Blandford Select Board Approves Town Appointments, Greenlights Watson Park Firefighter Memorial

BLANDFORD — May 11, 2026 — Blandford Select Board unanimously reappoints Fire Chief Adam Dolby and approves Watson Park firefighter memorial design at May 11 meeting. The board voted in three separate unanimous actions to reappoint Dolby as fire chief, Jennifer Gerard as election warden and environmental certifying officer, and to fill four emergency management slots, all for fiscal year 2027. A fire department representative presented plans for a memorial honoring a deceased firefighter at Watson Park, featuring a natural boulder, a handmade live-edge bench, and a stone perimeter near the existing flagpole on Route 23, with costs to be drawn from an existing trust and labor provided by volunteers. Highway Superintendent Ray Halte, joining remotely, reported that asphalt prices for the Watson Park Road and Sperry Road paving project jumped from roughly $66,000 to over $100,000 — "yes, he was trying to gouge us and I'm not going to let that happen" — deferring both projects until updated collective bids arrive in mid-June. The board also sought clarification from Springfield Water on a proposed $10,000 intergovernmental agreement for beaver trapping on company-owned land, which Halte said could fund recurring flood prevention on several Blandford roads at no direct cost to the town.