For both and for different reasons, Collins and Bertoni each feels the time is right for a transition and they’ve thought carefully about the future of the town. In the case of Collins, who has served the library for 35 years, her departure comes as the library will begin its next five-year planning cycle. For Bertoni, who in eight years has instilled an almost metronomic steadiness to the complexities of the Conservation Commission office, she is leaving as Manchester moves to a shared ConCom services model for the Town of Hamilton.
But their good planning aside, many in the town will miss them greatly.
Sara Collins: Long Views and Full Circles
“After 35 years it is hard to imagine the library without Sara’s presence! An impressive run to say the least,” said Manchester Town Administrator Greg Federspiel said Tuesday. “I know I speak for many when I say best wishes and thank you to Sara as she moves into a well-deserved retirement.”
Sara Collins arrived in Manchester in 1988 after working in early childhood education, serving as a teacher and, before that, at a Boston children’s book publisher while pursuing a degree in English Literature at Wheaton College. The opportunity to be a children’s librarian at Manchester Public Library was intriguing … an opportunity to combine two passions.
When she arrived, Collins said, it was hard to imagine where she’d be in five years. Over time, Collins learned that taking the long view is where the impact is.
Each year gave her the opportunity to establish a couple of large goals for the library and with her team she’s been able to achieve most of them by working together with town leaders, the Library Trustees and other libraries in the region as well as critical local partners like the Friends of the Library, the Hooper Fund, the Manchester Cultural Council, the Manchester Community Center and others.
“There have been lots and lots of opportunities, and lots and lots of challenges,” Collins said.
Indeed, Collins has overseen many changes that have impacted libraries across the country. Technology has impacted libraries, and Collins has led important changes to track with people want to utilize a community library. She oversaw the renovation and upgrades to the library in 2017, the build out of a new teen library in 2018, the overhaul of the reference room in 2021, and transforming the main reference room into a flexible space with
moveable furniture that serves both “reference and research” as well as public gatherings.
“The library serves so many facets of the community,” she said. “We see children, busy families, and older people who are on the other side of the desk whose only human contact that day might be us.”
In the end, Collins has overseen the change from the library’s traditional role of book lending to what the library offers today, which is a whole array of programs designed for community engagement, including literacy initiatives, crafts, author visits, tai chi, writing workshops, meditation and more.
This was tested during the COVID-19 pandemic when the library faced closures and restrictions, but Collins and her team adapted, deploying programs on Zoom, delivering hundreds of books to residents, pivoting to curbside pick-up for books and transforming the library’s front lawn into another room at the library. Collins called it, “online and on lawn.”
When recalling a career highlight, Collins goes to a day long ago in the children’s room, when a local gentleman noticed an “Adopt a Book” display on her desk and asked what it was. Collins told me the program collected a small donation to purchase children’s book in someone’s name. The man, Ron Borel, sponsored a books. A couple weeks later he sponsored another, saying he loved the idea. That quiet rhythm continued even after Mr. Borel moved away 12 years ago to Arizona.
Then, two years ago Collins got a call from Mr. Borel’s daughter letting her know that her father died and left the library $500,000 in his will. It showed Collins that magic is everywhere, and it can surprise you, even decades later. The donation has been earmarked for the library’s next renovation and expansion, expected in five years. The donation brought Collins back to the very beginning of her career, a full circle moment.
“This job has turned out to be a wonderful life,” said Collins.
So what of her plans for retirement? Collins says she will enjoy her family, and pursue “unstructured time.” Now that sounds great.
Chris Bertoni: Wetlands Regulations Steward
When Conservation Administrator Chris Bertoni shared in August that she’d be retiring from her post after eight years, it seemed like plenty of time for a well-managed exit. This week, she said with a smile, “it’s all down to the wire!”
And it is down to the wire. But all agree she has made the office she came to in 2015 a better place. Colleagues say she’ll be a hard act to follow. “She’s set a very high bar for her replacement,” said Steve Gang who, as chair of the MBTS Conservation Commission, has worked most closely with Bertoni throughout her time.
Indeed, she has set a high bar, working meticulously in a role simultaneously requiring her to effectively explain and steward homeowners and developers through complicated wetlands regulations while also supporting the ConCom in its own detailed work.
“I feel like I’ve done good work,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot. I’ve worked with really good people. And I’ve helped see a lot of important things through. I feel good about that.”
Being the point person on wetlands regulations in a coastal town like Manchester is a challenge, and Bertoni says that’s what’s made it all interesting.
Bertoni’s replacement, expected to be announced next week, will serve a dual role as Conservation Agent for both Manchester and the Town of Hamilton in a shared position.
The ConCom is an appointed quasi-judicial board made of members that may not have direct professional experience with environmental science or government compliance, so Bertoni’s presence as Administrator was paramount as the project master going between the ConCom and residents or developers to carefully review and approve development plans, ensuring that new constructions align with environmental regulations and helping people navigate an intimidating process.
Because of this, Bertoni has to be both expert and generalist. She has to have environmental knowledge, legal expertise, project management skills, and be able to do public outreach.
The good news is that Bertoni, a resident of Beverly, came to Manchester in 2015 as a strong generalist with a throughput in the outdoors and the environment. She spent 15 years at the Peabody Essex Museum’s Natural History office in museum collections. Before that, she lived for four years in France after her husband’s job at a ski products manufacturer moved to its global headquarters. The couple had met in Colorado, both working in the ski industry. (Fun fact: Chris Bertoni had also worked as a wrangler on a “dude ranch.”)
She said she often engages residents and developers as they are in the middle of making their way through complicated filings and approval processes designed for state and local wetlands regulations compliance, and that can be hard for even the most sophisticated of people. And it’s that point of educating the public on what’s behind these wetland regulations—the importance of conservation efforts—that’s when Bertoni feels she’s having a real impact.
“I hope I’m being a resource for people and not just giving them the information,” Bertoni said.
Soon, it will be time for the next steward, one who she helped to vet and interview and hire with colleagues at Town Hall, to take over her desk. It feels like the right for Bertoni. “It’s time to pursue other interests,” she laughs. That means getting the time to spend on personal passions like ceramics or being able to travel with her husband, who will himself be retiring in the next year.
In the meantime, does retirement mean Bertoni is out of the ConCom life? No. She will continue serving as a member of the City of Beverly Conservation Commission as she has for the last nine years, the last three of them as chair.
