It was disappointing to read The Recorder editorial from Tuesday, Aug. 16 (“South County EMS saga continues”), whereby Deerfield was accused of causing “obvious damage” and delaying, if not derailing, the plan for South County EMS (SCEMS).
Given the significant effort, over many years, to establish the service and given the positive and productive climate that dominates the multi-town conversations related to the management of the service, it was extremely saddening to read the conclusions drawn by the editor, which were, at best, inconsistent with established facts.
A few points of clarification:
The South County EMS Board of Oversight consists of six voting members (not seven, as stated in the article). Two are appointed from each member town, each with an equally weighted vote. Deerfield is the fiscal agent, carrying responsibility for the financial matters of the service and has a third, non-voting representative.
No town holds a majority sway on the Board of Oversight. No town can “enforce its will” or “wield maximum leverage.” The service was designed to be equitable and the board’s mission is to support the service at the highest level of quality possible.
The Request for Proposals for housing was an attempt to plainly clarify the housing options for SCEMS and was fully supported by the Board of Oversight. Two responses to the RFP were received — one from Whately, another from a private party. In the opinion of the SCEMS Board, neither response was acceptable, as neither met the minimum requirements for housing as published in the RFP. The SCEMS Board, therefore, recommended rejection of all bids.
That board continues to search for options, balancing cost, functionality, access to the service area and options for further changes to the service. While housing in the Whately Office Building is one option, a stand-alone, custom-built facility is also being considered. No viable option is being left unexplored.
It is true that there is a vocal minority opposed to the relocation of the EMS service to the Whately Town Office building. However, this has not and should not serve to diminish the broad support the service has received from all municipal partners and residents and the work done by member towns participating in this service.
There was never a “plan” to locate the service in Whately. There was, and is, a proposal. A proposal is an option. A plan implies a decision. We have faith that an editor of a newspaper might certainly appreciate the distinction.
The implication that Deerfield somehow pulled the rug out from under the Town of Whately in regard to the purchasing and financing of the Whately Town Office building is dismissive of the facts and ignorant of municipal law. We refer you to Massachusetts General Law (Chapter 30B, Section 16) Department of Revenue rules regarding municipal borrowing and the minutes of Whately’s town meeting.
Finally, it continues to be the firm policy of ALL municipal partners in the EMS that no housing option will be considered unless it has the support and approval of the SCEMS Board of Oversight. Deerfield has and continues to espouse that policy wholeheartedly. How might Deerfield “keep the ambulances in South Deerfield,” unless it were with the consent and approval of the Board of Oversight?
Deerfield continues to work in good faith with our partners in Whately and Sunderland. We continue to support the positive work performed by the South County EMS. This award-winning service has met and exceeded the goals set before it, and the members of the Board of Oversight — both past and present — are to be commended for their achievement.
Instead of continuing to “watch from afar,” perhaps The Recorder might consider sending a reporter to the meetings of the SCEMS Board of Oversight, instead of cobbling together a damaging editorial littered with errors, assumptions and hearsay. By giving in-person attention to the deliberations of that board, the public might benefit from a true accounting of the work being done, the dedication of the Board of Oversight and the achievements of the South County EMS.
Carolyn Shores Ness is chair of the Deerfield Select Board and a nonvoting representative of the town to the South County EMS Board of Oversight.