Palmer Council Approves Animal Shelter Doors, Names New Redevelopment Authority Member

PALMER -- April 13, 2026, Palmer Town Council hears Pathfinder expansion plans, approves animal shelter doors and software purchase. At its April 13 meeting, the council appropriated $7,375 from free cash for door replacements at the Regional Animal Patrol Facility and $1,416 from the Code Enforcement Special Account for digital building-code software, both approved unanimously. Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School Superintendent Eric Duda announced the district's largest capacity expansion in its history, the repurposing of Cold Spring School in Belchertown, set to open August 26, 2027, adding at least 150 seats over three years and a projected 25 percent enrollment increase, while holding the member-town assessment increase to 2.27 percent. Duda also disclosed that Pathfinder will charge the Palmer Youth Basketball Association "zero dollars" next year in recognition of the council's $50,000 ARPA-funded gym floor investment. Town Manager Brad Brothers explained Palmer's more than $5 million in certified free cash as an anomaly year driven by department turnbacks and elevated interest income, and noted that proceeds from the Converse Middle School sale, minimum bid $1.5 million, due May 15, will flow into a restricted capital sinking fund, not general free cash.