Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-09-27 SB-min Select Board Meeting September 27, 2021 A remote participation meeting of the Lexington Select Board was called to order at 6:35 p.m. on Monday, September 27, 2021 via Zoom remote meeting services. Select Board Chair Ms. Hai; Vice Chair Mr. Lucente; and members Mr. Pato; Ms. Barry; and Mr. Sandeen were present, as well as Mr. Malloy, Town Manager; Ms. Axtell, Assistant Town Manager; and Ms. Katzenback, Executive Clerk. Ms. Hai stated that the meeting was being conducted via Zoom as posted, with the agenda on the Town’s website. Ms. Hai provided directions to members of the public, watching or listening via the Zoom application, regarding the procedure for making a public comment. Ms. Hai reminded Board members, staff, and members of the public about Lexington’s Standard of Conduct regarding civil discourse during Town Government meetings. Note: The meeting was originally scheduled to enter Executive Session but as there was a question about applicability, Mr. Malloy will instead ask one or two Select Board members to work with him and planning staff on negotiating a Preliminary Site Development and Use Plan (PSDUP). For further details, see below in the Town Manager Report. TOWN MANAGER REPORT Mr. Malloy reported that he will preside over his final International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Board meeting as President this week, September 30 and October 1, 2021. The following Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, he plans to attend the ICMA conference in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Malloy reported that 90.8% of all Lexington residents over the age of 12 years have been fully vaccinated. 97.85% have had at least one shot; this number is rising about 2.2 percentage points every week. Mr. Malloy said that the new pay-by-phone parking app has been used 150 times in the two days since it was launched. The Town will assess the need to improve or revise the program after 30 days. Mr. Pato asked Mr. Malloy to check to see if parking and vehicle charging fees for electric vehicles are combined into a single transaction as planned. Mr. Malloy stated that he is almost ready to report back to the Board about the status of the Board’s two- year goalsetting initiative. He has asked three departments for additional information to complete the report and he will include the update at the next Select Board meeting in the Town Manger Report. Regarding the cancelled Executive Session, Mr. Malloy reported he has been approached by a Lexington property owner with a 36-acre campus. There are a number of buildings on the property dating back to the 1960s. The owner was granted a PSDUP in the early 2000s; this was controversial because the property borders on a residential neighborhood as well as a wetland habitat. The owner has revised his/her thinking and hopes also to be able to revise the elements of the PSDUP with an eye to removing older buildings and constructing new ones sustainably. Mr. Malloy requested two Select Board members to assist him and staff with negotiations for a new PSDUP. He hopes to bring a new proposal back to the full Board for approval before Annual Town Meeting 2022. Mr. Sandeen and Mr. Pato volunteered to work on this initiative. 1 SELECT BOARD MEMBER CONCERNS AND LIAISON REPORTS Ms. Barry asked for an agenda item be added to a future meeting so that the Select Board, the School Committee, and the Recreation Committee could discuss the siting for the new high school. She noted that some Recreation projects may need to be reconsidered or revised. Mr. Malloy reported that DPW Director Dave Pinsonneault is currently overseeing the work of a surveying company that is sorting out jurisdiction issues within the high school campus. Mr. Malloy said the campus is composed of number of smaller parcels that have been cobbled together. He plans to meet with the surveyors in the coming days and he will forward copies of the resulting survey plan to Board members. DOCUMENTS: Select Board Concerns and Liaison Reports—September 27, 2021 CONSENT AGENDA Mr. Lucente asked that agenda item #3 be removed due to an important change. 1. Approve and Sign Proclamations To approve and sign a proclamation recognizing the month of October annually as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. To approve and sign a proclamation recognizing the month of October annually as Dyslexia Awareness Month. To approve and sign a proclamation declaring the first Tuesday in October as Local Food Day. DOCUMENTS: 2021 Domestic Violence Awareness Month Proclamation; 2021 Dyslexia Awareness Month Proclamation; 2021 Local Food Day Proclamation. 