Select Board rejects Verizon's Bush Hill Road conduit plan

Select Board · Meeting of September 21, 2026

Ashburnham Select Board unanimously rejects Verizon's Bush Hill Road broadband conduit and swears in a new fire chief. The three-member board, chaired by Abby Arpano, voted 3-0 to deny Verizon New England's bid to bury a two-inch conduit along roughly 7,285 feet of the narrow dirt road after residents including Gary Allen, Dave Sargent and Claire Duker argued the state-directed Massachusetts Broadband Initiative project would damage the road and serve no local demand. Duker called the effort "a governmental boondoggle." Verizon representative Don Bonner said the road was picked at random by the state, not by resident request, and confirmed "Verizon was told by the state to go do it." Earlier, the board formally swore in Corey Leary as fire chief, following Police Chief Conrad's three years as interim chief; Leary said his top priority "will be our people." The board also executed the November 3 state election warrant and approved its August 31 minutes.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,748 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of September 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.