Plympton restarts fire station planning with transparency pledge and multiple design options

PLYMPTON -- December 11, 2025, Plympton's Town Properties Committee voted to restart the fire station planning process with a public pledge of multiple design options and maximum cost transparency. The committee unanimously approved publishing a four-phase project overview and a community update on the town website, both framed around lessons from the May 2025 voter defeat of a prior proposal that carried a $550-per-household tax impact. Fire Chief Silver, attending the December 11 meeting, warned that the department has a failing engine whose custom replacement would cost between $1.3 million and $1.4 million to fit the current undersized building, and pointed to the town's police station, already failing to meet departmental needs less than eight years after construction, as a cautionary example of cost-cutting. The committee also approved sending out requests for quotes on a previously town-meeting-approved front door replacement estimated at $10,000 to $50,000, with bids due February 12, 2026. The next meeting is set for January 7, 2026.