By SANDY McGEE

BLACKSTONE — The Municipal Center on St. Paul Street is getting a facelift for a fraction of the cost to taxpayers, said town officials on Monday.

The town of Blackstone partnered more than a year ago with the Worcester County Jail and House of Corrections to provide the town with maintenance workers through its Community Service Program.
Program participants, who are all inmates of the Worcester County House of Corrections, were busy adding a new coat of bright paint to a wall inside the Blackstone police station on Monday morning.
The ongoing partnership has resulted in several benefits for the town, according to officials.
“It (the work) goes a long way,” said Blackstone Town Administrator Ken Bianchi.
Workers recently revived the Blackstone Police Department’s jail cells by adding a new coat of paint to its walls and doors. They also repainted the walls and replaced ceiling tiles in the Blackstone Fire Department’s Ready Room at the Municipal Center.
The goal of the Community Service Program is to prepare low-risk offenders for employment after prison through job training in various occupational fields, such as maintenance, landscaping and construction.
Officials of the program also hope to deter prisoners from returning to crime by providing them with vocational skills.
“It’s a rehabilitation process,” said Sgt. David Whitney of the Worcester County Jail and House of Corrections. “We always use the three R’s when discussing this program: restitution, rehabilitation and recidivism. We’ve provided them (the inmates) with jobs so they don’t go back and commit crimes.”
The program provides municipalities, such as the town of Blackstone, with a low-cost work force that saves funding needed for other programs, according to officials.
“It frees up the municipality workers,” Whitney said. “It saves towns’ money.”
The Community Service Program began with a trash collection service, but Worcester County Sheriff Guy Glodis expanded the program to include light construction jobs, landscaping and maintenance work, according to Whitney.
The participants now work in various occupational fields, from the nonprofit sector to historical commissions and environmental organizations.
“It (the work) makes them feel like they are part of the community,” Whitney said.
The Community Service Program is only open to low-risk prisoners with a record of good behavior. Violent offenders are not allowed to participate.
The program’s participants are transported by bus back and forth from the House of Corrections to the town each workday, Monday through Friday, according to Whitney. The workday for each inmate lasts from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a half-hour lunch break.
The workers, who are under constant supervision, are not allowed near any parks or schools during a time when children are known to attend, said Whitney.
Bianchi said the program provides an added benefit for residents, who typically finance prisoners’ housing, meals and general expenses through taxes.
“We’re getting something back for the cost to incarcerate,” Bianchi said.
The town of Blackstone is only required to fund supplies for the needed projects and provide the inmates with a breakfast and lunch each day on the job. The town does not pay any wages to the inmates for their service.
“They’ve given us 100 percent while they’ve been here,” Bianchi said. “It serves our interests and saves taxpayers money.”
According to Worcester County Sheriff Guy Glodis’ Web site, construction work for the Blackstone Municipal Center is estimated to save the town $8,701 for 84 hours of work.
Also listed on the Web site, is a proposed project to repaint the rectory at St. Paul Church. The project is expected to save the church nearly $27,000 in labor costs, according to the Web site.
Additional organizations in town that are expected to benefit from the program include the Blackstone Animal Shelter, the Blackstone Historical Museum and the Blackstone Polish American Club.
The improvements in the fire department’s Ready Room are the first improvements completed since 1999, according to Blackstone Fire Chief Michael Sweeney.
“It’s a nice facelift,” said Sweeney about the renovations.
The town administrator estimated that the renovations at the fire department only cost the town $2,000. Bianchi said that without the program, the cost would be much higher for the necessary improvements.
“The cost for us would more than quadruple,” said the town administrator.
The town plans to hold an open house in March or April to display the new improvements at the Municipal Center. The event will be open to the public.
For more information about the Community Service Program, visit the Worcester County sheriff’s Web site at worcestercountysheriff.com/content/view/116/126/.