Plympton voted unanimously to allow the town to undertake the $3 million construction of a new police station at the Annual Town Meeting on Wednesday, May 17. The town voted on 32 articles as well as an additional 11 articles as part of the Special Town Meeting within the town meeting.
Article 24 asked the town to appropriate $500,000 from the Capital Stabilization Fund and borrow $2.5 million in order to design, construct, and equip a new police station.
Public Safety Building Committee member John Wilhelmsen said the committee worked for two years, researching design, cost, financing options, and consideration of future expansion. Wilhelmsen said that the town simply couldn’t afford to build a new fire station as well, but as the future of the Plympton Fire Department and its role is defined, plans for a fire station will be investigated and brought before the town. The committee chose to prioritize the police station. Wilhelmsen told the meeting, “The police station is the town’s biggest short-term liability.”
Chief Patrick Dillon provided an overview of the conditions of the current police station which, he said, does not meet safety standards. Dillon added the station also lacks bullet proof glass at the front desk.
Dan Palotta, the manager Plympton hired for the project said, “This is low (price) as you’re going to get for a public project. This will not increase your taxes and will be paid out of capital stabilization over a period of time.”
Chief Dillon says he was amazed by the unanimous vote. He said, “I could not be more proud of the hard work and dedication of this committee.”
Town meeting also voted to appropriate $20,000 of available funds to conduct a study of Fire and EMS services. Selectman John Traynor explained that shortages in paramedic staffing could cause the town to lose its advanced life support emergency license. Traynor said Halifax wouldn’t be willing go to a regionalized service, but is at least willing to explore some sort of shared EMS service.
Stephen J Worton of Forest Street said, “The $20,000 for a study should go to the Fire Department directly.” He would rather have Chief Borsari’s recommendation be the voice that oversees the ambulance shortage situation. He says, “He knows the department, he knows the town.”
Finance committee vice-chairman Nathaniel Sides said, “We appreciate the Chief’s dedication…The Chief will in no means be excluded from the process.”
Chief Warren Borsari told the meeting, “The third party will give an independent view.” He says he’s worked together with the Board of Selectmen and The Finance Committee and feels the independence is good for taxpayers. The article passed by a majority.
Plympton also voted Wednesday night to eliminate the Town Coordinator position and replace it with a Town Administrator. Town Coordinator Dale Pleau is retiring. One citizen asked why the position would be paid 89% more than the Town Coordinator position.
Susan Ossoff from the Finance Committee answered that the Town Administrator Position involves much more responsibility than a Town Coordinator. Some of these responsibilities involve coordinating IT, community outreach and taking on budget responsibilities. Ossoff noted that Plympton does not have a budget director.
Other elected officials voiced support for a town administrator including Selectman John Traynor and Town Clerk Tara Shaw. Shaw said a town administrator would also provide help with grant writing. The town voted $20,000 to fund a professional search for the right candidate.
The Dennett Elementary School was voted $130,000 for a drinking water treatment system. The article required a two thirds vote and passed with this requirement. John Wilhelmsen, representing the Plympton School Committee spoke to this article.
Article 22 asked the town to transfer $30,000 from the Capital Stabilzation Fund to make repairs to the roof highway barn. Highway Surveyor Jim Mulcahy said he found the roof could be repaired for only $18,000 and the problem could be solved by the addition of 8” gutters instead of the current 4” gutters, and do other repairs, still staying within the original $30,000 request.
Nathaniel Sides, from the FinCom, was disturbed that the article presented to the meeting was not the same article that the FinCom had approved. FinCom’s Susan Ossoff shared those concerns stating that her committee spends a lot of time and consideration, when these articles are presented, and they should not be changed on Town Meeting floor. Mulcahy said, “The amount for the request is the same. I’m just approaching the repairs in a different manner.
Ossoff continued, saying that the funding source of Capital Stabilization, cannot be used for maintenance; it has strict rules as to the uses it can fund.
