Uh, I'm going to call the Hatfield Select Board meeting on June 9th, 2026 to order at 5:07 p.m. Hello and welcome to our meeting. Um, we're just going to start with uh our public participation
reading. Um, so the Hatfield Select Board welcomes everyone to its meetings and all other public meetings of the town of Hatfield. All regular and special meetings of the boards and committees of the town of Hatfield shall be open to the public and shall conform to the open meeting law. Executive
sessions are closed to the public and it will be held only as prescribed by the statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is important to recognize that the open meeting law affords the opportunity to listen to the proceedings but not necessarily participate. During meetings of the select board, an attempt will be made to
find a balance between hearing from members of the community and conducting the required business of the Hatfield Select Board. For the public's information, this meeting is being recorded. Um, I'm going to start with a couple of announcements. Um, there will be a
temporary patch being made at the end of Depot and West Street where the water repair was done um later this week. Um they're also starting Monday the 15th, uh the water line on Straits Road will
be begin to go in. Um it's expected to take all of Monday and Tuesday, potentially into Wednesday if needed. >> Um all along with that, and I'm sure Ed will talk more to it, the fishing derby was a great success and we had a really
nice ribbon cutting. Um Lindsay Sabadosa joined us and it was a really nice event. And Oakland Stroke will be playing one of the um summer concert series next Friday, this 19th. Um and
that's all the announcements that I have. >> I'd just like to thank the class of 2026 and graduation. And I'd like to point out of the whole class, everybody was either promito or honor society. So, I
think that's a tribute to the teaching staff up at Smith Academy. That's my comment. I And the fishing derby. Yes. It went well. The kids had a great time. It was perfect weather for the day. It was nice. >> Fantastic. Do you have anything?
>> I don't. >> All right. Um, >> I would just like to mention our condolences to to you, Luke, and the loss of of your grandfather. So, thank you very much out there as a proud Hatfield resident. So, just want to put that out there. appreciate that very much. >> I think you should point out that
Straits Road, they're not trying to plant a tree there because there was a picture in the gazette of a a tree sticking in there, but that's not happening. And it's not going to be a Rotary either. So, I mean, I just wanted to spell those rumors. >> Yes.
>> Um, do we have anyone here for public forum? >> Not Tammy. >> Not Tammy. Uh, no. So, we'll move on to our consent agenda and the approval of the meeting minutes. Um, have you guys had a chance to review
them? >> Fantastic. >> I wasn't here for the first one. So, >> right, >> I will abstain. >> Yeah. >> So, I'll make a motion to approve the uh minutes for May 12th and May 26th.
I will second that since you are not here. All in favor? I >> I. Any opposed? No. All right. Moving on to topic one. Um this is in regards to the USDA loan for the wastewater
treatment plant project. Um Damon, do you want to just say a few words about this? >> Yep. So, this was an ongoing project I believe since about 2022. We've come to an end of that project and the end of our borrowing for it and
we've now met the USDA loan which is a grant to us of about two plus million. Um, so we are now looking to transfer those borrowings over to the USDA for the loan and the paperwork that
I emailed to you guys on Friday is now in front of you for signatures so that we can transfer that entire loan over to the USDA as a loan through them at low interest financing. >> Do you know what the low interest
financing actually turned out to be? I think it was 4%. Andrew, is that lower than that? Lower than that. Lower than that. >> Yeah. >> 2. >> Well, I'll make a motion to uh approve USDA loan documents for the wastewater
treatment project. >> Seconded 2. >> We have we have a specific vote that we need to read, right? As well. >> There may be a Yes. And the first page. >> Yeah. If you take a look at your >> Oh, I think there's only one copy. So, >> yeah, it's probably on that like first
page. Do you want me to show you? >> Yes. >> Need you up here to check. Make sure we do this right. >> Yep. >> These are always uh a lot of signatures, a lot of stuff. >> Yeah. Whoever feels like doing some reading
can this one and So, >> you just want this read, >> I think. So, >> as you're the Y, >> there was instructions. >> Okay, then I'll read this. The I, the clerk of the SW board of the town of
Hatfield of Massachusetts, certify that a meeting of the board held June 9th, 2026, at which meeting all members of the board were duly notified, and at which a quorum was present, the following votes were unanimously passed,
all of which appear when the official records of the board and my custody voted with respect to the sale the following 9,49 $91,000 a 2.875% 875% wastewater plant upgrades
and improvement bond dated June 29th, 2026 and payable on the 29th day of June of each of the years 2027 to 2063 inclusive and annual installments of
principal and interest combined in the amount of $420,000.72 each except for the last installment with a last installment which shall be $417,870.74 the bond R1 N 1,400