2. Approve One-Day Liquor Licenses To approve two One-Day Liquor Licenses for Spectacle Management to serve beer and wine in the lobby of Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue, for the purpose of the two events as follows: An Evening with Chris Thile on Saturday, October 9, 2021 from 7:30pm to 10:30pm and the Wallflowers on Saturday, November 6, 2021 from 8:00pm to 11:00pm. To approve a One-Day Liquor License for the Lexington Retailers Association for the purpose of serving beer in a beer garden within a cordoned off area at the end of Muzzey Street at Massachusetts Avenue during Lexington ReDiscovery Day on Saturday, October 9, 2021 from 11:30am to 3:30pm. *The location for the Lexington ReDiscovery Day beer garden is subject to modification as may be required by Department of Public Works and Town Engineering up to the time of the event due to potential work for the Center Streetscape Project. DOCUMENTS: LRA Lexington ReDiscovery Day Beer Garden Location Map; LRA Lexington ReDiscovery Day Beer Garden Procedures for Serving Alcohol 3. Select Board Committee Reappointments - REMOVED from consent to address a correction. 4. Select Board Member Appointment to State Special Commission for the Celebration of the th 250 Anniversary of the American Revolution 2 To appoint Select Board Member Suzie Barry to the State Special Commission to investigate and study the promotion and celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. th DOCUMENTS: Appointment Request Letter—State Special Commission doe the Celebration of the 250 Anniversary of the American Revolution 5. Approve Select Board Meeting Minutes To approve and release the Select Board meeting minutes of:  June 14, 2021  August 23, 2021  August 30, 2021 VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 5-0 by roll call to approve items 1,2,4,5 of the Consent Agenda. DOCUMENTS: DRAFT Select Board Meeting Minutes June 14, 2021; DRAFT Select Board Meeting Minutes August 23, 2021; DRAFT Select Board Meeting Minutes August 30, 2021 Select Board Committee Reappointments (removed from Consent Agenda for correction) Mr. Lucente reported that he received word today that one of the members of the Tourism Committee whose reappointment was postponed due to noncompliance with Ethics training actually did complete training on September 2, 2021. He asked that the name of the candidate be reinstated on the reappointment approval list. Ms. Katzenback said the Select Board office has received confirmation of this training and the office was able to correct the approval list included in the Meeting Packet. VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 5-0 to approve the attached list of board and committee re-appointments. PUBLIC COMMENTS Dawn McKenna, 9 Hancock Street, said she supports the concept of a 360 Town Manager’s review and asked the Board to consider including gathering insight from committee/board chairs. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION 1. Introduction of Joanne Belanger, Director of Public Health Mr. Malloy introduced Ms. Belanger saying she comes to Lexington with an impressive 30 years in municipal Public Health, serving most recently in Lowell as Director of Health and Human Services. Ms. Belanger said the majority of her career was in the Town of Andover, MA. She has experience working on environmental health issues and clinical and community nursing. Having served in these various capacities, she believes her biggest passions lie in public health. DOCUMENTS: Joanne Belanger cover memo. 2. Update on MIT Lincoln Laboratory Expansion Project Mr. Menadue, Director of Capital Projects at MIT Lincoln Lab, reported that MIT/Lincoln Lab is 3 undergoing a three-phase physical plant modernization plan for its facility that was created on the 1950s. Most of the modernization design has been done in-house and the early-phase construction will be executed by the Army Corps of Engineers with Air Force military construction (“MilCon”) funding. There are currently about 4000 MIT employees at this secure location whose single client is the Department of Defense (DoD). The work is underwritten by a little over $1B in research funding. The number of Lexington residents working at MIT/Lincoln Lab has more than doubled over the past 5 years from about 60 to 139. The areas of focus for this research and development work are, basically, nano technologies, such as microchips; and rapid prototyping which Mr. Menadue explained is used in larger models that include nano technological within their systems. Once a prototype is developed and the DoD wants more built, MIT/Lincoln Labs transfers the technology out to the winning bidder for manufacture. Given that a recent DoD assessment of the MIT/Lincoln Lab facilities