Palmer Council Approves Animal Shelter Doors, Names New Redevelopment Authority Member

PALMER — April 13, 2026 — Palmer Town Council hears Pathfinder expansion plans, approves animal shelter doors and software purchase. At its April 13 meeting, the council appropriated $7,375 from free cash for door replacements at the Regional Animal Patrol Facility and $1,416 from the Code Enforcement Special Account for digital building-code software, both approved unanimously. Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School Superintendent Eric Duda announced the district's largest capacity expansion in its history — the repurposing of Cold Spring School in Belchertown, set to open August 26, 2027, adding at least 150 seats over three years and a projected 25 percent enrollment increase — while holding the member-town assessment increase to 2.27 percent. Duda also disclosed that Pathfinder will charge the Palmer Youth Basketball Association "zero dollars" next year in recognition of the council's $50,000 ARPA-funded gym floor investment. Town Manager Brad Brothers explained Palmer's more than $5 million in certified free cash as an anomaly year driven by department turnbacks and elevated interest income, and noted that proceeds from the Converse Middle School sale — minimum bid $1.5 million, due May 15 — will flow into a restricted capital sinking fund, not general free cash.