Facilities Director for Town, Schools Leaving His Post

Taissir Alani, Bedford’s municipal and school facilities director for the past nine years, has resigned, effective on Friday.

Acting Town Manager Colleen Doyle informed the Select Board during its regular meeting on Monday. Doyle said Tuesday the position is being advertised this week, and she will confer with School Superintendent Philip Conrad and his successor, Cliff Chuang, about the details for filling the position permanently.

Alani was Bedford’s third facilities director since the position was established in 1997. The job is part of both the municipal and school structure, with budgetary separation and crossover in areas such as maintenance and repairs.

“I’m very sad to leave, but it’s time for me to move on,” Alani said in an interview on Tuesday afternoon. He said he is weighing “a couple of offers” from the private sector, one in the area and the other on the West Coast, and will choose one after taking some vacation.

Alani said he provided notice of his departure more than two weeks ago.  He said his assistant, Ron Scaltreto, will handle day-to-day management.

“Taissir was an incredible asset to the schools and to the town during his tenure in Bedford,” said Dan Brosgol, the longest serving member of the School Committee. He called Alani a “consummate professional,” and noted that “he oversaw four major school renovation and expansion projects as well as his work on other town buildings like the police station project..”

Conrad stated, “Taissir has been an incredible partner for us especially during Covid-19. Without his proactive approach, we would not have been able to provide the learning environments we did for our students and staff.”

Brosgol also pointed out “his work in keeping utility costs under control while also pursuing aggressive goals for sustainability.”

The chair of the Select Board, Bopha Malone, reacted with gratitude “for his commitment and dedication to the town. Taissir has played an essential role in a lot of what we love about our town.”

Alani succeeded Richard Jones in 2014, and he thanked the town manager and school superintendent of that time, Rick Reed and Jon Sills, for “giving me this wonderful opportunity.”

He reviewed a roster of major town and school projects since then: renovations or additions in all four schools; the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing overhaul of Town Hall; preservation of the historic Bedford Depot; the expansion and renovation of the police station. “I’m proud of them all,” he said, adding, “I basically established a roadmap for our 15-year energy plan.”

“I really would like to emphasize the collaboration, working with town committees, and their support,” he said. 

Alani emphasized his gratitude to the residents and to his staff. “I have been very lucky to have had this opportunity to manage projects, but without the support and approval of residents, I would have had no projects,” he observed. “All of our articles were approved because of their value to the town.”

“Credit goes to my office staff as well as the custodians and the maintenance technicians, the two groups who keep our buildings well-cleaned and well-lit and well-maintained, day in and day out,” Alani asserted. During the months dealing with Covid-19, “they did the deep cleaning and sanitation and sterilization. They were at the front lines. They’re the ones who should get the credit.

“My message to my staff is always: Lead by example,” Alani related. “Whatever is in the best interest of the town, do not hesitate to help out. Using our resources, we jump into any opportunity if we feel we can help.”

He mentioned some work done “outside our jurisdiction or control, like the townwide fiber optic project. “We even took the lead on community choice aggregation.” Facilities worked with the Department of Public Works to upgrade street lighting, he continued, and his department centralizes the total utilities budget.

“We don’t just maintain buildings,” he said. “We are all employees.”

The demands of navigating Covid-19 did not play a role in his decision to leave, Alani said. “I think it’s just timing, my mind telling me it’s time to go now.”