Hampden Authorizes South Road Bridge Contract at $897,145, Tied to State Grant

HAMPDEN -- March 30, 2026, Hampden Select Board awards $897,145 South Road Bridge contract contingent on state grant. The board voted unanimously Monday to authorize Town Administrator Brian Levesque to sign a contract with Northern Construction LLC for the South Road Bridge replacement at $897,145, but only after a $1 million state grant agreement is received in writing, meaning the town expects to spend nothing from its Chapter 90 highway funds on the project. The board also approved two Fire Department appointments: high school student Hannah Luff as a cadet and Justin Smith of String Meadow Road as a probationary firefighter. Working through the Annual Town Meeting warrant, members removed articles for a DPW dump truck, a pickup truck, lighting upgrades, parking lot improvements, and a Green Meadows School transfer switch, deferring capital spending to the fall town meeting while keeping an article to amend the Minnechaug Regional School District agreement. The town received its first rooms-tax payment since adopting the local option in September, $775 for the January-through-March quarter, described as a slow period for rentals. The Senior Center HVAC replacement drew the only bid at $257,623, over the $250,000 budget and leaving nothing for planned window work; a building committee meeting to consider next steps is scheduled within two weeks.