Town Services During the Emergency
SELECTMEN: The Board of Selectmen continues to meet on Monday nights to address issues related to the CORVID-19 virus, the State of Emergency and to conduct normal Town business. All meetings are conducted via video conferencing. Residents can watch and listen by connecting through the link provided on the Town website. Also, recordings of Selectmen’s meetings are posted on the Town website on Tuesdays following the Monday evening meetings.
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR: The Town House is closed due to the Governor’s order, but the Interim Town Administrator is available via email and telephone to attend to the needs of residents and coordinate Town government activities. Call (413) 566-2151 or send a message to Townadmin@hampdenma.gov
HEALTH: The Board of Health continues to operate as well as possible remotely. Percs, septics and wells can still be done with the proper paperwork and inspections. We continue to work on issues and problems as well as monitoring the health and welfare of the Town. Any files needed can be scanned and emailed or faxed. Lorri McCool can be reached at (413) 454-5155. The Board of Health Clerk can be reached at (413) 531-6546. Phone messages and email continue to be monitored remotely. Please be patient as our response time may be a bit delayed, but we make every effort to respond as soon as possible. Please stay home and be safe. Hampden Board of Health Team.
BOARD OF ASSESSORS: The Assessor’s office can be reached by phone at (413) 566-2151 ext. 106 or by email at assessors@hampdenma.gov. We are routinely checking and responding to all messages and will get back to you as soon as possible. Additionally, there is online access to information and many forms on the Town website (Board of Assessors page) including: GIS mapping, FY2020 property assessment information, the Motor Vehicle Excise Abatement application and much more! If assistance is needed, please let us know as we are happy to help!
TAX COLLECTOR: Although there may be delays due to our current staffing situation, the Tax Collector’s office continues to process payments that we’ve received and respond to phone messages. We’re aware of the impact of the of COVID-19 pandemic and the effect it may have on our taxpayers. We’re looking to the Board of Selectmen for their decision regarding any changes allowed by the new law that offers an option to extend the May 1st due date for real estate bills.
TOWN CLERK: The Clerk’s Office has been processing requests received by mail and monitoring phone messages. We’re also working closely with our Town Counsel to make certain that recent changes to the election laws are being properly interpreted. These changes have allowed the Board of Selectmen to postpone both our Town Meeting and local election. To keep our records current, we continue to process voter registrations and changes, and street list information is being updated as new information is provided.
HIGHWAY: The Highway Department continues to offer its full services. We have been addressing winter storm damage, cleaning roadside ditches, loaming and seeding, trimming roadside brush and filling potholes. Winter equipment is slowly starting to be cleaned, greased and put in storage as the weather looks better and better. Spring street sweeping has been completed, and we are selecting roadway traffic lines to be remarked, along with the repainting of stop lines and crosswalks throughout the Town. Contractors are indicating that they will be getting back to work soon, so we should see the completion of our FY20 paving schedule soon. If you have any questions or concerns, please call (413) 566-8842 or email highway@hampdenma.gov.
LIBRARY: Director Ellen Moriarty: The book bin is emptied every day, and books are quarantined for 3 days, before being checked in. We have no incoming or outgoing inter-library loans or book deliveries currently. There are no fines during this time of closure. The Library Director has been returning phone messages and emails. There is an incredible amount of information from Mass Library Systems, Mass Board of Library Commissioners, CWMARS and other library directors.
I am calling patrons who participated in the "seed library" last year, and seeds are being mailed for this year.
There was a Zoom @ Noon book chat April 4, and it was a big hit. We would like to continue this on Saturdays, and we are working on a chat for the knitters. There are no deliveries to seniors @ Centennial Commons.
Children's librarian: We are doing Online Story Time and a private Facebook group for follow up activities. Training and webinars will continue. Summer Reading Planning is underway which will be conducted online should the emergency continue. Book and online resource Recommendations for patrons is continuing, and we are working with Pathways for Parents to provede more resources for parents.
Young Adult librarian: I am exploring and watching tutorials on Libby, Overdrive, and Hoopla. I also watched a webinar about LSTA grants. I watched another webinar about improving programming for youth.
I also have been planning a couple of fun summer programs. The first one is doing tie dye. We can use the grass between the library and the fire station. The other program I had in mind was friendship bracelet making. I know that is more on the "girly" side, but I think that would be fun and have a good turnout as well.