Deerfield Select Board Reorganizes, Approves Nearly $146,000 in CPC Grants

WHATELY — May 27, 2026 — Deerfield Select Board reorganizes under new chair Blake Gilmore and approves $145,984 in community preservation grants. The board unanimously elected Gilmore as chair, Tim Hilche as vice chair, and Trevor McDaniel as clerk at the May 27 joint meeting of the Select Board, Board of Health, and Super Commissioners — the same roles applied to all three bodies simultaneously. Three Community Preservation Committee grant agreements were approved: $136,000 for an engineering study and clock tower restoration at the 1821 Meeting House, $4,984 for historical gravestone preservation at Laurel Hill Cemetery, and $5,000 for restoration of a historic tack painting slated for eventual display at the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. McDaniel, outgoing chair, acknowledged the spring override defeats, saying "that's politics and that's why you do these jobs." The board also voted to support Shelburne's FY27 MassWorks grant application and began planning a study committee on expanding to a five-member Select Board, with appointments targeted for June 10.