HADLEY — Significant capital investments that include a $9 million project to replace the Mount Warner and Mount Holyoke water tanks and $2 million to buy a ladder truck for the Fire Department, and adopting a bylaw to permit stand-alone battery storage systems, are among actions to be decided at annual Town Meeting.

A 23-article warrant will be presented to residents Thursday at 7 p.m. at Hopkins Academy, including a $21.7 million operating budget, which is $948,078, or 4.6% higher than this year’s $20.75 million budget, and maintains existing services for the town and schools.

The largest expenditure outside the budget is the money needed to remove the water tanks, which date to 1963 and 1976 and are part of the municipal water system. The tanks would be exchanged for new ground-level, glass-fused steel tanks constructed at the two locations, one off Mount Warner Road near North Hadley and the other off Route 47 in the Hockanum section of town. The project cost would be covered partially by a U.S. Department of Agriculture low-interest loan with principal forgiveness, totaling around $2.7 million.

The new aerial ladder and pumper truck would be ready by 2028, replacing a 23-year-old truck that is no longer functional. An effort to get a similar truck last year failed when voters rejected a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion override vote in December by a vote of 322-302. The truck will be on the May 21 town ballot.

During a public forum in advance of Town Meeting, Fire Chief Michael Spanknebel said the truck remains important, especially with taller buildings going up in Hadley. “With three-story hotels and schools, our 75-foot ladder is too short,” Spanknebel said.

Residents will also benefit, though, as the ladder can extend over lawns and snowpiles and greatly enhance fire protection by making ventilation quicker at homes with solar arrays on the roofs.

The Planning Board’s energy storage system bylaw defines both small and large and allows stand-alone batteries, which are currently prohibited. Planning Board Chairman James Maksimoski said without such a bylaw, Hadley is at risk of a costly lawsuit, and the state saying where batteries can go.

“By putting this bylaw forward, we allow stand-alone systems and we define how to put in a stand-alone system,” Maksimoski said.

Budget stable

The municipal budget preserves staff and programs and provides wage increases for the settled contracts for public safety and public works. Town Administrator Carolyn Brennan said the budget is basically level services for all departments, and sets the stage for enacting aspects of a compensation and classification study to be finalized in June. Cost of living and other wage increases in that study will be made retroactive to July 1 in the fall. Brennan said she is also keeping an eye on rising utility and fuel costs.

For education, the town’s contribution to the school’s $9.64 million budget is $7.89 million, a $145,921 increase from $7.75 million.

With town officials continuing to plan for a renovated Department of Public Works complex and rebuilding the 53-year-old headquarters at the current South Middle Street location, voters will be asked to spend $325,000 to acquire a neighboring 1.26-acre residential parcel at 234 Middle St.

Brennan said this would eventually reduce costs for the project, as the new building could be on one story, rather than having to build a two-story building to fit on the site. That project is estimated at $30 million to replace and enlarge the 8,000-square-foot garage and maintenance bay and adding a 6,400-square foot office, bathroom and locker room building.

An additional $185,000 is being sought to continue the start up of the municipal ambulance service, which launched last October, using an ambulance purchased from Northampton and supplementing the private Action EMS. At Town Meeting a year ago, $402,307 in free cash was applied as seed money for this Basic Life Service ambulance.

Treasurer Linda Sanderson said the town should have $85,000 to $100,000 in ambulance revenues by the fall.

The town ambulance is only doing second calls, receiving a $750 payment per call. Spanknebel said his staff has responded to 61 secondary calls so far, either backing up Action EMS or in cases where multiple ambulances are needed, such as car crashes. The town ambulance has transported 42 patients.

Two requests are being made for Community Preservation Act money.

Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum is seeking $150,000 for the emergency stabilization of the Phelps Farmhouse, an 1816 building that needs a new roof, structural reinforcement in the basement and mold abatement, part of about $250,000 in work at the location.

The museum acquired the 113 River Drive property in 2022, which Select Board member Joyce Chunglo said many in town know as the former Scott property.

An additional $40,000 in CPA money will hire an architect to evaluate and prepare the 1840 Town Hall for renovations, including replacing windows, siding and cement steps.

Other spending includes:

■$155,000 to cover the costs associated with a drinking water asset management plan project. Select Board member Molly Keegan said this gives the town an opportunity to participate in a state program to prioritize capital projects for delivering safe drinking water;

■$250,000 to match a $1 million Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program grant, which Select Board Chairwoman Amy Parsons said would allow the town to increase the size of culverts to reduce stream flooding on East Street at Route 9;

■$150,000 to buy new water treatment plant filtration membranes that will last 10 years.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.