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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1926-09-21364 REGULAR MEETING, Sept. 21, 1926. A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held at the Selectmen,s Office at 8:30 P.M. Messrs Custance, Burnham ,° Miles, Ballard, and Robertson were present. The Superintendent of Public works and the Clerk were also present. Mr. W. Roger Greeley, of Kilham, Hopkins & Greeley, came before the Board relative to the proposed office building to be in connection with the Memorial Building to be located on the Shaw-Plumer lot on Mass. Avenue between Grant Street and'Fletcher Avenue., He presented tentative plans of the location of the lot with the proposed memorial building thereon together with a connecting corridor to the proposed location of the office building. These plans were left for thq-consideration of ,,,the Board. Mr. Greeley stated that he felt the sum of $120,000 would be sufficient, this to include additional furniture which might be necessary, to cover the cost of the building. The Board decided to make a study of the plans, Mr. Ernest C. Martin, Mr. 0. G. Seeley, and Mr. Fred H. Moulton, came before the Board relative to the application of Mr. Martin for a third class liquor license. Mr. Martin has taken stops -to purchase the drug store owned by 0. G. Seeley, and he is desirous of obtaining g permit for the Bale of liquor upon preseriptions. Mr. Moulton stated that he had known Mr. Martin in Somerville for a number of years, and known him to be an honest and reliable man, and recommended that the Board grant him a license. References were received from Melvin & Badger Company and from the H. D. Huggan Drug Company, both of Boston, in which excellent recommendations were received for Mr. Martin. The Board therefor voted to grant Mr. Martin a third class liquor license to do business at 461 Massachusetts Avenue. A bowlingalley license was granted to Fred B. Bartlett, Bedford Street, to operate six bowling alleys at 466"Massachusette Avenue. The Edison Electric Ill. Company was granted permission to remove poles as follows: Mass. Ave., approximately 420 feet Southeast of Piddle Street 1 pole Mass. Avenue, approximately 240 feet South of Independence' Ave. "1 pole Mass. Ave., approximately 560 feet Northwest of Uharles St. 1 pole Mass. Ave., approximately 170 feet East of Bow Street 1 pole The Board decided to request the Middlesex & Boston St. Rwy. Co. to remove all poles and wires through the centre of the town, this is owing to the fact that the busses are now in operation and the wires have not been removed. k$ Letter was received from the C. & R. Construction Company relative to the condition at Rowland Avenue. They explained that it was necessary to blow a.large section of the worst kind of ledge. They stated that the engineers estimated for the removal of approximately 200 yards of ledge, and they have removed more than twice that amount already. They ' ask special consideration of the Board to this item of ledge, and requdst an equitable adjustment. No action was taken upon the request. The Chairman of the Board called attention to the fact that of the $200,000 bonds allowed to be issued for sewer construction, $191,000 has already been borrowed, leaving $9,000 to be expended. ' He desired to call the matter to the Boards attention in case they felt it necessary to•zhake arrangements for borrowing any further money. 110 action was taken upon'the matter. The.Superintendent of Public Works called attention to the fact that the cost of repairing and cementing the Harrington elm in East Lexington will be about x.35.00. He stated that the cost could be divided between the Lexington -Historical Society, Mr. Baldrey and the Town. The Board authorized the expenditure of this money upon the tree. The Superintendent of Public Works prepared figures showing the total cost -of $10,.221.61 for the installation of the Highland Avenue- drain. It was decided to request Mr. Everett S. Emery to rent the Harrington house, which was given to the Town through Frederick H. Rindge, so that the Town may receive some income from the property. Letter was received from Percy Raymond of Revere Street in which he informed the Board that the bell at the traffic signal at Revere Street has been ringing at intervals continuously for one half an hour and one and one-half hours. He stated that the Boaton & Maine R. R. Co. had been trying to regulate the signal, but did not seem to be successful, when the freight trains were changing, but the bell rings ' continuously at that time. Letter was written to the Boston & Maine R. R, Co. requesting definite action on this matter, inasmuch as they agreed and informed the Board that while the freight trains were switching, -the ringing of the bell could be discontinued. Letter was received from the State Department of Public Works 44 accepting the work done on Waltham Street from Concord Avenue to the Waltham Line. A warrant for the Collector of Taxes of $9,325.28 was signed to be committed to the Tax Collector for the collection of the betterment assessments on Bow Street, Carvilie.Avenue, Chase Avenue, Cliffe Avenue, Grant Street and Oakmount Circle. The Superintendent of Public Works was requested to file with the Chairman of the Board a statement of the detail cost of the work on each street previous to the mailing of the bills for the betterment assessments. The Board signed a certificate of reasons for the granting of State aid to Mrs. Viola C. Oliver of Medford Street to the amount of $8.00 per month. This request is made for regular payments. The Board discussed the matter of establishing building lines on Maes. Avenue and Bedford Street, and voted that notices of their in- tention to establish building lines on Mass. Avenue and Bedford Street be sent to the parties interested.. The meeting adjourned at 10:40 P.M. A true record, attest: Clerk. M8 REGULAR MEETING, September 28, 1926. A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held at the Selectmen s Office at 7:30 P.M. Messrs. Custance, Burnham, Miles and Robertsonwerepresent. Lir. Ballard reported at 9 P.M. The Superin- tendent of Public Works and the Clerk were also present. Hearing was declared open upon application of Daniel J. O'Connell for permission to erect a gasoline filling station at 16 Wobturn Street, This location is on a triangular shaped lot, bounded by Woburn Street, Fletcher Avenue, and the railroad track. Mr. O'Connell was requested to hring in a plan of the lot of land together with the location of the building proposed thereon, and the Board would then take some defi- nite action upon his application. Hearing was declared open upon the application`of John C. Phelps for permission to install a 2,000 gallon gasoline pump at the Colonial Motor Sales station on Bedford Street. Mr. Eugene Viano, owner of the Colonial Garage, .34 Bedford Street, came before the Board and objected to the granting of a permit to Mr. Phelps to install the gasoline pump. He'felt that the tanks at his garage are now, and will be in the future sufficient to accommodate all the trade in that line that is n c any. He also did not feel that the Board would be justified in gran i +�" Mr. Phelps when permits in other locations in the town opposite other filling stations had been refused. He felt that the Board would do well to limit the number of permits granted in the town. The Board declared the hearing closed, but did not take any action on the matter. Robert Cady came before the Board for the continuance of his hearing in regard to the extension of his piggery. At the meeting two weeks ago thb Building Inspector brought up the fact that Mr. Cady was building an addition to his piggery without a permit. The Board discussed the advisability of notifying Mr. Cady that they would not allow him to increase his business. Mr. Carl Hauch presented A plan of the lots in the vicinity in which he and Mr. Cady lived, and informed the Board that owing to the conditions of the'permit that a compost heap must be at least 500 feet from any building or highway, Mr. Cady was violating the terms of his permit, and therefor should not have a permit to keep pigs. No definite action was taken. In response to the request of the Board three members of the Planning Board, Mr. Frederick L. Emery, Chairman, Mr. William D. Milne, Secretary, and J. Henry Duffy, came before the Board in reference to establishing building lines. About two years ago the Planning Board ur#ed the Board of Selectmen to establish building lines all over the town, inasmuch as they felt that the twenty foot setback called for in the Zoning Law was.not sufficient, and perhaps not legal. Since that time the Planning Board have been working on securing releases from owners of property on Bedford Street and on Massachusetts Avenue from Cedar Street to Clarke Street, and no further action has been taken. The Town Engineer has brought up the fact that it would not seem wise to bring before the Town the acceptance of building lines on all streets in resident sections, while the Zoning Law called for the twenty foot setback, otherwise the townspeople would not believe that the Zoning Law was of any use. The Town Counsel stated that he had gone over cases, and advised the Board that if they proceeded to establish the building 1 1 lines under the law authorizing the establishment of building lines, the abutting owners would be entitled to damages, while under the Zoning; Law they would not. He stated that he had looked up several cases, and it would seem that the strength of the Zoning Law was growing from the evidence he secured. Mr. Emery