Bellingham Selectboard Awards Police Station Expansion Contract, Swears In Transfer Officer

BELLINGHAM -- March 3, 2025, Bellingham Selectboard awards police station expansion contract and hears wide-ranging state budget update. The board unanimously approved Contract 2025-BP, awarding the police locker room expansion to A Contracting Company of Seekonk after the firm scored a 97 on the state DCAM contractor rating system, with all subcontractors above 95. State Representative Michael Soter briefed the board on the governor's proposed budget, reporting Chapter 70 school funding up roughly $165,000 but warning that a proposed cut in per-pupil aid from $110 to $75 is drawing legislative pushback, with members pushing to hold the figure between $95 and $100. Soter also noted Chapter 90 road funding up about $37,000 and said Bellingham has received upward of $15 million in economic development construction money over five years, including $4.5 million secured for the Hart Half Avenue corridor. The board also voted to sponsor a Board of Health-backed revision to the town's livestock bylaw definition as a town meeting article, and heard interviews from four candidates for Parks Commission, Noonon Common Trustee, and Board of Health vacancies, with appointment votes deferred to a future meeting.