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Date: 5/27/2021
HAMPDEN – Dispatch Director Anthony Gentile updated the Hampden Board of Selectmen on the status of transitioning emergency dispatch to the Town of Wilbraham. On May 18, emergency calls from landlines and mobile devices were transferred to Gentile’s operation. He said that there were “bumps in the road,” but fewer than he had expected.
The bump he referred to was a communications issue on May 20 in which a dispatch center transmission was not received by the Hampden Fire Department. Gentile said that technicians looked at the problem on Wilbraham’s end but were unable to reproduce the incident. Hampden Police Chief Scott Trombly reported that its communications company, Marcus Communications, found the town’s equipment was in working order. The incident occurred again on May 21, but has not happened since.
On June 2, non-emergency calls will transfer to Wilbraham’s operation. By June 30, Trombly reported, the department plans to hire a records clerk who will also handle license-to-carry applications and greeting the public at the police station. The position, which may be filled by two part-time employees, would station someone in the building from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and for four hours on Saturday. Board of Selectmen member John Flynn suggested bringing the job to former dispatchers who have yet to sign on to new jobs since they are already familiar with the department.
After June 30, a phone will be available in the lobby area of the station. If someone needs help in an emergency situation, they can call dispatch in Wilbraham directly. A camera will allow dispatchers to see the individual and lock the station door remotely for the person’s safety.
The Board of Selectmen discussed the lawsuit between Hampden and the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD). Board of Selectmen Chair Donald Davenport spoke about a letter sent to the Board of Selectmen by School Committee member William Bontempi earlier this year, which stated that creating a strategic plan for the district would alert Hampden to potential weaknesses that could be exploited in the lawsuit and therefore it was in everyone’s best interest to settle the suit.
“You’re putting winning a court case above winning education for our kids,” Davenport said of Bontempi. “I would like to see the HWRSD discuss this in an open session and decide whether to go forward on the strategic plan.” The district has been without a strategic plan – a guiding document – for over a decade.
Flynn opined that the lawsuit “shackles” both communities. Newly-elected Selectboard member Craig Rivest noted that the town only has $21,000 to continue the suit before it must request more funds at a Town Meeting.
Flynn suggested that Davenport and HWRSD Committee Chair Sherrill Caruana meet with lawyers from both parties to talk out their positions and see if there is room to settle the issues. “We’ve been treading water on this for years,” he said. “The only one that’s hurting is our school children.” Rivest supported Flynn’s suggestion.
Phil Schnieder, liaison to the Board of Selectmen on the lawsuit, said that if the parties sit down and don’t agree, they can always walk away. He added that an appeal of the judge’s summary judgement against Hampden could cost an additional $25,000.
Mary Ellen Glover, a former member of the Board of Selectmen and primary proponent of the lawsuit, opined, “We are losing control of our children’s education.” She added, “I don’t see [the district] as willing to talk. I see no movement,” in the six years that the conflict has been ongoing.
A representative from Hampden will broach the possibility of a meeting with the district.
Mary Monahan and Steve Tyler from the consulting firm Howard Stein Hudson updated the board on its Municipal Vulnerability Planning status. Monahan said that Hampden and East Longmeadow are both eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) to identify and prioritize flood issues and how to address them. She recommended a joint grant, in which the following must be conducted: a workshop in each community covering ways to mitigate flood risk on an individual level, transportation training for town employees, and a one-day workshop on climate change for middle schoolers from East Longmeadow, Hampden and Girls Inc. of the Valley.
Tyler said that he can work with Interim Town Administrator Bob Markel and the Department of Public Works (DPW) on a small-bridge grant and culvert assistance to improve the Main Street bridge. If awarded, the grants will allow the town to move forward “aggressively” to address town infrastructure that is vulnerable to flooding, Monahan said.
Longmeadow has been awarded $287,000 per year for three years to establish shared health services with Hampden, Monson and Wilbraham. Eric Weiss, manager of regional municipal services for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), explained that the towns would decide which services to share and which to maintain independently. After that is decided upon, a shared budget would be drawn up for the towns to split the future costs. Longmeadow would employ the health professionals and share their health director, Finn McCool.
Markel stated that the partnership is fully funded for three years and the town can walk away by giving nine-months notice to the other municipalities. The participating towns must submit a letter of interest in the inter-municipal agreement to the state.
A compromise was reached between the solar company Ameresco and Highway Superintendent Mark Langone over the placement of supplies at the site of the former landfill, on which Ameresco plans to build a solar array. The company gave up a little space by stacking some solar panels, while the highway department agreed to condense the area for their needs. Markel said that the concessions allowed for minimal impact on town revenue from the field. The next steps for the Ameresco project involves a public hearing and resolving environmental issues with the state Department of Environmental Protection and the town’s conservation commission.
The town hall will reopen on June 1 and residents will no longer have to go through a receptionist in the auditorium. All employees working in the building have been vaccinated. Municipal meetings will continue in a hybrid format with people attending in person and via Zoom. The senior center plans to conduct a “soft reopening” on June 15 in which the doors will be open, but programming will not yet resume.