Hampden officials and volunteers press for repairs, new facilities manager for Academy Hall

Volunteers, historical society representatives and Select Board members on Monday pressed for a series of immediate repairs at Academy Hall and discussed using town funds and a new facilities manager to prevent future problems.

The conversation focused on safety and maintenance needs at the 19th-century community building, including an outlet that "sparked" when a coffee urn was plugged in, no bulb on an exterior stairway light near the fire escape, rotting casings around the garage door and what volunteers said is a missing sill that allows rodents and water into the building.

Those concerns matter because the Town of Hampden owns Academy Hall and the Historical Society manages use of the building; the Garden Club and other community groups rely on the hall for meetings and events. Left unaddressed, board members and volunteers said, electrical hazards and structural rot could pose safety and accessibility problems and force more expensive emergency repairs later.

Connie, a Garden Club representative, described the electrical concern: "I plugged in the coffee urn in an outlet in the kitchen ... and there were sparks," and asked that an electrician inspect the kitchen circuits. Volunteers asked for a new exterior light, noting the switch for the outside fixture is behind a bookcase and the bulb near the fire escape is missing.

Select Board discussion put the repairs in the context of longer-term staffing. Board members said voters at annual town meeting approved $40,000 (reduced from a $70,000 request) intended to support hiring a full-time facilities manager; board members said that position would centralize maintenance work across town-owned buildings and reduce the need to hire outside contractors for routine carpentry and similar jobs.

"This is exactly the kind of stuff that we want to do in house so that we don't have to pay premiums to pay a licensed carpenter," a select board member said, adding that short-term safety fixes should proceed while the town decides how to fill the new position. Board members suggested using remaining Academy Hall maintenance funds for immediate items; volunteers and staff differed about the current maintenance balance (one speaker said the account is typically $4,000–$5,000, another referenced $15,000), so the board agreed to coordinate an accounting and to prioritize an electrical inspection.

Volunteers also raised accessibility and storage issues: requests included replacing the step and adding iron railings on a raised platform, replacing or insulating the old garage door to protect water equipment stored inside, installing a chain or deterrent at the base of the fire escape and addressing a missing sill. Garden Club members said they regularly host about 50 participants and are already experiencing standing-room-only meetings; they asked the town to consider alternate meeting space as use grows and as the town examines future utilization if functions move to Thornton Burgess.

Board members said they would: (1) seek an electrician or inspector to test the kitchen outlet, (2) explore short-term purchases from Academy Hall's maintenance account to fix urgent items, (3) move forward with advertising or otherwise filling the $40,000 facilities manager position approved at town meeting, and (4) coordinate the timing of step replacement work with volunteers who store memorabilia upstairs.

Volunteers asked to be given notice before any work that could require moving displays or stored items. The board agreed to coordinate schedules when contractors are selected and to return with a prioritized list of repairs and updated account balances at a future meeting.