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Date: 5/23/2023
BOSTON — On May 10, the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight hosted a meeting on a bill to reopen Cobble Mountain Road for passive recreation in the towns of Blandford, Granville and Russell.
Christopher Dunne, Blandford’s town administrator, testified at the hearing on the legislation, which was filed by state Rep. Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick) and co-presented by state Sen. Paul Mark (D-Becket) in part at the urging of the residents of the town of Blandford.
“We are grateful for the initiative and support that our legislative delegation has shown on this issue, both today and in the past with efforts by Rep. Smitty Pignatelli and former Sen. Adam Hinds, to address this unfortunate part of our history,” Dunne told the committee.
Dunne said as county government was dissolved in Western Massachusetts in the late 1990s, the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, or DCAMM, became the owner of Cobble Mountain Road.
“The road at the time was an important connection to Blandford’s neighboring communities as well as a way to access the opportunities for hiking, biking, picnicking and more in the watershed surrounding Cobble Mountain Reservoir. The reservoir feeds a portion of Springfield’s drinking water supply and is overseen by the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission,” Dunne said.
He said at the request of Springfield Water and Sewer, DCAMM allowed gates to be placed across the road in 2002, citing homeland security concerns. Dunne said even when the heightened state of alert following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks receded, the gates remained in place.
Dunne said the town of Blandford works with Springfield Water and Sewer to ensure emergency access to the whole of the road, and also continues to work cooperatively with the publicly owned utility to open its lands in Blandford to passive recreation.
“We collaborate to advance our shared interests and be good neighbors. Cobble Mountain Road is one issue however, where the community has seen no movement for more than two decades,” Dunne said.
Boldyga’s bill seeks to reopen the road to passive recreation — such as hiking and bicycling, but not motor vehicle traffic — between dawn and dusk.
“This is a modest bill which we hope can be the first step in restoring this road as a critical connection for residents and reopening the area as a recreational asset for the region,” Dunne said.
He also recounted in the fall having the opportunity to visit Cobble Mountain Reservoir, normally inaccessible from Blandford, as part of an event hosted by U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield). The site visit was part of envisioning “a day without water,” highlighting the critical role of federal funding for drinking water infrastructure.
“We hope that Congressman Neal and representatives from Sen. Ed Markey’s office also got a chance to imagine what it’s like for residents to go more than 20 years without access to Cobble Mountain Reservoir. And we hope Blandford’s legislative delegation, both state and federal, can imagine a day when the watershed of this reservoir is treated like others across the state: a critical drinking water resource for our urban and suburban communities that serves as an unparalleled recreational asset for the rural towns that live alongside it,” Dunne told the committee.
After the hearing, Dunne said that recently, the town has been having a lot of conversations with the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, and a lot of opportunities to work with them. For one, he said they have a shared interest in the Blandford Fire Department purchasing a new brush truck, due to the 11,000 acres that the utility owns in Blandford.
Dunne said town officials have also been talking with Springfield Water and Sewer about a one-lane bridge on Beech Hill Road, which the commission uses to access Borden Brook Reservoir. Dunne said he is applying to a grant to MassWorks for the bridge, and is looking for a letter of support from Springfield Water and Sewer, working with Water Resources Manager Nicole Sanford and Water Operations Manager James Laurila.
Dunne said several town residents from Blandford and Granville spoke at the hearing or sent written testimony, including Selectman T.J. Cousineau and Assistant Town Clerk Mary Kronholm. A Selectboard member from Granville also participated, as did Elizabeth Massa of the Western Mass. Hilltown Hikers.
Dunne said the participation by Hilltown residents was done virtually. Springfield Water and Sewer Communications Manager Jaimye Bartak spoke in person at the hearing, the sole speaker in opposition to opening the road.
“We don’t have the resources that Springfield Water and Sewer does to send someone to Boston,” Dunne said.
“Rep. Boldyga did a good job,” Dunne said, adding, “We’re fortunate to have legislative delegates that took the time to file it and alert us.”
Dunne said the joint committee will be digesting the information it received at the hearing before deciding whether to report favorably on the bill, which could take months.
“In the intervening months, we’ll be doing what we can to work with the executive branch, where DCAMM is housed, to see some positive movement there,” Dunne said, adding, “It’s not Springfield’s road.”