Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1931-07-28 129 SELECTMEN'S MEETING JULY 28, 1031. A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building; at 7:30 P.M. Messrs. Trask, Custance, Blake,, Shannon and Gilcreast were present. The Supt. of Public Works and the Clerk were also present. Mr. Russell I. Prentiss came before the Board and reported having made an inspection of the Ballard piggery and talked to Mr. Ballard about how soon he would be getting rid of his pigs. Mr. Ballard agreed that he would talk with Mr. Allen, who was one of the objectors to the odor. Mr. Prentiss stated that even if Mr. Ballard got Ballard rid of his pigs, he would still collect pig manure piggery that he would purchase some other place. Mr. Ballard informed him that there were so few horse stables that it was almost impossible to buy horse manure. There Would still be the odor while he was putting this on the land and pl@wing it in. Mr. Prentiss stated that he would see Mr. Ballard again to see what he had done. Mr. Prentiss reported having talked with Mr. Nicholas Shea again, and was informed by him that he Shea re probably would not stay in the house on Cedar Street vacating any later than the next two weeks. The reason that house. he is to staff' there during that time is that Mr. White has requested him to take care of the horses at the Town Farm while Mr. Higgins goes on his vacation. Mr. Prentiss reported that he had not visited the Mulvey property as he felt that perhaps some of the members of the Board had visited it during the week after receiving copy of the Town Counsel's letter. Dr. Shannon reported that he had visited the premises and felt that it should be cleaned up. The Board considered the order prepared by Mr. Vincent, of the firm of Bolster, Vincent and Wrightington, and voted to send the order to Mrs. Delia Mulvey after the Chairman had conferred with Mr. Robert H. Holt, Attorney for Mrs. Mulvey. Mulvey The order is as follows: order. July 1931. Mrs. Delia Mulvey 15 Boston Avenue West Medford, Mass. ,Bear Madam: In the opinion of the Board of Selectmen 130 of Lexington, acting as the Board of Health, the several privy vaults situated on the property owned by you at numbers 2, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 Vine Street, Lexington, and at the rear of number 20 Woburn Street, Lexington, are offensive and injurious to the Public health, and the Board declares said privy vaults nuisances and forbids their continuance, and you are hereby ordered at your expense to remove said privies within one month from this date. You are further ordered to have suitable water closets installed in said properties within on e month from this date, said water closets to be connected with the sewer in cases where said properties abut on a public or private court or passageway ih which there is a common sewer opposite thereto, and where there is no such common sewer, said water closets must be connected with proper cesspools. Yours very truly, By Order of the Board of Health, Mr. Prentiss reported that he had been to the premises of John J. Hicks on School Street and Mr. Hicks now has two pigs and desired to keep two Hicks re more. He felt that it would not be a hardship for pigs. Mr. Hicks to keep only two pigs and recommend that the permit be not granted. The Board, therefor, voted not to grant the permit. Request was received from Robert Cady, Greenwood Shield for Street for a shield on the street light in front of street light. his house. The request was referred to the Supt. of Public Works for his attention. Innholders Innholderts License was granted to the Lexington license. Inn doing business at 283 Massachusetts Avenue. Letter was received from Robert P. Clapp, Trustee Use of Cary of Isaac Harris Cary Educational Fund in which he Memorial enclosed copy of a letter received from the First Church Hal . of Christ, Scientist, requesting, the use of Cary Memorial Hall for a religious event for which no charge was to be made for admission. Mr. Clapp enclosed his reply in which he informed Mrs. Esther Howe Burtch that he did not believe that the hall could be used for this purpose. In regard to the Ellen A. Stone property, Mr. Custance presented the plan showing layout of the 131 prppertyt AS it could be laid out for house lots, same having been drawn up by the Town Engineex. He presented figures showing the cost of a proposed ' street in the layout. Stone He felt that Mr. Holt should come before the property. whole Board to discuss the matter of value of this land,, The matter was referred to the Chairman to talk with Mr. Holt about coming in before the Board. Letter was also received from the County Commissioners in regard to the widening of Bow Street They advised that they felt a long time had elapsed Bow since they started the layout on the street .and the Street. proper thing to do now was to advertise a new hearing, and they set September 4th as a date for the hearing. The matter was left with Mr. Custance for his attention. The Board considered the request of Mrs. Ida H. B. Capper that a fence be built oh her property inasmuch as the wire fence had been torn down when Waltham Street was widened by the County Commissioners. Mrs. Capper There was an award of damages of $100. to re fence. Mrs. Capper according to the decree and she is willing to waive the $100. providing a fence is built. She complained that persons drive in on her property into the driveway and park and this is a source of annoy- ance to her. The Supt. of Public Works reported that it would cost about $150. to construct this fence, and the Board therefor instructed him to have a fence con- structed when she signed a release of her property. Commitment of sewer rental charges in the third Water and section in the amount of $196.13 was signed by the sewer com- Board. Also commitment for water rates in the third mitment. section in the amount of $3109.25. Consideration was given to item ##21, being the metal locker building insured for $700. on the blanket Insurance. schedule; also to #25, being the wooden booth insured for $100., and the Board decided to leave both of these items on the schedule. Letter was received from the