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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-02-BOS-minSelectmen's Meeting Minutes February 12, 2001 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, February 12, 2001 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building at 7:30 p.m. Chairman Krieger, Mr. Enrich, Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. McKenna; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel, and Ms. Pease, Assistant to the Executive Clerk were present. Public Comment Stephen Tripi asked for an explanation of Article 15 regarding additional money needed for library construction. He also wanted to know why Pay -as- you -Throw was bundled with Article 4 rather than a separate item for Town Meeting to vote on. Mrs. Krieger explained that the Library would be giving an update on the library project later in the agenda. Regarding Pay -as- you -Throw being bundled, it is a substitution for taking a portion of the fixed fees for trash and therefore is covered under Article 4. Mr. Parker, Depot Square Representative of the Meriam Hill Association, requested that the Selectmen schedule a hearing as soon as possible on the traffic issues connected with the project. The Association is concerned about the safety of pedestrians, drivers, bikeway patrons, and neighborhood residents during the execution of the project, and in particular, the dramatic increase in traffic on Meriam Street. It is important to get all the constituencies together to discuss concerns. Mr. Parker was assured that the Meriam Hill Association would be able to have a meeting with staff to express concerns. Perry Pollins spoke about street conditions, particularly Massachusetts Avenue and maintenance of them. He is particularly concerned about back road potholes. He feels we should not just repair but need to resurface many roads and then maintain them. Mr. White stated that the reconstruction of Massachusetts Avenue is part of a one million dollar appropriation that has already been made. Mr. Hadley said that the DPW has procured a hot top machine for $1,000 a month that will allow DPW to apply hot top rather than cold patch. DPW is trying to take action quickly on repairing the roads as needed. Mr. Enrich stated that he understands Mr. Pollins concerns about the conditions of the roads. The reality is that for a number of years the town under invested seriously in its infrastructure, not just in the roads, but buildings, schools, as a way of skating past the financial challenges that the town was facing during those years. One of the things that this Board has done is to come up with a plan that addresses the Town's capital needs in a comprehensive responsible way. The Selectmen's Meeting — February 12, 2001 Board has taken a number of steps towards doing that; the primary one being the development of a consistent way of funding cash capital and capital projects out of the operating budget. Chief Casey introduced Robert Raposa who was recently promoted as the Administrative Captain. Consent Agenda Sewer Rate Relief Fund Certification Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept $51,566.00 from the Commonwealth Sewer Rate Relief Fund to be used solely for the purpose of providing assistance in the mitigation of sewer rate increases in Fiscal Year 2002. Commitments and Adjustments of Water and Sewer Charges Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the following water and sewer charge commitments and adjustments: Adjustment of Water Charges for 11/1/2000 to 11/30/2000 Adjustment of Sewer Charges for 11/1/2000 to 11/30/2000 Commitment of Water Charges for 12/2000 (Cycle 09) Commitment of Water Charges for 12/1/2000 to 12/31/2000 Commitment of Sewer Charges for 12/1/2000 to 12/31/2000 Commitment of Water Charges for Town -wide Billing 12/15/2000 (Cycle 02) Commitment of Sewer Charges for Town -wide Billing 12/15/2000 (Cycle 02) Adjustment of Water Charges for 12/1/2000 to 12/31/2000 Adjustment of Sewer Charges for 12/1/2000 to 12/31/2000 Poll Vote — Sign Warrant - $5,246.26 -$19,992.12 $127,556.03 $7,199.14 $14,825.06 $773,028.45 $1,167,815.28 - $7,486.86 - $12,968.56 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to ratify a poll vote to sign the 2001 Annual Town Warrant. Establish Millennium Arts Funds Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to establish the Millennium Arts Fund. Selectmen's Meeting — February 12, 2001 Senior Center Siting Committee Don Chisholm presented the Senior Center Siting Committee Report. Their task was to inventory and assess all potential site options, both developed sites and open space, and to recommend two or more sites for subsequent evaluation to determine their technical and logistical feasibility. The Committee established a public access procedure to be sure that all interested parties had every opportunity to participate in person or in writing. Two public hearings were held in September. Those meetings drew well over 100 people to hear about progress and voice concerns and input into the process. The selection criteria dealt with size, location, present use, availability and accessibility. These criteria became the framework to focus the assessment of the pros and cons of each of the potential sites identified. All possible sites were placed into one of three categories: A — high on list; B — maybe sites; C — low