showed leaking roofs, structural issues, and unsafe space constraints, MIT/Lincoln Labs must upgrade its facilities or risk losing DoD contracts. The first of the three-phase modernization plan started in 2015 and focused on stabilization of immediate repairs, some of which were major. A long-term monetization plan will replace remaining 14 buildings over a 25-year period via funding obtained through a fee for each program. This will ensure that every few years, another building gets built. Mr. Menadue noted that much of the large-scale construction will take place on land owned by adjacent Hanscom Air Force Base. To build new buildings that will eventually replace older buildings, unutilized land will be opened up. Mr. Menadue stated that challenges for this project include electrical and mechanical capacities as well as adequate parking. Mr. Krawczyk, also of MIT Lincoln Lab, explained how project development funding flows normally, stating that about half of the funds go through Lincoln Lab to the subcontractors of each project. Ms. Barry, Lexington’s representative to Hanscom Area Towns (HATS) asked if there is direct access from MIT/Lincoln Lab to the Base. Mr. Menadue and Mr. Krawczyk replied that, with clearance, employees can walk between the two properties but the internal access road was closed some time ago. Ms. Barry asked that HATS towns be informed of heavy trucking coming through their communities, given the demolition and construction expected over the coming years. Mr. Menadue stated that no trucks can enter through the MIT access road; all construction traffic must come through the Vandenburg Gate off route 2A. Ms. Barry received assurances that air-borne demolition dust will be kept below unhealthy levels. Ms. Barry asked what permitting process the non-MilCon projects will go through. Mr. Menadue said the projects need to go through many permitting authorities, including environmental assessment; electricity/utilities permitting, and Hanscom AFB civil engineering code enforcement. Ms. Barry noted an additional road near Wood Street in the site plan map. Mr. Menadue said he has been hoping to find a way to fund this additional road because traffic studies show it would take MIT traffic off Wood Street and alleviate traffic congestion that builds up there. There is no plan at this time to construct such a road but he would like to discuss the possibility with the Town. Ms. Barry said if this element of the plan comes to pass, the adjacent neighborhoods will no doubt have input to express. Ms. Barry asked if all 4000 employees are working onsite or if some working remotely. Mr. Krawczyk 4 believes that the number onsite currently is about 1300 because most are working remotely. The Lab is studying a remote working plan which Mr. Menadue said was still in its infancy because many employees need access to hardware only available onsite. He further noted that until the modernization construction plan is carried out, work space will be very tight. A return-to-the-worksite plan, however, is targeted for early 2022. It was noted that there is no expectation of additional employees in the Master Plan. Ms. Barry asked for Mr. Menadue and Mr. Krawczyk to present this information and some deeper analysis at a HATS meeting in the future. Ms. Hai asked the representatives to consider whether the MIT/Lincoln Lab shuttle bus between MIT and Lexington could accommodate non-employees in either direction as a way to transport commuters without adding single occupancy vehicles to the roads. Mr. Lucente asked if MIT/Lincoln Lab would continue to track its “ripple effect” figures to gauge economic impact of the surrounding area. Mr. Krawczyk said he can provide the few years of historic data that has been collected but the plan is to continue to follow the numbers which he believes will improve once the Master Plan has been fully implemented. Mr. Sandeen asked how much square footage will be constructed in total. Mr. Menadue reported that there are currently 1.8M gross square feet on campus and the finished project will be about 2.5M gross square feet. The majority of that will be an enlargement of mechanical space. DOCUMENTS: Presentation—MIT Lincoln Lab Update 3. Review Request for Change of Parking Regulation—Three Spaces at 844-856 Massachusetts Avenue Assistant Town Planner Sheila Page reported that the Transportation Safety Group (TAG) received a request from a business owner in the 844-856 Massachusetts Avenue block, asking to change three parking spaces to a one-hour limit to improve parking turnover. Because there are an ample number of parking spaces in that area, TAG has no objection to the request. Ms. Hai noted the crosswalk nearest the spaces is close