Blandford Select Board Backs Ballot Tabulator, Tables Road Tree Contract

BLANDFORD — March 25, 2024 — Blandford Select Board advances ballot tabulator purchase and tables water-department tree contract. At the March 25 meeting, the board moved to schedule a special Finance Committee session to secure funding for a roughly $6,700 ImageCast Precinct 2 optical-scan tabulator — intended to replace the town's aging Prinker machine — with Town Clerk noting the equipment would not be billed until after July 1 and that more than 400 such devices are in use statewide. The board unanimously appointed John Carrington to the Hilltown Ambulance Association and approved payroll and payment warrants, while tabling a $4,500 ash-tree removal request on Jethro Jones Road after Highway Superintendent Dave reported finding little evidence of the hazard described. Town Administrator Mike briefed members on three MIIA mandatory recommendations — facility maintenance programs, job hazard analyses, and incident investigation protocols — all required within three years. The board also learned the westbound Turnpike service area owes the town approximately $200,000 in unpaid water bills, with members agreeing the coming MassDOT lease-renewal process is the town's best leverage to seek collection.