stated that he had talked with Mr. Edward T. Hartman, who is an authority on Zoning matters, and Mr. Hartman felt that the Board would be perfectly safe in working under the Zoning Law, inasmuch as the Zoning Law has been upheld in most all cases. Mr. Emery stated that he was also convinced that the proper procedure would be to simply act under the Zoning Law, and 'to establish a building line only on Massachusetts Avenue in the business section where the Zoning Law does not establish a line. The Board felt also that this was the proper action to take, and it was decided not to notify the abuttors on building lines. The Planning Board, however, were to proceed upon the plan of establishing the line in the business section on Massachusetts Avenue. Mr. Frederick L. Pinery, as president of the .yield and Garden Club, made a request to the Board of Selectmen that the Supterintendent of Public Works be instructed to cause to be removed all advertising signs and all political posters in the town, and that the Board request Mr. Neil McIntosh to remove and not to replace signs advertis- ing his property on the public utility.poles and on the highways in the town. Mr. Emery stated that he questioned the right of anyone to use the public utility companies poles, and felt that they should be notified, and the Police should be requested to tear down all of these signs. ' Mr. Finery also requested the Board to take action in regard to the grass borders between the streets and sidewalks in the town, and requested that the following vote be passed. Voted, That grass borders between sidewalks and all streets except those in active business sections, are an important feature of highway development and the Supt. of Public Works and Supt. of Streets are requested.to see that all existing grass borders be preserved so far as possible from damage in the construction and repair of streets and that where they do not already exist, they be constructed where prac- ticable, where sidewalks already exist or are built, and they are also requested to see that all contracts and con- tractors are drawn and instructed to like effect, also that in I)lacing all poles the companies doinC the work, carefully remove 4nd replace the sod and sidewalk material. Eo action was taken. It was voted to rescind the vote passed at the last meeting in regard to the rental of the Harrington House, owing to the fact that the Town has not yet voted to accept the gift. Letter was received from H. R. Bygrave, attorne-,r for Mrs. Annie McMakin of Cambridge, informing the Board that he has examined the Building Law of the Town and could find no reason why Mrs. McMakin should not be allowed to erect the house of the Pope and Cottle Cc . on her land in Lexington. The Building Inspector stated that the plans now filed with him conformed with the Buildin Law except that he felt that a hatchway from the kitchen to the cellar should have an outlet, to the outside wall, but the plan did not call for this. He questioned whether he had the right to with hold the permit, inasmuch M as the Building Law does not require the outlet. Mr. W. Roger Greeley, Chairman of the Committee on the revision of the Building; Law, came before the Board and stated that he felt that this was a Board of Health regulation, and that if this hatchway were allowed with no outlet from the cellar, it would become a menace to health, inasmuch as anything could be thrown in and there would be no means of cleaning it out. He felt that the Building Inspector should inform the parties building the house that if they did not'have" a bulkhead into the cellar, that the house would be condemned by the Board of Health. Mr. John F. Lovell, of the Lovell Bus Line, Inc, came before the Board and informed them that at the hearing before the Public Utility Commission the Commissioner infoxmed him that it was debided`:in three cases similar tothis that the applicants should go back to the Boards of Selectmen of the towns, and request that they grant the license with proper restrictions, and that the Board of Public Utility prefer that the license be granted restricting the Lovell busses from making stops from the Concord Railroad Station to Arlington Heights. After discussing the matter, the Board voted to grant the Lovell Bus Line, Inc., the right to run its busses through Lexington from thb Lincoln line to Arlington Heights, with the restriction that no stops be made from the Concord Railroad station to Arlington Heights. Special police commissions were signed for Robert Smith and Franklin P. Simonds of Grove Street. Alcohol Licenses were granted to the Standard Oil Company of N.Y. for the sale of denatured alcohol at 5 Massachusetts Avenue and Bed. ford Street at the Manor Crescent. The meeting was ddjourned at 11:00 P.M. A true record, Attest% Clerk. M `t7 OMW "s7 1 1