Select Board members oppose ordering a construction audit of the conversion of the former Oak Street elementary school into affordable housing, a project that was plagued by major cost overruns. The work has added up to $1.2 million for three one-bedroom apartments to house seniors, veterans, or disabled people – more than twice the original […]
Author Archives: Fred Thys - Independent Staff
Posted inGovernment
Two seats on the Planning Board have been open for months. Why hasn’t anyone applied to fill them?
A critical town board has been operating with two vacancies since the summer – and no one has applied to fill either seat. The Planning Board, which normally has five members and one associate member, makes recommendations on whether development projects should proceed and if so, under what conditions. Among the issues it has weighed […]
Posted inBusiness
This ‘Saturday is like our Christmas’
For some small businesses in Plymouth, tomorrow is the most important day of the year. “Saturday [after Thanksgiving] is like our Christmas,” Pam Smith told the Select Board earlier this month. “It’s our busiest day of the entire year.” Smith, co-owner of Locally Yours, a retail shop selling cozy hometown apparel, gifts, and home décor, […]
Posted inGovernment
No decision on proposed livestock regulations as debate continues
The Plymouth Agricultural Commission is continuing talks with the town’s Public Health department over proposed regulations that would regulate the keeping of livestock – such as goats, chickens, and cows – after a state animal health official said that the scope of any new rules would have to be limited. Plymouth’s backyard farmers have bristled […]
Posted inGovernment
Why did it cost the town $1.2 million to build three tiny apartments on Oak Street?
The conversion of the former Oak Street elementary school into affordable housing – a project plagued by a string of cost overruns – appears to be headed for a construction audit. The work has totaled nearly $1.2 million for three small apartments, much more than the $475,000 in Community Preservation funds Town Meeting initially approved […]
Posted inCulture
‘It’s just an amazing historic moment’
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey Tuesday issued an executive order officially recognizing Plymouth’s Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe. “(S)ince well before the arrival of the Mayflower, the Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe has continuously inhabited lands within the borders of what is now Massachusetts, with ancestral homelands stretching from the Plymouth area to the upper reaches of Cape […]
Posted inGovernment
Backyard farmers say proposed livestock rules are too strict
Dan Green worries that he might have to get rid of some of his chickens. He and other members of the Plymouth Agricultural Commission are fighting proposed regulations from the Plymouth Public Health Division that would apply to non-commercial agricultural operations such as raising chickens and keeping goats. The proposed regulations would limit the size […]
Posted inSports
Unified Basketball Jamboree was about ‘something bigger’
No one claimed victory after a basketball tournament at Plymouth North High School last Wednesday. “They don’t name a winner,” said Justin Domingos, athletic director at Plymouth North. “They do keep scores of the games, but there’s no winner of the tournament.” The round robin tournament, called the Unified Basketball Jamboree, is co-sponsored by the […]
Posted inGovernment
Election roundup: Plymouth goes for Harris, Fernandes bests Muratore in state Senate race, Badger and LaNatra win state rep seats
Like most of Massachusetts, Plymouth voters sided with Kamala Harris in her losing battle against former president Donald Trump’s retaking of the White House. At the same time, the town stood out by supporting Republican John Deaton over Democratic incumbent Elizabeth Warren in the U.S. Senate contest, a race she won handily statewide. Between in-person […]
Posted inEducation
Plymouth wins $678,000 to prepare high school students for clean energy careers
Plymouth Public Schools will use two grants from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center totaling more than $678,000 to train students in job skills for the state’s growing clean energy sector. “It’s a very generous award for us,” said Mark Duffy, director of college, career, and technical education for Plymouth Public Schools. The grant money from […]