Plympton’s Board of Selectmen met on Monday, Aug. 12, and voted unanimously to adopt a three-page, single-spaced “Code of Conduct” enumerating behavior and protocols for a varety of situations.
In introducing the policy outline, Town Administrator Liz Dennehy distributed the handbook with the following message:
The Board of Selectmen has unanimously approved the concept of establishing a Code of Conduct for Boards and Committees. We believe that this Code, which is comprised of language from the Massachusetts Municipal Association and other communities, will serve as a guide for maintaining civility in communications amongst Boards and Committees, Town staff and the general public and will ultimately further enhance our ability to provide efficient, effective and responsive public service as a Town government team. While we’re aware that in terms of implementation, elected Boards or Committees can certainly opt out, we’re hopeful that everyone will see this as a useful tool in terms of encouraging respectful communications and furthering Town initiatives in the provision of public service.”
The guide deals with acceptable conduct generally and in relation to the community, other elected and appointed officials, conduct in relation to town administration and town staff.
The Town Clerk shall provide a copy of this policy to all elected and appointed officials upon its issuance and upon the subsequent appointment or re-appointment of officials.
Each official shall sign a statement that they have read and understood the policy and that they will comply with all requirements set forth herein. In the event that any member declines to sign the statement form, that fact shall be noted by the Town Clerk on said form.
Should any official receive or become aware of a violation of this policy, they should report the violation to the Town Administrator and his/her department head.
Violation of its policy may constitute good cause for removal of appointed board/committee members.
Elected officials, while ultimately accountable to the voters of Plympton, may be subject to a request for their resignation, public censure or reprimand, or a recall petition, accordingly.
A complete copy of the Plympton Code of Conduct policy can be found at the office of the Plympton Town Clerk.

Alan Ingram
Express correspondent
Kingston selectmen have approved a comprehensive road improvement plan aimed at enhancing safety and connectivity throughout the town.
The plan, presented by Environmental Partners at the July 30th Board of Selectmen meeting, prioritizes projects on both town and state-owned roads. It includes upgrades to Main Street, intersection redesigns, and new pedestrian facilities.
Jim Fitzgerald, Principal at Environmental Partners, explained the project’s goals: “We want to put the town in a good position to solicit those other alternative funding sources to supplement the Chapter 90 [state funding].”
The top-rated project for town-owned roads is along Main Street, focusing on improving pedestrian safety. The plan proposes installing improved crosswalks at regular intervals, ensuring ADA accessibility, and potentially adding rectangular rapid flashing beacons at key intersections.
Other high-priority projects include redesigning the intersection of Pembroke Street at Lake Street and Station Street near the high school, and adding a shared-use path on Lake Street.
For state-owned roads, the plan prioritizes improvements to the intersection of Main Street, Summer Street, and Linden Street. This location saw 44 crashes over a five-year period, including eight with injuries and one fatality.
Margot Schoenfelder, Senior Project Manager at Environmental Partners, emphasized the importance of the prioritization methodology: “We find creating a set of criteria that is made public and having it be quantitative is really important for justifying how the town’s prioritizing projects.”
Paul Basler, Kingston’s Streets, Trees, and Parks Superintendent, stressed the need for road maintenance funding. “We need money in this town to maintain the current roads we have,” Basler said. “We got $415,000 from Chapter 90 this year. That Chapter 90 money is earmarked for Ring Road, Prospect Street, and Thomas Street. Those three jobs alone are worth almost $2 million.”
Town Planner Valerie Massard noted that the next steps involve seeking funding opportunities. “We’re not gonna be able to predict where we’re gonna start. We’re gonna go with opportunity meets money,” she said.
The Selectmen unanimously accepted the state and local road improvement priorities report. The full report is available on the town’s website.

BOSTON – State Representative Kathy LaNatra announced that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) today denied the permit modification sought by Holtec Decommissioning International, LLC, to discharge up to 1.1 million gallons of industrial wastewater from the former Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station into Cape Cod Bay. Cape Cod Bay is a protected ocean sanctuary as defined under the Massachusetts Ocean Sanctuaries Act, which prohibits the dumping or discharge of industrial wastes into protected state waters.
“I am thrilled with the MassDEP’s decision to deny Holtec’s request to dump over 1 million gallons of wastewater into Cape Cod Bay,” said State Rep. Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston). “Cape Cod Bay is the lifeblood of the economy of both the South Shore and Cape Cod. People live, work and play on the water and on its shores. The plan to dump nuclear wastewater into the bay is yet another attempt by Holtec to ignore the pleas of residents in the area in an attempt to maximize their profits over the health of Cape Cod Bay. Today’s decision is the culmination of a lot of hard work by myself and my colleagues in the State Legislature, and shows what can happen when Federal, State and local officials work together towards a common goal of protecting the health and safety both of the residents that we serve as well as the environment that they, and generations to come, rely upon. I want to thank the MassDEP, the Healey-Driscoll Administration and all officials involved in this decision.”
Pilgrim stopped generating electricity in May 2019. As part of its decommissioning of the plant, Holtec requested that MassDEP modify Pilgrim’s state Surface Water Discharge Permit to authorize Holtec to discharge up to 1.1 million gallons of treated wastewater from the facility into Cape Cod Bay.
MassDEP reviewed the Holtec application, and after consultation with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, determined that Cape Cod Bay is a protected ocean sanctuary. The Ocean Sanctuaries Act prohibits the “dumping or discharge of commercial, municipal, domestic or industrial wastes” into ocean sanctuaries. The water that Holtec proposes to discharge qualifies as industrial wastewater, and therefore, the proposed discharge is prohibited.
MassDEP issued its final determination after holding a public hearing and public comment period and conducting an extensive review of the more than 1,000 comments received. The final determination and the public comments are available online.
MassDEP’s mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s natural resources – air, water and land – to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all people, and to ensure a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission, MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth; to provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives; and to ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

Cite Fernandes’ long time leadership on climate action and renewable energy
Representative Dylan Fernandes has received the endorsement of  both the Sierra Club and the Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) in his bid for State Senate.  These endorsements from two of the most respected environmental organizations in the state underscore Fernandes’ strong record on environmental issues and his leadership in the fight against climate change.
“We need to protect the water resources of the Plymouth and Barnstable district and ensure that our communities are resilient in the face of climate change,” said Fernandes. “In 8 years as state representative, I’ve been a champion of clean air and water and we have more work ahead to protect our environment.”
“Fernandes has been a critical leader on environmental policy in his time in the legislature,” said Casey Bowers, Executive Director of the ELM Action Fund. “He has successfully championed clean water, the blue economy, and innovative ideas to ensure that Massachusetts remains a national leader in combating climate change. We are certain that he will continue to prioritize our beautiful beaches and outdoor spaces in the Senate.”
“Dylan Fernandes has been a strong advocate for clean air, clean water, and offshore wind,” said Celia Doremus, Political Chair of the Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter. “As a member of the State House, he has sponsored and helped pass bills to support a transition to clean energy and clean water infrastructure investments. We encourage voters to support him in his race for State Senate.”
Since his initial election in 2016, Representative Fernandes has sponsored dozens of bills  advancing clean air and clean water. The first bill he passed through the House was legislation signing Massachusetts onto the Paris Climate Accords in the wake of Donald Trump pulling America out of this historic agreement.  He serves as Vice Chair of the Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, and has seats on the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy, as well as the Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change.