The Hampden Planning Board voted April 16 to accept a completed master plan compiled by a citizen committee and consultants and to forward the document to the select board and town meeting process.

Joe Cibelli, a member of the master plan committee, told the board the effort ran about 15 months and involved public meetings, stakeholder interviews, pop‑ups and an online survey. Committee members said they received a $75,000 grant (state/casino mitigation referenced at the meeting) and town appropriations totaling approximately $58,000, bringing the project total to about $133,000; they described the plan as a living document meant to guide grant applications, economic development and long‑term land‑use decisions.

Why it matters: the master plan establishes goals and actions across land use, open space, infrastructure and economic development and can affect how the town prioritizes projects and applies for outside funding. Committee members urged assigning “champions” for actions in the plan and suggested periodic review to keep the plan current.

Details and next steps
- Committee process and content: The committee held stakeholder interviews, public meetings, an economic roundtable, a community immersion day and outreach at public events; the plan includes specific goals and an actions list at the end of each chapter to help departments and volunteers implement tasks.
- Funding and use: Committee members said grant funding helped produce the plan and that the document has already been used as part of grant applications for trail‑related projects.
- Acceptance and transmittal: The board voted to accept the master plan, thanked the committee for the work and agreed to present the document to the select board and at town meeting; the plan will be posted on the town website and the planning board encouraged periodic reviews and assignment of implementation leads.

A motion to accept the plan was made and seconded; the board recorded acceptance and planned the next administrative steps to route the document for public posting and for use in future grant and zoning work.