on consideration. The overriding issue that brought public comment was the preservation of open space. In the final analysis the recommendations came down to the following: 1. to utilize the existing Senior Center Complex at Muzzey as a future adult day care facility 2. to thoroughly evaluate the technical and logistical issues related to the town owned parcel at 201 Bedford Street 3. to thoroughly evaluate the technical and logistical issues related to the Walgreen's site if negotiations with the Owner and principal lease holder continue to be encouraging 4. backup recommendation: thoroughly evaluate the option of developing the Munroe Center for the Arts to house both a new senior center and a center for arts in a substantially reconfigured and expanded building. The Committee recommends that the Board proceed with a more detailed analysis of the two top tier sites, and if the discussions relative to Walgreen's collapse, then the Munroe center would be reevaluated. Mrs. Krieger stated that the next step should be to talk about how to manage the next phase. How are we going to integrate the planning and the examination of the DPW site? How are we going to proceed with discussions about the Walgreen's property? Continued involvement of the COA and staff is necessary as we put together a process for how to proceed with the next phase. Mrs. Krieger thanked the committee and accepted the report. Minuteman Regional High School Minuteman School Representative Jane Pagett and Minuteman Director of Development Tom Markham were present to describe an attempt, through legislation, to provide a financial Selectmen's Meeting — February 12, 2001 incentive for admission of 9 th graders from outside the district. At present, the State aid does not cover 9 th graders. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to support the proposed legislation providing for expanded access to vocational education and to endorse H595 and S266 and to request the state legislature and the governor to support the bill and secure its passage on or before July 1, 2001. A letter to that effect will be sent from the Board to the Chairs of the relevant legislative committees. Library Update Mrs. Abbott spoke on behalf of the Trustees and as a member of the Executive Committee regarding three financing sources available for the library project: the state grant which was increased from $2.8 to $3 million; the fundraising goal of the foundation was $3 million; that has been met and the foundation is committed to raising another $2 million; and the town funds voted at the 1996 Town Meeting. As is often the case with projects after five years of delays we are seeing an additional cost estimate of $2 million. The Trustees, the Foundation, the Permanent Building Committee, and the staff are looking at ways to be able to bring in the necessary funding. Later this summer, there will be an opportunity to apply for some historic preservation grants that hopefully can be applied to the project. Mr. Fields, representing the Library Foundation, stated that in 1999 the Trustees established the Foundation as the fundraising vehicle to raise funds for the renovation and expansion of the library. It was the commitment of the foundation to raise $3 million of what was expected to be a $9 million library project. "As of right now, we have over $3,160,000 in investment portfolio money and pledges. As the project has been looked at again, and the estimates have been raised, the goals for the fundraising have been increased. We have honored our commitment up until this point, we have raised the money ahead of schedule. We have ambitious programs for the summer and I believe we will continue to meet our objectives." Mrs. Krieger asked for clarification of where we are in terms of the projected cost of this project compared to the available funds. Mrs. Abbott stated that Article 15 is recognition that the Town needs to come up with more money. Mr. Cohen explained that the article is asking the Town to a) vote for an additional appropriation if necessary; and b) vote to amend the votes that have already been passed at previous Town Meetings, which appropriated money for the Cary Memorial Library, by deleting the provisos relating to reducing the amount of the borrowing by amounts raised from other sources. What is being proposed at this point is to pass the b) part of that article and to take out the provisos. Taking away the provisos would allow the town to sign the contracts while the fundraising goes on. Since it was first voted in 1996, the costs have gone up and the question will be whether the Town will ultimately be responsible for more than $2.6 million. At this point if the fundraising is successful it is probably going to go up a little, but not by a tremendous amount. Selectmen's Meeting — February 12, 2001 Mr. White noted that over the course of the five years there has been consistent inflation and changes to the plan that resulted in increased costs. The State grant was increased. The Foundation was also asked to raise more money. If you back into the numbers and you now assume that the state's portion is $3 million, the trustees' number is $5 million that gives $8 million total. The preliminary cost estimate right now for everything is $12.6 million. That leaves $4.6 million to be raised. The town is already committed to $2.6 million. Right now before