COLRAIN — The Selectboard voted 2-1 to hire Lydia Barrett-Miller as the Police Department’s new administrative assistant at its most recent meeting, after having voted in late June to create the position.
Selectboard Chair Katie Korby, Town Administrator Diana Parsons and Police Chief Chris Lannon conducted four interviews with what Lannon described as “very strong candidates,” all four of whom currently live in Colrain. The three-person screening panel recommended Barrett-Miller, a 2025 graduate of Western New England University who recently received her master’s degree from Bay Path University in science, with a concentration in cyber/computer forensics and counterterrorism.
“All four [candidates] were really good, and all had certain qualities that were really good, ones that stand out for the Police Department,” Lannon said. “[They all knew] what we were looking for and had kind of a general knowledge of what we do.”
The administrative assistant position is for 10 hours per week at a rate of $23.94 an hour, with Lannon having previously said that the new hire would generally be tasked with helping with pistol permits, budgetary paperwork and any other paperwork, thus freeing up time for him to be in the field. Barrett-Miller would not be a uniformed officer, so she would not be able to respond to calls.
Funding for the 10 hours that the administrative assistant will work each week will be taken from the 24 hours a week in funding that was allotted to the Police Department for part-time officers. This would mean that only 14 hours per week would be available for part-time officers, however, Lannon said the full 24 hours are never fully used.
Selectboard Vice Chair Ben Eastman was the lone dissenter in approving Barrett-Miller’s hiring. In voting against the creation of the position in June, Eastman said the Selectboard had been asking all department heads to tighten their budgets, and the creation of a new position in the Police Department could lead to other department heads requesting positions that the town does not have the money for.
“I understand that you need the help,” Eastman said to Lannon on Sept. 8. “I just think that we’re opening a can of worms that’s going to haunt us.”
According to Colrain’s Executive Assistant Maggie Smith, due to a posting error, the votes taken during the Sept. 8 Selectboard meeting will need to be ratified at the board’s next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Informed Response Program
In other business, the Selectboard unanimously approved the implementation of the Informed Response Program that Lannon had previously presented in late August.
Lannon previously explained that the program would essentially take over what the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office’s TRIAD Program was doing, which was “a crime-prevention and wellness initiative aimed at protecting the safety and welfare of our senior citizens.” The Informed Response Program would prioritize the elderly and residents with disabilities who require special accommodations during an emergency.
This would be a completely voluntary initiative, with residents choosing whether they’ll enter themselves into the program. A notice will be sent out to residents who are 64 years old or older, and Lannon said QR codes would be included with the notice, so residents could sign up using their mobile device. Alternatively, paper copies of the sign-up sheet can be requested from the Police Department.
In this presentation to the Selectboard, Lannon included the confidentiality documentation that was part of the proposal.
“I like how it says what the information can be used for and can’t be used for,” Selectboard member Emily Thurber mentioned. “People are definitely concerned with their privacy and I think this addresses all of that.”
Parsons added that it is beneficial that the documentation laid out that just because residents sign up for the program doesn’t mean there will be automatic emergency response. Lannon had previously emphasized that the new program would not guarantee service to those who signed up, but that in an emergency, the Colrain Fire Department and the Colrain Volunteer Ambulance Service would know which residents to prioritize.
