Plainfield Votes to Fund Geothermal Heat Pump, Town Office Study

PLAINFIELD — March 25, 2025 — Plainfield special town meeting approves $50,000 geothermal heat pump transfer and $8,400 feasibility study. Residents at the March 25 special town meeting, operating under temporary moderator Ed Moran after the elected moderator fell ill, approved the stabilization fund transfer for a ground-source heat pump at Town Hall whose total projected cost is $113,000, offset by a $47,180 state Green Communities grant, a $27,540 rebate, and an anticipated 30 percent federal direct-pay tax credit that would leave the town's net share at roughly $9,471. Peter LaJoy, who has worked on the project, fielded drilling and groundwater questions from residents including Paula King, 353 West Main Street, explaining the 8-inch borehole is grouted and sealed with no water extraction. The meeting also passed an $8,400 capital appropriation for an architectural feasibility study on converting the lower level of a town building into new office space for crowded town staff, with organizers citing rural development grant potential to cover eventual construction costs.