HATFIELD — A petition to the state Legislature seeking permission to allow an additional store to sell alcohol, an easement that will permit construction of a new playing field at Smith Academy to proceed and a series of spending articles are on the warrant for Wednesday’s special Town Meeting
Voters will decide the fate of 13 articles when the meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the auditorium at the Hatfield Elementary School, 33 Main St.
With the town at a cap for stores that can sell alcohol for off-site consumption, residents are being asked to make an appeal to the Legislature that, if successful, would allow a market in Hatfield center to obtain a liquor license.
The easement is needed to accommodate the new field that will be used for field hockey games at Smith Academy.
Most of the articles focus on appropriating or transferring money, though it remains uncertain how much money will be available and whether the state Department of Revenue will certify the town’s free cash.
The money is needed for various items, including a deficit in the transportation budget for Smith Vocational and Agricultural School, a deficit in the town’s health insurance budget, paying Baystate Municipal Accounting Group for its continued work with municipal finances, extrication equipment used by firefighters and for an Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) liability actuarial study.
Other projected spending includes $40,000 to reimburse the ambulance surplus fund, $24,900 for the 350th anniversary fund, $13,000 for a three-year lease for paramedic equipment, and $46,000 to reimburse the Community Preservation Act fund.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
