Hampden committee opens review of Old Town Hall, seeks inspections and community input

The Town of Hampden'Old Town Hall Future Committee met Feb. 3, 2026, at 9 a.m. at 85 Wilburham Road to begin deciding the future of the historic Old Town Hall. The committee reviewed archival materials and technical reports, discussed cost and code uncertainties and voted by voice to accept a chair nomination for the group.

Committee convenor Dan Dan opened the meeting and walked members through a binder that included the 1931 warrant accepting the building as a gift, a 2017 accessibility/capital-improvement study and a March 2023 municipal building-conditions assessment. "All options are on the table," Dan Dan said, stressing that the committee must understand both heritage value and expense.

Why it matters: The Old Town Hall is listed with the Secretary of State as historic, which affects eligibility for Community Preservation Act funds; such funding would require a vote by the historical commission and a town meeting. Members said the site historically cost roughly $35,000 a year in utilities and about $26,000 a year in maintenance when it was fully occupied, figures they saw as relevant to any proposal.

What the committee heard and decided: Members discussed four broad paths for the propertydemolition, sale, donation or adaptive reuseand agreed to immediate steps to refine cost data. A committee member described a three-phase approach: first, obtain demolition and abatement estimates (including asbestos); second, test the market for purchase; third, develop reuse options if retaining the property is feasible. One member noted that past bidders were minimal; another said a time-and-bond report lists total work at about $7,700,000, though participants also spoke in general terms of "about $7 million" during discussion.

Cost and code issues were central. Members repeatedly asked what conditions would trigger full Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and when upgrades would be required. The group heard that an earlier report cited a 20% ADA-trigger threshold; the committee agreed it must ask building inspectors to pinpoint when ADA obligations apply and what line items are included in the larger cost estimates. "When we go to the town meeting, we want to present it based on the facts," a committee member said.

Adjacent projects: The group discussed the approved fire-station bond and how its footprint might affect the Old Town Hall parcel. Committee members said the town previously authorized a bond for the fire station in the neighborhood of $8.3 million and explored whether facade retention, demolition or parcel-sharing might make sense as part of broader site planning.

Outreach and schedule: Members agreed to keep the regular meeting time (Tuesdays at 9 a.m.) while accommodating conflicts, and they set the next meeting to include a site tour and to invite two building-inspection resources referred to in the discussion as Wendell and Herb. The committee also endorsed a public-engagement exercise: an in-person "whiteboard" session in the auditorium to collect ideas from local business owners, artists and residents, and to present a short list to the select board and then to town meeting if forwarded.

Formal action: The committee conducted a voice vote in favor of a motion to nominate Don Davenport as chair; the transcript records affirmative responses but does not provide a roll-call tally. The committee recorded the vote as passing by voice vote and moved on to schedule inspections and outreach.

Next steps: The committee asked staff to arrange a site visit, to invite the building inspector and an inspector previously familiar with the facility, and to circulate the time-and-bond and accessibility reports for line-item review. Members said they will return with updated cost clarifications and a plan for a community meeting.

The committee adjourned after confirming the next meeting will include a building tour and additional staff and inspector briefings.