The Town of Hampden Select Board heard a multi-part facilities update March 4 on needed repairs and upgrades at the senior center, including roofing, windows, bathrooms and septic work, and the potential funding to appear on the annual town meeting warrant.

The matter was raised during the Select Board’s facilities discussion as staff summarized estimates and next steps. A staff member reported initial roof bids from several contractors put a likely cost “around $90,000 to $100,000” for replacement of a 30‑plus year roof, not including any damaged sheathing; the contractor estimates the cost to replace individual sheathing sheets at about $95 each if required. For windows, staff said a ballpark 20–30 standard windows may need repair or replacement and that a working estimate provided in discussion was “$1,500 a window.” Bathroom work so far includes a plumber’s estimate of about $1,500 for plumbing work but, when partitions, painting and lighting are added, staff said total bathroom upgrades could be between $5,000 and $10,000. Septic work discussed included raising covers, adding an effluent filter and fixing a vent, with installers estimating roughly $3,000 to $4,000.

Why it matters: officials said they will include precise dollar figures in a warrant article once final estimates arrive; capital needs at the senior center are being weighed against other town budget pressures, including increases in regional assessments and retirement assessments discussed earlier in the meeting.

Supporting details and next steps: staff said Secure Energy had been engaged to assess HVAC and lighting at the senior center; Secure Energy completed an HVAC audit and will perform a lighting audit to quantify potential energy and maintenance savings. The town has also submitted a Community Compact IT grant request (just over $170,000, per staff comments) that would replace aging network switches and install wireless access points in much of the building. Staff said the previously appropriated $100,000 from a prior special town meeting remains largely unspent except for the septic assessment.

Water testing: staff reported the building’s well water showed an unspecified contaminant referenced in the meeting as “Efosse” at about 10 parts per trillion; staff said the current threshold of concern is 20 parts per trillion and that MassDEP requires additional testing when levels exceed roughly 10 parts per trillion. Staff said a likely remedy, if required, would be carbon filtration for drinking water.

Board direction: the Select Board asked staff to collect firm contractor estimates, refine the scope and dollar amounts for a warrant article, and to continue coordination with Secure Energy and other vendors. No formal vote was taken at the March 4 meeting.

The Select Board plans to present the finalized cost figures and warrant language to voters at the upcoming annual town meeting.