PLYMPTON– On Monday, Sept. 10, Plympton Selectmen met at Town House for about an hour. They prepared for the Special Town Meeting, discussed an earth removal permit and talked about restoration projects at Old Town House.
Special Town Meeting
The warrant for the Thursday, Sept. 20, Special Town Meeting is ready to go and has been mailed to residents. With one article only, to purchase the property known as the Twin Brooks Preserve, the Special Town Meeting warrant is short.
Selectmen Chairman Mark Russo will speak for the board at the meeting, recommending the article.
The Community Preservation Committee and the Open Space Committee are also expected to present at the 7 p.m. meeting at the Dennett School.
For weeks, town officials have been diligently putting together this article that allows the town to exercise its right of first refusal on the sale of the property. The property, that would otherwise be sold for gravel excavation, is classified as a Chapter 61A agricultural property, allowing the town this option because of the change in ownership.
Earth Removal Permit
The board discussed another Chapter 61A property, this time bogs owned by Harju Limited Partnership, abutting Main Street, Pleasant Street and Mayflower Road.
Many years of sand and gravel have built up on-site as part of the cranberry-growing process, and the partnership wishes to remove the excess.
The board voted to exempt them from an earth-removal permit, not only because they are not actually removing earth in the traditional sense per-se, but because the property is Chapter 61A agriculture property, and does not need a permit for the work sought.
Rick Burnet, of the Conservation Committee, mentioned that his board wished for some silt barriers to be in place before the work, and that his committee would do a site visit.
The Selectmen made a motion to approve the work, as it is exempt from a permit, pending any requirements from other boards and committees.
Restoration at Old Town House
Elizabeth Dennehy, Town Administrator, reported that bids for the windows and doors at the Old Town House (the Historical Society Building) came in higher than anticipated. Jon Wilhelmsen, of the historical society, is currently checking references on the bidders, according to Dennehy.
“The ball’s in their court now,” said Russo, but Dennehy noted that the ball would eventually be back in the Selectmen’s court for final approval of any money being spent.
Selectman John Traynor noted that he had seen birds flying behind the clapboard in the eaves of the building.
He stated that it would be a shame to do all of the planned work and not address the clapboard.
He hoped that money to fix this problem could come out of the Building and Maintenance budget.
In other news:
• The board is in very early discussions regarding the purchase of software that would assist in planning paving and road maintenance.
• Email addresses will be changed in the near future at Town House. A date for the rollover has not been set.
• Selectman John Traynor received two informational bids to add amplifying speakers to the Large Meeting Room of Town House.
One bid was around $10,000, the other was around $4,000. Russo will bring the information to Area58 TV for their input.
• Construction at the Public Safety Building is going slower than expected, but there may be money found to build a permanent driveway, that had been previously deferred.
• Special Town Meeting is Sept. 20, 7 p.m. at the Dennett Elementary School with the single warrant article being the proposed purchase of Prospect Road acreage from the Atwood Family Trust.
• Selectmen will next meet Monday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m.