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Date: 7/21/2021
HAMPDEN – The Hampden Board of Selectmen awarded the highway garage expansion contract to Marois Construction after receiving the lowest bid from the company, which previously handled the police station project.
The bid included a base price of $474,000 and five additional prices depending on which options the town wanted to include in the work. Board of Selectmen member John Flynn noted that some of the incidentals, such as improvement of the superintendent’s office, could be paid from the Highway Department budget, rather than the general fund. The approved contract with three of the five alternatives included totaled $569,264.
“Let the construction begin,” Chair Donald Davenport declared.
While discussing the proposed Fire Station Expansion Committee, Davenport questioned whether a committee was actually needed. He cited the $40,000 report that had previously been prepared on the building. Instead, he said, the board needed to ask what the future of the Hampden Fire Department (HFD) will be and how to reach that future, then they can decide what is needed for the station.
Markel mentioned configuring the station around the number of vehicles needed by the department and if the Fire Department will operate 24 hours per day, as it will determine whether sleeping quarters are required.
Resident Thad Clavette questioned the need for the various vehicles used by the HFD. Flynn agreed. “We’ve been without a second tanker for two or three years. How has it affected us? He did note that they had used mutual aid during that time and expressed gratitude to the surrounding towns.
“Maybe we need to have a focus meeting,” with the Fire Department, Davenport said. Rivest agreed that a “sit-down” was needed. The board decided to hold off on convening the committee until after meeting with the HFD.
The board is waiting to sign the memorandum of understanding to share health services with the towns of Monson, Wilbraham and Longmeadow. Town Attorney Rose Crowley asked the board to give her permission to review the document, as she is also the legal counsel for Longmeadow.
The final version is the 10th draft of the document, which the towns have been working on since spring. Under the agreement, the towns will share a health agent, Health Department director and a public nurse. The first three years of administrative costs will be paid for through a state-funded grant. The number of candidates for the health agent position has been narrowed to three, Markel said.
Robert Rizzuto, senior public information officer for the Hampden County Sheriff's Department brought a community service project proposal to the board. He explained that community service projects are part of the department’s training program and the department is reaching out to the towns and cities for work that they can perform.
Rivest suggested cleaning up Goat Rock Trail, which he said is littered and showing signs of disrepair. Rather than cleaning up the whole trail, Rivest said that it could be limited to the first roughly two miles, ending at the overlook. “It would be a welcome sight,” he said of a cleaned-up trail. Resident Ted Zebert pointed Rizzuto to the Minnechaug Land Trust trail manager to coordinate.
“I think you’ve got yourself a job,” Davenport said. The work will be done around Aug. 4.
Markel spoke about several grants that the town has either received or is pursuing. Earlier in the year, state Rep. Brian Ashe’s office had requested projects that required funding through the state budget. A total of $100,000 has been earmarked for Hampden to use on gypsy moth-damaged trees. The money is not a reimbursement of funds already spent on the project. Instead, they are designed to be used going forward.
There is also $389,000 to identify culverts and other areas vulnerable to flooding, to be used over two years. There is an educational component to the grant and students will be educated on ways to control flooding that do not rely on structural intervention.
A $34,000 grant to redesign a bridge has been awarded. Once the design process is finished, the town will be eligible for grants to complete the work. Markel told the board that a resident complained that an increase in water entering the Scantic River near the bridge has led to erosion of his property down river. To mitigate such issues, Markel said part of the bridge design will use natural methods to absorb rainwater upstream and protect downstream areas from flooding. The town will need to match roughly $30,000 for this project.
Emergency Dispatch Director Anthony Gentile informed the board that the department had received a grant from the state’s E-911 department to fund regionalization. While Gentile did not receive the $754,000 he requested, he did receive more than $400,000, far more than is needed to cover Hampden’s portion of the administrative costs.
“There are always those who doubt, including me,” when the state offers to provide grant money, Markel said.