The stone sign at Gateway Regional Schools on Littleville Road in Huntington. (WNG File Photo)
HILLTOWNS – The Gateway hilltowns of Blandford, Chester, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery and Russell continued to work together in 2018 to improve their future outlook, overcoming some significant roadblocks they had been facing for years.
First, all six towns voted at annual town meetings to change the funding formula for their above minimum assessments to the Gateway School district, with permission from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Instead of basing the assessment each year on the student census, which drastically increased some assessments and reduced others by small shifts in their student populations, the towns’ assessments will now increase or decrease together by the annual percentage increase of the Gateway budget.
Residents at Russell Annual Town Meeting prepare to take historic vote. (Photo by Amy Porter)
The vote was most difficult for the town of Russell, whose student population had decreased by 26 according to the March 2018 census, and would have had a $97,000 decrease in their assessment for FY19. In order to help persuade them, the town of Chester offered to offset Russell’s increase by $40,000. The offer was persuasive, and Russell as the last town to vote effectively passed the alternative assessment method for the towns.
Ultimately, due to increased funding from the state, Chester’s offset payment to Russell was reduced by almost half.
One of the conditions DESE had imposed on the Gateway hilltowns to allow the change, was the need to update their regional agreement to be in compliance with One Person, One Vote, which ensures that every school committee member represents approximately the same percentage of the district’s population.
Facilitator Jay Barry of MARS. (Photo by Amy Porter)
After a decade of debate, and three or four failed attempts to change the Gateway Regional School Committee composition to reflect the requirement of “One Person, One Vote,” the facilitated discussion group charged with trying again came to a fairly quick consensus in August, with the help of retired superintendents Jay Barry and Mac Reid of the Massachusetts Assoc. of Regional Schools (MARS).
At the meeting, a vote was taken to retain the same number of seats from each town, and weigh the votes according to population represented.
With the two biggest obstacles resolved of revising regional assessments and school committee composition, work was set to continue on the rest of the regional agreement, to come up with a document approved by a super majority of the committee. That document will go to Christine Lynch of DESE for review, and then through state and local legal departments. The last step is a vote of approval by all of the six member towns at their town meetings.
Economic Development Director Jeanne LeClair and Hilltown Collaborative Chairman Andy Myers with the new Gateway Hilltowns brand. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Also approved at annual town meetings was funding by the towns for Economic Development Director Jeanne LeClair, who was originally hired through a grant to the Hilltown Collaborative under the six towns’ Community Compacts with the Baker-Polito Administration.
LeClair and the Hilltown Collaborative showcased some of the work which had been done at “The Big Reveal,” the unveiling of a shared brand for the six Gateway Hilltowns. The marketing campaign was developed through a Community Compact grant; one of several received from the Baker-Polito administration to advance economic development and shared services in the region.
What the six towns share is the Gateway Regional School District, along with a rich history and abundant natural beauty. “Gateway Hilltowns, Naturally” was unveiled on June 24 as the new brand for the region. The logo is in a postage stamp frame, superimposed over a photo of the hills, with an opportunity to feature photos of different locations and events going forward. The purpose of the campaign is to invite potential homeowners, businesses and visitors to discover the region.
At a Hilltown Collaborative meeting in October, LeClair said the gatewayhilltowns.org website had also been revised, and “is beautiful,” and traffic is increasing to the site. She said an underwriting ad mentioning all six hilltowns was running on WAMC radio, an NPR-affiliate out of Albany which reaches the hilltowns.
Blandford and Westfield Gas & Electric officials hold “historic” kick off meeting to start the process for broadband connectivity to the town.
Another piece LeClair reported on was a mini-newspaper which was mailed out to every household in the six towns, giving updates on the marketing campaign, broadband efforts in the towns, available small business assistance, and the new Gateway full-day preschool.
On the broadband front, the towns made progress in 2018. Blandford started make ready work in January, after signing an intergovernmental agreement with Westfield Gas & Electric’s Whip City Fiber to bring fiber to the town, in a process expected to take 18 months to two years.
Westfield Gas & Electric was recognized by visits from Governor Charles Baker in August and the Federal Communication Commission Chairman Ajit Pai in September for the MLP’s efforts in helping to bring broadband to more than twenty hilltown communities.
