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Date: 4/21/2021
HAMPDEN – Interim Town Administrator Bob Markel told the Hampden Select Board that he had added an article to the warrant to fund unexpected electrical upgrades to the fire department. Fire Department Chief Ed Poulin explained at the board meeting on April 20 that while volunteering to do some basic electrical work to finish the installation of the new exhaust system, he realized the wiring in the station was not up to code. Poulin said that he had asked the town’s electrical inspector, Gary Courtney to review the wiring, and Courtney gave him a list of repairs that need to be completed. After a conversation with Markel, Poulin said he asked for and received three bids for the work.
Select Board member John Flynn suggested that the town could fund the work with a transfer from leftover FY21 funds, rather than wait two additional months for the money approved at the annual town meeting to become available. He and Chair Donald Davenport asked Poulin to submit an itemized list of repairs.
During the town administrator’s report, Markel told the board that he was investigating creating a facilities manager position. He said that an employee in that role would have discovered the electrical issues with the fire station long ago.
Flynn agreed that the position was a good idea, but said that it should be under the building inspector’s department to regularly inspect municipal buildings.
The board interviewed the two companies that submitted bids to paint Academy Hall. Neither painter had tested the surface for lead paint. The representative from S&L Painting explained that if lead was present on the exterior of the building, the ground would need to be covered for 20 feet in all directions, the windows would need to be masked to ensure no particles get inside and a barrier would have to be put up between the building and the residence next door. Power washing as a means of scraping would also be out of the question and the work would have to be done by slower means.
Select Board member Mary Ellen Glover pushed the representative on the fact that if the existing paint did contain lead, the bid submitted by the company would not be accurate. He confirmed that he would have to charge more if lead is present.
The other bidder, Shawn Cantwell, said that he had assumed any lead had been remediated during the last painting. He confirmed the precautions that would have to be taken in the case of lead but said that he would not increase his price and felt he could perform the job at the current price, despite any lead presence. Davenport asked Cantwell to test the existing paint for lead. The board stated they will decide on the bidders after that information is known.
Markel said that consultant engineering company Tighe & Bond had submitted three quotes for the extension of water lines from Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary to provide clean water to a handful of houses on Main Street that have suffered from sodium-contaminated water. The most basic quote of $590,000 would extend the water to the four homes in question. For $630,000, the company can hook the fire station up to the new line as well as the houses. The largest quote, at $670,000, would provide water to the homes, the fire station and the town hall.
Flynn confirmed with Markel that the project is eligible for the $1.5 million that the town expects to receive from the latest coronavirus relief funding, known as the American Rescue Plan.
“If you’re going to dig a hole, dig the right-sized hole,” Flynn said, opining that the town should pursue the largest of the three projects. He said that if the board asks voters for $750,000 it should cover all work and include a cushion should there be unforeseen issues.
Markel reported that at an inter-municipal meeting earlier in the day regarding the Hampden County Regional Retirement System, “a fair amount” of towns were still working toward reform of the retirement board. The Town of Monson, which contributes about 20 percent of the system’s total receipts, recently voted to withdraw from the retirement system. Markel told the board that this will have an impact on the budget that goes before voters in May.