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Select Board backs effort to put $900,000 bond for public‑safety complex on town warrant after hearing
Summary
After public hearings and presentations, the Select Board agreed to put a warrant article on the town ballot authorizing up to $900,000 in bonds/notes to acquire land for a single public‑safety complex; board and public debated site suitability and next steps.
The Plymouth Select Board opened a public hearing on a warrant article that would authorize the town to issue up to $900,000 in bonds or notes to acquire property for a future public‑safety complex.
Town Manager Scott and public‑safety leadership described negotiations to acquire a Main Street property (addresses cited as 291 and 295 Main Street, the former McDonald’s parcel). Scott said the town negotiated a purchase price down to $850,000 and recommended $900,000 on the warrant to cover incidental bond costs. Staff noted previous soil and engineering work on the parcel and said the site would give emergency vehicles direct access to Tenney Mountain Highway and improved response times to growing residential areas.
Why it matters: The purchase would secure a location for a combined police, fire and ambulance facility that town staff say would be more efficient to operate than separate aging facilities. If voters approve the warrant article at town meeting, later votes would be required for design and construction phases.
Public comment included support for future‑proofing the facility from residents and regional EMS leaders, and concern from others about response times from alternate sites and whether donated land (Habitat for Humanity offered 60 acres on Tenney Mountain Highway) could be considered. Staff clarified that the bond authorization is not an automatic purchase of a specific parcel but a ballot authorization to raise funds so the town can move quickly if a suitable parcel becomes available.
The board explained the purchase and any subsequent construction projects will come back to voters as warrant articles; the land bond itself requires a three‑fifths majority at town meeting. No final purchase was executed at the meeting; the town will present the bond question at the upcoming town meeting and provide voters with related material as required.
