NORTH ATTLEBORO - Workers will be in the Hickory Woods subdivision today weighing down a metal plate over a catch basin after a child got his foot stuck in a gap between two plates on Thursday.

Selectman John Rhyno said he was contacted by a resident of Harold Bishop Boulevard after a child's foot got stuck between two plates covering a catch basin by the side of the road.

He said the child was not injured, but that the problem has to be rectified so a more serious incident doesn't occur in the future.

"He's OK, so it wasn't the end of the world, but it can't stay that way," he said.

Developer Fred Bottomley said the two plates have already been moved back to their proper position and will be weighted with 300- to 400-pound pieces of granite today. Asked if the plate could have been moved, Bottomley said there is no way to know what happened.

"We're talking about a 3-foot-by-3-foot steel plate. We haven't had a snowstorm in a couple weeks, so I'm not sure how it would get moved now."

Bottomley said he immediately drove to Hickory Woods to check the plates after receiving a phone call about the incident from planning board member Joan Marchitto.

He put the plates back into the proper position, and checked all of the subdivision's catch basins to ensure there weren't any similar problems.

"This was a double plate over a catch basin - not a drain manhole. There was no way a child could have fallen through. I guess it was big enough that someone could have gotten a foot caught," Bottomley said. "I'll be up there with some men (today), and we'll put a piece of granite on top of it so no one can intentionally or accidentally disturb it."

Bottomley said he drives through the neighborhood daily to make sure everything is secure, and will continue to do so.

"I didn't notice it when I drove through there at noon. But I did check after I got the call and all other grates and are secured," he said.

Marchitto, who was contacted about the problem by Rhyno, said the town planner will notify other members of the planning board about the incident today. However, she was pleased with Bottomley's response, noting that the problem was rectified within 20 minutes of the initial call.

"I immediately called Fred Bottomley and asked him to take a look at it. It was 4:27 when I called him, and he called me back at 4:47 when he called back to say he took care of it," Marchitto said.

Construction work in the Hickory Woods subdivision has caused some controversy in recent years. Neighborhood residents have been frustrated for years about the lack of roads and sidewalks, created when the subdivision's original roads were undermined by groundwater. The town and Bottomley reached an agreement on how to restore the roads this fall and paving work started. Some work, however, had to wait until the spring.

AMY DeMELIA can be reached at 508-236-0334 or at ademelia@thesunchronicle.com.