The Plympton Board of Selectmen met remotely on the evening of Monday, July 26. Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte was there to discuss the progress with indicating the new safety zones throughout town. Firlotte said he had stencils that will eventually spell out “safety zone” and added that there would be reflective media included in the paint that would allow for extra visibility. In addition to the stenciling, there will be signs that will also have a reflective component. The indicators will alert drivers to the 20 mph zones. Firlotte said he was hopeful to get the paint down in the next couple of weeks. Selectman Mark Russo said, “really look forward to seeing if this works.”
The Board also discussed the cable contract with Area 58. Russo said that it was brought to his attention that the last few meetings were not available on Area 58. He said he brought it to their attention and the problem was rectified. Selectman John Traynor said that Comcast has an agreement with the town that they will make internet available to any of the town sites. He said he would like to see the Old Townhouse have it available. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said that part of the Green Communities Grant included the installation of WiFi thermostats for the Old Townhouse. They are being installed with the intention of being programmed at a later date when WiFi becomes available at that location.
There was also a discussion of the Carver Urban Renewal Project. Selectman Chair Christine joy said she reached out to the Chair of the Redevelopment Authority but had not heard back yet. Dennehy said she had reached out to the Carver Town Administrator but had also not heard back. Dennehy was looking for some clarification regarding the changes to zoning including height requirements.
Resident Melissa Jackson was on the call and said, “We are concerned about light and noise remediation. There were a lot of “jokes” about how it is going to affect Plympton residents from people on the walk through.” Jackson also said that there was talk of raising the height of the buildings to 65 ft with floodlights. “They also want to put 200 tractor trailer bays facing Heathers Path and Toby’s Lane instead of putting them on the route 44 side,” Jackson said. “This affects a large number of residents with the placement of this project.” Joy pointed out.
Dennehy provided a Town Administrator’s update saying, “We were made aware today that there is an active Covid case in town and are watching to see if there are any others that sprout up because of that.” Dennehy pointed out that since it is protected health information there is no way to no if the person was vaccinated or not.
Dennehy also provided an update on some of the ongoing grant projects. She said the Hazard Mitigation Plan was nearing completion and would soon be sent to FEMA and NEMA for review. Dennehy said she was expecting feedback explaining, “From what I understand, they are very active in their review process.” Additionally, she said the Green Communities Grant was moving along nicely.
Dennehy told the Board that the town was formally accepted into the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA). She explained that they would be meeting with them later in the week to find out “what does it mean for our transportation needs.” Colleen Thompson, who serves on the Town Properties Committee, has put together a comprehensive list of questions to find out how GATRA will best serve the community.
Dennehy said she was looking forward to working with the town’s new Treasurer/Collector and Town Accountant. She said she met with them earlier that day. “It was a really good meeting; I’m very excited about our two new financial people.”
Upon request some correspondence was read into the record from the attorneys representing the landowners whose properties abut the town owned land on Brook St. They stated that they were adamantly opposed to what they referred to as a “proposed shelter or similar facility” being constructed on the land that abuts their own. There appeared to be confusion regarding what the town’s intention was for the land. It had earlier been suggested that the land might be appropriate for a Habitat for Humanity home of some sort. The attorneys stated in the letter that the owners would be happy to buy the land at fair market value. Regarding selling the land, Traynor said, “We should go out and get it appraised as a building lot if we decided we wanted to sell it.”
Per tradition, the Selectmen ended their meeting with their raves for the last few weeks. Russo said his rave was for the public participation and attendance at that night’s meeting calling it “a pleasure to have guests joining us tonight.” He addressed them saying, “glad you guys are with us, thank you.” Traynor said his rave was for the vaccination goals for the state of Massachusetts. He pointed out that our state is among the top nationally for vaccination rates. Traynor also mentioned what a pleasure it was to attend the genealogy meeting with most people going maskless. Joy had two raves. One for finally being setup with GATRA. She said, “What a great opportunity this is for us.” Her second rave was for the work being done by the Highway Department and Firlotte in particular.