Hatfield Select Board Approves Pavilion Contract, Reviews Wide-Ranging Fire Budget Options

HATFIELD — January 16, 2024 — Hatfield Select Board signs Smith Academy pavilion contract and reviews Fire and EMS budget options ranging up to a 24/7 staffing model. The board unanimously approved a construction contract with Kaider Corporation for long-delayed pavilion improvements at Smith Academy Park, with work expected to begin in April. Fire Chief Robert Flarity presented three budget scenarios: a level-service 16-hour model requiring roughly $51,000 more than the current year, a pay-rate-adjusted version at $79,034 above current, and a full 24/7 deployment that would increase the fire budget by 118 percent while reducing the ambulance line by 48 percent. The town also learned it will receive $143,144 in supplemental Chapter 90 road funding through the Fair Share Amendment, earmarked for projects on Elm, Maple, and Chestnut Streets. Both the Police Department and Council on Aging proposed essentially flat budgets for fiscal year 2025, with the Council on Aging serving 12,459 duplicated visits in 2023 for under $130,000 annually.