Bykofsky files FOI request to Lenox

LENOX – “Where’s that money been?”

That’s what Lenox resident Sonya Bykofsky is trying to determine with her Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request to the Town of Lenox.

Ms. Bykofsky, a Lenox resident who has been one of the leading voices against the Kennedy Park Belvedere, filed her request after attending the John Drummond Kennedy Park Restoration Committee’s recent meeting.

At the meeting, Kennedy Park Chairman Robert M. Coakley announced $10,000 had been donated for the maintenance of the Kennedy Park overlook by Michael Fieldman and the money had been in the account for the past six months. The committee’s last meeting before this was on April 12.

Mr. Fieldman, a prominent architect, is the designer of the Kennedy Park Belvedere, which was constructed in honor of his late son, Dr. Jordan Fieldman, who practiced at Berkshire Medical Center.

On Aug. 29, 2011, at a public meeting, then Lenox Board of Selectmen Chairman John McNinch announced Mr. Fieldman would be donating $10,000 for the maintenance of the Kennedy Park overlook.

Noting the donation had been made months after this announcement, Ms. Byofsky filed her FOI request in order to get all the information available on Mr. Fieldman’s gift.

“I filed a freedom of information act request regarding the bank statements for the $10,000 mentioned at the last [Kennedy Park] meeting,” she said.

In her request, Ms. Bykofsky asked for a copy of all bank statements regarding the money, when the account containing it was opened, if the money was transferred from another account, records showing where the money has been, all communications regarding the money and a copy of the check given by Mr. Fieldman.

So far, she has received three items from the Town of Lenox regarding the donation: a copy of the $10,000 check written by Mr. Fieldman to the town, dated April 24, 2012; a Town of Lenox treasury deposit receipt dated May 2, 2012 for the $10,000; and $22,946.70 going into the Town of Lenox money market account on May 10, 2012. While the May 10 record divides the money deposited by cash and check, it does not separate the check money by sources.

Ms. Bykofsky is not satisfied with this information and would like more details on the donation and its current status. On this front, she sent a formal request to Town Manager Gregory T. Federspiel asking if what she had received was the full extent of the documentation available. This request was sent approximately one week ago. So far, Ms. Bykofsky has not received a reply.

The Kennedy Park Committee will be meeting next on Dec. 6 at 8:30 a.m. and has this complaint on their agenda posted in Town Hall.

Posted by Bera B. Dunau on November 29, 2012. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry