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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-12-20 SB-min Select Board Meeting December 20, 2021 A remote participation meeting of the Lexington Select Board was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 20, 2021 via Zoom remote meeting services. Ms. Hai, Chair; Mr. Lucente; Vice Chair, Mr. Pato, Ms. Barry and Mr. Sandeen were present, as well as Ms. Axtell, Deputy 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. EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. Exemption 3: Discuss Strategy with Respect to Litigation – National Prescription Opiate Litigation Settlement VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, by roll call, the Select Board voted 5-0 at 7:02 p.m. to enter into Executive Session under Exemption 3 to discuss strategy with respect to respect to Litigation – National Prescription Opiate Litigation Settlement. Further, it was declared that an open meeting discussion may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the town. The Board reconvened Open Session at 7:21 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS – None. SELECT BOARD MEMBER CONCERNS AND LIAISON REPORTS 1. Select Board Member Concerns and Liaison Reports Ms. Barry noted that Lexington did not qualify to receive free COVID-19 rapid test kits from the State. She asked if the Town would be able to use APRA funds to secure these tests instead. Ms. Axtell stated that she would follow up on this item. In response to a question from Ms. Hai regarding if another COVID-19 drive-through testing event would be scheduled after Christmas, Ms. Axtell stated that another event has not yet been scheduled. Mr. Pato explained that he is concerned that there is no option for the Town to hold a virtual Town Meeting this spring. He believes that the Town should push its legislators to allow this to be an option. His second concern is regarding ARPA funding, and areas of the community that need rapid action, such as economic assistance for small businesses, especially restaurants. Mr. Lucente noted that the Board of Health will be holding a Special Meeting on January 11, 2022, to discuss mask mandates. It will also be holding a meeting on January 18, 2022. Mr. Sandeen asked that a future agenda include a COVID-19 2022 update. DOCUMENTS: Select Board Concerns and Liaison Reports - December 20, 2021 TOWN MANAGER REPORT Ms. Axtell stated that there will be a drive-through COVID-19 testing event scheduled on January 8 & 9, 2022. One of these days will take place in Belmont and the other in Lexington. The advertising for this will go out next week. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Annual License Renewals To approve and sign the license renewals as identified on the attached lists. DOCUMENTS: 2022 Annual License Renewals Ready for Approval - Non-Liquor, 2022 Annual License Renewals Ready for Approval - Liquor 2. Select Board Committee Resignations To accept the resignations of Meg VanNostrand and Howard Levin from the Lexington Center Committee effective immediately. DOCUMENTS: Resignation Letter - M. VanNostrand, Resignation Letter - H. Levin 3. Accept Fund Terms – Nancy and Joel Adler Fund To accept the terms of the Nancy and Joel Adler Fund that will be managed by the Trustees of Public Trusts. The Board thanked Nancy & Joel Adler for their generosity to the Town. DOCUMENTS: Nancy and Joel Adler Fund - Fund Terms 4. Acceptance of Easement for 840 Emerson Gardens To approve the Grant of Easement between Emerson Gardens LLC, as Grantor, and the Town of Lexington, as Grantee, substantially in the form presented at the December 20, 2021 meeting of the Select Board, with final changes to be approved by the Acting Town Manager in her reasonable discretion in consultation with town counsel; and to authorize the Acting Town Manager to execute and accept said Grant of Easement on behalf of the Select Board. DOCUMENTS: Grant of Easement/Trail Easement - Lexington Meadows, Highlighted Trail Easement - 840 Emerson Gardens 5. Application: Entertainment License – AB Inns LLC d/b/a The Inn at Hastings Park, 2027 Massachusetts Avenue To approve the request of the Inn at Hastings Park for an Entertainment License for a disc jockey on New Year's Eve until 1:00am on January 1, 2022. VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 5-0 by roll call to approve Consent Agenda items. