1974-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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BOARD OF SELECTMEN but gave particular attention to planning for the bicenten- nial celebration, for personnel administration, for collec- tive bargaining, for plans to meet the energy crisis and for plans to correct the Bedford Street /Hartwell Avenue traffic congestion. All of it was time well invested but much of it with the dividends deferred until 1975 or later. Because much of the material in the selectmen's report will be covered in depth in committee and departmental reports we shall deal only lightly with each reference we make. The town celebrations committee will carry on its tradi- tional responsibility for the April 19th parade. For the last two years that event has been a rehearsal for 1975. The bicentennial is so large in scope, so national in nature that planning extends beyond Lexington to inter -town, state, regional and even national considerations. It has occupied much time and thought. As a sub - committee of the board of selectmen, acting as its staff, the bicentennial committee has done an exhaustive and thoroughly competent job in pro- gram planning, logistics, police and fire protection, budget - ting, inter -town relations, traffic control, food sales, health and cleaning up the litter. It also is sponsor- ing a brochure on historical aspects of April 19, 1975 and its ripple effects on world history. Because of the hundreds of thousands of guests who will be visiting Lexington next year we are pleased that the re- construction of Buckman Tavern has been completed very effectively, within the budget, and well in advance of 1975. The Visitors' Center has been painted and, to the same end, the painting of the trim and the repointing of its brickwork set forth Cary Hall also in all its beauty and dignity for our guests to see. The selectmen are gratified to see development of a long needed personnel program, comprehensive in nature and now well advanced. A highly qualified personnel board appointed by the selectmen from a list of nominees supplied by the appropriation committee and composed of local residents has accepted an assignment that promises much for wise personnel administration. Related to the personnel program and of serious import indeed is some state legislation providing a further devel- opment in collective bargaining with the Lexington's labor unions. It is so new and untried that it is not yet feasi- ble to appraise its effect. However, it does represent a considerable administrative work load increase. Traffic congestion continues to be the most deep rooted operational problem we deal with. Much of it has its origin in the Bedford Street - Hartwell Avenue area but because it is major in nature and is inter - related with other towns, it does not yield to local remedies. The state - proposed solu- tion is unacceptable to the local neighborhood. We have the quite difficult task of threading our way between the view- point of the Bedford Street residents who understandably wish to minimize the damage to their neighborhood and the state engineers who, equally understandably, are unwilling to accept a solution which they think is inadequate.