bids are being solicited, estimates are that an additional $2 million may be needed. The plan is to go to Town Meeting with a bid in hand so that we firmly understand and know what the cost implications are, and how much contingencies are involved in the bid. Mr. Enrich believes this is going to require some close attention on the Board's part before making a recommendation to Town Meeting. Timing on going out for and receiving the bids is no later than the first of May. Depends on how timely the drawings get to Permanent Building Committee. It is possible there will be no bids for Town Meeting. In five years the project costs have gone up by nearly 50 percent. This is not just inflation; this is a dramatic change in project estimated cost. We need to be ready to provide the community with an explanation with what lies behind the increase in project costs. When the trustees initially increased fundraising to the $3 million level, there was considerable concern by Town Meeting and the Board about how realistic that was. Obviously, the Foundation has been successful to date, but increasing the goal from $3 to $5 million is a very big step. Mr. Fields feels there is enough time to raise the extra $2 million. Mrs. McKenna inquired where this fits into our overall capital strategy that we have been working on for the last couple of years and how does it fit into the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Committee. Mrs. Krieger stated that we clearly need these questions answered, but this is in fact a project that the community has undertaken. The trustees and the foundation have come to us with a problem and we need to give it serious consideration to figure out a way to assist in seeing this project come to completion and fruition. Mr. Michelson asked why the library was moved to Cary Hall when Town Meeting in 1996 said nothing would be done until the money was in hand? Mr. Enrich's understanding is that the monies that was guaranteed at the time of Town Meeting are in place: the $3 million of funds have been raised; the state grant has been awarded higher than anticipated. We do need to deal with the Library. The Library was not in a condition to continue functioning and we do need to complete the project. I would like to have had this information a few months earlier. I don't think it would have changed my view that we need to move ahead; we need to answer the questions; we need to find a coherent strategy; we need to consider whether there are ways to scale back costs if we don't have strategies for meeting them, but to slow the project down yet again, will only to compound the problem not resolve it. Selectmen's Meeting — February 12, 2001 Ms. McKenna expressed concern about the information being available before the library was moved to Cary Hall. We are just being made aware of this information and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. We need to get the answers and decide on the best way to deal with the problem. Mr. White says there are some details relating to the library that are self explanatory in terms of litigation and the regulatory process that the library trustees went through. There are some specifics in terms of state requirements for expansion of the library that created some of the costs that I know Mrs. Mahoney and the Library trustees are very equipped in being able to answer. The decision to move over there was largely because of fundraising, and preparing the building for an anticipated contractor. Mrs. Mahoney stated that a cost estimate was delivered to the PBC on January 24. The PBC has been very vigilant in getting cost estimates for this project for the last five years. There have been cost increases. We want to go in and have the time to spend with the PBC and review the document and find out where it occurred and what is causing it. The trustees are very disturbed by this because they know what they said and they certainly want to stand by what was said at previous Town Meetings. They found a way in which they can raise more funds and be successful and develop a life long process for the library to have the foundation support and they want people to work with us. We are here this evening because a problem came up and it was not appropriate to go along and not have the Selectmen be aware of it at this time. Mrs. Krieger expressed appreciation to the Trustees for coming forward. It is a problem for the community and we are going to have to deal with it and hopefully by Town Meeting we will have enough facts and enough hard data to deal with it. As You Throw Committee Mr. White introduced Mr. Brooks, who reviewed the staff s proposed detailed implementation plan for the PAYT Program. Mrs. McKenna expressed several concerns about PAYT. It presently looks very complicated, needs to be very simple. PAYT should include a full -time complaint hot line. The implementation plan should be sent to every household. Make simpler, just use sticker that goes on bag, not on specific area of bag. If people are paying for trash, why is there a limit to how many trash cans that will be picked up each week. Why 30 lb. Limit? How will we deal with Dumpster Permits? It is very important that recycling pickup be done every week. Mr. White is not sure of how the trash pickup people could check to see if all bags had stickers on them. The dilemma is understanding that there