Plymouth Airport Advisory Committee Approved, Athletic Fields Reopened

Select Board Greenlights Resident-Led Airport Group, Lifts Triple E Ban on Fields

PLYMOUTH, MA - October 8 - The Plymouth Select Board has approved a revised plan for the Plymouth Airport Community Advisory Committee, consisting of 13 voting members, with 12 being residents. The decision came during Tuesday's meeting, where officials also announced the lifting of a ban on using athletic fields after dusk due to reduced risk of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (Triple E).

Doug Crotiati, Vice Chair of the Plymouth Airport Commission, presented the revised draft for the advisory committee. The new structure addresses concerns raised in previous meetings and incorporates feedback from the Select Board.

"We took to heart everything that we heard from you and everyone else at our last meeting and incorporated in the final draft," Crotiati said.

The committee will include one airport commissioner appointed by the airport commission, with the remaining 12 voting members being residents. Additionally, there will be one non-voting technical representative from the full-time airport management staff and one non-voting member from the airport user group.

Select Board member Charlie Bletzer praised the revised plan, saying, "This shows the residents that there's a commitment to the residents because it's all residents on this resident committee."

The board unanimously approved the revised draft, with members expressing satisfaction with the changes made. Kevin Canty, a Select Board member, noted, "I'm confident that this is in a much better position than the last proposal was."

In other news, Town Manager Derek Brindisi announced the lifting of the ban on using athletic fields after dusk. The decision comes as state officials reduced Plymouth's risk level for Triple E from high to moderate.

"The ban for the use of playing fields and athletic fields due to the triple E outbreak has been lifted as of last week," Brindisi reported.

The change in policy is based on new data-driven approaches by state officials. Historically, the state waited for the first frost to reduce risk levels. However, this year, they relied on historical data showing minimal human cases of Triple E after Sept. 15.

"Given that data and given the very cool temperatures at night, they felt that it was safe enough to move the town's risk level from high to moderate, which allowed us to make a decision to allow the use of playing fields after dusk," Brindisi explained.

The timing of this decision is particularly beneficial for the high school's upcoming homecoming football game, allowing it to proceed as planned.

Brindisi also provided updates on several ongoing town projects:

- The town has issued an RFP for an engineering and architectural firm to review Memorial Hall and provide recommendations for upgrades.

- The training green bump outs on Sandwich Street are nearing completion, funded largely by a MassDOT safety grant.

- The West Plymouth Fire Station will have an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 7.

- Station five in Manomet is expected to reach substantial completion around Oct. 31, with firefighters moving back into the building in late November.

The Town Manager also highlighted the upcoming election, noting that 16,000 mail-in ballot requests have been received, up from 14,000 a week ago. Early voting will begin on Oct. 19 and end on Nov. 1.