Public Hearings

CANCELLED – PUBLIC HEARING – July 29, 2020 at 6pm

THIS MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
A public hearing will be held by the Blandford Board of Selectmen on July 29, 2020 at 6:00pm on the petition for joint or identical pole locations from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY DBA EVERSOURCE, upon the plan marked 6B9200012REVSOLE. The petitioners are seeking to be granted joint or identical locations for and permission to construct and maintain a line of poles and their respective wires and cables to be placed thereon, together with such sustaining and protecting fixtures as may deem necessary, on the southerly side of North Blandford Road. Pursuant to Governor Baker’s order suspending certain provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L.C. 30A, §18, and the Governor’s order imposing strict limitation on the number of people that may gather in one place, this hearing will be conducted via remote participation to the greatest extent possible. Members of the public who wish to listen to the meeting may do so by dialing-in: (425) 436-6311; Access Code: 248324#. No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted. Every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time, via technological means. In the event that we are unable to do so, despite best efforts, we will post on the Blandford website a transcript or other comprehensive record of proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting. Download the petition here.

July 21, 2020 in Community, Meetings, Public Hearings

Public Hearing – June 17, 2020 – Zoning By-law Changes

COVID-19: At the time of posting we anticipate that the hearing will proceed with social distancing and face covering required. This is subject to change as required. Please check our website: townofblandford.com for COVID-19 safety protocol changes.

Pursuant to MGL., CH. 40A, Sec. 11 the Planning Board will hold a Public Hearing at the Blandford Town Hall, 1 Russell Stage Road, Blandford, MA 01008, on June 17, 2020 at 7:00 PM to present Zoning By-law Changes:

Article 21: To see if the Town will vote to amend Zoning By-law Section IV: PROVISIONS FOR DISTRICTS, Sub-Section 4.2: BUSINESS DISTRICT, Sub-Section 4.2.1; Sub-Section 4.2.1.9, by deleting:

Any additional use, which is not specifically prohibited or already requires a Special Permit from another Board, for which the Board of Selectmen may grant permission.

as contained therein and inserting in place thereof the following:

Any additional use, which is not specifically prohibited or already requires a Special Permit from another Board, for which the Zoning Board of Appeals may grant permission.

in accordance herewith, or take any other relative action thereto.
.
.
.
REVIEW THE FULL LIST OF CHANGES HERE →

May 29, 2020 in Planning Board, Public Hearings

PUBLIC HEARING – June 1, 2020 at 7pm

A public hearing will be held by the Blandford Board of Selectmen on June 1, 2020 at 7:00pm on the petition for joint or identical pole locations from NSTAR ELECTRIC COMPANY DBA EVERSOURCE, upon the plan marked 6B030234. The petitioners are seeking to be granted joint or identical locations for and permission to construct and maintain a line of poles and their respective wires and cables to be placed thereon, together with such sustaining and protecting fixtures as may deem necessary, at 80 Chester Road, on the westerly side approximately fifty feet northerly from existing pole P#7/18M, Blandford, Massachusetts. Pursuant to Governor Baker’s order suspending certain provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L.C. 30A, §18, and the Governor’s order imposing strict limitation on the number of people that may gather in one place, this hearing will be conducted via remote participation to the greatest extent possible.

Members of the public who wish to listen to the meeting may do so by dialing-in: (425) 436-6311; Access Code: 248324#. No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted. Every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time, via technological means. In the event that we are unable to do so, despite best efforts, we will post on the Blandford website at www.townofblandford.com a transcript or other comprehensive record of proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting.

May 5, 2020 in Community, Meetings, Public Hearings

PUBLIC HEARING: FY20 Blandford Community Development Fund Application

The Blandford Selectboard will conduct a Public Hearing on Monday, February 10, 2020 at 7:00PM at the Blandford Town Hall, 1 Russell Stage Road, Blandford, MA. In the event of a weather cancellation, the meeting will occur at the next scheduled Select Board meeting on Monday, February 24, 2020 at the same time and location.

The purpose of the hearing will be to discuss the town’s proposed FY20 Community Development Block Program application. The application will be filed no later than March 6, 2020. The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) is assisting the town with this application.

Residents are encouraged to attend this meeting to discuss the FY20 application to the MA Department of Housing and Community Development for approximately $550,000 in available Community Development Block Grant Funds. All persons with questions or comments regarding the grant application will have an opportunity to be heard. Those unable to attend can send written comments to the Town Administrator, 1 Russell Stage Road, Blandford, MA 01008.

Projects currently being discussed include housing rehabilitation services to qualified Blandford households and a planning study that will evaluate Blandford properties for accessibility compliance; an ADA Transition Plan.

The Blandford Town Hall and Select Board meeting room are handicapped accessible. Persons who require special accommodations should contact the town at least one week prior to the hearing date at (413) 848-4279. For further information on the proposed application, contact PVPC Principal Planner Christopher Dunphy at (413) 781-6045 or [email protected].

Also, the Council on Aging will be hosting an info session regarding this application on January 24 at 10am during their breakfast. This will take place in the Council on Aging room located at Blandford Town Hall.

January 25, 2020 in Community, Meetings, Public Hearings

State of the Town Address – 12/18/19

Blandford Select Board Chair, Cara Letendre, will deliver her first State of the Town address on behalf of the Town of Blandford. Letendre will deliver the address at 6:30pm on December 18 in the Gym of Town Hall located at 1 Russell Stage Road. She will discuss current and future initiatives that aim to address small Town challenges that contribute to quality-of-life issues, including how the Town is handling issues of the past. She will also share new growth initiatives that look forward to generate revenue, and discuss policy changes that help increase accountability and better address Town needs.

Following her address will be a presentation of the Town’s financial forecast from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s (DOR) Technical Assistance Bureau. Immediately following the forecast presentation will be a panel made of the Financial Management Team of the Town which include Treasurer/Collector Sara Hunter, Accountant Eric Kinsherf, Chair of the Finance Committee Janet Lombardo, Assessor from Regional Resource Group Harald Scheid, Chair of the Board of Assessor’s Stephen Jemiolo, and Town Administrator Joshua A. Garcia – along with the presenters from DOR. David Hopson will be facilitating the panel and Q&A from the audience related to the presentation as well to address the activities of the Town’s day-to-day financial operations responsible for addressing the vision of the Towns Select Board. Overall, members of the public will get to learn key challenges and successes within the fields of finance, education, public safety, and new growth opportunities resulting in the state of the Town.

December 13, 2019 in Public Hearings, Selectboard