Plympton selectmen received two letters of resignation at their Monday night meeting: Irving Butler, who had served on the Planning Board for a number of years, and also from Christine Maiorano, Council on Aging director, both effective immediately.
Maiorano noted in her letter to selectmen that she would be retiring to Cape Cod, where costs are much lower, as soon as her Brook St. home is sold. Maiorano has served the Town of Plympton in many arenas, including as president and treasurer of the Plympton Garden Club, president and treasurer of the Plympton Historical Society, and director of the Council on Aging. With each endeavor she left the position in better condition. She was the driving force behind making the Historical Society building handicap accessible with a wheelchair ramp, handicap accessible bathrooms and a chair lift to the second floor. She also wrote the grants to get insulation into the building and lower the heating costs that are borne by the Historical Society.
Maiorano told selectmen in her letter she will be available to help make the transition as smooth as possible.
Butler is also a member of the Community Preservation Committee, a position that he wishes to continue, and has worked as a volunteer with the Fire Department since he moved to town more than 40 years ago. At the age of 84, Butler felt that he had to slow down and chose to serve on only one board going forward.
Both Butler and Maiorano were praised for their exceptional service and will be missed.
In other business, Rob Vautrinot, engineer, brought engineering reports to selectmen regarding the gravel permit on Ring Road, owned by Jeff Randall, that has lapsed.
Vautrinot explained that the former engineer who was handling the project for Randall passed away in October and Vautrinot has just taken over. “What there is now is several piles of stuff.” The sand is too fine to be used, except for footing in a riding arena, according to Vautrinot. Colleen Thompson, chairman, told the board that the bogs will be planted without deeper excavation, as they will be “dry picked” and don’t need to be as deep. The board will leave the discussion of the details of the permit to Zoning Enforcement Agent Bob Karling.
Bylaw Review Committee
Selectman John Traynor told his board that there are four citizens who have expressed an interest in the new Bylaw review committee and that three of the four are all members of the Board of Health. “I would like to see a broader diversity,” Traynor said, and encouraged any Plympton resident who is interested in serving the community and likes an attention to detail, to contact Briggette Martin, secretary to the selectmen at 781-585-2700. Traynor told the board he had contacted an acquaintance in the Department of Revenue to see if they could offer any assistance in bylaw review. Traynor was told that the DOR does send a team out to give a presentation to the town to show how other communities have approached bylaw review and to offer suggestions. “So they would point us in the right direction; give advice but not actually review our bylaws,” Selectperson Christine Joy said. Thompson said she did not see an issue with having three members of the board of health, each of whom came from a different background: building, newspaper, and a person who has served on many different boards in Plympton. “I would rather see a few more people on the bylaw committee,” Traynor said.
Regionalization
Exploration
Traynor also told the board that in response to selectmen’s stated interest in exploring regionalization, Fire Chief Warren Borsari has contacted fire chiefs in surrounding towns of Middleborough and Halifax. Traynor said he thought that protocol would require the Plympton selectmen contact the Halifax board and then the chiefs would confer. “If state money is coming to regionalization as it came to the regionalization of the high school, then it makes sense,” Traynor said.
Joy said that she felt that Plympton Selectmen should write to all surrounding towns’ boards of selectmen to indicate our interest in exploring regionalization. She also said that Plympton should reach out to Old Colony Planning Council for their assistance. “We have a grant,” Joy said, for OCPC to help us look at regionalization opportunities.
Selectmen will next meet Nov. 28 at 6 p.m.