CHICOPEE, Mass. - More than 1,700 doses have been administered at the regional vaccination site at the Castle of Knights in Chicopee since it opened in April.

For those who have been there since day one, it almost didn't feel real that it was all over. 

"Bittersweet," said Chicopee firefighter Jamison Reece. "We needed to do this, got it all done and if we need to do it again we are all prepared and ready to go."

It took months of planning and preparing to get the regional vaccination site running.

"Once we had the vaccine from the state, we had our clinic up and running in a few days because we spent a long time preparing for it,"said Chicopee fire Lt. Katie Kalbaugh. "So the first hour we worked out any little kinks we had and since then it flowed smoothly since we started."

First responders, nurses, and others who stepped up to help say it was truly a team effort.

"We had lots of people from different city agencies who really stepped up, learned different things -- like how to use the new computer system -- and helped us get through all this," said Kalbaugh.

"We had a lot of help from local communities, other municipalities," Reece said. "It was a great thing to do. It needed to be done, and I think in the eyes of the city, we made them proud."

Coronavirus cases in Chicopee keep declining and, as more people are now vaccinated, there is less of a need for doses.

"We were just really glad we were able to do this for anyone who wanted to get vaccinated who couldn't leave Chicopee or couldn't get appointments elsewhere," said Kalbaugh. "We even had someone drive here from the Berkshires for both of their doses because they couldn't get an appointment anywhere out there. So it was really great to be helping all of Western Massachusetts or anyone in the state who wanted to come here to get a vaccine."

Those working at the vaccination site said they haven't received any guidance from the state yet about booster shots, but when they are needed, they are ready to administer them.