The Finance Committee moved to modify the article from $30,000 to $18,000 given the information shared by Mulcahy.
Board of Health Chairman Art Morin, who also works full time as a transfer station attendant, was in support of keeping the funding at $30,000. Morin said, “I think one of the problems is if we repair the roof {but not the barn’s problems], we’ll end up with the same problem three years down the road.”
Susan Ossoff responded that she isn’t sure if the change to the request is even eligible for Capital Stabilization funding. She recommended asking for the additional $12,000 at next year’s Town Meeting.
The article needed a standing vote in order to modify the appropriation to $18,000; it was narrowly approved with a vote of 36 for to 29 against. The modified Article 22 passed with a two thirds majority.
Town meeting approved the request of the Historic Commission to repair and restore the Town Green Bandstand/Gazebo for $39,500. The Community Preservation Committee will fund and oversee the project with $27,228 coming from the CPC’s Historic Resources Reserve and $12,272 from the CPC’s Budgeted Reserve.
Plympton also voted to spend $5,145 to pay for new software to manage databases. Town Clerk Tara Shaw said that these databases are needed to help manage public records and other aspects of her job such as dog licensing, business licensing, election nomination papers, etc. New state law mandates public records requests be responded to and provided within a shorter timeframe. And these databases will assist in that area. Voters also elected to spend $14,200 to purchase an exchange server, work stations, and other relevant software in order to stay complaint with the new Public Records Law. The software will get all board, committee, and department heads on the software which according to Selectmen Clerk John Traynor, will streamline the public records request process.
Town Clerk Tara Shaw said her goal is to get as much of the town’s records onto the web site so that people can search them and answer questions themselves.
The town also voted $5,000 to fund a Hazardous Waste Day at the Transfer Station.
Article 21 was a vote to appropriate from available funds or borrow $200,000 for reconstruction and resurfacing at the transfer station. It was passed with a two thirds vote.
Article 25 was a vote to amend municipal by laws related to animal control in the town. Tara Shaw said there are new procedures for declaring a dog a nuisance dog and doesn’t change leash laws.
The title of dog officer was also changed to Animal Control officer. Article 25 passed unanimously.
Article 26 passed unanimously. It made changes to make amendments to Article 4, Sections 1 and 2 of the Town By-laws. The change here is that the Finance Committee will also serve and vote as the Capital Planning Improvement Committee.
Susan Ossoff has said at several past Board of Selectmen Meetings that the town has trouble just finding Finance Committee members, never mind Capital Planning Improvement Committee. There are currently no members on that committee.
Article 27 transfers custody of property located at 23 Palmer Road to the Board of Selectmen for municipal purposes. The five-acre property was acquired by the town from Linda Schawecker.
Plympton voted to approve Article 29 which created a temporary moratorium on recreational marijuana. Deborah Anderson, Chairman of the Planning Board reported that her board voted at a public hearing on Monday to move the article forward for town meeting vote.
Other articles passed either with a majority or unanimously
• to spend $31,500 to conduct financial audits for Fiscal Year 2016.
• appropriated $9,100 for the codification of Plympton’s town bylaws.
• appropriate $10,000 pay for the contractual obligations the town has to retiring personnel.
• transfers $10,000 to the Police Detail Account for fiscal year 2017.
• transfers $20,000 to the OPEB (Other Post Employment Benefits) account.
• transfer $15,000 to the Building and Grounds Article.
• authorizes the Board of Selectmen to negotiate and enter into a PILOT agreement between CEC Solar #1082, LLC and the Town of Plympton.
• designated the town website as the alternative method for posting meeting notices.
• appropriated $15,000 to purchase new X26 Tasers for the police department. Chief Dillon said this money will also be spent on any related software and equipment.
• spend $30,000 to buy personal protective equipment for the fire department. This will replace aging equipment.
• spend $3,448 to purchase eight new pagers for the fire department to notify members of the fire department of incoming 911 calls.