The Hopedale Selectboard hosted a joint hearing with the Hopedale Parks Commission on April 14

The Hopedale Cultural Council, Historical Commission, and Community Preservation Committee were also invited to attend, co-host, and participate.  

The purpose of this hearing was to receive public input about a proposed complete renovation of Hopedale Town Park, with work estimated to be completed in the Fall of 2025. 

The office of the Town Administrator will begin a campaign consisting of social media posts, mailings, and other mechanisms designed to spur public engagement and feedback.

HOW WE ARE PAYING FOR IT

The financial difficulties in operational funding in Hopedale are well known. However, steps have been taken in prior years to fix longstanding structural issues within the Hopedale budget. Healthcare and education costs continue to rise quicker than prop 2 ½ allows concerning municipal spending and will continue to be major cost drivers moving forward. Last year, the Town was able to lower the health premium split that the Town was paying, bringing it in line with the rest of the Commonwealth and providing some financial relief. Further, last year the Town did not use free cash to fund the operating budget, the first time in the past 26 years that this has happened. Free Cash, or unexpected annual revenue, is best used for capital projects as it is not a reliable source of operational income. Historically, the Town’s use of free cash to balance the operating budget has led to a lack of investment in Town capital including parks and buildings.

To fund this project, I have developed a plan that recommends the following steps be taken at Town Meeting (should the public choose to move forward with the project):

That the Town authorize the borrowing for the project; 

That the Town develop a stabilization fund specifically for this project;

That the Town vote to allocate a recommended amount of Free Cash into said stabilization fund;

That the free cash in the stabilization fund be appropriated to pay for the annual debt service payments on the project

What does the above mean? The Town will borrow to complete the project all at once and will use free cash from the stabilization fund to make the debt service payments on the bond for the project. In 2032, the Town has $5 million in intermediate- and long-term bonded debt coming off the books; at that time, the project payments will be paid for through levy with no impact on municipal operations, as it will replace exhausted debt. THEREFORE, this project will not require an override or debt exclusion and will have no impact on property taxes.  

As of now we estimate the total project cost to be in the realm of $4 million but will have specific numbers in the coming weeks to share.

SUMMARY

My office is personally excited at presenting this as an opportunity for the boards, commissions, and residents of Hopedale to consider. Offering new possibilities for families is personally rewarding for me, and I look forward to hearing from all of you as we work together to move this forward.

Enclosed with this memo are three renderings completed by Tighe and Bond for the Parks Commission about two years ago, the last time this project was discussed. These do not represent final designs and are subject to change based on feedback.

Stay tuned for information regarding the Town Park renovation project initiative and for ways to get involved!

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