Ashland selectmen approve paving projects
May 06, 2021ASHLAND At their May 3 meeting, the Ashland selectmen approved the paving of Avery Street, Hillside Avenue and the sidewalk on Depot Street, and the hiring of a meter reader for the summer, and dealt with a number of other issues. Public Works Director Craig Moore presented his annual request for road projects. He chose two roads where the pavement is breaking up, Hillside Avenue and Avery Street, and presented an estimate with a contingency fund of $91,302 from GMI Asphalt. The town crew will work to improve the drainage on both roads, installing new culverts, etc.,
Ashland selectmen re-examine sick day policy
January 28, 2021ASHLAND At their Jan. 19 meeting, the Ashland selectmen discussed the use of sick days for Covid quarantines, completed its review of the warrant articles, hired a firm to provide an interim Town Manager, and conducted other town business. (Two selectmen could not attend the meeting, so only Eli Badger, Kathleen DeWolfe and Andrew Fitch were present.) As the number of Covid cases has increased in Ashland and the surrounding areas, so has the exposure of town employees to the disease. When Town Manager Charlie Smith returned to work after the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, he found that four town employees were in quarantine for up to two weeks, because they had the disease or had been exposed to others who were infected. (Parks & Recreation Director Ann Barney reported that the After School program would be shut down for a week because an employee had tested positive for Covid.) This brought to the fore a policy i
Town meeting discussion continues in Ashland
January 13, 2021ASHLAND The Ashland selectmen met in the early afternoon of Jan. 6 to take up the issue of what type of town meeting to hold. They also voted on the proposed warrant articles. Chairman Eli Badger began the meeting by noting that he had received some criticism from those who felt that he had exceeded his authority when he contacted Municipal Resources Inc., a firm that has helped the town in the past by recruiting town administrators or providing temporary administrators. He explained that he was just
seeking information on how they might help in the transition to a new Town Manager. (Town Manager Charlie Smith is leaving for a new job in February.) The other four selectmen all supported Badger s actions, noting that they needed to act soon to fill the position
Ashland selectmen re-visit possibility of virtual town meeting
January 06, 2021ASHLAND At their Jan. 4 meeting, the Ashland selectmen again discussed the option of a virtual town meeting instead of an in-person meeting, as well as the imminent departure of the Town Manager, Electric Department billing problems, and the refund of health insurance money.
The selectmen had previously discussed the option of having a virtual meeting and a drive-though election, as provided under state law, instead of the usual in-person deliberative session and election. At their Dec. 21 meeting, the selectmen seemed to be leaning towards an in-person meeting and election, but were not sure if they could hold them in the school gym, which seemed to be the only building in the community that could house a socially distanced meeting. So, they were waiting for the decision of the School Board at its Jan. 5 meeting on the use of the gym. At this meeting, however,