Blandford Select Board Approves $22,980 Contract, Confronts Near-Million-Dollar Culvert Costs

BLANDFORD -- June 17, 2024, Blandford Select Board hears that two culvert replacements on local dirt roads could cost nearly $1.8 million combined. At the June 17 meeting, a Pioneer Valley Planning Commission representative presented Phase 1 findings from a two-year MVP Action Grant project assessing the town's unpaved road network, revealing that Gibbs Road and Shephard Road culverts require small-bridge upgrades costing an estimated $770,000 and $950,000 respectively due to state stream-crossing permitting requirements. Select Board Chair Jacqueline Coury and member George questioned coordination between the Planning Commission and the highway department, with George calling the process "chaotic" and warning against spending local money on roads a future grant might have covered. The board separately voted unanimously to renew a service contract with Novis at $22,980 for FY25, up roughly 2 percent from the prior year. A $2.8 million Phase 2 grant application is pending, with a decision expected by mid-July.