The Plymouth Town Council took up the fate of two deteriorating downtown properties at its most recent meeting (April 13), weighing surplus sales against preservation op- tions while untangling a complicated situation involving the town’s displaced food pantry.

The discussion centered on 118 Washington Street and 108 West Water Street, both of which the council had previously voted to surplus.

By the end of Monday’s meeting, both properties appeared headed for deeper discussion at a special meeting scheduled later this month.

118 Washington Street

Town Manager Joanne Floyd opened the discus- sion on 118 Washington Street by reminding the council that a motion to surplus the property had been made at the January 12 meeting. An appraisal had come back at $32,350, and Floyd said staff needed a starting bid amount before bringing a resolution back to the council next month.

But Mayor Crystal Davis said the property’s fate may need to be reconsid- ered entirely, hinting at complications tied to the town’s food pantry situa- tion.

“There’s some things in that lease that we have to honor as far as us is under the law,” Davis said, declining to elaborate further until the special meeting.

The food pantry had been operating under a lease at 811 Washington Street — a building Floyd described as severely deteriorated and potentially beyond repair.

“That building is in a bad, deteriorated state and possibly not going to pass building inspections,” Floyd said. The question before the council was whether the food pantry organization could temporarily use 118 Washington Street while the situation at 811 was resolved..."