Belchertown Board Endorses 127-Acre Land Deal at No Cost to Town

BELCHERTOWN -- May 4, 2026, Belchertown Select Board endorses 127-acre conservation land deal funded entirely by grants. Acting under Chair Lesa Lessard Pearson, who was absent due to illness, a four-member board voted 4-0 Monday to endorse the purchase and sale agreement for the Walker/Mahall property, a 127-acre parcel Town Planner Doug Albertson said will cost the town nothing after a state Forest Reserve Grant of $392,500 and a commitment from Kestrel Land Trust cover the full purchase price. The transaction requires a Town Meeting appropriation vote on May 11 because the grants are structured as reimbursements. Member Nicole A. Miner, presiding, asked Albertson to be "super extra clear at town meeting that we're not paying for this out of our operating budget." The board also approved Pride Month proclamations and a June 1 flag raising, remanded a canine training facility special permit application to the Zoning Board of Appeals with comments on noise and fencing, and entered executive session on labor negotiations with police, fire, and DPW unions and a real estate matter involving 6 and 8 Berkshire Avenue, where one bid was received for the former property and none for the latter.