a bus stop so pedestrians should be advised that there will be increased pace of comings and goings there. VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 5-0 by roll call in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 689 of 1986 of the General Laws, the Traffic Rules and orders of Lexington, adopted by the Board of Selectmen on November 13, 1967, now Chapter 192 of the Code of Lexington, are hereby amended as follows: BY ADDING TO CHAPTER 192-18 SCHEDULE 1 THE FOLLOWING LOCATION SIDE FROM TO REGULATION ___________________________________________________________________ Massachusetts West Independence Avenue 98 feet south of ONE HOUR Avenue Independence PARKING Avenue DOCUMENTS: Memo; Diagram; Amendment 5 4. Update on Cedar Street Sidewalk Project Ms. Hai noted that the Select Board has received an unusually high number of emails about this agenda item. Ms. Hai further noted that ongoing outreach is being conducted by the Transportation Safety Group (TSG). Ms. Page, Assistant Planning Director, and Ross Morrow, Assistant Town Engineer, provided background and details of Cedar Street sidewalk initiative that started in 2017 when signatures from 136 households were submitted to TSG, 127 of which supported a sidewalk installation for one side of the street down the length of Cedar Street. Thirty of the signatories were direct abutters in support of the project; nine signatories were against the project, four of which were direct abutters. In 2017, the case for a sidewalk was presented to TSG, which saw potential in the proposal. A land surveyor was engaged in 2018 to complete a so-called existing conditions analysis. Ms. Page further stated that a public meeting was held on September 1, 2021 to which 210 households were invited; 55 people attended and they provided what Ms. Page characterized as thoughtful input. Many people expressed concern over the removal of trees, citing the beauty of Cedar Street. There was also concern over the speed at which vehicles travel on the narrow street, especially at the Paul Revere intersection which is reportedly difficult for cars and pedestrians to navigate safely. Another difficulty is the poor sight lines after the turn onto Cedar Street from Massachusetts Avenue. Residents also noted that there is no safe place for students to wait for the school bus unless they stand in neighbors’ driveways. A number of homes have walls, fences, and landscaping that might be disrupted by a sidewalk installation. Depending on which side of the street the sidewalk is placed, Ms. Page said the Town would work with homeowners whose gardens/walls/fences required removal. Disruption to yards will be repaired, however it was noted that some of the houses in question are very close to the street and privacy is an issue. Utility poles will probably have to be moved but at this point, it is not possible to state which side of the street would be chosen as the design phase has yet to be budgeted. Mr. Morrow said the full length of the street is .8 miles, with Massachusetts Avenue on one end and Pine Meadows Golf Course on the other. The pavement width varies from 18 and 30 feet, although some residents report that, due to overgrowth in some places, pavement width is down to 17 feet. The Town’s Right of Way width also varies between 25 and 30 feet. There are 73 abutters along this stretch and there are 11 intersections. Since 2010, there have been 6 reported crashes. The average speed, gleaned from a speed study, is 20 mph but the maximum recorded was 38 mph. Mr. Morrow reported that, having walked the road recently, he believes 24 mph on this road feels fast. Mr. Morrow said a sidewalk on Cedar Street would add to Lexington’s connectivity network. There are also school bus routes that will benefit from having a sidewalk. Mr. Morrow said there are approximately 12 trees that would have to be removed but all work would all be done within the Town Right of Way. Given all the considerations and input, Ms. Page stated that TSG recommends construction of a sidewalk along Cedar Street from Massachusetts Avene to Denver Street and asked for it to be included in the budget. Ms. Hai said she is in favor of making Lexington’s walking routes as safe and accessible as possible, especially given the number of recreation facilities in this part of town. She also hopes that a sidewalk will slow vehicle speed on Cedar Street and she is happy to see the amount of engineering thought that has already been applied to the project. She is also sensitive to tree loss but noted that some of the trees tagged for removal are non-native species. 