Cohasset Town Facilities department lauded

Feb. 18--On Jan. 25, the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Agency (MIIA) held its annual awards luncheon. This year, Cohasset attended the event for the first time.

The town was invited to attend the event as a recipient of the MIIA's Risk Management Award, recognizing Cohasset for its dedication and commitment to risk management and employee wellness.

The award is bestowed upon the town's Facilities Department, which had made a concerted effort to assess all town buildings over the past year for future safety concerns.

In a press release, the MIIA highlighted a number of the great things the department has done to earn the award.

"The Cohasset Facilities Department has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing property exposure and losses by conducting assessments of their buildings' systems, equipment and assets, and has upgraded its software tracking system," the release states. "The benefits of this new software system include reduced stress, less wear and tear on mechanical systems, and cost savings. The results, in turn, can prevent property claims and reduce energy bills."

During Tuesday night's Board of Selectmen meeting, the Cohasset Facilities Manager Mark Kelly was formally presented with the MIIA award.

"I want to underscore how much great work Mark does," said Jilayn Mitchell, an MIIA representative who joined Selectmen on Tuesday. "Between providing trainings and making a fantastic efforts in mitigating property exposures, Mark has been a model for what is deserving of the (Risk Management Award)."

Kelly, who has been with Cohasset for over 30 years, deferred attention to his department.

"This took a lot of cooperation from a lot of folks," Kelly said. "We've expanded the department and done a lot better job maintaining the town's buildings."

The Facilities Department is in the middle of an ongoing assessment of all of the town's major equipment's functionality, and will continue its hard work even with the award in hand.

"It's a tremendous amount of work ahead," Kelly said. "But we know it'll be handled."

"These awards are not ends," added Town Manager Chris Senior. "We don't do these things for the awards, but they are recognition of just how hard everyone is working and how much good work is being done."

The selectmen took the opportunity to thank Kelly and his department for all of that hard work.

"Thank you for taking the kind of initiative that it takes to do this," Selectmen Chairman Kevin McCarthy said. "This is something that great towns with great employees do, and this award is recognition of that."

"You've done a remarkable job with everything," added Selectman Diane Kennedy. "These are real dollars you are saving. This stuff costs money, and what you're doing ends up putting that money back in everyone's pockets."

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