Blandford Creates Highway Liaison Role, Makes Six Municipal Appointments

BLANDFORD — May 19, 2025 — Blandford Select Board creates volunteer Highway Liaison post, authorizes DPU comment letter opposing Eversource rate hike. The board voted unanimously May 19 to adopt the new Volunteer Highway Liaison position and appoint Tom Ashley to a one-year term after a miscommunication with Highway Superintendent Ray had left the role in limbo. The board also authorized a staff-drafted letter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities opposing N-Star Electric Company's petition to raise energy-efficient reconciling factors by as much as 9.2 percent effective July 1, citing that 27 percent of Blandford's roughly 1,165 residents are 65 or older and that 5.4 percent live below the poverty line. The superintendent presented preliminary quotes for highway garage repairs — $9,450 for bathroom excavation and septic work, $5,300 for plumbing code corrections, and $17,000 to $20,000 for a new fuel management system — but board members and staff acknowledged warrant placeholder figures "were way off" and said the articles may be pulled to a special town meeting for a more accurate vote.