are special categories for special circumstances and the condos are in a special class. They have dumpsters. I am not sure that Selectmen's Meeting — February 12, 2001 having the refuse people going through the dumpster before it gets picked up and placed in the packers would be the simplest most straightforward approach on this. The TMMA has scheduled a public meeting on Saturday, March 3, Hancock Church at 2 PM, which will be an opportunity for a hands -on explanation of PAYT and an opportunity for the public to be heard. Mr. Enrich questioned the piece about the way in which funds would be returned to the taxpayers. We are talking about a very substantial sum of money that is going to be going back to the taxpayers as a result of this program and I appreciated the acknowledgement in the recommendation that it should be structured in such a way that the benefits flowed exclusively to residential tax payers and not to commercial tax payers. I certainly want to note that I am pretty near certain that it cannot be in the way that these regulations propose. We have very limited control over how we distribute tax burdens between residential and commercial. Actually we do have a mechanism available to ensure that the full benefit flows to residential tax payers, but that mechanism is the way that we adjust the classification rates when we set the tax rates and what I would certainly anticipate our doing at that time is setting the classification rate in such a way that if it was $600,000 that we are flowing back that we are not taxing upto the tax levy limit that we would structure the classification rate in such a way that the full $600,000 would flow to residential tax payers, not to businesses, but I don't think it can be done through the regulations themselves. Mr. Hamburger wanted to address the Board about the appropriations of PAYT revenues. At the Summit Meeting in January, I suggested that we not appropriate $380,000 to the budget from the PAYT revenues. This represented a majority view of the Appropriation Committee by straw poll at that time. The reasons for this position are: 1) last year's public discussions did not forecast PAYT as a revenue source in the context of future overrides and debt exclusions. 2) PAYT is a new fee, not like existing ones that are being adjusted according to inflation and 3) PAYT revenue will come in various amounts from almost all residents (all those who dispose of more than 26 bags of trash in a year). I would be pleased if a mutually agreeable arrangement can be made. My questions are has the Board made any progress on this issue since we met and do you have any alternatives to suggest and is there a way we can work together to get an agreeable solution. Mr. Enrich's understanding of the way we left this at the summit was that there was certainly a preference on most peoples parts to flow as much of the revenue back to the taxpayers as we possibly could, but that any ability to flow through more than the $600,000 that we are presently estimating would have to await further information. I should say that at least in my mind using the $380,000 of the revenues to cover what are really the incremental costs of a program that is growing way too fast and to reflect those rapid increases in that cost is a legitimate if not the first choice thing to do. I think that at the $600,000 we will still be flowing back to the taxpayers a very substantial portion of the revenues. Many people who are modest users of the trash service will be realizing a direct cash savings in the first year. I think that is a pretty nice accomplishment. Selectmen's Meeting — February 12, 2001 Mr. Hamburger made clear that the Appropriations Committee is unanimously in favor of the PAYT program. Our only concern is how the revenues are handled. Mrs. McKenna asks that in the first year projections there is an estimated savings of $215,000 and yet a budget offset of $380,000. One of the answers to your question is there is not the sentiment on the majority of the Board to change that but it is certainly something that I support in terms of not using that money. If we were going to use it to add a weekly recycling, I would be 100 percent in favor of that, but I am not in favor of offsetting the budget with it. Mrs. Krieger stated that the PAYT program elected to have a full time coordinator because they recognize that there is a large amount of potential in the schools. Mr. White says that is important to note that the costs for starting up the system are offset by the expected reduction in tipping fees that we will be getting for the low -ball estimate of recycling savings. The recycling savings pay for the start-up costs. Mrs. Krieger reminded the audience of the Public Meeting on March 3. Many of the comments stem from the fact that people feel uncomfortable with the change that is being proposed by this program. There will be an opportunity to explain the program and I think it will be one that will be much easier in its implementation. Bond Anticibation Notes and State Aid Anticibation Notes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the sale of a $52,145,000 3.60 percent Bond Anticipation Note of the town dated February 15, 2001 and payable February 15, 2002, to First Albany Corporation at par and accrued interest, plus a premium of $244,561. