Plainfield Select Board Accepts Resignation, Advances Geothermal Special Town Meeting

PLAINFIELD — March 11, 2025 — Plainfield Select Board accepts a member's resignation and advances a special town meeting warrant on a geothermal heating project. The board voted unanimously to accept the resignation of member Pauline, effective at the close of the March 11 meeting, with a caucus to fill the seat set for March 19 at 7:30 p.m. The board also approved sending two warrant articles to a forthcoming special town meeting — one to fund a geothermal heating system at the police station building and one to appropriate $8,400 for an architectural feasibility study at the Halleck building — over the objection of resident Bob Baker, who argued that a special town meeting draws too few residents to reflect community sentiment. Proponents said the project must begin before July 1 to claim a 30 percent federal tax credit worth roughly $33,000, warning that "the next tax year could be completely different." Broadband manager Kimberly reported a projected fiscal year 2026 budget of $342,222 fully covered by subscriber revenues, a stabilization fund now holding $254,000 of a proposed $400,000 target, and a loan payoff trajectory of October 2033 — six years ahead of the original 20-year projection.