Hampden weighs water district expansion to cut Academy Hall heating costs

Select Board · Meeting of February 3, 2026

Hampden Select Board opens talks on water district expansion and rebuffs vague Wilbraham school facilities plan. At the February 3 joint Select Board and Board of Health meeting, commissioners from the town's water district outlined a proposal to connect a small cluster of properties, a church, parsonage, and two residences, currently served by a standalone well at Academy Hall to the main district line, at a rough estimated cost of $10,000 to $15,000, with the new pump station expected online in spring 2026. Select Board member Don said he opposes early discussions on a Wilbraham Finance Committee proposal for shared regional school facilities management, noting Hampden has spent approximately $134,000 over the past decade on school maintenance the regional agreement should have covered at 80 percent, "too nebulous," he said, adding he had "no interest in spending an hour and a half every couple of weeks" on it.

The board heard a preview of spring Town Meeting warrant articles from town representative Sherry, including a confirmed North Road docking article and a tentative conservation parcel acquisition abutting Minnechaug Mountain land. The board voted 2-1, with Kevin Roth opposed, to enter executive session for collective bargaining talks with the highway union.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of February 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.