Selectwoman Christine Hoyt, David Nuvallie, Chairman John Duval and Selectman Joe Nowak poses with Nuvallie's certificates of appreciation on his retirement.
ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen recognized David Nuvallie last week for his 30 years of service to the town, including temporarily as director of the Department of Public Works.
Nuvallie was met with applause Wednesday evening after the Chairman John Duval read from a certificate recognizing his dedication to the town.
"The Board of Selectmen hereby recognize the remarkable achievements of Mr. David Nuvallie throughout his career and time with the town and acknowledge his innumerable contributions to the Department of Public Works," Duval read. "The Selectmen join the citizens of Adams in expressing their sincere appreciation for his service and share their best wishes for a well-deserved and enjoyable retirement."
Nuvallie, who retired in March, started working for the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District in 1987 as the director of parks and grounds. He joined the town's DPW two years later and wore multiple hats during his nearly three decades there, such as parks and grounds superintendent, deputy DPW director and most recently as the interim director, a position he's stepped into twice.
Duval read that Nuvallie was an expert in turf management and was accredited in pesticide management.
Nuvallie had few words to say and humbly thanked his co-workers.
"I'd like to thank all of the girls on the second and third floors for really helping out throughout the years," he said. "They have really pitched in."
After the recognition, interim Town Administrator Donna Cesan asked the Selectmen to approve the new DPW director hiring process. She said a screening committee will form and bring forth the best two to three candidates.
She said the screening committee will consist of Town Accountant Mary Beverly, herself and Nuvallie.
"He has offered to participate just on a gratis basis just because he has taken pity on Mary and me," she said. "He realized that we probably would not be able to answer very well any details about the fleet and other such things."
Cesan said they are currently holding interviews and plan to bring a group of finalists to the board in the coming weeks. She said currently eight have applied and out of that eight, three of those do not meet the criteria.
The Selectmen had no issue with the process Cesan spelled out.
"I don't see a problem with it and I am glad Dave will be on it because he has the technical background and I have all of the confidence in Mary and Donna," Selectman Joseph Nowak said.
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A Rare Bird: Koperniak Stands Out in Triple-A
By Frank MurtaughThe Memphis (Tenn.) Flyer
With Major League Baseball’s September roster expansion just around the corner, Berkshire County baseball fans will be watching to see whether 2016 Hoosac Valley High School graduate Matt Koperniak gets the call from the St. Louis Cardinals. Heading into Tuesday night’s action, Koperniak had 125 hits this summer for the Cards’ Triple A affiliate, the Memphis (Tenn.) Redbirds. He is hitting .309 this season with 17 home runs. In his minor league career, he has a .297 batting average with 56 homers after being signed as a free agent by St. Louis out of Trinity College in 2020. This week, sportswriter Frank Murtaugh of the Memphis Flyer profiled Koperniak for that publication. Murtaugh’s story appears here with the Flyer’s permission.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- I’ve interviewed professional baseball players for more than two decades. There are talented players who, honestly, aren’t that interesting away from the diamond. They’re good ballplayers, and baseball is what they know. There are also very interesting baseball players who aren’t all that talented. Now and then, though, you find yourself in the home team’s dugout at AutoZone Park with a very good baseball player who has a very interesting story to share. Like the Memphis Redbirds’ top hitter this season, outfielder Matt Koperniak.
That story? It began on Feb. 8, 1998, when Koperniak was born in London. (Koperniak played for Great Britain in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.) “My dad was in the military,” explains Koperniak. “He was in Italy for a bit, then England. But I have no memories of that time.” Matt and his family moved back to the States — to Adams, Mass. — before his third birthday.
Koperniak played collegiately at Division III Trinity College in Connecticut, part of the New England Small College Athletic Conference. He hit .394 as a junior in 2019, but beating up on the likes of Tufts and Wesleyan doesn’t typically catch the eye of major-league scouts. When the coronavirus pandemic wiped out his senior season, Koperniak received an extra year of eligibility but, having graduated with a degree in biology, he chose to sign as a free agent with the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I’ve always loved baseball,” says Koperniak, “and it’s helped me get places, including a good school. My advisor — agent now — was able to get me into pro ball, so here we are.” He played in a few showcases as well as for the North Adams SteepleCats in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, enough to convince a Cardinal scout he was worth that free agent offer.
The Redbirds hosted Memphis Red Sox Night on Aug. 10, the home team taking the field in commemorative uniforms honoring the Bluff City’s Negro Leagues team of the 1930s and ’40s. Luken Baker (the franchise’s all-time home run leader) and Jordan Walker (the team’s top-ranked prospect) each slammed home runs in a Memphis win over Gwinnett, but by the final out it had become Matt Koperniak Night at AutoZone Park. He drilled a home run, a triple, and a single, falling merely a double shy of hitting for the cycle. It was perfectly Koperniak: Outstanding baseball blended into others’ eye-catching heroics.
“It’s trying to do the little things right,” he emphasizes, “and being a competitor. The Cardinals do a great job of getting us to play well-rounded baseball. Everybody has the same mindset: How can I help win the next game? You gotta stay in attack mode to be productive.”
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