1966-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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BOARD OF SELECTMEN to the town, to tie the easternmost part of the completed Worthen Road into a Route 2 connector in the area of Pleasant Street or Watertown Street. Second only to the effect of the automobile and coupled with it has been the effect of population growth. From 5,538 in 1916, Lexington's population grew to 13,187 in 1941 and to 31,388 in 1966. This expansion resulted in heavy expense for construction of schools, trunk and lateral sewers, streets, water mains, off - street parking, town office and fire and police quarters. It also mushroomed operating expenses proportionately. Because so much of this construction coincided with inflated post World War II costs the burden upon Lexington became significantly heavier than it had been for the "mature" towns which had expanded their facilities through the depressed low cost 1930's. Thus Lexington's bonded debt grew from $399,400 in 1916 to $453,900 in 1941 and to $12,656,000 in 1966. Debt service of principal and interest were $50,717 in 1916, $83,723 in 1941, and $1,449,882.50 in 1966. By far the largest part of this increase represents the increased costs associated with Lexington's expanded population and expanded services. The third change has been the growing influence of state and federal agencies in setting minimum policy standards for administering purely local school, public welfare, public health, highway, civil service, pension, and conservation programs. This influence reaches into almost every phase of municipal government. It has materially increased cost of local government although there have been offsets arising from state and federal subsidies. Lexington, with its proximity to the research facilities in the Route 128 area and to the research and educational centers in Cambridge, and coupled with its own superior school system has attracted a most desirable cross section of educators, scientists and professional people. They have added much to the town's already soundly based cultural and educational values. One outgrowth of these values has been increased demands for playground and recreational programs, for expanded playground areas, for greater library support, for acquisition of open land for conservation purposes, for summer youth programs, and for assumption by the town of services formerly performed by or paid for by the individual citizens. We list as the fifth development the changing responsibilities of the Board of Selectmen. On top of the demands made upon the selectmen for administering the purely local problems of Lexington, there has been superimposed the greatly increased attention required for those problems which inter -lock with those of adjacent towns, with other towns in the region, and with agencies of the state and federal government. As illustrations we cite such problems as the difference with the town of Bedford relating to the trunk sewer serving both Lexington and Bedford; the early conversations and exploration of a possible regional incinerator; the long drawn out negotiations with the state highway department relating to Route 3; and to the involved discussion with the state highway department concerning a mutually acceptable tie -in of Worthen Road and Route 2. The only real answer to traffic congestion in the Greater Boston area is public transportation. So intimately is Lexington's over -all transportation problem inter - locked with that of Greater Boston that it seems both inevitable and essential that there will be closer involvement with MBTA. Present relations are only in the discussion stage. It may be years before plans are agreed upon and carried through to construction. We men- tion this only as one more illustration of the increasing degree of "external" duties of the selectmen. A generation ago such duties were insignificant. Today, in our complex and inter - related world they are involved, sometimes vexing, and always demanding. 6