Asst. Assessor Wendy Jones was before the board for a tax classification hearing on Monday, Dec. 17. (Photo by Abram Neal)
PLYMPTON — The Board of Selectmen met Monday, Dec. 17, and spent the bulk of their hour and 15-minute long meeting discussing their “parking lot,” where they “park” issues that they wish to deal with at a later time.
The page-long list of items was projected on a whiteboard, and each item was discussed and assigned.
The board reviewed the master plan for the town campus, noting that the most pressing issues were with the actual, physical parking lot in front of the buildings, and admitted there is as yet no long-term solution for those parking issues.
They also spoke about the driveway for the new police station, and Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy said that the new police station construction management company, P3 Inc., planned to widen the driveway around the back of Town House, necessitating the moving of a utility pole.
The board appeared pleased with the progress at the new police station.
Selectman Christine Joy was concerned about the lack of lighting at the entrance to the campus, saying it is unsafe. Dennehy will look into a solution, she said.
The intersection at Ring Road and Main Street was on the list as well. Selectmen Chairman John Traynor labeled it a problem intersection and asked about the cost of moving a Verizon pole to modify it. Dennehy said she’d look into the cost.
This is not the first time the intersection has been under scrutiny. In September 2017, former Highway Surveyor Jim Mulcahy presented a plan to change the intersection, going so far as to consult a design engineering consultant. Plans to “widen the curve” there never came to fruition, due to public pushback.
Joy suggested a small rotary at the anecdotally troublesome crossroads, low enough for public safety vehicles to drive over. She also said that the Old Colony Planning Council might be able to assist, noting that they are great with small projects such as this.
The “tech” master plan was also examined, and the new email server is slowly coming together, despite some technical difficulties, said Dennehy. The fire chief is the first with one of the town’s new email addresses, and is the only one on the new server right now. At first, he was not able to send or receive emails to or from the old town server, but this was resolved, according to the town administrator.
The Green Communities grant work is still underway, helping the town reduce energy use and costs by implementing clean energy projects in municipal buildings, facilities and the Dennett Elementary School. Dennehy is meeting this week with state officials to discuss further disbursements. She noted that the grant is unfortunately not for buildings like the new police station, just older ones that can be retrofitted.
Finally, the board agreed with the town administrator’s suggestion that the board survey various Town House stakeholders for the use of the former police department space after they move to their new building. Selectman Assistant Brigette Martins located a floorplan of Town House to assist with planning for the soon-to-be vacant space.
In other news:
• The board briefly discussed sending a letter to Attorney General Maura Healey regarding the town’s marijuana bylaw moratorium.
• The board is exploring the idea of hiring a grant writer and is bringing an expert to Plympton to introduce her to the town and further look into that possibility.
• The assessors were again before the board, to officially modify the tax-rate, which fell by a penny due to an upward adjustment in the residential classification.
• The board will next meet Jan. 7, 2019, at 6 p.m. at the Plympton Town House.