Shane Cote, newest member of the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area board of directors. Submitted Photo

FARMINGTON — United Way of the Tri-Valley Area has added Farmington Deputy Chief Shane Cote to their board of directors. Cote joins nine other board members that help steer UWTVA in services to the community.

Along with Cote, The current UWTVA board of directors includes President Karen Henderson, Vice President Dr. Erika Schumacher, Treasurer Beckie Bowering, Secretary Terri Winslow, Dr. Joshua Hill, Rose Darling, Lisa Charles, Ryan Wilford, and Heather Piawlock.

A veteran of the Farmington Police Department for over 27 years, Cote has been a staple of the community and has involved himself in a number of organizations, which include serving as a board member for the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services and the Bonney Woods Corporation for many years.

Cote is also a mason and is currently the secretary for Maine Lodge #20 A.F. & A.M. [Ancient Free and Accepted Masons], as well as the secretary for the Widows Sons, Sons of Hiram Chapter Masonic Motorcycle Riders Association and the band manager and member of the Kora Shrine Band.

“I joined our local lodge here, Maine Lodge #20, in 2005, and didn’t really do a whole lot until I got off of the night shift in 2010,” Cote told the Livermore Falls Advertiser. “Then I started working my way through the officers chairs, up through the Master of the lodge for two years.”

Cote took over the position of secretary from Ernest Lowell, who held onto the position since 1994. “When I expressed interest in his position, I said, ‘Hey, I would like to learn from you and I’d like to help you out because I know you’re getting ready to be done anytime now’,” Cote said. “He said, ‘Hey, that would be great’.

“And then the next week, he said, ‘You know what, since you’re interested, I’m all done’,” he added. “So, trial by fire this year. This is my first year as the secretary of the lodge, and the secretary does a lot of work.”

Along with Maine Lodge #20, Cote devotes time to the Kora Shriners. Joining them in 2016, it was initially just a way for Cote to get more time playing the tuba.

“I joined the shrine to be in the band because I have played the tuba since fifth grade all the way through college,” he said. “I still go up to UMaine for homecoming every year.”

Upon joining, however, Cote learned more about the Kora Shiners and their work funding the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children. “We own and operate 22 children’s hospitals all over the world,” he shared. “This number was from 2018, but how much do you think it costs to run those 22 children’s hospitals knowing that patients never receive a bill? $750,000 a minute.”

Cote also rides with the Widows Sons, Sons of Hiram Chapter Masonic Motorcycle Riders Association as secretary of the chapter. With 12 chapters in the state of Maine, The Widows Sons ride to raise money for charity. Cote shared with the Livermore Falls Advertiser that they will ride on Sept. 30 to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“So we are going to start at the Carrabassett lodge in Canaan,” he shared. “We’ll start with a breakfast, kickstands up at 10 a.m.”

Cote, who rides a 2005 Harley Davidson Road King, also shared that they return back to the Carrabassett lodge in Canaan after their ride, where lunch will be provided with a silent auction. All proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Cote graduated from Caribou High School in 1992, and went on to the University of Maine and graduated with an associates of science degree in criminal justice in 1994. He joined the Farmington Police Department in 1996, settling down in Farmington and staying there since then.

“Back then, when I was applying for a job in law enforcement, it was different than it is today,” he said. “There were 30 applicants, and so I had applied all over the state and, and it was very competitive to get a law enforcement job back then. So this was the first police department that actually gave me an offer and that’s what got me here.”

Since joining in 1996, he attended the University of Maine Farmington to graduate Magna Cum Laude with a BA in psychology in 2005. He earned a MS in criminal justice administration from Husson University in 2010. He was promoted to Sergeant in the Farmington PD in June 2004 and Deputy Chief of Police in October of 2010.

“I do like the community and I like [Farmington],” he said. “It’s a really nice place to live.”