uh 3.25% 25% wastewater plant upgrades and improvement bond dated June 29th, 2026 and payable on the 29th day of June and annual annual principal installments
of 35,89744 in each of the years 2027 to 2065 inclusive with interest thereon calculated from June June 29th, 2026. The bond R2 together with the bond R1
the bonds to the United States of America acting through the Rural Utilities Service United States Department of Agriculture at par and accured interest if any is hereby
confirmed. further voted that the annual installments amounts may be sub subsequently amended to the United States of America acting through the Rural Utility Service, United States
Department of Agriculture to make minor rounding or computation adjustments. And we hereby authorize the treasurer to approve such minor changes in the payment schedule provided that the
principal amount, interest rate, term of the bonds remain unchanged. Further voted that the bond shall be subject to redemption upon such terms and conditions as are set forth in the bonds. further
voted to covenant with the registered owner from time to time of the bonds that the town shall maintain rates in charges for the use of the town's sewer system in an amount which together with the available funds shall be sufficient
to pay all cost of operating the system and the entire principle of and interest on the bonds and all other in-depthness of the town and cur ed for municipal sewer purposes as they become due. The
bond shall never nevertheless be a general obligation of the town payable from any of its available revenues including revenues re derived from ad volume taxes levied in accordance with
the tax law upon all taxable property in the town without limitation as to the rate or amount except as provided under chapter 44. for sectioning 20 of the general laws.
Further voted that any certificate or documents related to the bonds collectively the documents may be executed in several counterparts each of which shall be regarded as an original and all of which shall constitute one of
the same document. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to a document by electronic mail in a PDF file or other electronic transmission shall be as effective as
delivery of a manually executed counterpart signature page to such document. and electronic signatures on any of the documents shall be deemed original signatures for the purposes of
the document and all matters relating there to having the same legal effect as original signatures. Further voted that each member of the select board, the town clerk, the town treasurer, and all other officials of
the town be and hereby are authorized to take any and all such actions and execute delivery such certificates, receipts, or other documents as may be determined by them or any of them to be
necessary or convenient to carry and to affect the provisions of foregoing votes. I further certify that the votes were taken at an meeting open to the public, that no vote was taken by secret ballot, that a notice stating the place,
date, time, and agenda for the meeting, which agenda included the adoption of the above votes was filed by the town clerk, and a copy thereof posted on the town bulletin board, and in a manner conspicuously visible to the public at
all hours or on the municipal building that the office of the town clerk is located or if applicable in accordance with the alternative method of notice prescribed or approved by the attorney
general as set forth in C940 CMR 29.0 all through 03 2B at least 48 hours not including Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays prior to the time of
the meeting and remain so posted at the time of the meeting that no deliberations or decisions in connection with the sale of the bonds was taken in executive section all in accordance with
general law C3A section section 18 to 25 as amended. dated today, June 9th to 2026. >> Okay. >> So, I need to second that.
>> Seconded. >> All right. Motion made and motion seconded. Is there any discussion? >> No. >> All right. All in favor? >> I >> oppose? No. >> All right. Motion moves. Um, we need to sign.
>> You want to do the signatures now, Tammy, or >> No, you can take your time. >> We'll do it afterwards. Okay. Right. >> Okay, >> that's fine. >> Um, moving on. Topic two. We have a water and sewer abatement proposed for six Nolan Circle due to a burst pipe. Um
I know we've had some other abatements come through in the past um due to burst pipes and in the past we've been willing to abate some of that sewer money but not necessarily the water because the water was used um but it didn't go down
into the sewer system. So I don't know what your guys feelings are on that. >> I agree with you. In the past, it's been we haven't abaded the water because the water was used, but we have embedded the sewer. And looking at this, I I'm I'm guessing we might be able to take the
average of use over the years and then see how much water was used and and deduct the sewer part of it if that's what the board wants to do. >> Yeah. So, I just ran those numbers um in this packet. They gave us the last
previous four bills. Um the average water usage wasund well the bill average water bill was $147.39 which translates to an average sewer bill of $29478. The current sewer charge is $46438.
