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.