[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6351331,"mediaKeyId","2230357-37fd0bb8520ce96493fea422334f32a8","parentId",2230357,"title","Select Board approves four temporary liquor licenses for senior‑center events","audioSeconds",64,"startMs",4153000,"endMs",4217000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2230357-37fd0bb8520ce96493fea422334f32a8&start=4153&end=4217","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2230357-37fd0bb8520ce96493fea422334f32a8/thumbnail_4153000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6351331/Massachusetts/Select-Board-approves-four-temporary-liquor-licenses-for-seniorcenter-events","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6351331-eb234b98105548b5e06246960bb30dd3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169613&Signature=XNx2NLjFCCGOVpKRMZ4JoMl-H30ucY~qi0sb-pnGcZoMNY160X5cWm82JrpjtPTM-tV~BcfrRaYsk68pTkKrKRpNxPeFX-VeyKzd9jRVcgzkSbmUhtGdffieLml3NG1nEtVMtiCCS6MpmTrcnbASSAB5N-JFCJ~vyAwf9fAc090MVuOXcVjjjRykJt2lD6RS581QjSlhEWNvxURkFBelAUP-UXhpvcaSdIiBVBdbdMJDi-V2EkNtxB4T6FAhGyb2UUlZJ7zOGXwqeoKOtTS3UHSduDbf6SPHsLVK1dhDRwYWOPrTIad4FQkDtiweprTh5V2uC1sMM6kjilzZhmTvyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Hampden, MA","date","2025-02-06T00:00:00Z","article","The Select Board approved four one‑day liquor licenses requested by the Council on Aging for events scheduled in February and April. A motion to authorize the licenses (dates presented as February 8, February 9, February 27 and April 30) was made, seconded and carried by voice vote with a unanimous “Aye.”

Board members noted the events would offer wine and sometimes beer; the board said staff will sign the licenses following the motion.

Ending: The board signed off on the licenses and moved on to other budget and policy items.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Town of Hampden, MA: Selectboard (February 3, 2025)","oneSentenceSummary","The Select Board authorized four single‑day liquor licenses requested by the Council on Aging for events in February and April; the motion passed by voice vote.","taxTitle","Town of Hampden, Hampden County, Massachusetts","taxId",66345,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6351336,"Hampden seeks policy on optional water connections for properties in PFAS testing area; board to ask legal counsel for hold‑harmless language",354,4386000,4740000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2230357-37fd0bb8520ce96493fea422334f32a8&start=4386&end=4740","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2230357-37fd0bb8520ce96493fea422334f32a8/thumbnail_4386000.jpg","/articles/6351336/Massachusetts/Hampden-seeks-policy-on-optional-water-connections-for-properties-in-PFAS-testing-area-board-to-ask-legal-counsel-for-holdharmless-language","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6351336-72031c0b86a92a1e0b7176e9ba223de7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169613&Signature=gAVxKKMoLhOj7X-gzdDgeEBbFb~Cd6HHe5o4h2mNxJubYbYKQ4IKC7W3mL~6ZMS0em2aRGWRSEcuon8BpOYRhoQ3rraUVxAO9A8c1-xwWSH2u4tOzXVJRaI5DyVM7TrQidsh74Q1qYEuDP0wrzZ-rg8l0itMON-rQIJTcqDMnJCPcq850S2EKR92QJ4QTKyyWJOAe2~0u-wKHIT3SiWNBOXM9opgxCid-vpcUFNWgcAVw~2GzehvCD~KW4zQ6apl~nKoGYz3ALBePeqVRdhWhYEbmytgDtjURx6vYYEsYiOFQfLmHBxKGAdbnbzBbGazkW19Q3A35BUsoU~Rc6YaNg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Town and water district staff reviewed a draft water‑connection policy for properties identified by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection as impacted or potentially impacted by PFAS contamination from the former landfill. The district will offer municipally funded service connections to eligible properties; staff said those properties are the same parcels invited into the town’s testing program.

The draft policy sets a deadline for property owners to accept or decline the no‑cost connection after an informational meeting scheduled for February 12, 2025. Staff explained the scheduling constraint: the contractor needs a final count to order and schedule service‑line work.

The draft also covers what happens when a property owner refuses to connect. Under the proposal, the Scantic Valley Water District will install a curb stop at the main in the public right of way for every property in the eligible zone, but the district will not install the private on‑lot service line unless and until the property owner requests it and pays for it. The policy language being considered would also say that if a property owner later chooses to connect, the town will not automatically pay for the later on‑property service line unless the owner can prove the private well is contaminated above regulatory limits and that the town is liable for the contamination. That provision aims to prevent owners from declining a free connection now and later expecting the town to pay private service‑line costs or accept continued testing costs borne by the town.

Board members emphasized the need for informed consent for property owners who choose not to connect and asked legal counsel to draft a hold‑harmless/agreement form specifying that owners who refuse the town’s offered connection would be responsible for any future testing expenses or costs tied to their private well unless liability is proven. Staff said DEP told the town it does not mandate who performs required testing as long as testing is completed; the town’s draft aims to shift future testing costs off the town when an eligible owner refuses the municipally offered connection.

