Blandford Select Board Authorizes $39,000 Bridge Engineering, Extends Highway Superintendent Contract

BLANDFORD -- June 29, 2026, Blandford Select Board authorizes $39,000 in bridge engineering and approves highway superintendent renewal at joint department-head session. Meeting June 29, the board unanimously approved a Gill Engineering contract amendment to revise and resubmit state permitting documents for the Beach Hill Road bridge, funded through Chapter 90 highway funds, as part of a $6.6 million state pool shared among Blandford and two partner towns; members acknowledged a full construction loan, estimated at $1.5 million to $4 million, would require a separate town meeting vote. The board also signed a contract renewal for Highway Superintendent Ray through March 2027, adding up to $75 in commercial driver's license reimbursement every two years and a 5 percent pay increase. Water department staff reported between 25 and 30 accounts unpaid for a full year, totaling $30,000 or more in outstanding residential receivables, with liens on real estate tax bills identified as the primary collection path. Fire Chief Adam, attending by phone from Idaho, flagged a roughly $10,000 transmission repair needed on Engine 1 and early-stage talks with Springfield Water over expanded equipment funding for the department.