pictures. I will drop it into the depths. Ask me how I know this.
Instead I bring a small point-and-shoot camera. These get lost too, but perversely I have better luck keeping the cheap gear safe than the expensive items.
Sunscreen is applied liberally and frequently. After 50-odd years of being outside, I now have to visit the dermatologist every so often to have my face edited, and I don’t enjoy it.
A baseball cap does nothing for the ears and neck. I have a hat with a wide brim and a vented top, so it doesn’t get too hot. It looks stupid, but this is an acceptable risk.
Finally, a word about the quarry. Largemouth bass are not picky eaters. When engaged they usually dive and tug. Once in a while they leap. They are easily discouraged, however, and after a minute or two come meekly to the net.
Smallmouth, not so much. These aren’t especially big, but every smallie I’ve ever met thought it was much bigger than it actually was. Expect acrobatics.
Perch usually grab my fly when I don’t want them to.
Perch are in the August mix, usually when I don’t want them to be.Patrick L. Sullivan
Panfish are everywhere. They are extremely cooperative. Chasing sunnies is a good way to get a newcomer started.
And then there are the pickerel. These are nasty fish. Very antisocial. I keep a pair of long-handled pliers handy to get the fly out of their mouths safely while admiring the large number of very sharp teeth. They will bite the pliers. Do not use your fingers. Again, ask me how I know this.
Upon release, it’s not unusual to observe the pickerel hanging around a few yards away, glaring and plotting hideous revenge.
So this is the August routine, occasionally leavened with a scramble into a brook trout stream if conditions allow.
It’s peaceful. Kind of boring, in a good way.
And then in the fall the game shifts back to rivers and streams for trout.
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MOMIX is one of the featured performers at this year’s Arts Connected fundraiser on Aug. 29.
Barry Blitt created an original piece for the fundraiser that will adorn a limited edition T-Shirt for sale during the event.Provided
The evening will feature live plein air painting by artists from Plein Air Litchfield, performances by Our Culture Is Beautiful (OCIB), fire performer Cinderfella, and Susan Becker Aziz’s monumental humpback whale puppet, originally created for Paul Winter’s “Missa Gaia.” Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase artwork from a curated exhibition, with proceeds supporting the Arts Council’s mission to strengthen and promote the arts throughout Northwest Connecticut.
This year’s honorary host committee includes Meryl Streep, Diane von Furstenberg, Tim Daly, Téa Leoni, Maria Horn, Patti LuPone, Jack O’Brien, Sam Waterston and Paul Winter. Creative cocktail attire is encouraged, and attendance is limited. The event is open to guests 21 and older.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit artsnwct.org
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