Blandford names interim fire chief, fills lone Zoning Board seat in same session

BLANDFORD -- January 26, 2023, Blandford Select Board unanimously appointed Adam Dobie as interim fire chief and seated Kim Berglin as the sole member of the Zoning Board of Appeals at its January 26 meeting. The fire chief vacancy opened after the town's only applicant for the permanent position withdrew, forcing a repost; board members also discussed expanding a regionalization study for the chief's role to include Chester, Russell, and Huntington, mirroring a prior shared-police arrangement with Chester. Berglin, appointed to a term running through June 30, 2024, is the ZBA's lone member after two resignations took effect in early January, making her the board's de facto chair. The board approved a series of warrants including a Pioneer Valley Planning Commission contract drawn from an existing efficiency and regionalization grant, and agreed informally to absorb the Blandford Historical Society's water bill at the town-owned white church building, with a fuller resolution expected when the town moves to usage-based billing.