Chester Town Clerk Susan Kucharski swears in new Chester Blandford police force (L-R) James Grzelek, Nick Weidhaas, Tammy Weidhaas, Bill Lanier, Gary O’Brien, Todd Allman, and Chief Daniel Ilnicky. (Photo by Amy Porter)
CHESTER – A swearing-in ceremony took place on Dec. 10 for the newly formed Chester Blandford shared police force at the Chester Town Hall.
Representatives of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the state legislature, both towns’ select boards, and the Massachusetts State Police were present, all of whom helped to bring the shared service to fruition.
Eric Weiss, regional and municipal services manager for PVPC said he came into the job towards the end of the process, when the decision had to be made for which town the officers would officially work. He said it was a big decision for Blandford to have Chester be the lead town for the force, with the costs split 50/50. A memorandum of agreement was signed to begin the first of the year.
Weiss said Chief Daniel Ilnicky, who has been serving as Chief of Police for both towns, put together a shared emblem, new uniforms and a new identity. He said the new arrangement will increase coverage in both towns.
“It’s a credit to all of you for being here,” Weiss said.
Blandford Board of Selectmen Chair Cara Letendre thanked the town of Chester for working with them during a time when Blandford needed the support. She said the process had been fair and professional, giving credit to PVPC for helping them, and Chief Ilnicky for sharing his expertise in community policing
Chester Select Board Chair John Baldasaro called it a unique experience from his 25 years in town government. “It was great to work with a neighboring town, and a pleasure working with Blandford,” Baldasaro said.
“As Chief of Police for Chester and Blandford, I’m happy that the board of selectmen in both towns were open to the opportunity of moving forward with shared services,” Ilnicky said, thanking town administrators Kathe Warden of Chester and Joshua Garcia of Blandford for their assistance.
Ilnicky also thanked the state police, who sent a contingent to the swearing-in, for being collaborative and supportive, and the officers of Chester and Blandford for “putting up with me putting the cart before the horse.”
PVPC’s Executive Director Kim Robinson said she was new to the area, starting only a couple of months ago. “Shared services takes a lot of commitment. A lot of places start, and never quite make it,” Robinson said.
First Franklin Representative Natalie Blais agreed. “I’m thrilled to be here. Congratulations on an amazing shared service,” she said.
Blais said in the Rural Policy Plan for Massachusetts, one of the core strategies is to identify and develop municipal capacities for shared services. “You are showing the way in service to our communities,” she added.
Senator Adam Hinds’ liaison John Gould sent well wishes on behalf of the senator, who he said “talks a lot about things towns need to do today to help budgets.” Gould said five to 10 years down the road, this would be a sustainable program for the towns. He also acknowledged the support of state Community Compact funds, which helped to make the program possible.
The IMA was drafted with the assistance of the PVPC and a state Community Compact grant for implementation of $43,400. The grant paid for the new costs associated with the first year start-up of the shared service arrangement, including purchase of dual band portable radios, digital vehicle repeater systems, standardization of uniforms and patches, re-marking of cruisers, and legal and consultant costs.
