BERNARDSTON — Residents of Bernardston and Leyden are invited to a community forum on potential regionalization opportunities between the two communities.

The neighboring towns received a $75,000 Regionalization and Efficiency grant in December to explore further consolidation of regional services and have contracted the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts Boston to handle the study.

The community forum will take place in The Barn at The Farm Table, 219 South St., on Thursday, July 31, at 6 p.m.

Residents will have an opportunity to listen to a presentation from the Collins Center, participate in a question-and-answer session and, if enough people attend, brainstorm ideas during breakout sessions, said Leyden Town Coordinator Michele Giarusso.

“We want the residents to feel like they’re heard and have a good discussion and dialogue of what we, as the townspeople, are thinking about the future and what’s sustainable,” Giarusso said. “We have no preconceived notions at this time. … That’s why we want to have the public forum.”

The Collins Center previously worked with Bernardston and Leyden in late 2021 and throughout 2022 as the communities explored a shared policing agreement, which they eventually adopted to fill the gaps in Leyden’s coverage. The results of that work have been well-received by officials in both towns.

“That’s been going very well,” Giarusso said of the policing agreement, adding that ensuring sufficient staffing and recruitment of volunteers is the main challenge small towns face. “It’s really hard to find volunteers these days for boards and committees and things like that.”

Giarusso said the two towns will likely host another public forum in the fall after the Collins Center analyzes residents’ feedback, alongside an advisory committee made up of residents.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.