The plans to “revitalize” downtown Plymouth have a straightforward goal: Profit.
Oh, the plans sound lovely – trees, plants, rain gardens, little lights.
But how ironic that the town whose planners, movers and shakers, and committees are concerned that downtown Plymouth has a shortage of trees and that the aforementioned are concerned about water quality
Ironic because the Town of Plymouth has approved removal of hundreds of thousands of trees on hundreds of acres of land and threatened the area’s sole source of drinking water by its approval of projects at Colony Place, Redbrook, Hedges Pond, Landers Farm Way, Collins Avenue, and Plymouth Beach.
Of particular disgust to me is the town’s application for a $3 million grant through the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program. This program has 10 core principles, the second of which is: ” Increasing equitable outcomes for Environmental Justice (EJ) and other priority populations and addressing the root causes of social vulnerability. . .”
The projects listed above, approved by the Town of Plymouth, directly impacted environmental justice neighborhoods, which the town overlooked at that time and now apparently wants to exploit.
Perceptive people today can see how greed is overtaking justice and social conscience today. Plymouth’s downtown “revitalization” program is another glaring example. Sure, downtown Plymouth will be more attractive and draw many more people who will spend their money there. But as I said perhaps a year ago in another letter, in which I responded to Rick Vayo’s upscale vision for Plymouth, the town will attract people with large bankrolls and leave the majority of Plymouth residents out.
– Linda Jacobs