Staff said physical construction would likely begin in March with the pump station and pipe installation sequencing; the system cannot be activated until the new pumping station is in service. Staff also reported ongoing logistical issues such as locating an undocumented water main under part of the project area; consultants recommended a targeted subsurface investigation to locate utilities before major work begins.

Ending: The board asked staff to finalize the policy text for legal review and to present the draft at the Feb. 12 informational meeting; staff will also follow up on outreach to properties that have been hard to reach.","Select Board and water district staff reviewed draft connection policy for properties in the DEP‑identified PFAS testing area, discussed a deadline for owners to respond, and agreed to ask legal counsel to draft hold‑harmless language for owners who refuse town water.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6351341,"Engineers update Hampden on Main Street bridge design, permitting and green‑infrastructure concept under MVP grant",225,1322000,1547000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2230357-37fd0bb8520ce96493fea422334f32a8&start=1322&end=1547","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2230357-37fd0bb8520ce96493fea422334f32a8/thumbnail_1322000.jpg","/articles/6351341/Massachusetts/Engineers-update-Hampden-on-Main-Street-bridge-design-permitting-and-greeninfrastructure-concept-under-MVP-grant","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6351341-0c8c47146b444eaa3328c77a8c450c51/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169613&Signature=bqq84uIE8w~0E3cPP12ZMLKiuSNRJwmgXAe7zMhuXDZboR2jRSbsmf9wLFb98LnRV~208ZKuzyw2Et9C4lB6OGMaXUZqswUljLi9puN0HQ-slzDsBo9Rj0if9eNBxzhgYehqXOkP-~JVYvy3F0PnDcbGn3-NtFu0lEnduiJ7bW-0z3E7rqhotxk8rd1AEezwSsNKYEqsmf5Izb7jVdYXdXZYm77xyCfjG7S3CnOaWLgJ5s8FLIirCQGy8vop4ECJSBcUPfge5xebNArQU~rtX8R8mRxefb90HQXB3caKaVTV7LyB-ljSBIQ6dHF1DXZtEXXHLTbHRRv~pEUfkSZaNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Chris Lyman, lead sub‑engineer from Howard Stein Hudson, gave the Select Board a multi-part update on the Main Street bridge design, permitting and associated green‑infrastructure work funded through an MVP grant.

Lyman said MassDOT (Chapter 85) returned review comments after Howard Stein Hudson submitted plans in 2024; a new MassDOT bridge‑design guide issued after the team's original design has prompted comments — chiefly the agency’s request for an additional geotechnical boring and larger wing walls for scour protection. The consultants told the board they believe the current final design meets prior standards and that imposing the new guide’s larger wing‑wall and foundation requirements could materially increase local costs. The engineers said they are working with MassDOT to resolve comments and expect to submit revised final bridge plans for review in May; those plans would be stamped and suitable for going out to bid.

On permits, engineers reported they have an Order of Conditions from the Hampden Conservation Commission (recorded in November), approvals from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the latter to permit dredging associated with abutment work), and they added endangered‑species mitigation language and a requirement for a wildlife biologist during construction if needed. Lyman said the team has prepared a draft consensual order of takings for a limited permanent easement needed for bank stabilization adjacent to a private property near the bridge; that document will be refined by the project's right‑of‑way attorney and, if finalized, the town will sponsor a warrant article at the annual meeting in May to authorize the easement and record it at Hampden County Registry of Deeds.

The firm also reviewed a separate, MVP‑required green‑infrastructure (GI) concept intended to reduce roadway runoff that currently discharges into the brook. The GI proposal would capture water from catch basins on Glendale and Scantic Roads and route it into a grassed infiltration area, reducing oil and road‑salt loading to the brook and potentially reducing peak flow. Engineers emphasized that the GI is a separate, optional implementation project: the MVP grant allows the bridge design to be funded on the condition that a conceptual GI design is part of the grant scope, but the town would decide later whether to fund construction of the GI.

The consultants said they are completing community‑outreach videos (three short films) to explain the problem and the proposed natural‑based solutions; those will be posted on the project website and should be available before the annual town meeting. They reiterated that final stamped bridge plans, a construction estimate and contract specifications are expected after MassDOT comments are resolved and the revised final design is submitted.

Select Board members asked whether replacing the bridge is the only way to address the flooding and whether alternatives (additional culverts or a parallel culvert) could lower cost; engineers said modern regulatory standards tend to require a single structure sized to at least 1.0–1.2 bankfull width and that undersized culverts or multiple smaller structures are often not permitted because of debris risks and hydraulic performance. Costs for a full bridge replacement were described as substantial; the engineers said the project will be submitted for state aid and that towns often receive funding for bridge projects when they are well‑packaged and queued with other work.

