HADLEY — Expanding the senior housing overlay district to accommodate a development off North Maple Street, adjusting the accessory dwelling unit bylaw and providing funding for a protective area beneath the new playground at Hadley Elementary School will be among items being considered by voters at a special Town Meeting Thursday.

Action on the 21-article warrant, which also includes $946,500 in new borrowing that includes the purchase of an ambulance and a multi-use excavator, begins at 7 p.m. at Hopkins Academy.

Likely to generate the most discussion is extending the senior housing overlay from Route 9 to encompass an area between Route 116, Rocky Hill Road and North Maple Street, a request coming from Amherst developer Barry Roberts.

“It is a proposal to enlarge the senior housing overlay district by adding a new section,” Planning Board Clerk William Dwyer told the Select Board last Wednesday.

Roberts, who built out the 35-unit East Street Commons, is eyeing a 30-acre property known as the Babb Farm for 22 new homes for those 55 and over. A previous request to extend the senior overlay district to Middle Street was defeated by Town Meeting in 2019.

Making changes to Hadley’s current accessory dwelling unit bylaw will ensure it aligns with state law, allowing these to be up to 900 square feet or half the area of the primary structure, and allowed by right in all residential districts. The main changes will allow detached accessory units, which are currently prohibited, and no longer require that the primary or accessory unit be occupied by the owner.

“What we are doing is bringing ourselves into compliance with a mandatory state ruling,” Dwyer said.

While in theory Hadley could see a lot of two-dwelling rental units scattered around town, possibly used for area college students, Dwyer said any ADUs must continue to meet zoning setbacks and comply with septic and building codes.

Spending

Among the largest spending articles is the $290,000 that would be drawn from the Community Preservation Act account so poured-in-place rubber can be used below the playground at the elementary school that opened this fall, with woodchips currently being used as the padding.

CPA Committee Chairwoman Mary Thayer said woodchips need to be replaced every three years and the rubber surface would be safer and better for the long term. “The poured-in-place rubber is a surface that’s been used in a lot of playgrounds,” Thayer said, pointing to its use at Jessica’s Boundless Playground in Belchertown.

Also coming out of CPA is $80,000 for a space needs study for both Town Hall and the former Goodwin Memorial Library building, and $2,000 to pay a consultant to commence work on an Historical Commission preservation plan.

Other spending will use $335,245 of the $1.02 million available in free cash, leaving $681,922 for use at annual Town Meeting next spring. This has raised concerns for Finance Committee Chairwoman Amy Fyden, who noted $750,000 in free cash was used last spring, and that the town is beginning to trend in the wrong direction in using more free cash.

There is a $268,102 increase to the current municipal budget, with $202,767 of this amount related to union and nonunion personnel wage increases. Another $169,639 increase comes in the enterprise funds, with $100,000 of this amount due to higher sludge hauling costs.

Another $37,000 in free cash will fund the town’s form of government study, which is looking at how to adjust responsibilities of certain positions; a solar project study to determine whether photovoltaics can go on the capped landfill; and the hiring of a town administrator search firm. And $60,000 in free cash will be used for the employee compensated time fund, needed to cover retirees and the benefits they have accrued.

Borrowing will total $946,500, though all borrowing is within the levy limit or using reserves, including $310,000 for a multi-use excavator, $75,000 for a second ambulance, $63,000 to replace and repair the Callahan Well building and $60,00 to replace water pumps.

Interim Town Administrator Michael Mason said these requests have been reviewed by committees and officials, and will not impact property taxes. “You can rest assured the department heads convinced enough people to land the items on the list,” Mason said.

The town’s start-up ambulance service needs a $350,000 transfer from the stabilization fund, which will cover costs through the end of next June. This is a loan that will be paid back as the ambulance fund grows and the town transitions to an Advanced Life Support service.

Select Board Chairwoman Molly Keegan said this is continuing the process to get to an in-house ALS ambulance service and eventually transition from the private Action EMS. “This is a multi-year plan,” Keegan said.

Other articles

Voters will be asked to set a 25 mph speed limit across town for the thickly settled and business districts. Mason, who is also the police chief, said this will cut down on the need to put up speed limit signs in all neighborhoods, and instead the townwide speed limit will be posted at the town’s borders.

“This makes it legally enforceable as a posted zone,” Mason said.

Two bylaw changes are being proposed by the Bylaw Committee. One would deal with yard waste and trash that ends up on public ways.

Planning Board Chairman James Maksimoski, who also chairs the Bylaw Committee, said the idea is to have a mechanism for holding responsible those residents, or contractors working for them, who purposely put into town roads grass clippings, leaves, tree branches or other potential hazards for bicyclists and motorcyclists.

The second bylaw would have constables be appointed, rather than elected by voters. If adopted by voters at Town Meeting, the measure would also have to be approved through a ballot vote on May 20, 2025.

Maksimoski said constables have all duties and responsibilities of a police officer, but without the training. A reason to make the change, he said, is that it would be easier to remove a poorly performing constable. “We’re trying to avoid down the road possibly you’ve got a not-so-good policeman,” Maksimoski said.

Other articles to be presented include redirecting $310,000 for painting the Mount Warner and Mount Holyoke water tanks to instead replacing them; adoption of a prudent investment rule, which would encourage the treasurer to work with the financial adviser to invest trust funds to the benefit of the town; acceptance of Adare Place as a town road; and extending by two years the use of CPA money for repairing the Hockanum Cemetery fence.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.