HADLEY — A second phase of renovating the athletic fields at Hopkins Academy, including construction of a walking path for community use, is on the highlights voters will decide on at Thursday’s special Town Meeting.
Residents will also decide whether to buy several vehicles for the Department of Public Works — totaling more than $1 million — and adopt a declaration that the world is facing a climate crisis, as well as a request from the Police Department to replace body cameras.
The 12-article warrant for the special Town Meeting will be presented to residents beginning at 7 p.m. at Hopkins Academy.
The project at the school involves using $1.55 million from the Community Preservation Act for building new playing fields, such as a new girls softball field, rearranging the boys varsity baseball field and putting in scoreboards, that will continue a previous $600,000 investment made by the town to expand the site.
At a Select Board-sponsored public forum on the warrant, CPA Committee Chairwoman Mary Thayer said the Hopkins project has support, despite the cost.
“It has a big price tag,” Thayer said. “The CPA Committee felt like it benefits the whole town, and it certainly benefits the high school and junior high and all the sports teams that play there.”
The plan is to borrow $750,000 of the cost so the CPA account will continue to have flexibility for future projects. Currently, the account has $2.41 million available to spend.
The only other new CPA project is $25,000 that will go toward renovating the fence at the Hockanum Cemetery.
A series of Department of Public Works truck and equipment requests will be made by either borrowing within the tax levy or using existing reserves. Finance Committee Chairwoman Amy Fyden said making capital purchases in this way will ensure that residential property tax bills are not affected.
The most expensive vehicle would be the $500,000 vactor water and sewer truck, to replace a 1995 Ford L8000 truck. That vehicle is used to clear clogs in sewer lines and vacuum clean catch basins, and is one of the department’s most used pieces, DPW Director Scott McCarthy said.
Another $310,000 would buy a new International 5-ton dump truck and sander to replace a 1997 model that is falling into disrepair. “The truck is really starting to rot out,” McCarthy said.
A new pay loader would be purchased for $260,000 and take the place of a 1995 John Deere 624G. McCarthy said parts for repairs are increasingly difficult to find.
Police are requesting $46,464 for body cameras. “We’re coming to the end of our warranty period and we’re losing cameras faster than we get them back in service,” Police Chief Michael Mason said.
Mason said Hadley became the first department in the area to have full body cameras several years ago, and now needs to upgrade and replace them, though no state or private grants are available.
The schools are asking for $163,400 to replace water-damaged ceiling tiles at Hopkins Academy, while Hadley Media is seeking $20,000 for new equipment.
Jack Czajkowski, chairman of the Hadley Climate Change Committee, said the climate emergency declaration that is being brought to voters has been adjusted based on feedback from residents, including those who came to a recent public forum in which experts offered insights on changing weather.
The statement, which seeks to align the town with state emission reductions goals and preparedness targets, specifically calls out the concern for the livelihood of farmers and others.
“The town will work to ensure that the costs of such climate actions do not unfairly burden our farmers, low-income members of our community and those who are otherwise disadvantaged or particularly vulnerable,” the statement reads.
The committee is also adding a preamble noting that the “express intent of this declaration is to make climate change a top priority for planning, policy and action for the town of Hadley, including its Select Board, town administration and relevant boards, commissions and committees.”
Other business on the warrant includes making a series of adjustments to the fiscal 2023 operating budget, totaling $219,528, that will increase spending from $19.42 million to $19.64 million. These increases come from various expenditures, including a temporary hire at Town Hall to replace an employee who was out on medical leave, and more staff support for the treasurer and collector’s office.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.