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Blandford Select Board approves payroll and appointments, hears fair, firehouse and library updates
Summary
At its Aug. 25 meeting the Blandford Select Board approved payroll and accounts-payable warrants, appointed Amie McLaughlin as a registrar and hired Paula Bilodeau for the assessors, approved a 4-month RRG contract extension, and heard updates on the Blandford Fair, fire equipment needs and library construction.
Cara Letendre, Chair of the Blandford Select Board, presided over the Aug. 25, 2025 meeting at Blandford Town Hall where the board approved payroll and accounts-payable warrants, confirmed two personnel actions and heard departmental updates on public-safety equipment and the library construction project.
The board moved and approved Warrant #03 for payroll and accounts-payable/wired payments; motions were made by Chair Cara Letendre and seconded by Member T. Cousineau and passed with the board indicating "All in Favor." The board also appointed Amie McLaughlin to the Board of Registrars (term listed in meeting materials beginning July 1, 2025; the packet shows the term ending June 30, 2028) and approved hiring Paula Bilodeau as Administrative Assistant for the Board of Assessors, with Bilodeau expected to start Aug. 27, 2025.
Why it matters: these routine financial approvals and personnel appointments keep town operations running and establish staff capacity the assessors and clerks need ahead of the fall tax-rate setting and the upcoming Blandford Fair.
At the meeting Matt Ripley described plans for the 156th Blandford Fair, saying organizers added a demolition derby on Sunday night and New England Garden Tractor Pulls on Monday and are organizing a first annual motorcycle ride to benefit the Shriners hosted by Skyline Beer Company; the ride has a $25 fee that covers admission and a donation portion. Ripley said public-safety officials have been notified and a new pavilion was erected at the fairgrounds.
The board authorized an emergency four-month extension to the town's RRG contract and reported an RFP for assessing services was posted to COMM Buys, the town procurement portal.
During an all-department round-table, officials from multiple departments reported operational concerns and project updates. Assistant Town Clerk Mary Kronholm told the board many volunteers and newly appointed individuals are not completing required oaths and ethics paperwork within the 30-day timeframe and said staff have used email, phone and in-person reminders — she said staff have sometimes "kidnapped [people] in the hallway" to obtain needed signatures. Board of Health member Jannifer Girard said the BOH is awaiting several recycling grants and expressed frustration with the town's Vadar accounting system and limited training from the Town Accountant.
Fire Department representative Adam Dolby said the department ordered a brush truck due in spring and warned that Engine #1 "is on its last legs," adding that a proper replacement would take about two years to acquire and that the existing fire station likely cannot house a full-size replacement. Dolby and the board agreed a longer-term decision on a new fire station is needed before ordering a truck that might not meet the town's needs.
Highway Superintendent Ray Hultay reported work on Beech Hill, Gore and Birch Hill but said current budget reports are not up to date, complicating project tracking. Water Commissioner Brad Curry and Superintendent Steve Grondon said RCAP (the Rural Community Assistance Program) conducted a technical, managerial and financial assessment of the water system and identified 10 items to address (eight covered so far); they reported routine flushing and no major leaks. Curry raised a safety concern about whether local water pressure would be sufficient to cool a battery energy storage system (BESS) in the event of a fire and suggested the BESS vendor install a dedicated water tank for the project.
Library Director Nicole Daviau reported that circulation has roughly doubled compared with five years ago, that the library construction project remains on budget and on schedule with geotechnical and hazmat testing complete, and that the construction plan will be on the special town meeting warrant for Sept. 22, 2025. Daviau asked for a dedicated webpage to update the public on construction and said the library is arranging an interim service location during construction.
What happens next: the assessors expect to set the tax rate in mid-October; the library construction funding appears on the special town meeting warrant for Sept. 22, 2025; the RFP process for assessing services is expected to continue through October; and the board flagged the need for a longer-term decision on a replacement fire station before committing to a full-size engine purchase. The meeting adjourned at 7:04 p.m.
