A message from the Town Manager - December 2023
A Message from the Town Manager: December 2023
November has passed by quickly, and with it, the chill in the air foreshadowing the season to come. I won’t say fall is over quite yet. By the calendar, we still have a few days left of this wonderful season. However, the signs are here: crunch of the crisp, fallen leaves under foot, shorter days, cooler nights, our first snowfall and less light in the evening sky.
Winter Operations Plan Now in Effect: As we head into the snowy season, I would like to reiterate that the Town’s winter operations plan is in effect. Our team will be starting between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m., depending on the storm, to maintain roads for safe passage during storm events, but please note that roads will not be completely bare. They will likely have a layer of snow/ice on them throughout snow events. In order to ensure safe passage, drivers should allow more time for their trip and adjust speed accordingly.
In addition, I ask that you please remove all items from the Town right of way and refrain from putting items on the roadside such as trash bins during storm events.
Unfortunately, it is inevitable that some mailboxes will be damaged during the plowing season. We have experienced drivers, but they do accidently hit mailboxes occasionally when conditions limit their visibility. Sometimes the sheer weight of the heavy wet snow coming off the plow can destroy a mailbox. Please notify us if this occurs by calling the Highway Department or Town Office.
Paving Projects Complete for the Season: The highway department has wrapped up paving for the season. We worked with a local paving contractor to resurface heavily deteriorated sections of Avery Street, Pleasant Street, Langdon Street, New Hebron Road and sidewalks on Broadway and Wentworth Streets. The highway department patched multiple streets throughout town. This work will improve the ride for residents and prevent further damage to the roadway by the plow trucks throughout the winter.
As an update on the Plymouth State University/Town of Plymouth Economic Development Cluster Project. On Friday, November 17th, the Plymouth State University Team and the Town Representation met for the first time at the White Mountain Museum. The full Committee met and discussed the Goals, Timeline, Project Scope, Character of Plymouth and possible Grants and Funding. Areas of discussion that the committee will be following up on:
- Marketing and Promotion to bring attention to Plymouth with a unique identity
- Public Outreach to understand our commercial and residential community
- Transit focusing on a feasibility study and planning for transit, including parking
- Corridor to the River upgrades and planning, including a design charrette
As these take shape, it would also be good to provide an integrative big picture of our collective goals by working with the Planning Board to write a Downtown Master Plan for Plymouth. There are some other areas of interest including Tenney Mountain, the Plymouth Inn site, individual business focus, and broader commercial enterprises in Plymouth.
Budget Meetings took place on Tuesday, November 7th and Wednesday November 8th, the Advisory Budget Committee met with Department Heads in learning more about their budget request and needs. Additionally, the CIP Committee met with the Planning Board on Thursday, November 16th and held a Public Hearing on the Capital Improvement Program. Additional meetings will be held in December and January, please view the Town Website for meeting dates and times.
Plymouth Hometown Holiday Celebration will begin on Friday, December 1st and run through Sunday, December 3rd with many activities scheduled. The Hometown Holiday Parade will take place on Saturday, December 2 at 5:00 p.m. on the Main Street. We hope to see a great turn out, and as always, our fingers are crossed for a good forecast.
Holidays are always both joyous and hard. My heart goes out to all who have lost family members this year or who have had a difficult time. Many town staff have lost loved ones this year and I so appreciate that they continue to work to serve the residents of Plymouth despite the difficulty in doing so.
We wish you and your families a very happy holiday season Our success is your success – please accept our warmest wishes for a truly wonderful holiday. Whatever your plans are, wherever you are going, we wish you happy, peaceful, and safe holidays.Whether you are a resident or a visitor, I invite you to enjoy all that Plymouth has to offer. If you have feedback and/or a suggestion on how the Town can improve our delivery of services, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at townmanager@plymouth.gov or by phone at (603)-536-1731 X112.