Department of Corporations and Taxations quoting the law in reference to Tax Titles. In order that the Town may lax Titles purchase all the Tax Titles, a By-law should be passed giving authority to do so. The Clerk reported that Tax Titles are purchased by Henry T. Chadwick of Dorchester, and that persons whose property has been purchased by Tax Title have to pay an exorbitant amount to redeem the property. After discussing the matter the Board felt that the depression would probably be over by the time this was considered by the Committee on By-laws, and i 132 therefor decided not to do anything about the matter. Mr. Blake reported that an interest charge is allowed of 8 per cent and that a reasonable fee is allowed for looking up a title. Supt. of Public Works presented a letter advising that he has had a request for water and sewer service Request for in the property of James R. Smith located off Mass. water and Avenue near Locust Avenue. He estimated about 1500 sewer feet of water and sewer mains would be required in the extension. property and he estimated the cost of the water main as $3000. and the sewer as $6000. The Board decided to inform Mr. Smith that they would recommend to the Town that water and sewer extensions be made in the property. Request was received from Mr. M. Bowman Judkins for extension of water mains in Francis Street a Request for distance of 400 feet inasmuch as he contemplated water main building two houses right away. He wouldlike the extension. extension made within the next six or eight weeks. He estimated the cost as $1000. The Board felt that this matter should be laid on the table until the Board of Survey layout was made. The weekly report of the Supt. of Public Works was received. Application was received for Old Age Assistance Old Age for Addie E. Palmer, boarding at the home of Wilbur Assistance. Atwood on Plainfield Street. Mr. Gilcreast took the al: lication and stated that he would visit the applicant. Application for a position in the Town Office Building was received from Edna Welsh, Hayes Lane. The Clerk reported that Miss Spencer might be Position, taken into the Selectmen's office when the Assessor's Town Office work is completed and that there will be no need of Building. hiring anyone else at the present time. The Board decided to refer the matter to the Chairman and, the Clerk to attend to. The Clerk reported that Mr. Arey Greenblott has Junk not yet paid for his Junk License, although he came License into the office and stited that he would pay some- thing on the license on Tuesday of this week. It was decided to give Mr. Greenblott an opportunity to pay the amount in installments, but he must pay the full amount of the license. The Board signed license for extension of the Golf Sunday Miniature Golf at the Smith Bell Farm oz License Bedford Street. 133 .Letter was received from John T. Hossfield complaining of the crowing of the roosters owned by Ellis Lee on Ward Street and the nuisance and health menace caused by the hens being so near his place. Complaint re The Board discussed the matter and read the hens, Ward opinion of the Town Counsel on whether or not the Street. keeping of hens was considered a business in a residential district. It was stated that Mr. Lee kept these hens before the Zoning Law went into effect. The Board elt. that the nuisance caused by the keeping of the hens could be handled by the Health Inspector and referred the matter to him for his attention. The Chairman read a letter from Willard C. Hill in reference to the insurance on the Town Buildings. Mr. Hill gave some decreases which could be made in the schedule and also some increases which he Insurance recommended should be made. schedule. The Board decided to have a copy sent to each member eo they could study the letter and discuss it at the next meeting. Mr. Trask reported having attended the hearing on Zoning and billboards. He stated that a man by the name of Mr. Burnham, representing 32 organizations Hearing on in the State, spoke at length and made a particular Zoning & point that the local control of billboards under the Billboards present law was adequate and he urged that the bills prepared by the Legislature be not passed. Mr. Trask stated that he spoke on the billboard proposition and they requested him to send in a letter giving-Aore information, which he agreed to do. Mr. Blake brought up the condition at Somerset Road Park, which lies between Somerset Road -and Somerset Road Hayes Avenue, and stated that each year the bushes park. there are trimmed after the milkweed is in blossom and they blow over onto his premises. Each year the milkweed there spreads. He asked that the place be trimmed before the milkweed pods break open, and that this be done each year at this time of the year. He stated that it should be done this week. Mr. Blake also called attention to the property ort;ned by him at 10 Manning Road. He stated that he Cesspools on fixed the cesspool on this property, and that cesspools Manning Rd. on other property must be running into a drain inasmuch as the stench in that vicinity is dreadful. The matter was referred to the Health Inspector for his attention. The Clerk presented a copy of Chapter 458 which is that act of the Legislature passed in 1931 in 134 reference to State, City and Towh ownership of automobiles. When Mr. E. W. Taylor made the request about insurance being carried to protect him while he was at a fire, the Board advised him that they would await whatever action was taken by the legislature. The renewal of the town automobile insurance which is carried under a blanket p5licy comes up for renewal on August 19th and inasmuch as information had been received from another town that the town had no right to carry automobile insurance, the matter was left with the Chairman to look into. The Board signed notice of intention to establish the exterior lines of "A" Street from Mass.Avenue southeasterly a distance of approximately 556 feet. The Board signed notice of intention to establish the exterior lines of "C" Street from "A" Street southwesterly a distance of approximately S42 feet. The meeting adjourned at 9 592 P.M. A true- record, Attest: Clerk. I