Blandford Select Board Approves Cyclist Safety Signs, Flags Building Decay

BLANDFORD — September 18, 2023 — Blandford Select Board approved a MassDOT vulnerable road user signage agreement and confronted a pattern of deferred maintenance across town properties at its September 18 meeting. A resident identified as George distributed photographs of the deteriorating town-owned post office building and called for a dedicated maintenance oversight role, while Town Administrator Christopher acknowledged no painting or major repairs are planned before winter, citing an intent to eventually sell the property once a postal service lease — running through approximately 2027 — expires. Christopher said he is meeting Friday with EDM of Pittsfield about property condition assessments for town facilities, estimated at under $10,000, with possible ARPA funding. The board also learned a joint $600,000 air-bottle grant application with Huntington has been submitted, with Blandford's $6,000 match already appropriated, and voted unanimously to designate library director Nicole as a special municipal employee following her own outreach to the state ethics office.