Hatfield Select Board Approves Pickleball Lines, Ambulance Abatement at March Meeting

HATFIELD — March 22, 2022 — Hatfield Select Board approves pickleball court markings and ambulance fee abatement while launching FY2023 budget review. The board voted unanimously at its March 22 meeting to allow blue pickleball lines to be painted on the basketball court adjacent to the fire station, following a 39-signature petition from residents, with the condition that basketball retains priority and the arrangement remains temporary. Community Preservation Committee Chair Bob Wagner recommended tabling a $400,000-plus pedestrian bridge proposal for a year pending state resolution of the privately owned Mill River dam's fate, noting roughly $142,963 in CPA funds has sat unspent since 2015. The board also unanimously approved a $5,066.89 ambulance fee abatement across seven incidents deemed uncollectible by billing agents, and approved a 6 percent fee increase for Melanson accounting services for FY2023. In a joint budget session with the Finance Committee, Planning Board Chair Stephanie presented a third consecutive request for a shared part-time planner, estimated at $11,000 to $12,000 as Hatfield's share of a potential regional position — a proposal left unresolved as the board works toward a town meeting budget deadline.