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Date: 6/21/2021
WESTHAMPTON – During the Westhampton Annual Town Meeting Reconvene on June 19, residents voted 21-4 in favor of appropriating money for a new break room in the Highway Department garage.
After being unable to decide on the article during the May 8 Annual Town Meeting, the town of Westhampton held off on the break room discussion until the reconvene so a written estimate of project costs could be better specified.
The approved vote will allow $25,000 to be transferred from free cash to begin construction of a break room at the Westhampton Highway Department garage.
According to Phil Dowling, the chair of the Westhampton Selectboard, the $25,000 is not an arbitrary number. The money is left over from a $90,000 Town Hall roof project that Westhampton conducted in 2020. That project only cost $56,000.
“This money is already in the system … it’s already been raised,” said Dowling during the reconvene. “To say that this break room is long overdue is an understatement.”
The town was planning to build a break room when they built the highway garage 15 or 16 years ago, but due to financial reasons, Westhampton decided not to pursue it at the time. According to Dowling, the break room they have planned would also be used as a storage space on the mezzanine level so the department can load objects off the highway garage floor and put it in the storage room safely.
“I don’t see any pluses for delaying,” said Dowling. “I know for a fact that they would make the best use for this money. We have a structural drawing for this work.”
During the conversation, a resident pointed out that she supports the construction of a break room but said that the $25,000 could maybe be used to lower the town’s tax rate. She felt that the town could have revisited this project later this year when the town’s free cash is solidified.
“Later this year when our free cash is certified and we’re feeling fairly confident ... that we could then entertain doing this,” she said. Another resident who voted no said that he was against the idea of using the $25,000 because he believes that any money allocated for a project should only specifically be used for that project.
Other items were approved with little discussion during the reconvene. Inspector expenses were increased from $11,400 to $12,940 for wireless service of iPads to utilize the new online permitting program. The town also voted to decrease the Foothills Health District Assessment from $28,997 to $26,084 in anticipation of grant funding.
An additional $40,000 was raised and appropriated for a principle interest payment for the remaining balance of the public safety complex design and engineering combined with a new Highway Department pickup truck.
On top of that, $255,795 was raised and appropriated for principle and interest on the bond for the construction of the new public safety complex. This payment is the first of a 20-year note, according to Dowling. The interest rate on this 20-year loan is 1.7 percent, which means that Westhampton was able to save $900,000 for the loan.
It was announced during the meeting that the town is also looking to fill boards, committees and other positions. A list of positions is available on the town’s website at https://www.westhampton-ma.com/home/news/appointments-fill-local-boards-committees-and-positions.