Westfield Gas & Electric General Manager Dan Howard accepts citatation from Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. (Photo by Lynn F. Boscher)
Other towns, including Chester, Huntington, Montgomery and most recently, Middlefield are being aided by Massachusetts Broadband Institute grants to Comcast for last mile connectivity to the majority of unserved residents, a process still ongoing.
Blandford is also making progress in resolving longstanding town management difficulties, which continued for the first half of 2018, but improved over the last six months.
Following the resignation of Town Administrator Angeline Ellison to take on a similar position in Uxbridge, Mass., the Board of Selectmen seemed to fray from the pressure, resulting in the resignation of board chairman Adam Dolby after a flurry of social media threats made against him by a fellow board member.
The remaining board members quickly acted to hire Joshua Garcia, then municipal services manager for Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, as interim town administrator. Garcia had been working with the towns through the Community Compact agreement on shared services.
Officials from the towns of Blandford and Chester came together on July 23 to discuss sharing police services. (Photos by Amy Porter)
Blandford Police Chief Kevin Hennessy also resigned in June after ten years with the town, leading to an interim appointment of former Otis Police Chief Roberta Sarnicki. At the same time, Blandford began talks with Chester on the possibility of shared police services.
Then, in what became the biggest story out of the hilltowns in 2018, even landing on the front page of the New York Times, Sarnicki and the town’s three part-time officers resigned on the same night during a Board of Selectmen meeting on July 30.
Blandford police force at the July 23 meeting with Chester. They resigned en masse one week later on July 30, in a story that was picked up nationally. (Photo by Amy Porter)
The Board of Selectman responded with a statement, assuring residents of police coverage, and citing the challenges to small towns in maintaining independent services and keeping up with state mandates.
“Our town Police Chief of ten years resigned in June of 2018. In light of his resignation, this created an opportunity for the town to rethink our police department structure, including exploring the idea of sharing police resources cross-jurisdictionally with bordering communities who also experience the same looming demographic, socioeconomic, and financial pressures as we do,” read the letter penned by Board Chairman Cara Letendre and Garcia.
In September, the town hired Daniel Ilnicky as its new temporary/interim part-time police chief. Ilnicky also serves as part-time police chief in the town of Chester.
Joshua A. Garcia became the full-town town administrator for Blandford in October. (WNG File Photo)
Garcia’s status for the town also changed. Beginning Oct. 1, Garcia became the full-time administrator for Blandford, resigning from his position with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. His previous part-time service in Blandford was considered a PVPC project. Although still retaining the title of temporary Town Administrator, Garcia agreed to remain in Blandford for up to three years.
Garcia also helped to obtain a grant from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts District Local Technical Assistance program, to seek consultant services to explore and analyze options for shared police services. The report by the Novak Consulting Group is currently posted on the town website for public review. An open discussion regarding the report at the January 7, 2019 Board of Selectmen meeting at 7:00pm at Town Hall.
An open house for the turnpike exit study drew a crowd to Blandford Town Hall in June. (WNG File Photo)
Blandford also houses two of the three sites still being considered for a new turnpike exit between Exits 2 (Lee) and 3 (Westfield). The two sites still being studied are at the Turnpike Maintenance Facility in Blandford, and also at the rest area in Blandford. The third site still under consideration is at Algerie Road in Otis.
Ski Blandford also has opened its doors under new management, after postponing its opening for a year due to safety concerns with its lifts.
After receiving approval for a liquor license from the town in September, and holding a kickoff party and open house on a rainy Saturday in November, Ski Blandford is now open M-W-F 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Expanded hours will be available on holiday weeks.
Joseph Deedy, who will be running food services at Blandford ski area, Dick McCann, general manager of Ski Butternut and Ron Crozier, GM of Ski Blandford. (WNG File Photo)
Ski Blandford also announced this week that the Corporate Race League will start racing on Jan. 2, with signups still available to Jan. 1. This race series competes in a dual GS format. Individual and team rankings are based on a points system to determine finishes. Individuals or those who don’t have a complete team can easily be placed on other teams.
The race league begins the first week of January and concludes at the end of February. Races are held weekly on Wednesday nights at 5:30, weather permitting. There will be a banquet at the end of the season. There is a $60 program fee, and a Season Pass or Lift Ticket is required to participate.
