Plympton Approves Park Waste Pilot, Confirms Street Sweeper Buy With State Road Funds

PLYMPTON — May 1, 2025 — Plympton Select Board approves a six-month dog-waste pilot at two town parks and confirms a $308,050 street sweeper purchase using accumulated state road funds. The board voted unanimously Thursday to hire Ghost Scoopers for one-time cleanings at Holt Field and Harry Jason Field at $200 each, followed by biweekly waste-station service at roughly $88 a month — a trial program Select Board member Mark Russo supported while declaring he was "vehemently opposed" to extending any such service to Cato's Ridge or Two Brooks Preserve. Highway Superintendent Rob Verwey confirmed the new street sweeper will be purchased entirely from the town's Chapter 90 account, which holds $362,314 after years of fund accumulation; by closing before a scheduled price increase, the town saved $23,080 off the original $331,130 quote. After the purchase, the department expects roughly $210,000 available for road work, with Maple Street — estimated at $370,000 — identified as the top priority. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy also flagged a legal wrinkle ahead of Town Meeting: Town Counsel has advised that withdrawals from the capital stabilization fund now require only a simple majority rather than the two-thirds vote the board has historically required, a change Russo called "startling" given the deliberate protections put in place when the fund was created.