Select Board approves Spectrum broadband deal for Hawley

Select Board · Meeting of August 25, 2026

Buckland Select Board clears Spectrum's broadband deal for Hawley over one last legal snag. Town Administrator Pam told the board the rights-of-way agreement, covering 49 utility poles, came down to a single indemnification clause before members voted unanimously to approve it pending town counsel's sign-off, with Spectrum covering the town's legal fees. The board also heard that a proposed 24-hour regional EMS model spanning eight west Franklin County towns could cost Buckland between $92,000 and $285,000 a year, prompting Pam to warn, "I think we all know we do not have those kinds of funds." Separately, the board unanimously appointed Douglas Upton as a Highway Department laborer at $22 an hour, approved a $150,800-and-$250,000 two-year Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant for Clesson Brook restoration work, and began planning a September 23 public forum ahead of an October 6 vote on a Franklin County Technical School building project.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of August 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.