Blandford Select Board approves special town meeting warrant for March 13

BLANDFORD -- February 27, 2023, Blandford Select Board approves eight-article special town meeting warrant for March 13. The board unanimously approved the warrant, which includes a $170,000 capital account transfer to close out the $1.8 million North Blandford Road paving project completed last fall by Palmer Paving, about $98,000 over the original estimate. Also on the warrant: $12,500 in free cash for the Resilient Dirt Roads grant match shared with Chester and Middlefield, internal operating transfers of roughly $20,000 to $25,000 including $10,000 to cover fire department repairs, authorization to sell a landlocked half-acre parcel near the Pike, and a study into municipal electricity aggregation, which the town administrator described as allowing the community to "purchase electricity supply on behalf of residents" on a voluntary opt-in basis. A placeholder article covering potential Clean Water Trust financing for the water department may be amended or skipped on the floor depending on ongoing conversations with the water department.