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION 1. Lexington Citizens’ Academy Graduation Katharine Labrecque, Management Analyst from the Town Manager’s Office, explained that twenty five residents participated in this year's program and that the program has had almost 300 alumni to date. The Citizens’ Academy is an 11-week program during which residents meet once a week on Thursday evenings to learn more about Town government. Each week, participants have the opportunity to hear from Town staff, while learning about the day-to-day operations, programs, and services provided by each department. This program is particularly designed to connect residents and Town staff, increase civic engagement, and participation on various Town boards and committees. The virtual platform this year allowed for broader engagement. Those interested in signing up for the project next year can contact the Town Manager’s Office or Ms. Labrecque directly. Mr. Aggarwal stated that he has gained some perspective into how the Town works. The work by Town staff, countless volunteers, and elected members to make it all happen is impressive. He noted special interest in the Town finances and budget process, and also the Sustainability programs. Ms. Hai read the names of the graduates and on behalf of the Board congratulated them all. 1 Sanjay Aggarwal 14 MarthaLeticia Valencia-Torres 2 15 Julie Liu Faycal Benayad-Cherif 16 3 Oula Mahmassani Rian Chen 17 4 Phil Mattson Kwi Young Choi 18 Pili Moreno 5 Janice Chung 19 Shannon Murtagh 6 Cathy Eberly 20 Kathy Parks 7 Larry Freier 21 Ann Renauer 8 Yifang Gong 22 Paul Sodano 9 Daniel Joyner 23 Hanna Starobinets 10 Kathy Keegan 24 11 John Keller Rebecca Titemore 12 25 Megan Klein Hattori Jill Ward 13 Nikki Leahy DOCUMENTS: 2021 Lexington Citizens' Academy List of Graduates 2. Request from Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee for Addition of Student Liaison In response to a question from Ms. Barry, Ms. Gau, Chair of Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee, confirmed that this request is for all high school students who attend school or reside in Lexington. The intention of this request is to make a formal position on the Committee for feedback and engagement. This would be a non-voting member. Mr. Lucente noted that he would like it to be clear who the appointing person for the liaison is. Ms. Gau stated that the Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee would be happy to take on the application solicitation and selection process. Ms. Hai explained that the addendums to the charge will be the addition of a student liaison, to be of high school age residing in Lexington, who will be appointed by the Bicycle Advisory Committee Chair. The Chair can determine the terms of the liaison. The Board agreed to review this as a Consent Agenda item for the next meeting. DOCUMENTS: 2021.11.12 Request Letter from Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee - Addition of Student Liaison, Lexington Bicycle Advisory Committee Charge 3. Update on Development of Online Donation Portal Ms. Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager – Finance, explained that there will be a separate donation portal webpage created as part of the Town’s overarching webpage. A payment portal will also be setup through UniPay, and these two items will be linked. These items are both currently under development. The intention is for this system to be live by the end of the month and to then begin an information campaign. The system is currently set up to receive donations for the Fund for Lexington, the Lexington Visitor’s Center, and the Cary Library Foundation. An additional fund, the George L. Gilmore Fund, was requested to be added by the Trustees as a catch-all for them. There is an option to add additional funds for temporary periods of time, if desired. Ms. Kosnoff explained that there is a processing fee associated with this process that will be charged to the person making the donation. There is also an associated fee schedule if someone makes a donation using a credit card. These fees are coming from the vendor processing the transaction. It will be mandatory for donors to enter their names and addresses. The form will also ask for donor’s phone numbers and email addresses for contact purposes. Donors will be able to enter information if the donation is to be made for a certain item or in a certain person’s name. Mr. Lucente suggested a fund be available for donations to the Town Celebrations Committee. Ms. Kosnoff noted that this could be set up as a temporary fund. In response to a question from Mr. Lucente, Ms. Kosnoff stated that the Treasurer’s staff has agreed to download the list of donors once a week, and that this information will be sent to the Select Board’s Office. There was consensus by the Board that thank you notifications should be sent to donors, even if making an electronic donation. Ms. Kosnoff invited the Board to continue to explore the system as it is being adjusted and getting up and running. DOCUMENTS: Donation Portal Update Information 4. Review and Approve Request for Historic Marker Commemorating Lafayette's 1824 Visit to Lexington Marsha Baker, Lexington Historical Society, stated that the wording for the marker will read: “Lafayette's Tour on September 2, 1824. General Lafayette was received on the Common and escorted to the monument, honoring the Battle of Lexington and its heroes.” This will be located at Belfry Park. Dawn McKenna, Chair of the Tourism Committee, explained that, as part of the Battle Green Master Plan, there will be some improvements made to Belfry Hill but, due to its topography, it is very difficult to make it ADA accessible. There will be