Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 10/15/2019
BLANDFORD – The majority of the people who lined up to speak at the MassDOT Interchange Study Open House in Blandford on Oct. 10 were opposed to the idea of a new exit.
The Open House was well attended, with 150-200 people, many standing as the seats were filled.
Cassandra Gascon Bligh, MassDOT project manager, ran through the feasibility findings to date, the most recent being the decision to exclude Algerie Road in Otis for consideration, leaving the Blandford Service Plaza and the Blandford Maintenance Area as the two remaining potential locations for an exit out of the original seven options.
Bligh said the first goal of the study was to find a central spot along the 30-mile stretch between Exits 2 and 3, the longest in the Commonwealth. The second goal was to mitigate traffic in Lee and Westfield.
Bligh made it clear in her presentation that the process was still in the early stages, year two of a 12–year–project if it were to go forward. She also emphasized that while the feasibility study had concluded that the two possible locations for an exit were feasible by engineering standards, MassDOT is not recommending whether or not to put in an interchange. The cost is estimated to be between $30 and $35 million.
“That is where public support will come into play,” Gascon Bligh said.
Among those speaking against the proposal were a Blandford couple with a particularly poignant story; Bill Missimer and his wife, Jane Kuznicki Pinsley. Missimer said they had married eight years ago, widow and widower, and had tried city life and travelling, but found them empty.
He said they “made a path back to Jane’s childhood home and farm,” the historic Boise Tavern on North Street and its blueberry fields. “The house has been restored; the blueberry fields are producing again,” Missimer said, adding that they both looked forward to transitioning the farm to their grandchildren one day.
Missimer said that if the exit is built, then North Street, where the farm is located – along with its century old maple trees and stone walls – will all come crashing down. He also said that the plans for an addition on the farmhouse are on hold.
“The impact on the family haven and historic fields would truncate the dream of keeping the farm in the family for generations to come,” Missimer said.
Pinsley was even more direct about the family farm, known locally as Blueberry Joe’s. “I speak for the vulnerable women and children. Politicians, you should be ashamed of yourselves,” she said, referring to the legislative effort that spurred on the feasibility study.
Pinsley said the premise is out of date, as automobiles will lose their significance in the future, and more and more people will be working electronically at home. “It’s an outdated discussion here, inhuman,” Pinsley said.
E. Patrick Storey of North Tolland, also retired, said that he moved up to a corner of the Otis Reservoir bordering Blandford because of its beauty. However, he said he supports putting in an exit in Blandford.
Storey said there were several reasons for his support. The aging population will have to sell their homes, which must be accessible to buyers. He said the towns can’t keep their young people.
Storey also commented on the 10 minutes or so that would be saved accessing the turnpike, according to the presentation.
“As we age, we tend to get more medical problems,” Storey said, adding that Baystate Health in Springfield is an important urgent care destination. “Ten minutes can be a matter of life and death,” he said.
Speaking for young people, Gateway Hilltowns Economic Development Director Jeanne LeClair said she was called in to help stabilize the economy with its declining population. She said she is grateful for broadband increases in the towns, which are already starting to help.
LeClair stressed the need for new families to move into the area; and said a lot of working people and young families would take advantage of the exit.
Jeffrey Scott Penn of Huntington said he was grateful “to be born and raised in paradise” and unhappy the process even took place. “This meeting should have taken place before $300,000 was spent,” he said.
Penn said he will be hosting an upcoming symposium at Gateway Regional, called “Protecting the Western Highlands of 413,” to
identify qualities, places and things which are important to protect in the region while carefully growing, and problems and possible solutions to life quality and nature issues.
Gascon Bligh said the next step for the project, the 25 percent design, would depend on competing for federal or state funding, and public support would be key. “Local public, municipal, regional support would be necessary, plus funding,” Bligh said.
Earlier in the evening, Blandford Selectman Eric McVey said that the residents of the town did a home rule petition in 2014 that showed 80 percent were in favor of an exit. “I don’t stand opposed to the residents,” McVey said.
ThePowerPoint will be uploaded online at www.mass.gov/I-90-interchange-study along with a 30-day comment period form. Once the report is finalized, it will be published online, and delivered to the legislature.