Select Board Approves Scaled-Back Route 112 Design

Select Board · Meeting of June 9, 2026

Buckland Select Board approved a scaled-back Route 112 design and elected a new chair amid warnings that a regional tech school's building costs could strain town budgets. The board unanimously installed Joan Livingston as chair and a member identified as Clint as vice chair, then voted to approve a MassDOT design for Route 112 (Ashfield Road) that shrinks bike lanes by two feet total and drops a sidewalk extension, over a resident's objection that "it is really a big deal and it is being rushed." Franklin County Technical School officials warned renovating their 50-year-old building could cost $103 million, on top of a $500,000 override Buckland already passed this year. The board also approved four fiscal-year line-item transfers, including $6,156.25 for PFAS-related landfill testing, opened a special town meeting warrant for around July 21 to fund the regional school budget, and approved a letter of hire for a new library director.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,372 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of June 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.