accessible viewing area created along Clark Street with an interpretive rail. Ms. Baker noted that the new marker will be visible from the street. David Kanter, 48 Fifer Lane, suggested that the marker should look similar to the example shown from the town of Bolton. VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, the Select Board voted 5-0 by roll call to approve the request from the Lexington Historical Society for the installation of a marker at Belfry Park commemorating the September 2, 1824 visit of General Marquis de Lafayette to Lexington, as defined in the Monuments and Memorials Committee Report dated December 2, 2021. DOCUMENTS: Presentation - Lafayette Marker Request, Monuments & Memorials Report - Lafayette Marker, Letter of Support - Historical Society, Letter of Support - Economic Development 5. Update on Water Tank Replacement John Livsey, Town Engineer, explained that Lexington has two water tanks that provide pressure for the distribution system. Both are located on Morgan Hill adjacent to each other and accessed via Morgan Road. The smaller tank is a steel tank with a volume of one million gallons, and it is 88 years old. The larger tank has a volume of 2.24 million gallons and is 71 years old. The site is enclosed by a chain link fence with barbed wire for safety, keeping people away from the water tanks. Both tanks are in need of a recoating/repainting. The anchor bolts that secure the tanks to the foundation also need to be replaced. Due to the logistical issues surrounding these items, it is being proposed to replace the tanks. Replacing the tanks will be difficult due to the topography of the area. It is likely that one of the tanks will need to be moved to a separate location, and this land will likely need to come in the form of a donation or through a purchase. There are a few providers housed on these tanks, including Verizon Wireless, OMNI Point/T Mobile, Sprint Spectrum, Nextel Communications, AT&T, and Public Safety. These all include significant amounts of equipment. The leases for each of these expire at various times between 2022 and 2031. The providers will need to remove the equipment from the towers and provider buildings will need to be removed from the site. The towers are proposed to be replaced one at a time. Dave Pinsonneault, Director of Public Works, explained that an ARPA funds request was submitted for this project through the Town Manager’s Department. However, this project is still in the planning phase. In response to a question from Mr. Lucente, Mr. Livsey explained that the main purpose of the towers is to provide water pressure through the Town. The water in them is constantly replaced with water from the MWRA. There are mixers in the tanks, and they are consistently inspected. Without these towers there is not a supply of potable water for the community. In response to a question from Mr. Sandeen, Mr. Livsey stated that the Town uses approximately 4 million gallons of water a day. In response to a question from Mr. Sandeen, Mr. Livsey stated that the tanks should be replaced as soon as possible. There are some circumstances limiting the ability to do that, but it is hoped this will be completed as expeditiously as possible. In response to a question from Mr. Kanter regarding leaving the providers’ equipment in place on the water towers once they are no longer in use, Mr. Livsey explained that the space the towers currently occupy needs to be cleared in order to have space to stage and build the new tanks. In response to a question from Ms. Hai, Mr. Livsey stated that all property in Town is being examined for potential new sites for the water towers. 6. Discuss Select Board Committee Recruitment & Appointment Process for Current Vacancies Ms. Hai explained that this creates a quarterly advertising and recruitment process, both for open positions that have occurred since the last group of appointments, and also proactively for off-cycle appointments that come up. It was noted that Ms. Barry is working on revamping the entire policy during this interim process. There was discussion about how to search for certain important skill sets for different committees. Ms. McKenna, 9 Hancock Street, expressed concern regarding the proposed turnaround time in this process. She also stated that she would like for potential applicants to attend one or two committee meetings before actually applying. Mr. Kanter, 48 Fifer Lane, stated that committee chairs and members may want to look at their charges to ensure a skill set range that can be achieved with the varied committee members and how to fill any gaps. Ms. Hai explained that this will be discussed in further detail during a work session at a future meeting. DOCUMENTS: Recruitment and Appointment for Committee Vacancies The next regularly scheduled Board meeting is Monday January 10, 2022, at 7pm. ADOURN Upon a motion duly made and seconded, by roll call, the Select Board voted 4-0 to adjourn the meeting at 9:10 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kristan Patenaude Recording Secretary