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the sale of a $975,000 3.44 percent State Aid Anticipation Note of the town dated February 15, 2001 and payable February 15, 2002, to Eastern Bank Capital Markets at par and accrued interest. Appointment to Personnel Advisory Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Susan Bennett to the Personnel Advisory Board for a term to expire September 30, 2004. Resignation and Appointment to Town Celebrations Subcommittee The by -laws require that members of the Town Celebrations Committee be registered voters of Lexington. Paul Jenkins has been serving on the Committee for many years, but is now a resident of Bedford. Bob Tracey, Chair of the Town Celebrations Committee, requests that the Board accept Paul Jenkins resignation and appoint him to the Town Celebrations Subcommittee. Selectmen's Meeting — February 12, 2001 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the resignation of Paul Jenkins from the Town Celebrations Committee and appoint Paul Jenkins to the Town Celebrations Subcommittee for a term to expire June 30, 2002. Newspaper Box Regulations Mr. White presented the newspaper box regulations and stated he had met with all of the newspaper box distributors who have an interest, with the exception of one party who has a concern about the Historic District Commission's role in approving specific applications in the center. Mr. White believes the regulations can be understood and accepted by most major distributors. Mr. White hopes the regulations can be implemented starting April 1, 2001. Mrs. McKenna requested the Board consider a change to Section 9a, to stop the sentence after other public fixture and eliminate the rest of that paragraph. The Board discussed it and a majority felt Section 9A should be left as is. Mrs. McKenna requested that on the last page under d)1) in the last sentence the word ensure be changed to enhance the acceptability of The Board agreed. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Newspaper Box Regulations as presented with change, as shown above. GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award 2000 Mr. White recognized the staff's efforts in receiving for the fifth straight year the GFOA Award. It is an unprecedented achievement for a community the size of Lexington, especially in New England and especially given the Town's limited staffing. It is an award that recognizes the staff's commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. It is important to note that the standards of the award change each and every single year. Mr. White congratulated the interns past and present who have made the budget the recognized document that it is as well as Candy McLaughlin and John Ryan and the rest of the staff for their hard work and dedication to professionalism. Mrs. McKenna requested that a copy of the document showing suggestions for improvement be made available to the Board. Mrs. Krieger congratulated the staff Mr. Enrich stated that congratulations are due to the staff and also to the Manager, who is the person who runs an extraordinarily strong budget process. Selectmen's Meeting — February 12, 2001 Future Meeting Schedule The Selectmen should plan on meeting every Monday in March and April and Wednesdays during Town Meeting, except school vacation week. The dates are as follows: March 5, 12, 19 at 7:30 p.m. and March 26, 28, April 2, 4, 9, 11, 23 and 25, at 7:00 p.m. Selectmen Liaison Reports Ms. McKenna mentioned that she has received several comments regarding the improvement in the snow removal operation and that people are pleased with how quickly and how well the DPW has done. Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted by roll call vote: Mrs. McKenna, Mrs. Krieger, Mr. Enrich and Mrs. Abbott to go into executive session for discussion of matters of contract negotiations, land purchase, and permit request with no intent to return to open session. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 11:10 p.m. A true record, Attest: Lynne A. Pease Assistant to the Executive Clerk Selectmen's Meeting Minutes February 26, 2001 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, February 26, 2001 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room at 7:30 p.m. Chairman Krieger, Mrs. Eddison, Mr. Enrich, Mrs. Abbott, Mrs. McKenna; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; and Ms. Smith, Executive Clerk were present. Public Comments Byron Blanchard thanked Mr. White for his conciliatory remarks. Ms. Smith was honest and ethical in handling my requests for minutes relating to litigation matters. She was polite and truthful in everything. That is why I used here title and not her name. She has always been very professional. Is there any information that has not been released. Mr. Cohen replied that Ms. Smith will go through every executive session and find out if there are any minutes relating to grave boxes or burial vaults that have not been released. If you come in and we can go over everything and find out if there is anything you do not have. Mr. Blanchard declined the offer. Steve Tripi said he noted that the Library article indicated the funds requested were not available at press time. How much are we over budget on the Library project? Mrs. Krieger replied the estimates are still being refined. The bids have not come in yet. Perry Pollins inquired about a notation in the Police log about a