ASHFIELD — Voters approved the town taking ownership of the deteriorating retaining wall at the old Sanderson Field and replenishing the Highway Department budget with $130,000 at Tuesday’s Special Town Meeting.

The 56 voters in attendance at Town Hall approved all eight articles on the warrant.

The most discussed article asked voters to allow the town to take ownership of the parcel of land around the retaining wall at the old Sanderson Field by way of eminent domain. The retaining wall is at risk of failure and in need of repairs.

In 2015, engineering consulting firm Tighe & Bond conducted a study and found repairs to the wall would cost more than $1 million. The Trustees of Sanderson Academy currently own the land. There is grant funding available to fix it, but the town must own the wall before it can apply for grants.

“We have this incredible resource that doesn’t cost us anything,” Selectboard Vice Chair Steven Gougeon said. “In some ways, this is the time for the town to step in and put resources toward it.”

The town also approved adding $130,000 to the Highway Department’s general expense budget through taxation. The department’s budget was largely depleted to pay for repairs caused by significant rainstorms in July.

The Selectboard explained the town is still under its levy limit, and plans to set the tax rate in the coming days.

There was some talk, spearheaded by Finance Committee Vice Chair Kyle Taylor, about using the Winter Recovery Assistance Program (WRAP) to cover the costs, but Highway Superintendent Tom Poissant explained much of the WRAP funds have already been spent.

The six other articles on the Special Town Meeting warrant that passed allow the town to pay a broadband bill from a prior fiscal year, establish two revolving funds, transfer money to build a bay for a police cruiser, change the accountant salary line in the budget to a general accounting line and sell property that was taken for unpaid taxes.

Reach Bella Levavi at 413-930-4579 or blevavi@recorder.com.