Select Board Delays Decision on How to Honor Retired Official Joe Fernandes

PLAINVILLE -- April 16, 2026, Plainville Select Board tables recognition vote for retired town official Joe Fernandes amid naming disagreement. The board declined to act Thursday on a petition signed by roughly 30 residents seeking to honor Fernandes, widely credited with building the town's senior center, after members split on whether to rename the center, dedicate its interior library, or name the Select Board's own meeting room after him. One member argued against renaming public buildings for employees, saying "Mr. Fernandes was a town employee paid by this town to do a job," while others countered that his decades of service, spanning the town landfill closure, the post-9/11 period, the 2008 recession, and casino negotiations, warranted a meaningful tribute. The board agreed more outreach to the Council on Aging was needed before any vote, with member Mr. Johnson identified as the point of contact for that effort.