Hampden Select Board Approves Reserve Officer, Dealer License, Amid Fire Station Budget Concerns

Select Board · Meeting of July 6, 2026

Hampden Select Board raises fire station budget alarms and demands school maintenance accountability. At the July 6 joint Select Board and Board of Health meeting, members flagged that adding architect and owner's project manager fees — estimated together at roughly $1,020,000 — to the proposed fire station expansion would push total costs to approximately $8.8 to $8.9 million, potentially $600,000 to $900,000 above the amount already authorized by town meeting; the board directed the building committee to move forward with pre-bid work including surveys, geotechnical studies, and a Title V assessment. Board member Don pressed the regional school district for a third time to itemize how $105,000 budgeted for Wilbraham Middle School maintenance would be spent, calling the district's "contingency" explanation inadequate: "There's got to be something there that you, at least one thing you're going to fix during the summer." The board approved a reserve police officer appointment, a Class 2 auto dealer license for VA Express on Commercial Drive, a $5,657 National Grid transformer proposal for the transfer station, and a slate of seven board and commission appointments through June 30, 2029, all unanimously.

In the full story:

• Opening Business and Police Appointment
• Highway Department CBA Amendment
• VA Express Class 2 Auto Dealer License — Public Hearing
• Wilbraham Middle School Maintenance and Regional Agreement Language
• Ethics Disclosure — Conservation Restriction
• National Grid Transfer Station Electrical Service Proposal
• The complete report — 2,890 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.