Selectmen, Redevelopment Authority Coordinate Efforts on 1820 Courthouse

Plymouth Selectmen announced a joint effort with the Redevelopment Authority to redevelop the 1820 Courthouse.

The effort involves writing a request for proposals to develop the courthouse corridor, which includes the courthouse, former County Commissioners building, and the town's former police station between Russell and South Russell streets.

Selectmen Chairman Matt Muratore announced the cooperative effort Tuesday night. The plan is to find the best use for the courthouse "which will stimulate economic development and jobs in the Downtown/Waterfront district," according to a release from the Town Manager's office.

"At this point, we realized that we had to step in and help the PRA achieve success for this building. The Selectmen had been reaching out to state officials and others to see if there was interest in a private party developing the site – and there is," Muratore said. "However, by working side by side with the PRA, we believe we can build consensus on what the bid should contain, what would be great uses for that site, and how anything developed there could revitalize our beautiful downtown area."

In the release, the PRA was pleased to be partnering with the town.

"The PRA is very pleased to be partnering with the Town of Plymouth on this very important project," Robert Wollner, chairman of the Plymouth Redevelopment Authority. said. "I think we both see this as an opportunity to transform the downtown/waterfront district in very positive ways."

However, according to WATD, the optimism isn't as widespread as the selectmen hoped.

"We’ve had several meetings in the past, trying to smooth out some of the rough spots that have taken place over the past couple of years, and it appears at this point that we are able to work together," Wollner said after Muratore's announcement.

Working together was not what town meeting member Kevin Doyle observed when he attended the 1820 Consortium meeting also held at town hall Tuesday night. At this meeting, the new appointees to the 1820 Consortium, Karen Buechs, Steve Lydon, and John Moody were present:

“I was just appalled by the amount of disrespect [Dean Rizzo, chairman of the 1820 Courthouse Consortium and secretary of the PRA] showed the new members that were coming in. He didn’t introduce them he ignored them—they sat right next to him—gave them no handouts. He acted like they weren’t even in the room. My frustration: he’s not going to work with them, and we need to get this courthouse moving. He’s making it clear that he’s not going to make it easy.”

Doyle says the project does not have his support:

“As a town meeting member, right now, I’m not comfortable offering any funds forward on this program until I see better leadership and cooperation between this group and the public.”