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Hampshire board approves facade grant, meeting calendar and payments; tables fence changes and flags UTV review
Summary
Trustees approved a $10,678.24 facade grant, the 2026 meeting calendar and a $1.7 million progress payment for a public works facility; they tabled fence‑ordinance edits for clearer language and asked staff to revisit a gas‑UTV restriction in the golf‑cart ordinance.
At its Nov. 20 meeting, the Hampshire Village Board handled several routine and programmatic items alongside its longer zoning hearings.
Grants and payments: Trustees approved a facade grant for Vintage Hammer totaling $10,678.24 (a 75% award recommended by the downtown beautification committee and staff) after discussing whether tuckpointing and repairs that include the rear elevation met program rules. The board also approved a progress payment of about $1,700,000 for the Bulk Works facility project; staff said the disbursement was budgeted and the project will provide safer indoor workspaces for public‑works personnel.
Administrative calendar and finances: The board adopted the 2026 meeting calendar (removing the July 2 meeting to avoid holiday conflicts) and the 2026 holiday schedule, noting that additional holidays are typically negotiated in the police contract. Trustees approved regular accounts payable and two payroll batches presented during the meeting.
Fences and zoning language: After detailed line‑by‑line discussion about prohibited wire types, measurement of fence height near retaining walls and screening requirements for multifamily developments, trustees voted to table the fence text amendments and asked staff to return with clearer language and diagrams to avoid repeat tabling.
Golf carts and UTVs: Six months after adopting a golf‑cart ordinance, trustees heard that legally permitted carts have caused few enforcement problems but illegal ATVs and scooters persist. Several trustees asked staff to prepare language to remove a gas‑UTV restriction so gas and electric UTVs would be treated the same at the next meeting.
Police report and training: The chief reported that the department has caught up on state crime reporting, has observed increases in thefts and fraud complaints and has seen a rise in mental‑health calls. The department plans to certify all officers (100%) in crisis intervention training in the coming months.
The meeting closed with announcements about a parade, time‑capsule materials found by the Historical Society and a motion to enter executive session on real‑estate matters.
