HADLEY — Unless town officials make 11th-hour changes to the budget, voters will face a shortfall of $140,719 when they consider the spending plan at annual Town Meeting on Thursday.
While discussing potential projects and land purchases during a meeting Wednesday, including property for a new senior center — a prospect before voters on Thursday — Select Board members said they head into Thursday asking for voters to trust that they will work to balance the budget in the coming months.
As it stands, town expenditures proposed for the fiscal year beginning July 1 are $16,637,613.
While the shortfall looms, officials discussed during the meeting the future of two municipal buildings rapidly falling further into disrepair — Hooker School and North Hadley Village Hall.
Although the town has two bids for the purchase of North Hadley Village Hall, Planning Board member John Mieczkowski urged board members to have Town Meeting discuss its future. He proposed the building be renovated for use as a fire substation as well as affordable housing.
“I think it’s really a viable plan,” said Mieczkowski. “I hope you guys would not sell that land.”
Joel Greenbaum of Historic Renovations and Rental Properties offered $72,000 for the property, but that was a lower bid than some officials had hoped.
“I wouldn’t sell that property if it were mine for $72,000,” said Select Board member John Waskiewicz, calling the figure “outrageously” low. “The property alone is worth $150,000.”
Representatives from the historic commission, too, asked the board to defer a decision, voicing concern about Greenbaum’s plan to build apartments on the property and calling on the board to explore the possibility of state and federal funds to restore the building.
Building Commissioner Timothy Neyhart said while he would follow the recommendation of the Historical Commission, Mieczkowski’s plan would “shoehorn” the fire substation onto the property. Neyhart also said that the building is quickly falling apart.
“There’s a lot of things that they don’t want,” said Neyhart, referring to neighbors’ opposition to a restaurant on the site, to traffic and to apartments. “Unless we’ve got deep pockets, we’re stuck.”
Select Board member Joyce Chunglo resisted the prospect of renovation, asserting that residents have voiced opposition to more town money spent on saving the building.
“I’m not willing to have the town put another penny into that North Hadley Hall,” said Chunglo.
Board chair Molly Keegan agreed, reminding the board that the decision was already made on Town Meeting floor to sell the property.
“I want to respect the will of Town Meeting to sell North Hadley Hall,” she said.
But since too many questions still lingered as to what Greenbaum’s offer truly was, the board decided to defer a vote.
After deciding not to move on the sale of North Hadley Hall, the board discussed the possibility of purchasing land that could be used to fill any number of municipal needs, including a new home for the senior center.
“We have to get our financial house in order before we do anything,” said board member Donald Pipczynski.
“We’re still just talking in circles,” said Waskiewicz. “Until the people tell us where we need to go …”
“Oh, I’ll tell ya where you need to go,” interjected Mieczkowski, to laughter in the room.
Of the two proposals discussed for buying property, a 9-acre parcel for $499,000 was more in line with Town Meeting article 11, which if passed would enable the town to move forward with $300,000 for a land purchase to accommodate a new senior center.
“If we don’t keep moving forward, we’ll miss the window for debt refinance,” Jane Nevinsmith, president of the Friends of Council on Aging, said following the meeting.
Town Administrator David Nixon said that Article 11, if passed, would cost voters on average an additional $7.93 per year in taxes.
To renovate the existing space for the senior center would cost $3.2 million and would not include air conditioning or elevators, Nevinsmith said. A recent study by the building commission found the town could rebuild a greener, fully equipped center with all of the lacking amenities, she added.
“There’s never going to be a better time,” said Hadley Council on Aging Director Suzanne Travisano. “With the huge senior population growth that will peak in the next 20 years, we’re going to need this more than ever, and if people see that they need to speak up.”
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.