Blandford Select Board backs rubber chip seal plan for seven roads

BLANDFORD -- April 11, 2023, Blandford Select Board endorsed a $225,000 rubber chip seal road treatment plan covering roughly one mile of town roads including Beach Hill, Herrick, Wyman, Glasgow, Sunset, Rock, and Crooks roads. Highway Department Supervisor Dave presented the board with two options, a $172,000 two-inch overlay on Beach Hill and Crooks roads alone, and the broader $225,000 chip seal plan covering seven roads, and recommended the chip seal approach, saying lightly traveled side streets could see longevity of ten to fourteen years. The board informally agreed and authorized the administrator to proceed with contracting, with funding from Chapter 90 state highway money. In other business, the board learned that Chester has reversed its earlier refusal to collaborate on a shared fire chief, though the administrator noted the two towns remain "pretty far apart" on salary. A Bay State technology grant that provided Chromebooks and digital training to approximately 20 Blandford seniors was declared complete, and a new grant application to Bay State's Health Community Benefits Program was submitted for recreational development at Shepherd Farm, with a decision expected in mid-May.