HATFIELD — The town’s housing authority is turning away nearly a half-million dollars in state money to install air source mini-splits at the 44 apartments at Capawonk Housing for the Elderly, noting that a majority of the people who live in the apartments don’t want them.

“Letting it go at this time, until we’re forced to do it, makes sense to me,” Judy Schell, the tenant member of the Hatfield Housing Authority, said prior to last Thursday’s 3-2 vote to abandon the project.

Schell was responding to a petition in which 31 of the 41 current residents indicated they were not in favor of the mini-split project, which contractor Girard Heating & Air Conditioning of Westfield estimated would cost $487,353. Joining Schell in voting down the project were members Kyle Scott and Alex Malinowski.

Housing Authority Chairman John Wilkes Sr. and member Christopher Smith, though, both voted in favor of the project.

For Wilkes, the project, fully funded by state grant money from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, was developed after he and late board member Stanley Symanski five years ago began seeking options for replacing the heating system and identifying state funding for the capital improvement.

Under the plan developed by Girard, the existing baseboard electric heat, in place for 42 years, would remain, but only be as a back-up source of keeping the apartments warm during the winter months.

Girard’s plan also called for the mini-spits in 44 apartments, and a GE air handler and heat pump in the community room. The project was to have originally begun last spring, but was delayed after concerns about the aesthetics of the units. Girard then made design changes that increased the cost by more than $50,000, from its accepted $429,573 bid.

Schell, though, said those who live at the 2 School St. site are not ready for another disruption, after a project within the past couple of years to install new bathroom fans and stove vents.

“We are trying to keep 44 people or more happy,” Schell said.

Malinowski, too, said that residents don’t want this. While air source mini-splits may be appropriate for single-family homes, Scott said what’s right for homeowners may not be right for the tenants.

Smith said he wouldn’t have supported the project if its costs weren’t covered by the state. The project would have ensured air conditioning which tenants can only get at their own option through putting in window units or room air conditioners.

“You’re going to get cooling built in,” Smith said.

The actual financial benefits, though, were questioned. While there are no upfront costs, and maintenance is covered for three years, the ongoing maintenance and other expenses could drive up costs over the long run, according to board members.

Whether the state grant is lost is uncertain, but Wilkes said he forced a vote as there was a need to make decision on accepting or rejecting the grant after more than a year of discussions.

“It can be revisited if a motion to reconsider, which will need a second, is entertained at a future meeting,” Wilkes said.

Wilkes said his concern is that the state will shift the funding that had been targeted to Hatfield to another entity in Massachusetts before then.

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