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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1929-01-08A REGULAR MEETING, JANUARY '8, 1929. A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held at the Selectmen's Office at 7:30 P.M. ' Messrs. Burnham, Chamberlain, Custance and Robertson were present. The Supt. of Public Works and the Clerk were also present. Mr. Robert B. Lutes and Mrs. Cecily I. lutes came before the Board and stated that they had purchased the Kendall property at 271 Marrett Road. They stated that they carne here from New York state and desired to make this place their home, but they also desired to rent rooms to tourists Lutes appli- and to serve meals, and to sell gifts and antiques. They stated that they understood that the previous cation. owner had rented the rooms to tourists and a roadside stand had been operated upon the premises. Zoning Law. They stated that the house was a two family house, but they desired to discontinue the use of it as such. They stated that the outside appearance of the place would be lire a home except that they would like to have a sign up designating the premises. The Board decided to advertise a public hearing under Sections 15 and 16 of the Zoning By - Law. '. It was voted to request the Director of Audit Accounts to make an audit of the 1928 accounts of the Town in accordance with the vote of the Town Accounts. at the Town. Meeting, March 26, 1928. Certificate of the vote passed by the Town Representative authorizing the Selectmen to petition the Legis - Town lature for an act for Representative Form of Town Meeting Meeting was signed by the Board. At 8:30 P.M. hearing was declared open upon the application of Harry L. Coolidge and Letitia Efnor for a permit to install two tanks of 5,000 gallons gasoline on lot #3 at 10Y and 109 Mass. Ave. Mr. Coolidge stated that in 1918 he had a permit to keep gasoline. He presented a plan showing the layout of the lots but he did not have Harry L. a plan of the building to be erected. He stated that the land was in the business district and he Coolidge felt thathe was entitled to a permit to use the land, inasmuch as he had to pay taxes upon the hearing, same., Mr. Stephen J. Dolan, 1091a Mass. Avenue, gasoline.. appeared before the Board to object to the filling station, stating that there were enough of them now ' in the ficnity. Mrs. Hilda B. Dolan, 109-V Mass. Avenue stated that she had seven children and she felt that anotbbr station would endanger the lives of the children. Mr. Frank J. Clare, 1072 Mass. Ave. stated that his property was back of where the filling station was to be e located and he objected. Mr. Charles A. Cummings, 113 Mass. Avenue, also objected to a filling, station, stating that there are now too many in the vicinity. Mr. George F. Mellick, 70 Mass. Avenue, also registered his objection as did Mr. Penney on Brandon Street and Mr. George H. Kearns, Brandon Street. After the Board heard the objections, i -t was decided to lay the matter on the table for one week. The weekly report of the Supt. of Public `forks is as follows: For the week ending January 5, 1929. Highway Dept. The following streets were cleaned and covered with gravel, which was spread and leveled with the road machine; Nonth Street, Burlington Street, Robinson Road, and Grove Street. On Massachusetts Avenue, a great many hydrants have be°n exposed to the danger of beigg broken by automobiles or trucks driven too close or for other reasons. Because of this danger, the department has placed a piece of grar&& curbing on the sidewalk line in front of a number of these hydrants. Report of Gutters and catch basins on a number of streets Supt. of were cleaned. The sewer trench in Woburn Street was again trimmed and leveled. Public Works. - Street signs have been erected at Eliot Road, corner of Pelham Road, Bennington Road,, corner of Eliot Road., and Carville Avenue, corner of Oak Street. Parallel parking signs were set on the south side of Massachusetts Avenue, from Clarke Street to Grant Street. For next week it is planned to continue the reg- ular maintenance work such as patching street surfaces, cleaning gutters and catch basins, surfacing the outlying streets with gravel and such wther work as may be necessary) Moth Department. Gypsy moth nests were treated with creosote in the Town Woods near Lincoln Street and in Lowell Street and School Street. Park Department. Regular maintenance work carried on in this department. D 7 Water Maintenance. About 300 ft. of 12" pipe have been laid in Mass. Avenue. One water service has been installed for Walter Black on Bloomfield Street. The work contemplated for the week ending January 19 is as follows: continuation of the -laying of the 12" main; water and sewer services, etc. Engineering Department. Sewer. 