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Select Board Chair urges fact-based debate, announces July 15 public session on clean energy
Summary
Chair Jacqueline Coury used the June 15 meeting to call for civil, fact-based discussion after a contentious election and announced a monthly public informational session beginning July 15 focused on clean-energy issues affecting Blandford.
Jacqueline Coury, chair of the Blandford Select Board, opened the June 15 meeting with a statement asking residents to keep debate civil and grounded in facts after a divisive local election. She thanked outgoing member Cara Letendre for her years of service and welcomed new member Corinne Shartrand.
Coury said the Select Board will start monthly public informational sessions and announced the first session: "Clean Energy and the Facts of What We Are Facing as a Community" on Wednesday, July 15. She said the sessions are intended "to present the facts, explain the challenges, discuss the options available to the Town, and answer questions from residents." The chair emphasized that the town will present information to encourage participation and productive dialogue rather than social-media argument.
Coury listed topics that generated recurring public questions during the election, including aging water infrastructure, taxes, solar development, battery energy storage systems, the Eversource substation expansion, and library and department facilities. She said the sessions are meant to provide consistent facts and opportunities for residents to ask questions in public meetings rather than online. The chair closed by saying these are long-term issues "that will shape Blandford's future for decades to come."
