In Plymouth, the decision for Special Town Meeting next month will be to spend $3.75 million to purchase the 25 acres of land at the former Entergy Training Center at 46 Sandwich Road, now owned by Holtec, the company overseeing the decommissioning of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power plant, or accept a 62-unit housing development there. So how did this happen?
Bobbi Clark has more:
At the Select Board meeting on April 26th, Selectman Chair Dick Quintal explained that the town had a previous discussion with Holtec. The Chairman did not say exactly when that was, but made clear that Holtec offered the 25 acres for $7 million and that price was unacceptable to town officials, so, he said, they “just left it there.”
Quintal told of happening to hear, about a month ago, at a Chamber of Commerce event, that the property had been sold to developer Rick Vayo. The Chairman said he had what he called a “colorful” discussion with Patrick O’Brien, Holtec spokesperson, also present at the Chamber event.
And Patrick O’Brien has this to say:
“I can confirm that there was a $7 million dollar offer as part of a larger negotiation back in February of 2021.”
But, O’Brien says, there was another meeting:
“At our January 2022 meeting, we relayed to the town staff and their legal representation, that Holtec did have an interested buyer on the Chiltonville property, and should the town still be interested, to let us know as soon as possible. We didn’t hear anything from the town for about 6 weeks, then, at that point went under agreement with the developer, Mr. Vayo.”
Concerning the town’s initial meeting with Mr. Vayo on March 22nd, about the Holtec property, Town Manager, Derek Brindisi says the meeting…
“…was with myself, the Chairman, Mr. Vayo, I believe our Planning Director Lee Hartmann was in the room. Mr. Vayo, he said he would be a willing seller and we said we would potentially be a willing buyer. Chairman Quintal called an Executive Session. It was during that conversation that the Board had voted to direct the Town Manager (myself) to go ahead and negotiate with Mr. Vayo. Mr. Vayo wanted $4 million dollars. The Board, I think was agreeable to $3.5. We end up landing in the middle. And so that’s when Mr. Vayo said he would be willing to reduce the cost by two hundred fifty-thousand dollars to $3.75.”
And that is the number Town Meeting will consider when deliberating the matter at the Special Town Meeting on June 21st.
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