6 Ms. Barry said she supports the sidewalk and would also feel favorably about continuing the sidewalk to the end of the street rather than stopping at Denver Street. She realizes sidewalks can be controversial but they are now becoming a necessity for narrow, curvy, old New England roads. Mr. Morrow noted the difference in distance between what is proposed (to Denver Street) and full length is 2500 feet (a little less than ½ mile) versus 4200 feet (.8 miles). Mr. Sandeen noted he has seen an increasing number of school children biking in this area. He expressed concerns about installing granite curbing which can present a hazard for bikers that get squeezed to the edge of the road when cars pass. Mr. Morrow said this will be taken into consideration during the design phase. Mr. Sandeen asked if there is a way to divert the sidewalk around some of the statelier trees rather than remove them. Mr. Morrow said every attempt will be made to save as many trees as possible. Mr. Sandeen asked whether residential landscaping would be replaced. Mr. Morrow said that the Town will work with residents to make them happy with the outcome. Mr. Sandeen asked if the Cedar Street/Paul Revere intersection would be improved by this project. Mr. Morrow said providing safe pedestrian access through the intersection would be an improvement. Mr. Lucente said he believes sidewalks add to the overall quality of life. He noted, however that there are other areas of town that have been rated as being higher priority by the Town’s assessment system. He questioned, for the sake of equity, how Cedar Street moved ahead in the waiting line for construction. Mr. Lucente agreed that granite curbing on this street is problematic. He asked if any consideration been given to making Cedar Street one-way, given all the activity in the area. Ms. Page stated that the sidewalk priority map is a tool used but TSG also takes resident request into account. Neighborhood/town connectivity needs are also weighed. Mr. Pinsonneault, DPW Director, stated that the Town uses the rating system to choose which sidewalk projects to prioritize within yearly budget allocations; citizen-generated projects coming through TSG are funded outside that yearly appropriation. Mr. Morrow said he is not sure how feasible it would be to make Cedar Street one way but he will look at it closely. He noted that making Cedar Street one-way would force traffic onto adjacent streets. Mr. Pato said he is concerned about ending the sidewalk at Denver Street, noting a pedestrian injury near the golf course which is out of the scope of the proposed project. Mr. Pato also expressed concerns about lost trees, although he favors the sidewalk in this instance. He asked that carbon sequestration be made a larger element of any consideration when mitigating the loss of a mature tree. For further information, Ms. Page noted that this project appears on the TSG webpage under “sidewalk Requests”. ACTION ITEMS: Public comments will continue to be taken on this issue. TSG will continue to refine the project, providing information about tree, utility, neighborhood impacts, preferred side of the street. If the Select Boatd approves the project, partial engineering and Capital Project funding will be sought within the upcoming budget cycle(s). The next Select Board review of the project is expected in the October/November timeframe. Mr. Pinsonneault will check to see if the Hill Street sidewalk project was funded in a two-step manner. (i.e. Design, then construction) DOCUMENTS: Recommendation memo; 9-27-21 Cedar Street Presentation REVISED; Existing 7 Conditions; Cedar Street Proposed; 9-1-21 Presentation 5. Review Town Celebrations Committee Request—Veterans Day Car Parade VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 5-0 to approve the request of the Town Celebrations Committee for a Veterans Day Car Parade as presented in their letter dated September 22, 2021 subject to coordination with the appropriate Town Staff. ACTION: Select Board members will participate. DOCUMENTS: 2021 Veterans Day Car Parade Request Letter to Select Board 6. Liquor License Change of Hours –Lexington Golf Club Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 5-0 to approve the application from Lexington Golf Club, 55 Hill Street, to amend the hours on their 2021 all alcoholic club liquor license for the clubhouse to be 11:00 am through 12:00 midnight 7 days/week and from 11:00 am until 9:00 pm on the adjacent Golf course 7 days/week, and to update the hours on their 2021 Common Victualler license to 11:00 am - 12:00 midnight 7 days/week. DOCUMENTS: Lexington Golf Hours of Operation Amendment Documents; Town of Lexington Alcohol Regulations for Clubs; Common Viv Application—update hours The Select Board took a brief recess at 8:23 p.m. and reconvened at 8:28 p.m. 7. Review 2021-1 Special Town