2012-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

4 1 2012 Annual Report Town Government Board of Selectmen ELECTED by the voters at large to 3 -year terms: Chair Deb- orah Mauger, Peter Kelley, Norman Cohen, Hank Manz, and George Burnell. With the re- election of Peter Kelley, there was no change in the membership of the board. Af- ter the Annual Town Meeting, Ms. Mauger was elected as Chair. Fiscal Matters Lexington continued to maintain its positive financial standing. Even with a stalled economy, property tax rev- enues rose due to new growth in both the residential and commercial sectors. Home prices have remained stable. We have maintained our Aaa rating from our bond agencies and our cost of debt is very low. As a result of coalition bar- gaining, our employees voted to join the Commonwealth's Group Insurance Commission (GIC), which will lead to significantly reduced healthcare costs in the near term. The Selectmen kept their goal to have no operating overrides. The Selectmen did opt to ask the voters to approve excluded debt for the construction of a new Estabrook School and the renovation of the Bridge and Bowman Schools. The voters approved this debt exclusion. The schedule for construction of a new Estabrook School was accelerated due to the unexpected finding of potentially hazardous material (PCBs) at the School. Mitigation ef- forts were successful and monitoring of air quality contin- ues. The cost of construction for a new Estabrook will be offset by the decision of the Massachusetts State Building Authority (MSBA) to fund 33.96% of their approved por- tion of the project. We continue to be confronted with the costs of recovery from major weather events. These expenses were offset by the mild winter and the low costs of snowplowing. Land Acquisition and Use After a long public process, the Board made a decision to designate the Busa Farm for uses of open space and afford- able housing. The first use of the open space area will be for community farming. Final delineation of the boundaries for these areas has not yet been determined. The Board direct- ed Town staff to begin to develop a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a community farm. The Board continues to solicit public input for the RFP. Final plans for number of units and design of the afford- able housing on both the Leary and Busa parcels are not complete even though a great deal of time continues to be devoted to these efforts. On the other hand, the multi -year project to improve the drainage of the entire Center Play - field area continues and will mean a much - improved expe- rience for those using the softball and baseball fields. The Board continues to grapple with approaches to addressing the growing demands for our multi- sports fields. The Board endorsed the purchase of the Wright Farm which was approved by the Community Preservation Committee to be purchased with Community Preservation Funds and was also approved by Town Meeting. The designation of the parcel is for open space with a conservation restriction. The Wright Farm has long been on the Conservation Commis- sion's list of desired properties for acquisition. Town Meeting approved the Commercial Development (CD) rezoning of the former Dana Home and neighbor- ing property for the proposed Inn at Hastings Park with a restaurant. Capital Planning The Board continues to address the issues of maintaining and improving our capital infrastructure, including, but not limited to, our roads, water and sewer systems, parks and fields, and buildings. The Board created and appointed an Ad Hoc Town wide Facilities Master Planning Committee to devise a master plan for our municipal building needs. Our public safety buildings, the Fire and Police Depart- ments, are long overdue for renovation or reconstruction. Increased funding for road repair resulted in a busy con- struction season. The inconvenience created by this work is offset by the roadway improvements. Town Meeting ap- proved the use of funds to stabilize and renovate the ex- terior of the "White House." The Board received a study about the possible renovation of the Cary Memorial Build- ing. Planning for a renewed Massachusetts Avenue in the Center continued with a series of public forums to discuss the Streetscape Plan for that area. In addition, there has been discussion of how best to renew the Battle Green. Other Accomplishments and Challenges The Board unanimously endorsed the Citizen's Article at Annual Town Meeting calling for a municipal subsidy of school transportation in order to reduce the bus fee and in- crease ridership. Town Meeting approved this article and the Board plans to get advice from the Ad Hoc School Transportation and Safety Committee about the results of this experiment and proposals for the future. The Board heard the initial report of the Community Center Task Force and plans to hear their final report during the next