8 Completion of 10 sewer plans of/different streets (1928 construction.) Water. Line for 12" main in Bedford Street between Elm Avenue and Mass. Avenue. Highways. Assistance to E. N. Montague in locating Meriam Street boundaries near 'York Street. Miscellaneous. Survey at the junction of Lowell & Woburn Streets extending 200 feet in all directions. Completed three plans to be used in the study of lighting systems at Woburn Street and Lowell Street and Ma.rr6tt Road and Waltham Street and along Mass. Avenue and Bedford Street, from Waltham Street to Elm Avenue. Re -arrangement of card index system. Measured granolithic fronting Aldrich block and Post Office on Waltham Street and Massachusetts Avenue. very truly yours, William S. Scamman Supt. of Public Works. Organization Mr. Francis Chamberlain suggested that Mr. printed. in Scamman include in his report for the Town Renort Supt.'s Report. the schedule of organization which he made this past year so that the townspeople might familiarize themselves with the orgaAization of the Town. Letter was received from Mr. Edwin B. 'Worthen in which he suggested that 600 c. p. lights be placed Increase at the junction of the following streetsA in 1 at Bedford. St. opposite end of Elm Avenue. 1 at Bedford St. at Hancock Street. C. P. of street 1 on Muzzey Street near Mass. Avenue. 1 on Waltham Street near Mass. Ave. lights. l on Grant Street under R. R. tracks. 1'on Woburn Street at Fletcher Avenue. IN The Supt. of Public "forks has already placed 1 - 600 c. p. light at the junction of Elm Avenue and Bedford Street, but the suggestion of placing these lights in other locations was acknowledged with thanks to Mr. Worthen. ,. Inasmuch as there seemed to be a controversy at the Town Meeting of a bill of $1200 of the American LaFrance Fire Engine Company owing to the fact that the Engineers of the Fire Dept. clai,red that the report of the Committee on Investigation of Fire and. Water Departments was wrong, inasmuch as they claimed negligence on the part of the Firemen in the care of the American LaFrance Fire Engine Co. apparatus, while the Fire Engineers contended that they were not to blame for the bill of $1200 for work on the American LaFrance Fire Engine Co, engine, The American LaFrance Fire Engine Co. had written n 1 1 Owing to the fact that the owners of property on Prospect Hill Road, Simonds Road and York Street were not notified that they could come in and apportion their highway betterment tax when the bills were sent to Interest on them under date of Nov. 16, 1928, it was decided to charge interest only from Jan. 15, Highway 1929, inasmuch as the letters requesting them to apportion their bill were not sent out Betterment until December 27, 1928. This method was recommended by the Tax Collector, inasmuch as Assessments the error was made in the Selectmen's Office in not sending out the letter with the bill. The Tax Collector and Town Accountant were notified to this effect. . The following licenses were signed.: lst. Class Agentfs License, Fred N. Viano, 400 Mass. Avenue. lst. Class Agent's License, William G. Murphy, 25 Mass. Avenue. Pasteurization of Milk License, Arthur S. Tyler, 29 Maple Street. Pasteurizatton of Milk License, Patrick Shanahan, Licenses 60 Pleasant Street. granted.. License to Transport Garbage, Henry A. Ferreira, -East Boston. Commonwealth of Mass... Dept, of Correction, West Concord, Mass. Thomas J. Carroll, Burlington, Mass. John F. Bolduc, Lowell St., Burlington, Mass. In regard to the application for the use of the Cary -Remorial Building, it was voted to authorize the Clerk to sign all licenses for the use of the halls in the building. Inasmuch as there seemed to be a controversy at the Town Meeting of a bill of $1200 of the American LaFrance Fire Engine Company owing to the fact that the Engineers of the Fire Dept. clai,red that the report of the Committee on Investigation of Fire and. Water Departments was wrong, inasmuch as they claimed negligence on the part of the Firemen in the care of the American LaFrance Fire Engine Co. apparatus, while the Fire Engineers contended that they were not to blame for the bill of $1200 for work on the American LaFrance Fire Engine Co, engine, The American LaFrance Fire Engine Co. had written n 1 1 a letter to the Investigating Committee stating that the Fire Dept. were responsible for the bill owing to the negligence of the members of the Dmpartment. ' t appears from the records that the Fire Department paid the bill of $1200, in spite of Fire the fact that they stated in Town Meeting that the members of the Department were not respon- Engineerts sible. It also appears that the contract with the American LaFrance Fire Engine Co. guarantees all of the parts except for negligence for the Conference. care of the apparatus. This question having been brought up, it was decided to request the Fire Engineers to appear before the Board on Tuesday evening next at 9 P.M. and talk over matters relating to the Fire Department with the Board. Arrangement to The Supt, of Public Works was instructed to make some arrangements whereby the voters Check Voters. could be ehecked when entering the Cary Memorial 11. Letter was received from the Town Counsel in which he explained th't there are three Town Counsel cases, namely, Ella Louise Lawrence v. Torn of Lexington, Caroline A. Harrington v. Town. re. of Lexington, and George A. 