Board Approves Land Takings for Stillwater Bridge
Select Board · Meeting of March 18, 2026
Deerfield Select Board approves $900 in eminent domain takings for the Stillwater Bridge rebuild. Members Blake Gilmore, Tim Hilchey and Chair Trevor D. McDaniel voted 3-0 to acquire multiple easements on Upper Road for the bridge project authorized by 2025 town meeting, then separately authorized recording the takings at the Franklin County Registry of Deeds.
A related Great River Hydro LLC easement vote was pushed to April 1. The board also rescinded a February hiring freeze after health insurance costs rose just 12.5 percent instead of a feared 16 to 20 percent, appointed Ethan Russell as a full-time police officer at $27.90 per hour starting June 1, and accepted Karen Menard's retirement letter. Resident Lily Dwight told the board transfer station solicitation rules are enforced inconsistently: "enforcement depends on the message rather than the actual impact on traffic."
In the full story:
- The complete report — 819 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of March 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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