Blandford Select Board Discovers SCADA Contract Was Never Reviewed by Town Attorney

BLANDFORD -- January 27, 2025, Blandford Select Board finds SCADA water contract was signed without attorney review, with $600,000 still owed to vendors. The board learned Monday that a primary 876-page contract with Bay State Contractors was executed on August 31 without review by the town's attorney and without signed copies distributed to the town clerk or accountant, as required. Water Department Superintendent disclosed that approximately $482,000 is held by the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust awaiting reimbursement, and that the project remains fully halted pending receipt of a green light letter and a future Select Board vote to authorize a bond note closing. A separate $350,000 one-stop reimbursement grant for water storage tank and pump house engineering is stalled in contract negotiations with Wright and Pierce. The board voted unanimously to appoint Asa Kerr to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a term through January 30, 2028, and entered executive session under MGL Chapter 30A, Section 21A, Subsection 2.