Ending: The board asked staff to present the right‑of‑way warrant language when available. Engineering deliverables expected this spring include revised Chapter‑85 responses to MassDOT, final stamped bridge plans for bid, a consensual order of takings for the easement, and the publicity videos required by MVP.","Consulting engineers presented final design progress on the Main Street bridge, permitting status, right‑of‑way agreements and a conceptual green‑infrastructure treatment required by the state's Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant; staff said a warrant article for permanent easements will be filed for the May town meeting.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6351346,"Hampden officials weigh local options to expand veteran property tax exemptions under HERO Act",1043,93000,1136000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2230357-37fd0bb8520ce96493fea422334f32a8&start=93&end=1136","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2230357-37fd0bb8520ce96493fea422334f32a8/thumbnail_93000.jpg","/articles/6351346/Massachusetts/Hampden-officials-weigh-local-options-to-expand-veteran-property-tax-exemptions-under-HERO-Act","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6351346-40c5c174d335a80f17c5b2464c44dae2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169613&Signature=QiZ7Qy8EGUrMZ-dFA~eQ-vfznTq5eCO0b8Kl~clRc9gqyGFifxy1CyB7bZHiJdXwjE5wG1jry507qnwp6Svm1vBAnvVhwzJHsCXR~QCIXsMIh54GjCIMBG2BsQbwlZgnEuWzjQEmYgnVnVHGtwYLRb2YXcZm8yZwNtLKDav54iMBc7FWDlGypj94xlVaZljyb-6mTgI2zjkIjVEjAVHIJYaPvcsPMoS-3K4z-2--eV1d7WfBqARJHy82wVAgFIc3xXF5MgfbX1vi4qlR1OCHM3S-HU2nnhsBBcThOO451ksuBskEYSNMeh562CdhkRBkAiu0Dt0ookfi6YEg1oYoIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Assessors staff presented four local-option changes tied to the HERO Act that would let Hampden widen eligibility or increase exemption amounts for veterans and certain surviving family members if the town accepts the changes at town meeting.

The options described include a new Clause 22g to allow trust-owned dwellings to qualify when a veteran is a beneficiary; Clause 22h for full local exemptions for surviving parents or guardians of service members who died or were incapacitated in service (without state reimbursement); Clause 22j to raise existing exemption amounts by a percentage chosen by the town; and Clause 22i to apply an annual cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) to existing exemption amounts.

Assessors staff said the town cannot predict exact costs for 22g because the assessors are not aware of specific trust situations in Hampden. Using FY24 exemption totals, the assessor reported 69 veterans qualified for property tax exemptions under Chapter 22 provisions. Staff also said 12 veterans in town are recorded as receiving VA benefits but may not currently be getting town property tax exemptions. For a hypothetical 100% increase under a proposed Clause 22j, staff estimated the town’s additional cost at about $40,800 based on current figures; assessors translated that into roughly $16.76 a year for the average single‑family taxpayer on a $419,000 home. Smaller increases were also costed: 75% ≈ $12.57, 50% ≈ $8.38 and 25% ≈ $4.19 per average taxpayer, per the assessors’ calculations.

Board members asked clarifying questions about which households the options would affect, whether life estates would be covered (assessors clarified life estates would not be affected by 22g), and whether the state would reimburse the town. Assessors staff repeated that some clauses (notably 22d and certain existing clauses) carry state reimbursement, but the newly adopted local percentages or the 22h gold‑star parent exemption would not be reimbursed by the state; the town would cover the added cost from overlay or other local sources. Staff explained that current state reimbursements reduce the town’s share of the existing $400 and $1,000 exemptions by specific amounts (described in the presentation) and that any local percentage increases under 22j or a COLA under 22i would remove additional state reimbursement for those incremental dollars.

Select Board members did not vote to adopt any change at the meeting. The assessors and veteran service officer recommended bringing the options to the Select Board for possible placement on the annual town‑meeting warrant. The board directed staff to return with draft warrant language and additional comparative information about what neighboring towns are doing and whether the state has signaled any changes to reimbursement levels. The board scheduled further discussion at a future meeting and recognized that each local option must be accepted individually at town meeting.

The presentation and discussion emphasized that these are local options, not automatic changes: the Select Board must approve warrant articles and voters at town meeting would decide whether to adopt any clause or percentage.

Ending: The board agreed to revisit the subject at a later meeting so staff can prepare precise warrant language, updated fiscal impacts, and examples of implementation for voters ahead of the annual town meeting.","Select Board discussed four local options added by the state HERO Act that would expand how veterans and surviving family members qualify for real-estate tax exemptions, and asked staff to prepare warrant language for possible town-meeting votes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Select Board approves four temporary liquor licenses for senior‑center events

Hampden seeks policy on optional water connections for properties in PFAS testing area; board to ask legal counsel for hold‑harmless language

Engineers update Hampden on Main Street bridge design, permitting and green‑infrastructure concept under MVP grant

Hampden officials weigh local options to expand veteran property tax exemptions under HERO Act