Memorial Hall Renovation Plans on Hold as Plymouth Select Board Seeks Comprehensive Study
Board members agree to pause Community Preservation Committee application to conduct historical and structural analysis before presenting proposal to Town Meeting.
PLYMOUTH - July 29 - The Plymouth Select Board plans to withdraw its Memorial Hall renovation application from the Community Preservation Committee and instead seek funding for a comprehensive historical and structural study of the building at fall Town Meeting.
Board member Bill Keohan, who serves on the Community Preservation Committee, said he will ask the committee to table the current application at its Thursday meeting and replace it with a request for funding to conduct proper historical analysis of the building.
"I think the first step we have to take is focusing on this," Keohan said during the July 29 Select Board meeting. "If this is going to be a historical request upon town meeting, we want to make sure that that historical work that we're doing is truly restoration, rehabilitation, and preservation."
The decision comes after board members expressed concerns about moving forward without adequate information about the project's scope and costs.
Board member Richard Quintal said he attended last week's Community Preservation Committee meeting and observed the committee was "very split" on the Memorial Hall proposal, with concerns about financing and unclear cost estimates.
"I think we can get there, but when you're sitting at this desk, you know there's going to be a request for a new elementary school that's already coming," Quintal said. "I'll never support an override for Memorial Hall without knowing the school's coming right behind it."
Quintal emphasized his commitment to preserving the building while taking a measured approach. "I'll never support tearing it down unless you can really prove to me that that's the only solution to that building," he said.
Board member Deborah Iaquinto said she appreciates the building's community value and supports approaching the project methodically.
"It feels like a great plan that needs to be more fully fleshed out, with all different perspectives looked at, the historic perspective, the economic development perspective, and other viewpoints," Iaquinto said.
During public comment, several residents spoke passionately about Memorial Hall's significance to the community. Gerald Sirrico detailed the building's history, noting it previously hosted high school graduations, town meetings, Thanksgiving dinners, recreational activities and semi-professional basketball games.
"History is an important thing. We've lost a lot of it in town, but it's an important thing," Sirrico said. "More important than the history of Memorial Hall is that it's a memorial to the veterans."
Steve Lydon urged the board to make a decision soon, warning that the building's condition continues to deteriorate.
"It took a long time for that building to get like that," Lydon said. "If we don't have the money to fix it, I think we should just sell it before it falls down and it's worth absolutely nothing."
Ira Malaguti suggested the town develop a comprehensive business plan for the building that includes revenue-generating improvements such as a commercial kitchen for catering events and potentially annexing the visitor center.
"We need to look at how we're going to improve functions for weddings and other catering events by adding a full-scale commercial kitchen that actually is going to actually bring in additional revenue," Malaguti said.
Quintal supported the idea of kitchen improvements, noting that proper food service facilities could generate significant revenue. "You start popping weddings in there and functions like that between the alcohol and the food, yet you're talking like $20,000, $30,000 an event profit," he said.
The board agreed that Memorial Hall represents a significant downtown asset that requires careful planning. Vice Chair David Golden, who chaired Tuesday's meeting in the absence of Chair Kevin Canty, said the board will schedule a future meeting to discuss Memorial Hall in greater detail pending the Community Preservation Committee's action.
Keohan emphasized the importance of consulting with building conservation specialists to determine the appropriate level of historical preservation work needed before presenting any funding request to voters.
"With this information, we could then build an application to a future town meeting, spring town meeting, that would be based on this information," Keohan said.
The Community Preservation Committee meets Thursday to consider the current application along with other funding requests.
The Select Board also addressed several other matters during Tuesday's meeting:
• Approved the transfer of an all-alcohol license from Anchor Hospitality LLC to MVC Hospitality Management Inc. for the John Carver Inn and Spa at 25 Summer Street, with Christopher Eori as the new manager.
• Adopted a usage policy for the 1749 courthouse courtroom to allow public events including weddings, with plans to establish rental fees and a revolving fund in the future.
• Approved amendments to the affordable housing trust policy to comply with state law, including a requirement that the director of planning and development or designee serve on the trust.
Town Manager Derek Brindisi reported that the town will issue orders to the owner of the former Bert’s restaurant to secure and demolish the building within 60 days under state building code regulations for unsafe structures.
Brindisi also provided updates on several ongoing projects, including the town boat ramp boardwalk expected to be completed by late August, lighting installation at Jenney Pond bridge, and the Route 80 Cemetery project scheduled to break ground in late September.
The board's next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 12 at Plymouth South High School.