Plymouth Finance Committee Approves $49,446 Library Sprinkler Replacement on 11-1 Vote

PLYMOUTH — June 3, 2026 — Plymouth Finance Committee approves $49,446 emergency transfer to replace recalled library sprinkler heads. The committee voted 11-1 Wednesday to fund the replacement of 510 original sprinkler heads at Plymouth Public Library after a National Fire Protection Association assessment by Encore Fire Protection found the hardware subject to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recall issued in 1998 — 28 years before the problem was flagged. Facilities Manager Carl Anderson told the board the heads, installed in 1991, can degrade over time and may fail to deliver adequate pressure in a fire, yet had received satisfactory marks in annual inspections as recently as May 2025. Member John Jacinto cited documentation showing a 40 percent failure rate and called the situation a taxpayer accountability failure: "The town shouldn't be on the hook because somebody couldn't take the time to read a recall." The committee's sole no vote came from member Mr. Snyder; the committee also voted 11-0 with one abstention to approve its May 13 minutes and agreed to take up a formal long-range capital maintenance planning framework at its July organizational meeting.