Linda Leddy explains to the Plympton Board of Selectmen the necessity of a Water Study Committee, Monday, March 11, 2019.
PLYMPTON — Plympton selectmen approved another volunteer town committee, Monday, March 11, 2019, which will be tasked with identifying and mapping public water sources as required by the state. The board also discussed how to best use the space that will be vacated in Town House when the police move to their new station next door, and a traffic-blocking gate on Heather’s Path in response to the North Carver Urban Renewal Plan.
Water Study Committee
Another town committee, the Water Study Committee has been created by the vote of selectmen, on the recommendation of the Open Space Committee, in order to identify public water sources (wells) and map them, as mandated by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
Linda Leddy, chair of the Open Space Committee was before the board and said the town has been remiss in its obligation to map potential public wells and is “way under-sourced in terms of data and mapping.”
This data are required by the state in the case that Plympton should ever need to move to a public water supply in the future and is required by law of all towns that do not currently have public water supplies, she said.
The first step, she said, was to form the committee. They will then engage the professional services of a hydrogeologist to put together disparate data sets, although she doesn’t expect this to require major spending, she added.
The committee’s makeup is to be determined, however Selectman Mark Russo offered to sit on the committee as the selectmen’s representative.
Heather’s Path Gate
Carver planning officials irritated Selectman Christine Joy for not including a gate south of Heather’s Path in the latest plans for a proposed development of 1.8 million square feet of warehouse space to be constructed off Route 58 and Montello Street on the Carver-Plympton town line. The gate is intended to prevent truck traffic from cutting through Plympton on its way to Carver, forcing trucks to travel through Carver to the new development.
Carver officials and Plympton officials, spearheaded by Joy, have been negotiating to mitigate the effects of the planned construction on Plympton residents.
The development has been controversial since at least 2016, even including threats by Carver officials to take land of Plympton residents whose properties extend into Carver by eminent domain, a proposal that was taken off the table.
“We’ll see … we’ll wait and see what happens,” said Joy.
“If not a gate, something else,” she added, pledging to win a concession for Plympton residents.
Old police station space
Selectmen discussed the fact that, although it made Selectman Russo uncomfortable, they would have to forgo making final decisions on the way the old police station space will be used once the police department moves from Town House into their new quarters next door.
The warrant for annual town meeting needs to be closed March 25, not leaving enough time to fully explore what departments or committees should permanently occupy the space, let alone a full renovation.
Selectman Chairman John Traynor said that he’d like to see some load bearing walls removed, the space opened up, roughly renovated and temporarily occupied for the year until plans can be finalized. The board agreed.
One primary candidate for the space is the building department, where water currently leaks into their basement offices, which upset Traynor. The Council on Aging also seeks to use the space. Selectmen would like to see a conference room there.
Other selectmen’s news:
• Highway Surveyor Scott Ripley has identified a 2-foot by 2-foot hole in a small bridge north of the intersection of Winnetuxet Road and Main Street. He is applying for a grant to fund repairs.
• The town treasurer was voted to be the town’s “tax title custodian.”
• Assistant Town Clerk Patricia Detterman was appointed interim Town Clerk beginning March 21 as Town Clerk Tara Shaw will leave the post effective March 20. Detterman has drawn nomination papers to run as a candidate for the position.
• The slate of officers that will appear on the ballot in May for town elections was modified to include the position of Town Clerk, and to correct an error with library trustees so that they will continue to have staggered terms.