HAMPDEN – The Town of Hampden hosted their Annual Town Meeting on May 14 at 7 p.m. at the Bethlehem Baptist Church. Residents in attendance were tasked to vote on 27 warrant articles, including combined dispatch, community preservation committee revenues, highway truck replacement, town meeting posting locations, a town administrator, zoning bylaw amendment and a school resource officer.

Article Three

Article Three was passed at Town Meeting, as residents decided to vote to appropriate a sum of money for the establishment and operation of a Combined Dispatch Center for East Longmeadow and Hampden, hosted in Hampden.

Article Eight

Article Eight was in place to see if the town would vote to appropriate or reserve from the Community Preservation annual revenues in the amounts recommended by the Community Preservation Committee for committee administrative expense, community preservation projects and other expenses in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. Items listed for upgrades include the athletic field at Minnechaug Regional High School, an upgrade of the field at Memorial Park, the renovation of the former police stations for offices and bathrooms at the Town Hall as well as the payment of annual dues.  

Article eight was passed.

Article 11

Article 11 was passed at Town Meeting, allowing for the raise, appropriation and/or transfers from available funds a sum of money to replace the Gasboy fuel dispensing system and software and emergency stop actuator.

Article 16

Article 16 was to see if the town would vote to amend the General Bylaws Chapter II Section 1 by replacing wording that referenced where in Hampden warrant’s for each Town Meeting would be posted.

The current verbiage stated the warrant for each Town meeting would be posted on bulletin boards in the Town House, Thornton Burgess School, Green Meadows School, on the building located at 43 Somers Rd. (Village Food Mart), and at the Mini Mall located on Allen St. and East Longmeadow Rd.  at least seven days prior to Town Meeting.

The suggested verbiage to replace the previous removed Thornton Burgess School, Green Meadows School and the Mini Mall, and added the Hampden Police Station and online on the Town’s website.

The article passed with a modification to include posting of the warrant inside the Senior Center.

Article 17

Article 17 asked the Town to vote whether or not to authorize and empower the selectmen to appoint a town administrator who may be appointed by them for a term of one or three years and to remove him/her at their discretion. The town voted to pass article 17.

Article 19

Article 19 was in place to see if the town would authorize the Board of Selectmen to negotiate and enter into a purchase and sale agreement for the parcel of land known as 500 Main St. in Hampden, which residents know as the former Cumberland Farms property. Residents took negative action, and therefore did not pass article 19.

Articles 20, 21 and 22

Articles 20, 21 and 22 were all proposed amendments to the Hampden Wilbraham Regional School District agreement.  The School Committee recommended that the Town take no action, and the town voted on no action for the three articles.

Article 24

Article 24 was passed by the town, allowing for the raise and appropriation and/or transfer from available funds, $11,202 to fund the School Resource Officer for FY 18 at Minnechaug Regional High School.