Buckland reviewing progress toward Open Space and Recreation Plan goals

BUCKLAND — The Open Space and Recreation Committee will meet at Town Hall, 17 State St., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m. to review the town’s progress on the goals and tasks outlined in the 2021 Open Space and Recreation Plan.

The latest draft of Buckland’s Open Space and Recreation Plan was approved in April 2021 by the Department of Energy Resources, with plans to update it again in 2028.

Its goal was to outline how the town can maintain and improve the quality of its parks, outdoor recreation facilities, wildlife habitats and rural character while also boosting economic growth.

The document outlines a seven-year action plan with 37 tasks.

These include fundraising for a community pool, creating a website to inform residents about the resources available to them, mapping and maintaining existing trails, and developing an invasive species removal strategy.

Now, halfway through the timeline for the plan, the Open Space Committee is inviting residents to see what progress has been made and discuss what tasks and objectives should be prioritized in the next few years.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Town Administrator Heather Butler at twnadmin@town.buckland.ma.us.

Historical Society selling calendars

BUCKLAND — As 2025 approaches, the Buckland Historical Society has announced its yearly calendar is available for sale.

The calendar, titled “Buckland Hills,” features painted scenes of Buckland by Robert Strong Woodward.

Woodward was born in Northhampton in 1885 and settled in Buckland when he was 21 after he suffered an accidental gunshot wound and was permanently paralyzed.

In his lifetime, Woodward painted roughly 600 oils and 285 known chalks. Through his landscapes, barn paintings and window pictures, Woodward documented a passing New England. He died of stomach cancer in 1957.

Woodward’s work captured many of Buckland’s hills, as well as landscapes of surrounding towns.

Calendars are $20 and can be purchased at Andy’s & The Oak Shoppe at 352 Deerfield St. in Greenfield; Boswell’s Books at 10 Bridge St. and Nancy L. Dole Books & Ephemera at 20 State St. in Shelburne Falls; and at the Buckland Public Library at 30 Upper St. in Buckland.

Calendars are also being sold online at bucklandmasshistory.org.

Section of Route 116 to be repaved

ASHFIELD — More than 4 miles of Route 116 in Ashfield will be repaved next spring. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has chosen the Ashfield section of the road to receive attention as part of $50 million in Municipal Pavement Program grants in 2025.

MassDOT selected 45 municipalities with roads that are part of the state numbered highway system. The full scope of work, exact amount of grant funding going to Ashfield and a timeline for the project has not been determined, as MassDOT will collaborate with the Ashfield Highway Department to plan the work.

Repaving work will span 4.2 miles of Route 116 from the intersection with Route 112 to the Plainfield town line.

Ashfield energy aggregation approved by Dept. of Public Utilities

ASHFIELD — The town’s energy aggregation plan has received approval from the state Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and officials will soon start requesting proposals from utility companies.

Under state law, municipalities can solicit bids, negotiate with providers and buy electricity on behalf of its residents. Energy Committee Chair Alexandra Osterman explained that with aggregation, instead of residents just accepting the cost an energy provider gives them, the town can pit companies against each other in search of the lowest bid. The town can then purchase electricity at the lower cost and sell it to the residents, who can still opt out and choose their own energy provider if they so choose.

Ashfield Town Meeting voters agreed to pursue an aggregation plan in 2023, according to Osterman. Since then, the town has been waiting for DPU approval to proceed.

“Our motivation was two-fold: one, to support more renewable energy usage, and two, to keep rates lower and more stable for our residents,” Osterman said.

Osterman explained that most towns that pursue aggregation offer a few different plans with different rates, and she hopes Ashfield will be able to offer three plans, including one that offers full use of renewable energy.

Ashfield’s plan, negotiated and submitted by Colonial Power Group, was approved by the DPU on Oct. 22. With this approval, town officials and representatives from Colonial Power Group can move forward with seeking bids from companies.

Osterman hopes the town can roll out the new plans to residents in the spring.