confrontation on Thursday, January 25 at 2:00 P.M. at the High School. Mr. White said the matter is under investigation by the Police Department. The Police are working closely with the Superintendent and the Superintendent is working closely with the School Committee. Lorraine Fournier said she read in the paper that the pay as you throw program is supposed to start on July 1 of this year. I thought it was supposed to go to Town Meeting. Mrs. Krieger indicated it is in the form of a line item as part of the budget. We will be receiving proposals from engineering firms with expertise in PAYT programs for the position of program coordinator. Kiewit Construction Company d /b /a Level 3 Communications Grant of Location — Rte 2 -2A Waltham Street and Rte 2 -3A Pleasant St. Underpass Kiewit Representative Peter Potvin was present to review the petition, plan and orders for a grant of location for 300' of underground borings at Route 2 crossings of Watertown and Pleasant Streets. The work is part of a telecommunications line along Route 2. Mrs. McKenna expressed concern about the noise generated by directional boring and because of the number of houses and a school in proximity to Pleasant Street asked whether the hours of work could be restricted to between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Mrs. McKenna also inquired about Selectmen's Meeting — February 26, 2001 where the money goes that has been paid to the Town under the provisions of Administrative Order No. 8. Mr. Carbonneau said it goes into an unspecified Selectmen's Gift Account. Mrs. Krieger indicated the money is set aside in a Selectmen's Gift Account for traffic mitigation measures and use of the funds is subject to coming back to the Board for approval. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the petition of Kiewit Construction Company d /b /a Level 3 Communications for a grant of location on: Waltham Street: Within the Massachusetts Highway Department right -of -way at the intersection with Route 2, from the West median, under Waltham Street, to the East median of Route 2, and provided that the work be restricted to between 9:00 a. m. and 3:00 p.m. Pleasant Street: Within the Massachusetts Highway Department right -of -way at the intersection with Route 2, from the West median, under Pleasant Street, to the East median of Route 2 and provided that the work be restricted to the hours of 9:30 a. m. to 2:30 p.m. Traffic Safety Advisory Committee Assistant Town Engineer David Carbonneau reviewed the following recommendations of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee: No Parking Wilson Road & Roosevelt Road The Committee met with Michele Wilson and Karen Zallen and other members of the neighborhood to discuss their concerns regarding children walking to school on Wilson Road. The Selectmen recently voted a crosswalk at Wilson Road and Roosevelt Road, which has been installed. The residents were requesting No Parking regulations and the extension of the sidewalk on the school drive to the intersection of Wilson and Roosevelt to provide a safer route for children walking to school. The TSAC recommends that a No Parking regulation be adopted on the west side of Wilson Road from Roosevelt Road to the Hastings School. No additional No Parking regulations or a sidewalk are recommended at this time. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recommendation of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee. Sunday Parking at Harrington Road & Bedford Street The Committee discussed a request from the First Parish Church for a regulation that would permit Sunday parking at the following locations: • North side of Harrington Road from the Church to Bedford Street • All three sides of the traffic island between Massachusetts Avenue and Harrington Road • Both sides of Bedford Street north of Harrington Road Selectmen's Meeting — February 26, 2001 The Church also requested pedestrian crossing caution signs be installed east and west of the Church crosswalk. The committee did not believe that the traffic situation in these locations warranted relaxation of parking regulations even if it were only on Sundays. The committee also did not believe that additional signs would improve crossing safety. Harrington Road resident Alfred Gschwendtner said he attended a series of hearings before Harrington Road was reopened on February 3, 2000. Since the reopening I have counted nineteen accidents as of February 8, 2001. There are designated no parking signs in front of my house. There is parking there every Sunday. I would ask the Board to reconsider the opening of Harrington Road. It is a continuing disaster. Mrs. Krieger indicated we are getting additional statistics and will have the police get back to us. No parking is being violated on a continuing basis. Mr. Enrich felt the first step that should be taken before we start ticketing is to advise the churches and the Masonic Hall that no parking will be enforced. Mrs. Abbott agreed with Mr. Enrich's recommendation. Mrs. Krieger indicated we will make arrangements to enforce the regulations and the Town Manager and staff will talk to the churches. Traffic Island Intersection of Meriam, Somerset & Franklin The Committee met with Kerry Brandin, Elaine Tung and other residents of the neighborhood to discuss a traffic island at the intersection of Meriam Street, Somerset Road and