HAMPDEN/WILBRAHAM – The Boards of Selectmen of Hampden and Wilbraham met remotely on Feb. 1 to sign an inter-municipal agreement regionalizing the dispatch service for the two towns.

Minutes before the joint meeting, Hampden Selectman Mary Ellen Glover said that she remained uneasy with language in the agreement, despite counsel for both towns reviewing and approving the document. Glover noted two clauses that she found problematic. The statements regarded dispatch making “reasonable effort” to provide both towns with “substantially the same” service. Glover stated that substantially the same is not the same and that every effort should be made, rather than reasonable effort. She moved to strike the language at issue.

“I don’t think it protects Hampden,” Glover said of the agreement.

Hampden Board of Selectmen Chair Donald Davenport pushed back, saying the dispatch board of directors, which consists of the fire and police chiefs of each town, have equal votes on any issues that may arise.

Dispatch Director Anthony Gentile assured Glover that “we’ll try as best we can,” to give the same quality of service to both towns.

Interim Town Administrator Bob Markel told Glover that he had mentioned the language she found problematic to Hampden’s Town Counsel Rose Crowley. Markel said that Crowley had found the board of directors and the appeals process, in which issues are adjudicated by all six select board members – three from each town – adequate.

Glover then made a motion to keep dispatch services in Hampden. Davenport asked her why she had been willing to join with the Chicopee-based dispatch service, WestCOMM, if she wanted to keep dispatch in town. Glover responded that she had been willing to “give it a try” because Davenport and Selectman John Flynn were in favor of regionalizing.

The board voted 2 to 1 against Glover’s motion.

When the Wilbraham Board of Selectmen joined their Hampden counterparts, the vote to sign the contract passed on the Wilbraham side, and the agreement was final.

Another issue before both boards was that of a joint coronavirus vaccine clinic. Wilbraham Public Health Nurse Jill Consolino presented a plan to begin inoculating residents of the two towns on Feb. 22.

The clinic would begin vaccinating residents age 75 and older at the senior centers during the first week or so. Once those 65 and up and those with two or more comorbidities become eligible, the vaccination sites would be moved to the Memorial School in Wilbraham and Thornton W. Burgess School in Hampden. Three days per week, Wilbraham would offer daytime appointments and evening appointments would be available in Hampden.

Residents could register for shots of the Moderna vaccine through the online scheduling system, PREPMOD. Consolino said the system would make paperwork easier for towns and by sending reminders to patients, it would make the appointment process easier for residents. People will be able to register for an appointment at https://www.maimmunizations.org by entering the required information and choosing from available appointment times. While there is an option to enter health insurance information, it is not mandatory and no one will be turned away for lack of insurance, Consolino assured.

The vaccination sites, which will each receive about 100 doses per week for 3 weeks, will have a station for check-ins, vaccine administration, a post-vaccination monitoring and check-outs. Clinics will be staffed with a mix of trained volunteers and paid medical help, for which the towns will be reimbursed by federal coronavirus relief funding.

Consolino said that she had already identified the Wilbraham Fire Department as a location to store the frozen doses of vaccine, as the building is run by a generator and eliminates power outage concerns.

Consolino cited several logistical considerations, such as procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE), signage, storage, tech devices and identifying someone to direct the clinic.

When asked by Flynn, Consolino shared that the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District had approved the use of the two school buildings for the clinics.

Glover complimented Consolino on the thoughtful presentation. Wilbraham Select Board Member Carolyn Brennan echoed the compliment.

Wilbraham Selectman Robert Boilard asked about registration for less tech-savvy residents or those without access to a device. Consolino explained they can be manually registered for an appointment. She said there will also be outreach conducted to homebound people who can’t travel for vaccinations.

Wilbraham Board of Selectmen Chair Robert Rusell asked if there was a way to see when each group of people in Phase 2 of the vaccine rollout are eligible. Consolino said that is a decision made by the state and doesn’t adhere to a set schedule.

Both boards voted to approve the clinic.

The Hampden Board of Selectmen considered options to mitigate high levels of sodium in the water of a few homes in town. The problem, which dates back over a decade, is due to road salt that had been stored at the highway department and leached into the water table. Glover noted that actions the town had taken in the past to address the issue, including the replacement of plumbing that had deteriorated due to the sodium content in the water, were bandaids. She stressed that something permanent must be done.

The board considered capping the tainted well and running pipes to one of two other locations. The well at Green Meadows School is already classified as a public water supply, Flynn said. Alternatively, the town could drill a new well at Memorial Park. Preliminary suggestions from Tighe & Bond and Gary Weiner of Ecotec Environmental Associates differ on the best course of action. Health Agent Lorri McCool was in favor of developing a public water supply from Memorial Park, Glover reported, though she noted it would be more costly.

Glover suggested and the board agreed that it would be best to bring in engineers to analyze the two options and report on cost, life expectancy and other pertinent factors.

The job opening for the new police chief was posted at the police station, Markel said. He added that there are already three applicants who have thrown their hats in the ring. The decision was previously made to seek candidates from within the department before looking at outside applicants, if necessary. The deadline for applications is Feb. 15 and interviews will be conducted on Feb. 16.

Markel reported the progress on selecting appropriate materials and signage for the crosswalk on Somers Road at the Village Mart. He suggested faux-brick pavers stamped into pavement as the most durable option, as opposed to paint or traffic tape. He also recommended an electronic speed monitor for about $25,000 and two stop signs bordered with white lights. The lights would come on when a pedestrian pushes a button. “These things stand right out,” Markel said of the signs. Glover noted that said she’d like the project completed in a timely fashion. Markel said it could be purchased by March and installed by May, depending on the weather.