PLYMPTON - June 15, 2026 - The Plympton Board of Selectmen is racing to rescue a federal funding package for the town’s public water supply project before a hard end-of-year deadline. Interim Town Administrator Robert Fennessy announced that the town is pivoting from using an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) to hiring a designer in order to expedite procurement and complete construction before the town loses its remaining American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
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The public water supply initiative, originally funded through federal ARPA allocations, which ran into delays. In an effort to “rekindle” the project and protect the town’s financial resources, local officials consulted with town counsel and determined that shifting procurement directly to a project designer would streamline the timeline.
Interim Town Administrator Robert Fennessy reported that a formal bid package for the designer is scheduled to go out this week, with an anticipated bid opening date on or around July 13, 2026. The procurement will be advertised in the central register and the local newspaper for at least two weeks before bids are evaluated. The shift puts the town on a tight schedule, as the infrastructure must be entirely completed by December 31, 2026, to prevent the remaining ARPA funds from reverting to the federal government.