Deduct the 29478. The abatement would be 16960. It says, not familiar with this process, but it does say here that if you haven't installed a new pool or done a pool repair, you're not eligible for the sewer portion of an abatement.
>> Correct. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Just making sure we weren't. >> So this So it's a good it's a really good question to raise and Marlo will be the first to say that that I guess now I'm the first to say, but he would be the first to say that we need to be we need to redo our regs and we also need
to redo this this form. Okay. uh to expand and based on the precedent that we've set of what does deserve an abatement. Um we have done this in the past for sewer, you can make the case that our regs shouldn't allow us to do so. Um you know, we we I think have been
pretty firm about if the water was used and went into the meter for for the water, we're not abating it. For sewer, we've been a little more lenient thinking if it didn't actually go into the sewer system, we're potentially going to abate it, but we we also don't have to. So, it's it's a long larger conversation here. I don't know, Marlo,
if you want to say anything on this. No, >> I think you covered it. >> Um, on the math, I think that's a completely fair way to do it. The other thing I looked at was that um we did move from a six-month billing cycle to now a shorter billing cycle.
>> So, the billing cycle on the the bill we're looking at um was, I believe, 142 days. In the past, we had billing cycles of 199, 188, and 159 days. Um, so I did like a ba
basically a usage per day, calculate what um the amount we'd want to abate based on an average usage would be and got closer to an abatement of around $218. But also, I think your method works, too. So, um, I think anywhere
between that 218 and that 169 that you had, it's probably fair. Does that just come out of the water department? >> Essentially, it's it's forgiving money that would otherwise be paid to the sewer department in this case for water sewer. >> The rebate though would come Yeah.
>> Yeah. >> That's right. >> Yeah. I mean, in the past history, we've given a break on the sewer if they had a water break, but since the water was used, we had to charge for the water. So, and and at when I came to the meeting, I didn't have all this, but now
that I've have all this, it I see the history and it sort of makes sense. I I don't have no problem with your uh calculation at all. >> Do you have a preference towards the lower higher split the difference?
>> Actually, my numbers are not good. So, >> I need to use the most recent bill. So, I think you can stick with Luke's or I can run it one more time and see what I get. >> I'll let you run Bill. >> Yeah, >> the average per day is a seems like a
really fair way of calculating. >> Okay, let's see. Ah, it's a much shorter period. I I think I'm going to end up much closer to Luke's number. Yeah. So, I think you should be fine. >> So, if someone wants to make the motion, it's a 16960 from the sewer.
>> I'll make a motion to deduct the uh 16960 from the sewer portion of the bill for um let's see Nancy Curran of Nolan Circle. six no one circle hot based on
the information we have in front of us. >> Good. Do we have a second? >> Seconded. >> All right. Is there any We have a motion made and seconded. Do we have any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? >> I >> I motion passes. Um all right. Topic three, appointments
and resignations. Um, the first one that we have is an appointment of Alan Garrick to the Cultural Council. Do I have a motion for that? >> I make a motion to appoint Alan Garrick
to the Hatfield Cultural Council. >> Seconded. >> All in favor? >> I I. >> And next, we have an appointment of Allison Church to the Hatfield Cultural Council. Do we have a motion? I will make a motion to appoint Allison Church
to the Hatfield Cultural Council. >> A second. >> Uh motion made. Motion second. All in favor? >> I. >> Fantastic. All right. Moving on to topic four. Uh the DPW has a request to list some
equipment as surplus. Marlo, take it away. >> Okay. I got six pieces of equipment. Uh I'd like surplus if possible. Um four of them are trailers. Uh just a little backstory on trailers in the DPW. Um you
can see the first one is a 1968 construction trailer. Uh that basically hasn't moved in um 15 plus years is how I understand it. Um it's been kind of a collect all. Um and it also is registered and we're carrying insurance
on it. Although not a lot, but we're carrying insurance. Uh with all these trailers that sit and don't move, there's always tires uh that go bad on them. We have to put tires on them just to use them maybe once or not. Um
so the the these four trailers I have here still leaves us with the appropriate amount of trailers we need to to run the department. Um, so I just want to hit on number uh three real quick and and let you know what I'm
thinking. It's a caravan landscape trailer. It's 10 ft long. Uh, it's we call it the cemetery trailer that our our uh seasonal help uses. Um, and as I went through everything, I I realized that uh the summer help was making two
trips to the from cemetery to cemetery because all the equipment doesn't fit on that one trailer uh to do the full job at each cemetery. So, they'd have to uh move the equipment from from place to place twice basically from cemetery to
cemetery. Uh the intent is to trade what we can of these. Some of them aren't worth very much. Um, but to get ourselves a 14 ft landscape trailer so that they can put every we we'll equip it so they can put everything on there for the day and off they go. Uh, rather than back and forth to the shop and back
and forth to cemetery to, uh, the park next door, so on and so forth. Um, so I didn't mean to jump around, but number two is a homemade trailer. We're still trying to find information on it. It's got a plate on it. Um, but I'm not sure if it's the right one. Um, again
that was kind of found in the woods and the weeds up at the water plant. Hasn't moved in many years. It's a little yellow tiny trailer. Um, the 2016 Brimar um construction trailer um was actually donated to the
town back in 2016. Um, and honestly talking with everybody and looking at the condition uh it has not moved. Uh, we we we basically have not used it. Um, so we we have two other construction trailers uh that we do use frequently.
