Blandford Select Board Unanimously Adopts Resolution Opposing Battery Energy Storage Facilities

BLANDFORD -- May 5, 2025, Blandford Select Board unanimously adopted a resolution opposing utility-scale battery energy storage facilities and approved an $18,426 library design contract at its May 5 meeting. The resolution, drafted by Town Administrator Christina, directs formal opposition to any BESS siting in town and transmits that position to the Massachusetts Energy Facility Siting Board, the Department of Public Utilities, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the town's state legislative delegation, citing Blandford's volunteer fire department, sensitive watershed lands, and proximity to Cobble Mountain Reservoir tributaries as grounds for opposition. A Planning Board member challenged the resolution after its adoption, arguing that the proposed facility uses lithium iron phosphate batteries rather than conventional lithium-ion cells and warning, "I can't just refuse something because you made a special resolution." Conservation Commission member Dick Bates reported that the BESS developer has escalated to a formal notice of intent for a temporary access road and soil test pits, with a public hearing tentatively set for May 27. The board also approved LaPage Landscaping contracts of $700 for Bicentennial Park and $950 for Watson Park, reappointed Jason Ford as building inspector, and accepted the resignation of John Carrington from the Hilltown Community Ambulance Association representative role.