SHELBURNE FALLS — In Charlie Baker’s final hours as governor last week, he had a few Franklin County communities on his mind.

The West County Senior Services District that includes the towns of Shelburne, Buckland and Ashfield was signed into law on Jan. 5.

“This is a huge step,” Sylvia Smith, chair of the Senior Center Expansion Committee, said in a phone interview. “It was one of the real challenges in looking at how we might want to proceed in addressing the needs of the growing senior population not only in these three towns but also in Franklin County.”

The West County Senior Services District, said to be the first of its kind in the state, had been brewing since 2017. Last summer, each of the three towns approved forming the district during their respective Annual Town Meetings. From there, the proposal was sent to the Legislature.

“Most of the action took place in the House and Senate in November and December, but it was finally enacted on Tuesday,” Smith said.

The bill, H.5068, sponsored by Rep. Natalie Blais and former Rep. Adam Hinds, passed in the House and the Senate on Tuesday, Jan. 3, and arrived on Baker’s desk that day. If Baker did not sign the bill into law before Maura Healey was sworn in as governor on Thursday, the bill would have to restart the process. With Baker’s signature in hand, finalizing creation of the senior services district can move forward, bringing discussions back to the selectboards.

Although efforts to form a senior services district ramped up in 2019, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic stalled efforts. The Senior Center Expansion Committee hired Daniel Pallotta, president of P-Three Technologies Inc., as a project consultant in December 2019 to draft the legislation for this proposal.

Proponents have said that forming a West County Senior Services District among Shelburne, Buckland and Ashfield will give the three-town consortium more leverage in securing state grants. It will also give the towns equal ownership and an equal voice in how elder services are run.

Instead of Shelburne serving as the lease-holder for the rented Senior Center in the Masonic building at 7 Main St., a six-member board of managers will become the legal entity managing the facility and services. Two members will be appointed from each town, and any board vote would require a 4-2 majority to pass.

For the past several years, study groups have explored new sites for a possible Senior Center expansion. But the new district will not have the authority to rent, buy or build any future Senior Center building unless it has Town Meeting approval from all three member towns.

Next steps, following approval from the three selectboards, include drafting a transition plan and writing bylaws for the new district.

“Expansion seems like a real possibility in the years to come,” Smith noted. While the new district will include Shelburne, Buckland and Ashfield, once the district is created, other towns can join, too.

“We are really excited that we got a checkmark next to this item,” Smith concluded.

Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.

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