Uh the they're they're what we call a drop deck in the back to load like a skid steer on so on and so forth when we need to take it to a job site. So I thought two of those trailers was real legit if we're doing a fairly large project. We had to trailer two pieces of equipment to the to the job site, the
stuff that can't go over the road. Um, so lo and behold, I'd like to get rid of two of these construction trailers because they're just not being used. Um, creates maintenance. We pay insurance on it and they just don't move. So, uh, it's all about the pieces that I've been
looking at in the department for deficiencies, inefficiencies, um, so on and so forth. So, um, let's just say I had trailer on the brain for about the last week and a half. Um I I I'm going to do an evaluation on all the trailers because other departments have
trailers also and I want to see what they really need or what they what they need and what they want. Um so there there may be more equipment to come uh to the board. Again, I can't tell you the the amount of uh money we will save on insurance, but when you have
something that I mean Luke would know, you let a piece of equipment sit, there's nothing worse for it. uh you go to use it and you always got to put money in it into it to to use it when it sits a long period of time. Um the fifth piece is our standon 2017 John
Deere mower. Uh it's 36 in wide. They stand on it. Uh it's the ideal machine to get through the the cemeteries in between the headstones and everything in the roadways or the rows I should say. Um, that thing has has seen better days.
Um, and the intent here is I' I'd like to try and put it towards a new one uh before budget year end. Uh, just to be totally transparent, a brand new uh SCAG is $8,100. So, if we can trade some of this equipment towards it or whatever, um,
I'd like to replace that. Uh, sensing that things may be a little thin next year and I'm just not sure if this this particular machine is going to get us through next year. Um, this snowblower, um, I I saw that sitting in the shop last July. It's
basic basically a homeowner edition. It doesn't run. Hard to get parts for. I just wanted to declare it. We're going to get rid of it. More than likely scrap it. Um, if there's any questions on any of this, I'd be happy to take them.
>> I have no questions with that. And >> you have big dreams for for trade ends, but do you feel like you'll get >> uh I can show you the pictures of some of these >> for what you were hoping to get? >> Like the the landscape trailer I was the new landscape trailer I'm looking at.
I'm looking to break even or pay minimal money for it. >> The trailer we need is around4 $4,500, but it's a well-built trailer. Um I'm looking to knock that down as much as I can. >> Okay. >> Um >> Cool. I think it's a good way to swap
out for newer equipment. Um, so it's dependable if we can try and get money for >> Yeah. >> for our equipment, >> especially stuff that was just sitting in the weeds, you know, and put insurance on and everything. >> Totally. I appreciate >> your work because I know that's a lot, but I think any and all ways of creating
improved efficiencies and saving money is Yeah. >> very valuable. >> Fantastic. >> About the only thing we have left on the previous equipment is the um the sweeper. I had to get a replacement title for it. I'm waiting for that. But, uh, the big dump truck got I picked up, we got $5,600 for it with the bad frame
and all. >> Um, so we're running about 10 grand on the other pieces of equipment I turned in the month before last or last month. >> Great. Awesome. >> So, all redeposited into the general fund or water, sewer, wherever they came from. So, >> as revenues, >> do we hear a motion?
