Ashburnham Select Board Opposes Route 119 Motel, Seeks Town Counsel Review

WINCHENDON — March 1, 2021 — Ashburnham Select Board unanimously opposes proposed Route 119 motel, citing residential zoning concerns. At the March 1 virtual meeting, Selectmen Leo Jansons, Rosemary Meister, and Bill Johnson voted 3-0 to direct Town Counsel to review the Butler motel application — a proposed three-unit structure with an office on Ashby Road — and draft a formal opposition letter before the Planning Board's March 8 comment deadline. Building Commissioner Sarah Culgen had flagged the project in writing, stating "this does not look like a motel" and that residential use is not permitted in a business zone. The board also learned mid-meeting that the DPW has been running a competing work order platform called PeoplesGIS at $5,000 per year — a system unknown to the full board — after sitting through a $10,000-to-$15,000 annual-cost pitch from SeeClickFix vendor John May; Johnson called for a PeoplesGIS demonstration before any purchasing decision is made. The board additionally authorized overspending the snow and ice account, appointed Eva Sibley to the Cultural Council, and voted 3-0 to tentatively pursue a Massachusetts Affordable Housing Trust Technical Assistance Grant pending Town Administrator review.