HATFIELD — An effort to preserve more than 20 acres of farmland and completing a series of renovations to make Memorial Town Hall handicapped accessible won approval from voters at a special Town Meeting Tuesday.
All five articles presented to residents at Hatfield Elementary School passed by a voice vote, with two spending articles related to the Town Hall work, totaling $643,000, subject to a Feb. 26 ballot Proposition 2½ debt-exclusion override vote.
For purchasing and protecting 23 acres of agricultural land on North Hatfield Road, residents voted in favor of using up to $120,000 from the Community Preservation Act account to assist Kestrel Land Trust with the project.
Owned by the Sliwoski family, the land is being considered for a housing development, with a potential sale price of nearly $430,000.
CPA Committee Chairman Robert Wagner told residents that the state’s chapter 61A program, which gives a property tax discount to landowners whose property is farmed, means the town gets a right of first refusal to acquire the land when it is removed from agricultural use.
“This is a rare opportunity… to exercise that right of first refusal,” Wagner said.
Paul Dostal of Main Street said the town’s master plan prioritizes preserving farmland, open space and the town’s rural character.
“If we lose this 23 acres or 20 acres, that’s 20 acres we’re never going to get back because we’re probably going to have houses there,” Dostal said.
Even with the likely Kestrel deal, up to three building lots may still be developed on the property, including two on Straits Road, where there are 598 feet of road frontage.
One of these homes, though, is expected to involve Habitat for Humanity and be affordable housing. To achieve this, residents agreed to move $60,000 from the CPA account to create the home, for a low- or moderate-income family, that would qualify for the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development’s subsidized housing inventory. Wagner said this would be the first time the town, since adopting the CPA surcharge in 2006, has created an affordable unit.
With respect to Town Hall renovations, residents by a voice vote agreed to add $390,000 to fund the second phase of the code compliance project that began several years ago, including installing an exterior ramp, an elevator and a fire suppression system. Residents also approved, after extended discussion, an additional $253,000 to pay for other improvements to the building, such as adding a second exterior ramp to the basement, expanding the kitchen used by the Council on Aging, and relocating the building inspector’s office.
Michael Cahill of North Street made a motion to put off the second spending, arguing there was already a surplus available from a $325,000 expenditure in 2016.
“This is a superfluous article,” Cahill said.
His motion was turned down after officials, including Finance Committee Chairman Darryl Williams, said they wanted to ensure enough money is on hand to complete the project.
Christopher Smith of Prospect Street said even though he regularly attends senior center meals, he is uncertain if the kitchen should be expanded and that the town needs to develop a long-term plan for the Council on Aging services.
Although she had concerns about the spending, Kerry Flaherty, chairwoman of the Council on Aging, said it is important to continue to run the lunch program, adding that Hatfield seniors deserve some services.
Concerns about the rising cost of the renovations were also expressed by Francis Gougeon of Primrose Path, who asked for an explanation for why more money was needed.
Kevin Rothschild-Shea, president of Architecture EL of East Longmeadow, explained how the $1.66 million budgeted was not enough to cover the median bid of $2.24 million.
Rothschild-Shea said he believes the new figure is a “good, solid number” that will cover unexpected expenses, such as a fire pump that was more than $100,000, and he argues his company kept the Select Board informed of changing conditions.
“I don’t think we were absent in the process. I think we were tracking it very carefully,” Rothschild-Shea said.
The town has obtained waivers from the State Architectural Access Board as it completes the work in phases by Sept. 1, 2020.
A third article related to the Memorial Town Hall project was approved by voters, who reauthorized an appropriation and transfer of up to $380,000 from May 2015.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
