Blandford Select Board Greenlights Chapter 61A Property Appraisal, Ambulance Contract

BLANDFORD -- March 9, 2026, Blandford Select Board approves $35,000 chapter 61A property appraisal and $65,850 ambulance contract at March 9 meeting. The board voted unanimously to commission an independent appraisal of a 34.29-acre agricultural parcel coming out of chapter 61A status, drawing up to $35,000 from a special fund approved at the September 22, 2025 Special Town Meeting, with roughly 10 days left in the first 30-day statutory window triggered by a February 23 conversion notice. The board also approved the fiscal year 2027 Hilltown Community Ambulance contract at $65,850, representing a true 3 percent service-cost increase once a previously omitted $3,000 assessment is accounted for. Highway Superintendent Ray presented capital equipment priorities centered on a deteriorating road grader, last quoted at $459,000 new, and urged creation of a $25,000-per-year highway stabilization fund, telling the board that ongoing repair costs on obsolete parts will become unsustainable. The town's chapter 90 road-funding apportionment for fiscal year 2027 came in at $468,171.82, up sharply from $257,382.37 the prior year.