Blandford Select Board Approves Planning Contract and Springfield Water Agreement

BLANDFORD — August 8, 2023 — Blandford Select Board approved two contracts and took up a range of property and funding questions at its August 8 meeting. The board unanimously approved the fiscal year 2024 professional planning services contract with Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and an amended intergovernmental agreement with the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission — the latter contingent on sign-off from special town counsel. Town Administrator Christopher Dumont briefed the board on $20,000 in ARPA funds that became available after a Town of Washington grant paid for a municipal light plant backhaul project the town had already funded, and floated using a portion for a Local Hazard Mitigation Plan update quoted at roughly $5,000. The board also discussed a 0.78-acre foreclosed parcel on Russell Stage Road — assessed at $40,000 — with members favoring a structured sale to the abutter at a reduced price rather than carrying the liability. The Blandford Agricultural Society presented a proposal to demolish a small barn at the Shepherd Farm property at no town cost, in exchange for receiving a newer engineered-truss barn to relocate to the fairgrounds in memory of the Shepherd family.