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Hampden officials weigh repairs, generator options after town‑hall leak
Summary
After an interior leak at the old town hall, Hampden staff detailed water shutdowns, AC removal with freon recovery, and a staged plan to move or replace generators; costs and wiring work were discussed but not finally approved.
Facilities staff reported a water leak coming through a concrete wall in the old town hall basement. Staff shut the domestic water to narrow the source and discussed next steps depending on whether the leak was from domestic lines or connected to furnace piping.
The board approved moving forward with removing old air‑conditioning units; the town will recover refrigerant (R‑134) and consider reusing some units in other town spaces pending disassembly costs. Facilities estimates for complete disassembly and reinstallation were discussed.
A longer discussion centered on the town’s backup power: two generators were described (a 60 kW unit for town hall and an 80 kW unit at another facility). Staff proposed a three‑stage plan—deliver and fence the generator, connect to an interim switch, then reconfigure the facility electrical switches for whole‑building coverage. Members noted the age of the units and the uncertain economics of moving and rewiring older equipment versus purchasing a new generator; rough ballpark hookup costs were referenced (tens of thousands of dollars) with a full replacement potentially in the tens of thousands to low hundreds of thousands.
Board members agreed to continue planning in stages and to explore repurposing savings from other budget lines (HVAC) to help fund generator work. No formal vote to commit capital funds was taken at the meeting.
Next steps: staff to obtain detailed wiring and installation estimates, return cost comparisons to the board and identify potential repurposing of capital savings.