Meeting Draft Warrant Ms. Axtell described the Special Town Meeting warrant articles, one by one, asking for feedback or questions. ACTION: Ms. Hai directed Select Board members to weigh in via the Select Board office about whether to provide a Select Board report at the beginning of STM 2021-1. The vote to approve the full STM 2021- 1 warrant will take place during the Select Board meeting on October 12, 2021. DOCUMENTS: DRAFT 2021-1 Special Town Meeting Warrant 8. Update on Cultural Districts Designation Ms. Coppe and Mr. Poltorzycki, Cultural District Working Group, presented an update on work being done and next steps towards applying for a Cultural District designation through Massachusetts Cultural Council. Mr. Poltorzycki stated that the Board will be asked at a later date to approve a resolution to move the application process forward. To be eligible to apply, the Town must agree to dedicate staff and resources and a public meeting must be held. Outreach will also take place on Discovery Day and at the Cary Memorial Library. The Working Group has been meeting with the Economic Development department staff to advance the initiative. The resolution will also appoint a Town official to the district’s managing partnership. The partnership generally includes representation from the cultural groups in a community. Ms. Coppe noted that the Working Group has met monthly since March 2021 and has invited representatives from 65 organization to participate. Mr. Pato asked what Town obligations, beyond staff participation, there would be for a Cultural District. Mr. Poltorzycki said that once the managing partnership has been created, the district runs itself. The 8 partnership has an obligation to produce an annual report which is the basis upon which available grants can be applied. If Lexington’s district is awarded grants, funds should be held in a Town account. Ms. Iyer, Economic Development Director, reported that the public meeting has been advertised in a variety of publications and Town channels. Ms. Iyer asked if funding is available to help cover the cost of advertising. Mr. Malloy will check into this. ACTION: The Public Meeting will be held. Mr. Malloy will check into funding for advertising. DOCUMENTS: September 27, 2021 Presentation to Select Board on Cultural District Designation S1 Map; Cultural District Designation Application Process—Mass Cultural Council. 9. Discuss Timeline and Process for Town Manager 360 Review Ms. Hai reported that there are two paths available to conduct this 360 Review, which is considered a best practice. The first is a customized approach that involves interviewing the subject (Mr. Malloy) and also hose who directly report to him. This process is lengthy and more expensive. The second approach is one recommended by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and involves an electronic tool which poses a series of questions about management style and traits. It would be administered to the Town Manager himself and to other individuals or groups as determined by the Select Board, including the Select Board and those who report directly to the Town Manager. Ms. Hai recommended the electronic tool approach. The information gathered would be submitted to Ms. Katzenback in the Select Board Office. She would organize the responses and then the Select Board would have a conversation about the findings with Mr. Malloy, possibly at the end of October. Ms. Hai and Mr. Pato will send the Board links to a website with a sampling of the electronic tools, including sample questions. All respondents are asked the same questions. Select Board members endorsed the electronic tool option approach, Ms. Malloy said he finds feedback from ICMA-approved electronic tools to be useful and asked that a wide range of Town staff be included review. ACTION ITEMS: Ms. Hai and Mr. Pato will send Board members links to the website with a sampling of the electronic tools, including sample questions. The Board will make a selection at the October 12. 2021 Select Board meeting. 10. Review Draft Select Board Report Submission for FY2021 Annual Town Report The Select Board discussed the draft submission. VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 5-0 to approve submitting the annual town report draft, subject to the editorial, non-substantive corrections as well as any corrections listed during this evening's session. DOCUMENTS: DRAFT Select Board Submission for Ft21 Town Report—9/27/21; DRAFT Select Board Submission for Town Report00Redline version 9/27/21 ADJOURN Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 5-0 by roll call to adjourn the meeting at 9:31 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert, Recording Secretary 9