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Date: 11/29/2023
HAMPDEN — The Hampden Board of Selectmen spoke with Massachusetts Director of Rural Affairs Anne Gobi about some of Hampden’s needs. Like 181 of the towns in Massachusetts, Hampden is considered rural because it has a population of fewer than 7,000 residents and there are fewer than 500 people per square mile. Most towns that meet that criteria are in Western Massachusetts, although there are municipalities under those guidelines in the central part of the state and the north and south pockets of eastern Massachusetts.
The board spoke to Gobi about the need to address a pond on Mill Road, which Conservation Commission member Ted Zebert described as “more wetland than pond.” The body has historically contained overflow from the adjoining Scantic River and acted as a source for water for the Fire Department and recreation for children who swim, fish and ice skate there.
As the water flows into the pond from the river, it carries sediment and debris, which has shallowed the pond over time, reducing its effectiveness.
Town Administrator Bob Markel asked Gobi about funding to obtain an estimate and hire a company to excavate or otherwise harvest the debris and silt. Board of Selectmen Chair John Flynn noted that there have been times in which the regulatory process has cost more than the work the town sought to complete.
Gobi recommended Markel seek out the Community One Stop for Growth, a “one-stop portal” for state grants, which will be available for application in January 2024. She said it is part of her job to advocate for more grants to benefit rural communities.
Gobi suggested Markel reach out to the Pioneer Valley Planning Authority or State Geologist Stephen B. Mabee, whose office is at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She also asked if thought had been put into how to prevent the issue from reoccurring. A sediment forebay was suggested by a member of the Conservation Commission.
Board of Selectmen member Donald Davenport asked Gobi about an entity, proposed by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, that would function like the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The body would use state funding to work with municipalities on expensive buildings and projects. Gobi told him that Gov. Maura Healey’s office was working on something similar but would not sign the current legislative bill that is seeking to create the entity.
Gobi told the board that the Healey administration recently created a Massachusetts Federal Funds Partnership for Municipalities and Tribes to help towns apply for and win federal funds. She said $800, million from the state’s “rainy day fund” would be devoted to it.
“We’ve had promises before,” Flynn said, specifically pointing out funding for sidewalks and the town hall that had been cut from the budget at the last minute. He added that it seemed funding for the western part of the state was always first to be cut.
“It’s a new governor,” Gobi assured. “There’s a new sheriff in town, my friends.”