WOODLANDS PARTNERSHIP OF NORTHWEST MASSACHUSETTS

Forest-Based Economic Development and Conservation

For More Information, Contact:

Lisa Hayden, Administrative Agent - Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts

Phone: 978-952-6856, ext. 121

Press Release

For Immediate Release: January 23, 2025

Woodlands Partnership Sponsors Survey and Three Listening Sessions on Municipal Emergency Response Services

The Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts is embarking on a public safety services study of the 21-town region with the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The Collins Center will focus on municipal services in the Woodlands Partnership region as they relate to increasing tourism, use and accessibility of public forests, diminished tax base, and the ability of first responders to provide emergency services.

Funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the study is intended to provide towns with direction and support in receiving additional funds and identifying strategies for municipal financial sustainability, as well as inform state policy and procedure related to Payment-In-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) on state-owned land and other programs.

Three listening sessions will be held for community members and emergency responders to provide feedback about experiences and suggestions for improvement. The sessions will be held:

Thursday, January 30, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom (online)
Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom or at Windsor Town Hall (hybrid)
Thursday, February 27, 2025, 6-7 pm by Zoom or at Shelburne Fire Dept (hybrid)

For more information and to learn how to attend, please visit woodlandspartnership.org/events.

Can’t make it? Take the surveys here! First Responders: https://tinyurl.com/3vp3eat7; Community Members: https://tinyurl.com/bddvv52x. Want a paper copy? Email kconlin@newenglandforestry.org.