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Date: 10/26/2023
HAMPDEN — The town of Hampden will conduct a Town meeting on Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. at Thornton W. Burgess School. There are a total of 20 articles on the warrant.
With the completion of the feasibility study on the Senior Center, which examined the existing conditions and generally outlines and expansion, Article 1 would approve funding for architectural designs for the project. The feasibility study recommended a newly paved and oriented parking lot, replacement of the roof, rezoning the HVAC system and constructing an addition that would expand the Senior Center’s footprint by a third with the new wing angled out toward Allen Street. The estimated cost of the expansion and renovation of key areas of the building ranges from $4.62 million to $5.28 million. The article calls for raising and appropriating taxes or transferring unexpended funds, but the amount requested in the article was unavailable as of press time.
Article 2 would allow the town to sign a “notice of intent” to borrow money to fund the municipal fiber-optic program. Instead of borrowing the money immediately, the article would authorize the Board of Selectmen to borrow up to $8.5 million in the future, once the buildout of the network is complete. This total will likely be lower due to grant funding sought and acquired in the meantime.
Some short-term borrowing would be done during construction, but the full loan would be taken out at the end of the project and, provided 50% of households in town switch to the network, paid back through subscriber bills.
A mailer was recently sent to homes in Hampden urging people not to vote for the article, calling it “wasteful” and stating that tax dollars will be used to fund the infrastructure. The literature was produced by the Alliance for Quality Broadband, an organization that lists Charter among its partners and runs anti-municipal broadband campaigns in several states. The mailer stated that taxpayers will “be forced to fund the network.”
The system would be designed to operate like an enterprise fund, in which user fees revenue would be used to pay for the service and maintenance. It is true, however, that if there is not a 50% take rate, the town would need to subsidize the repayment of the loan through town funds until that rate is achieved.
Articles 3 and 4 are related to the imminent departure of Town Administrator Bob Markel, who will leave the position at the end of the calendar year. At the Sept. 25 Board of Selectmen meeting, Markel said the annual salary for the town administrator position should be raised by about $30,000 to “entice” candidates. He stated that was the going rate in the area. Article 3 would approve this raise.
Article 4 would approve a contract with Community Paradigm Associates, an executive search firm, to find a new town administrator. At the Oct. 11 Board of Selectmen meeting, Markel opined that the benefit of using a search firm rather than performing the search in-house, is that the firm has made connections with towns and knows which ones are seeking new administrators and which administrators are looking to move on from their current municipality. The cost associated with the search firm contract was not made available as of press time.
There are two projects for which community preservation funding is being sought. The first project would install a 4-foot-high fence on each side of the Academy Hall garage entrance. The second project would renovate the Academy Hall fire escape. The costs associated with these projects were not made available as of press time.
Article 6 would increase the budget line item for the animal control officer. Animal control officers are charged with ensuring state and municipal laws are followed regarding pets and other animals in the town. This may include investigating nuisance of dangerous animal complaints and working with owners to resolve them, investigating reports of cruelty to animals or ensuring the proper conditions are met for the keeping of livestock. The financial information related to this warrant article was unavailable as of press time.
Article 7 would purchase 14 acres of land at 0 Walnut St. for $59,000. Under Article 8, the land would then be put into a conservation restriction and be available for passive recreation only, while being managed by the Minnechaug Land Trust. Article 8 would impose a conservation restriction on the land, which would preclude it from development in perpetuity.
Article 9 asks voters to approve $108,127 for a Highway Department tractor.
Article 10 is seeking $34,000 in additional money for a fire department brush truck. The majority of the truck will be paid through a $219,047 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. At the May Town Meeting, voters approved a $10,962 match for the grant.
Board of Selectmen member Donald Davenport took issue with the request for further funding while at a Sept. 25 board meeting. He said, “The cost went up because after they got the money at the Town Meeting, they decided to put extra things on the truck … I’m just letting you know, when [Fire Chief Ed Poulin] stands up, there’s going to be issues.”
Article 11 asked for funding for new defibrillators and automated external defibrillators. The amount of this article was unavailable as of press time.
Article 12 would provide a sum of money to update the town’s Master Plan. The money would be a local match for a $75,000 state grant. Towns with planning boards are required by state law to create a master plan, which outlines the municipality’s priorities and action steps for the following five to 10 years. The document must be updated periodically to maintain this timeline. The sum attached to this article was not made available as of press time.
Articles 15-18 pertain to capital expenses at Minnechaug Regional High School. The first requests $24,917 for Hampden’s share of a $125,000 heat exchange for one of five boilers at the high school. The boiler failed in April and the decision was made that the school could continue to run on the remaining four units until the fall.
Article 16 also concerns HVAC systems and would approve $5,980 to pay for the town’s portion of air conditioning units in certain classrooms. The total cost of the project is $30,000. While the building does not have central air conditioning, temperature control is a required part of the individualized education programs for some special education students. The school is required by law to adhere to IEPs.
During a heat wave in the first week of September, the school circulated students through cool areas of the building to minimize heat-related discomfort and potential medical issues. At the Sept. 6 School Committee meeting referenced above, Superintendent John Provost said that as weather patterns change and heat becomes more common during the school year, the district needs to “start thinking about how we can be more strategic” with heat relief.
Switching to technology expenses, Article 17 would use $10,764 for Hampden’s share of classroom projector/monitors. The equipment, with a total price tag of $54,000, would be used for class instruction.
The last of the school-based articles asks for $14,950 to fund the town’s part of $75,000 worth of updates to the high school’s camera system. The cameras are original to the 11-year-old building.
At the Aug. 17 School Committee meeting, Minnechaug Regional High School Principal Steven Hale was asked if the camera system was functional. He replied that if there was a hit and run in the parking lot, “I can tell you it’s a blue car with four doors,” but cannot zoom in to see a license plate. He said that he would also not be able to see the faces in an altercation between students. There are also gaps in camera coverage of the building and campus, posing a security issue.
The final two articles would reduce the tax rate and add money to the town’s Stabilization Account, which acts as a municipal savings account.