Plainfield Select Board Advances 23-Article Town Meeting Warrant, Approves New Planning Board Member

PLAINFIELD -- April 8, 2025, Plainfield Select Board reviews dump truck debt, library gift dispute ahead of May town meeting. The board, meeting April 8, worked through a 23-article draft warrant for the May 1 annual town meeting and heard a formal objection from Shaw Memorial Library trustees over a proposal to use the library basement for town offices, trustees citing a 1999 gift agreement from donor Doris Alden that restricts the $300,000 addition to library use in perpetuity. The board voted to seek a legal opinion from KP Law on the restriction. Separately, members reviewed two Department of Revenue-outlined options for selling a 2021 dump truck carrying roughly $108,000 in outstanding debt, with the town treasurer and DOR both skeptical that auction proceeds will cover the debt and fund a replacement vehicle estimated at around $30,000; the board directed staff to bring a recommendation to the Finance Committee by Thursday. The board unanimously appointed resident Kathy Philkins to the Planning Board and approved a green burial for Sylvain Stockwell at 107 Grand Street.