LEYDEN — With the Efficiency and Regionalization grant application’s Feb. 10 deadline approaching, the Public Safety Advisory Committee has made progress on both the application process and potential shared policing services with Bernardston.
Committee Chair Elizabeth Kidder discussed the ground town officials have covered, following a Wednesday joint meeting between both towns’ Selectboards, along with Bernardston Police Chief James Palmeri and two representatives from the Public Safety Advisory Committee.
“We broached the subject of shared police services,” Kidder said. “There was a very positive response, both in regards to the grant and the potential for further discussions and negotiating agreements to work together.”
Kidder noted they added another section to their draft proposal, which would allow other towns in the area to join them in sharing police services if they’re interested. Earlier this week, in fact, members of Gill’s Selectboard drafted a letter to Franklin County Sheriff Christopher Donelan to start a conversation about potential regionalization of police services, noting previous discussions with Bernardston.
Both Leyden and Bernardston officials agreed to continue working on the proposal and will schedule more meetings as necessary. Kidder said cooperating with Bernardston would make the most sense because Leyden’s elementary-age children have attended Bernardston Elementary School since the 2019 closure of Pearl Rhodes Elementary School and thus may already know Palmeri and his officers because of his department’s community policing efforts.
“At least we started the discussion. It’s the second meeting with them and we all agreed to continue the discussion,” Kidder said. “Progress is being made; nothing happens overnight, but we’re getting there.”
As for the Efficiency and Regionalization grant, Kidder said the state turns applications around quickly and she anticipates a decision to be made by late March or early April. The grant, of up to $100,000, would allow Leyden to contract with the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management to conduct a public safety services feasibility study. If awarded, the study would need to be completed by June 2023.
She said Mike Edwards and Stephen Foley, two representatives from the Collins Center, held a site visit last week and have been helping Kidder develop the grant application.
“It was an opportunity to give (Edwards and Foley) a sense of what our facilities were and give them any ideas,” Kidder said. “I think we feel that going in for all four aspects of public safety … it should appeal to the state.”
In other business, Public Safety Advisory Committee members mulled holding a public hearing to discuss the work they’ve done and to gauge what the community wants for its safety services.
“A lot of the public is in the dark,” said resident Ann Zaveruha, who is not on the committee but has been working on the town’s EMS options. “I don’t think people really understand the scope of the issues this committee faces.”
Member Emily Yazwinski suggested the public reach out to the committee with any questions they think should be asked of the Collins Center representatives.
“If anyone has real concerns or questions that we should ask Mike … don’t wait for our next meeting,” she said. “This is just a starting point, we’re not going to ask every question when we meet.”
The Public Safety Advisory Committee can be reached at publicsafety@townofleyden.com.
No concrete date was set, but members of the committee were leaning toward holding a public hearing in March or April. The Public Safety Advisory Committee is canceling its next February meeting as the grant is due next week and will reconvene March 2.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.