Blandford Select Board Appoints Finance Member, Backs Knox Trail Event and Culvert Grant

BLANDFORD -- January 5, 2026, Blandford Select Board unanimously approved six actions at its January 5 meeting, headlining an appointment to the Finance Committee and authorization to pursue a two-phase federal culvert grant worth up to $1.15 million. The board appointed Allison, a retired resident with a retail management background, to a three-year Finance Committee term as budget hearings open the week of January 12. Highway Superintendent Ray Guillette won board authorization to sign a DOT culvert replacement application before a Friday deadline, targeting the Julius Hall Road culvert identified as a priority in the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission's town assessment; Phase 1 provides $150,000 for design engineering and Phase 2 covers up to $1 million in construction costs. The board also voted to authorize the Town Administrator to sign a state grant contract amendment for the water department, original amount $40,000, revised to $92,000, and agreed with the Water Commission to repost the vacant water superintendent position with a broadened salary range of roughly $85,000 to $108,000 after the sole qualified applicant declined the prior $80,000 offer, citing a better counteroffer from his employer. Jane Roman of the Blandford Historical Society received a waiver of the $25 special event fee and highway sanding support for a January 13 Knox Trail 250th anniversary commemoration at the fairgrounds, a free two-hour event featuring a pre-Revolutionary War cannon salute and dramatic performance that Roman said mirrors a ghost walk event that drew 135 attendees against an expected 40.