Blandford Select Board revises library grant funding split ahead of special town meeting

BLANDFORD — March 18, 2024 — Blandford Select Board works through nine-article special town meeting warrant, tables zoning article for lack of public hearing. The board, meeting March 18, revised the funding approach for Article 3 — a $150,000 public library construction grant — splitting the transfer between $120,000 from the library building stabilization account and $30,000 from free cash after discovering the stabilization fund holds only $124,000; town counsel noted a recent change to Chapter 40, Section 5B, makes the transfer a simple majority vote. Article 8, a schedule-of-uses zoning amendment, was set aside after the Planning Board did not complete a required public hearing in time. A student identified as Aubrey presented a civics project urging a new public vote on reopening the former Interstate 90 interchange near Blandford, drawing encouragement from the board and a comment via Zoom from resident John Carrington that a previous advocacy effort had come with state promises of funding for a new firehouse. The board also reported earning no MIIA insurance reward discounts on five of six policy lines this year.