>> I'll make a motion to designate the DPW equipment as surplus as proposed by the DPW director and presented to us on this list. Seconded. >> Motion made, motion seconded. All in favor? I >> I. >> Motion passes.
>> Um, topic five, um, fire and EMF staffing update and next steps. I think I want to keep this very brief, um, because we do have our attorney ready for us to speak in executive session. Um, so I I can keep this pretty high
level and then we'll make room obviously to talk about this more at the next meeting. Um, and I think there's, you know, a lot of reading coming your way for reading some various things. So I'll I'll just I have four updates just to share very quickly. So first of all, um, on the fire chief side, uh, we're at the point now where Chief Flarity is serving
as our interim chief right now is 10 hours a week in administrative uh, basis and that was approved by the board at your last meeting. We do have another member uh of the fire department who um uh Ed and I had a conversation with about uh potentially some interim chief
services as well. Um it's good to know that we have another option for maybe a different schedule. Just logistically it could be helpful. I think right now um deputies and others are in favor of keeping things as they are uh with Chief Flity. So I think that will make sense for now. We can continue to evaluate as we move forward. Um I did include the
job description in your packets to look through. I think at the next meeting we can go through that more thoroughly and talk about, you know, any changes for the future we might want to make there and even think about posting that to see if there's a candidate that makes sense either um for an interim, part-time or
full-time position. Uh for the ambulance license, uh the chief is still working on those uh mutual aid agreements and is in conversation with OEMs from the state to make sure that we can uh preserve our our ALS license as it stands. We have not heard anything differently yet. I'm continuing to meet with my counterparts
in other towns to make sure that we have some other options to look at as well. For staffing, the chief is interested in posting the vacant firefighter EMT position we have. While we do have some ongoing questions about the department, that would allow us to to staff some more hours if we can find the right person. I think there's a lot of reasons
to do that. So, um this will come to the board if we decide to make a hire, but I think it makes sense to to post that and and see what we can find. And then um you have two proposals for some help for um looking at both the deficit reduction
committee andor uh help on thinking about uh what to do on fire and EMS. Uh we are getting some more proposals as well. Some more focused on deficit reductions, some focused on this fire and EMS side. Um but those are for you to take a look at. Get back to me if you have any thoughts and we'll talk about
it more at your next meeting as well. Um, anything that's coming to us should start with the 2023 report that was done that already has a lot of uh, information already out there. So, anything that we do, it should use it as a baseline. So, we should really be cutting down the amount of fee that goes just towards this fire and ambulance
part when there's other things we want to be looking at too for efficiencies. So, that's my quick update. Um, if you have any thoughts on that, let me know and then we can jump into executive sessions soon. The the only thing that I had was that on both of these reports I haven't seen
is there any numbers associated with what these cost. >> There should be there should be figures on both of those proposals. Um the CGR proposal which is really just for fire ambulance overall >> that's I think $43,000 and then uh Bernie Lynch from community paradigm he
put in kind of like a quick convening I'll help you get with the very first steps of your deficit reduction committee. That was I think $4,000, but it could be less should be on there, but if it's not, I'll buy I didn't see it, but it doesn't
mean it's not. It's fine. All right. Um, yeah, I I don't have anything else on this. Do we dive in more? Ed, do you have anything on this? >> No, I mean, it's a work in progress, so we're looking at all kinds of options. It's what what's what's nice is we have
something with with Chief Bob in place for now that carries us through for the time being and we'll continue to assess things and and see where we're at. So, with that being said, I know we have
executive session coming up, so um I'm wondering we can move on to that. >> Yeah, let's do it. Um, I guess I'll make the motion for it. Um, I'm going to make a motion to enter into a meeting in executive session with
special counsel pursuant to general law chapter 3A section 21 A3 to discuss strategy with respect to potential litigation arising from the Route 5 infrastructure project and pursuant to general law chapter 30 section 21A7
to comply with or act under authority of any general or special law of federal grant in aid requirements. Specifically, the public records law, general law, chapter 4, section 726, discuss privileged communication from
special counsel. Uh, we will be going into the executive session and not be returning. >> I'll second that. Jorski, I >> Long Street, the Iris I. >> All right. Thank you very much. Have a good night and thank you, John.