BERNARDSTON — Lou Bordeaux says he has had “the experience of a lifetime” as Bernardston’s town coordinator over the past five years.

Come Nov. 11, Bordeaux will retire from his role in town government that saw him wear several hats. In addition to being the town coordinator, he is also the Americans with Disabilities Act officer and Bernardston’s information technology (IT) manager.

Bordeaux, a Bernardston resident, said he plans to stay in the area. He will continue to be a part of the coaching staff for Greenfield High School’s ice hockey team, which he has been a part of for 10 years.

“I’ve been very lucky during my five years here that practice time has not really interfered with things that are going on here,” he said. “A few times I’ve had to rearrange my schedule so I could get to games in far-off places … but to not have to worry about making a schedule fit so that I can be in two places at once is going to be a good feeling.”

Before he was town coordinator, Bordeaux served on Bernardston’s Selectboard from 2012 until 2015. He had 30 years of experience in middle and upper management and gained interest in the work Hugh Campbell was doing as town coordinator at the time.

When Campbell resigned in 2018, Bordeaux recalled thinking, “Holy cow, I think I’m gonna give that a shot.”

Having experience as a Selectboard member before taking on the position of town coordinator gave Bordeaux a clearer understanding of Bernardston’s politics as well as a deeper knowledge of state and federal laws.

“The picture becomes clearer and you’re kind of able to really make sense out of it all,” he said of his background.

Less than two years after Bordeaux was hired as town coordinator, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, leading town officials to distribute testing kits and face masks to ensure residents’ health safety.

“Now, our Senior Center is active as far as offering health clinics and vaccination clinics,” he said. “So, to have come out of the pandemic as well as we did, I think was something I’ll take with me forever.”

Something Bordeaux is looking forward to is the Bernardston Fire Department moving into a new fire station within the next 12 months after signing a purchase-and-sale agreement on a 24.15-acre property at 167 Northfield Road earlier this year.

“They’ve deserved [it] for a long time,” he said.

With Bordeaux having submitted his letter of resignation to the Selectboard during its Oct. 18 meeting, he will walk away from his town coordinator position on Nov. 11. Karen Kelly, an office assistant who was hired nearly two months ago, will serve as interim town coordinator until the Selectboard makes a decision as to how to move forward, according to Bordeaux.

“She has extensive real-world experience and over the last couple of weeks, it’s been apparent that she will be the right person to help move things along until the Selectboard makes a decision,” Bordeaux said, noting that the board could offer the job to Kelly permanently or advertise it more broadly. “But certainly in the short-term, Karen is going to be a great fit.”

Reflecting back on his five years as town coordinator, Bordeaux said he’s “enjoyed every single minute” of it.

“A lot of people sometimes will say, ‘How was your day, did you have a bad day?’ It’s like I’ve never had a bad day. ... Sometimes you have a long day, but I’ve never had a bad day,” he said. “Any of us in municipal government, whether it’s an elected position or an appointed position, we do what we do for the betterment of our towns. The people in this town have just been so good to me and I certainly hope that over the last — counting time on the Selectboard — 10 years or so, I’ve been good to them.”