'Moods, v. Town of Lexington, still pending. He desired to . ' Cases Pending know whether the Board would lice to have the cases brought to trial. The Board decided that they do not believe they would instruct the Town Counsel to bring these cases to trial. Letter was received from the County Commissioners in which they stated that it was their intention to establish a tuberculosis hospital near the present State Hospital in Hearing the area of Walnut Street. The Board believed that this was a very Tuberculosis good place to have the tuberculosis hospital located, but before taking any action they Hospital decided to notify the County Commissioners that they were friendly toward the location of the tuberculosis hospital in this location,- ocation,but butthat they would consult with the Town Counsel and have him advise them what action they shou3d take. 1t was decided to notify w. A. Bazeley, Supt. of state Forester, th�.t Osborne J. Gorman was appointed as Supt. o`f the Moth Department of Moth Dept. the Town of Lexington, subject to his approval. appointed. Abatement in the amount of $202.85 was Abatement, signed in connection with the sewer tax on the Sewer, Russell Russell House property, the abatement being House Property made on 13,000 sq. ft. of land. 12 Letter was received. from the Sunt. of Public Norks in which he stated that on some of the private ways where snow was removed, gravel should be placed to fill the ruts for the removal of snow. Gravel The Board felt that this practice would ' be a very poor one to enter into, and advised on the Sunt, of Public Works that they felt that the snow plow should be adjusted to that it Private ways would not cut into the ruts on these streets. The Supt. of Public Works reported that Balcony he would set aside the rear part of the centre for rear balcony in the Gary Memorial Ball for school the School childreii. children. The Board requested him to have a sign printed SO that this section could be marked off at'Town Meeting time. i Letter was received from the Lexington Gas Company giving the rate charged for gas in the Town of Lexington. Nothing was done about the matter, inasmuch Lexington as the Chairman reported that he talked with one of the Arlington Selectmen who informed him Gas. Co. that the Town of Arlington is going to endeavor to have other towns cooperate in an effort to Hates. get the gas rates reduced. Highway The Board approved the bill of $474.00 ' additional compensation insurance on the highway Compensation department. in regard to the application of William A. Granfield., plan was presented showing location of pumps on his property on both extreme ends of Wm. A. Gran -the property on Marrett Road and Spring Street field, locating the pumps on the street line. gasoline The Board decided to inform him that if he tanks. would place the pumps back approximately 40 feet as designated on the plan that a permit would be granted. Discussion yeas- hadr.in^regard to�the abatement, Neil of tax on Prospect Hill Road. Mr. Custance reported that he had spent an McIntosh re hour with Mr. Neil McIntosh, the Supt. of Public ',Norks and the -4381t. Town Engineer in an endeavor is Highway straighten out the matter so that it would not take further time with the Board. Betterment Discussion arose as to whether or not if a lot such as Lot #68 which barely touches the new Assessment. construction receives only a partial benefit, can it again be assessed in the future if a street ' is constructed by that lot. 13 In other words, if a small portion of lot #68 is assessed at this time because of the eons' struction of Prospect Rill Road and at some time later Plachusett Drive, including the short ' branch past lot #68 is built, can a betterment be charged at that time against lot #68. The matter was referred to the Supt, of Public Works to take up with the Town Counsel. Mr. Custance reported thf�_t he was at the Concord Court when one of the officers of the Town had some of the boys up for discharging fire Police Officers arms within 200 feet of the highway, and the officer seemed. to be extremely weak as far as prosecuting his ability to prosecute the case was concerned. He felt that the matter should be taken up with cases in the Chief of Police and request hi -i to see that his men be instructed more completely in the court. prosecution of cases. 'The Supt. of Public works reported that now that the Trask sewer had been connected up, Mr. Trask will not allow Mr. Ripley to enter the Trask & Ripley sewer on his property. The Board, after discussing the matter, Sewer. felt thot a mistake had been made in not putting the sewer in the sidewalk and in fact in not putting in a deeper sewer at that point inMa.ss. Avenue which would be a section that would be completed when a sewer is constructed in Mass. ' Avenue. The question arose as to how they are now going to solve Mr. Ripley's problem. Expenditures Information was received from Pyr. Albert A. on water Ross, Supt. of the Nater Department, giving the mains in expenditures on water mains.in private ways private ways. for the past five years. `hater &Sewer Commitments were signed for water charges commitments in the amount of $1383.36, and sewer charges in signed. the amount of $12.65. Yater & Sewer Abatement was signed for the water Depart - abatement. ment in the amount of f146.92, and Sewer Depart- ment in the amount of 478.29. The meeting adjourned at 11:50 P.M. A true record, Attest: n Clerk.