Hampden Select Board weighs moving town offices to Thornton Burgess; Parks & Rec backs move, senior-center advocates raise concerns

The Town of Hampden Select Board on Wednesday discussed a multi-step plan to relocate town administrative offices to Thornton Burgess, reviewing preliminary interior layouts, an expected Title 5 septic inspection, and related facility needs including heating, accessibility and parking.

Brian, a staff member leading the layout effort, told the board that the town located an August 7, 1931 warrant and a deed filed at the Registry of Deeds but found no restrictive stipulations on how the gift property might be used. He said the Hampden‑Wilbraham Regional School District has sent letters to state education officials that the Thornton Burgess building is no longer needed for school purposes, and that the select board must both affirm that determination and put a two‑thirds warrant article before town meeting to change the parcel’s purpose. "We would need a two thirds town meeting vote to change the purpose of the land," he said. He also reported the town had authorized a proposal for a Title 5 inspection, at about $2,500, and that the inspector contract was being signed.

Why it matters: moving the town offices would consolidate scattered municipal functions, free room at the current townhouse and, according to Parks and Recreation staff, create space for expanded community programming. It also triggers statutory and administrative steps — town meeting approvals, zoning checks and septic…