Hatfield Select Board approves pavilion contract, tables annual appointments for legal review

HATFIELD — March 2, 2021 — Hatfield Select Board approved a pavilion design contract and fielded a contested property easement challenge at its March 2 meeting. Attorney John McLaughlin appeared on behalf of property owner Ms. Barry to argue that the town's Route 5 water and sewer easement taking was procedurally flawed under a pandemic-era reduced-quorum statute, asking the board to bring the matter before a full town meeting; the board declined to deliberate but noted order of takings documents were nearly complete. The board unanimously approved a design services agreement with Fitch Architecture and Community Design Incorporated for the Town Hall park pavilion — a project delayed by the town's 350th anniversary and COVID-19 — with the updated fee including $3,600 for electrical engineering. The board also voted to allow non-union town employees to carry over one extra week of vacation into FY2022, for a total of three weeks, with a hard deadline of June 30, 2022, and tabled the full slate of annual appointments pending legal research into whether some positions are appointments or town hires.