Franklin Road. The island was requested to help slow and channelize traffic through the intersection and improve the appearance of the area. The Committee concluded that channelization, in general, improves traffic safety but did not find a compelling safety issue associated with the current configuration. The Committee continued discussion of the traffic island until a more detailed design was developed by the residents. Mason Street Parking The Committee met with Nicholas Ballard regarding his request for a No Parking regulation in front of his mailbox at 22 Mason Street. Mr. Ballard's home is directly across from the Pheasant Brook Pool and pool users often park in front of his house preventing him from getting mail delivered and trash picked up. Mr. Ballard's request is for a 10' to 20' No Parking Zone in front of his mailbox which would ensure him of mail delivery and trash pickup. The Committee believed that Mr. Ballard's request was reasonable and that he exhausted all other potential remedies. The Committee also believed that the limited length of this No Parking zone would not shift the problem elsewhere. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recommendation of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee. Selectmen's Meeting — February 26, 2001 Traffic Calming Mr. Carbonneau reported on a meeting on traffic calming that was held between members of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee, the Police Department, School Department and the 2020 Vision transportation subgroup. The outcome of the meeting was to develop a project to address two concerns of the Board; namely, experimenting with traffic calming and in improving school safety. Each of the major school crossings were assessed for raised crosswalks, speed humps or other traffic calming measures. The group chose Middleby Road for a pilot project and suggested a raised crosswalk at the bike path crossing at Middleby Road. The site was chosen for a number of reasons: • The existing crosswalk has poor visibility and serves as an important bike and pedestrian route. • Speeding on this section of Middleby Road has long been a concern of the neighborhood residents. • Middleby Road is not a major transit or primary emergency vehicle route. Mr. Carbonneau will be coming back to the Board for approval of the project after the residents of Middleby Road have been notified. Highland Avenue and Winthrop Road Parking The Committee met with Norma Currie and Jill Hai regarding parking on Highland Avenue. The limited duration parking recently posted on Winthrop Road between Highland Avenue and Vinebrook Road has had the effect of pushing all -day parking onto Highland Avenue. They requested the limited duration parking be extended to Slocum Road to clear driveways and sight lines. The Traffic Safety Advisory Committee recommends the limited duration parking be extended to Highland Avenue from Winthrop Road to Slocum Road. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recommendation of the Traffic Safety Advisory Committee. Belmont Traffic Forum Mr. Carbonneau reported on a Traffic Forum he attended last fall that was conducted by the Belmont Citizens Forum. Common traffic problems and solutions were discussed by a number of communities including Cambridge, Arlington, Belmont, Watertown, Lexington, the State Highway Department. The perceptions expressed were that the traffic situation is bad and worsening. The increased traffic is more a result of life style, not population growth. It is a difficult problem to solve and needs to be looked at regionally. Selectmen's Meeting — February 26, 2001 Sale of Land to Abutter — Appraiser Selection Board members decided it is best to rotate the use of appraisers from the list previously approved. The Selectmen's office will contact John Avery of Avery Associates in Acton to do the appraisal on the property on the corner of Marrett Road and Follen Road. Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of the meeting of December 11, 2000. Executive Session Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the executive session minutes of the meeting of February 12, 2001. Warrant Articles Board Members agreed they had sufficient information on the following articles: 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 24, 28, 32, and 35. The Board will start taking position on the articles at its next meeting. Lexington Center Update Economic Development Officer Joe Marino updated the Board on the recent store closings in Lexington Center. Appointments/Reappointments Communitv Preservation Act Feasibilitv Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Marilyn Fenollosa and the Historical Commission representative to the Community Preservation Act Feasibility Advisory Committee. Registrars of Voters Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Connie Foster to the Registrars of Voters for a term to expire March 31, 2004. Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted by roll call vote: Mrs. McKenna, Mrs. Eddison, Mrs. Krieger, Mr. Enrich and Mrs. Abbott to go into executive session for the purpose of discussion of land transfer and personnel performance matters with no intent to resume open session. Selectmen's Meeting — February 26, 2001 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9:05 p.m. A true record, Attest: Phyllis A. Smith Executive Clerk