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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1934-03-27 559 SELECTMEN'S MEETING ' MARCH 27, 1934. A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held at the Selectmen' s Office, Town Office Building, on Tuesday, March 27, 1934 at 7:30 P. M. Messrs . Trask, Ferguson, Gil- creast, O'Connell and Lyons were present. The clerk was also present . The Board signed a statement approving the transfer of Cemetery $1500 received from the sale of land in Westview Cemetery for Trust the maintenance of the cemetery. Funds Abatements for the Water Der�artment in the amount of $180.26 and abatements in the Sewer Department In the amount Abatements of $10B .63, also abatement in the Sewer Construction Account of $9 .55 for crackedpipe were signed by the Board. It was voted to appoint the following as Special Poli e officers of the Town for the year ending April 1, 1935: bpecial Police Mr. Arthur J. Rocque 41 Grant Street Mr. Edward J. Hogan Cambridge Water Basin, Lincoln Mr. George A. Knight Middlesex Co. Sanatorium Mr. Frank Peters ft ft n Mr. Chester Neal rr 'r It Mr. Horace M. Howard Cary Library Mr. John J. Collins Woburn Street Mr. Alex Ohlson 88 Bedford Street Mr. John J. Garrity 9 Hancock Street Mr. John Campbell E. h. I. Co. , 39 Boirlston St . , Boston Mr. Ralph H. Marshall 1833 Mass. Avenue Mr. Dennie H. Collins Cottage Street Mr. Mark Dodd Sherman Street Mr. Charles A. Manley 67 Woburn Street Mr. Jacob Haid Pleasant St . & Concord Ave. Mr. John G. Fitzgerald 20 Bedford Street Mr. Charles M. Blake York Street Mr. John Fopiano 6Q Muzzev Street Mr. Leonard Jellis Ward Street Mr. Edward W. Taylor 49 No. Hancock St . ur. Charles E. Moloy Webb Street Mr. Edward L. Meany Metropolitan State Hospital in Lexington Five Selectmen Mr. Roland H . Garmon Stone Building Mr. Theodore A. Custance Bedford Street 560 CA C.4 C) 1.01 Pero It was voted to grant permission to Philomena Pero to overhang- have an overhanging sign over her restaurant at 1781 Mass . II hag sign. Avenue providing she files the proper insurance . At 8:00 P. M. , hearing was declared open upon the applica- tion of Elwine and Rudolph Reinaffor permission to maintain Garage a two car garage of frame construction at 189 Spring Street . hearing Mr. Reinap was present and presented his plan. No per- sons appeared to object, and it was voted to grant the permit subject to the approval of the Building Inspector. Alcohol It was voted to grant a license to sell Denatured Alcohol License to Herbert M. Lawrence at 1777 Massachusetts Avenue . Letter was received from the Town Counsel in which he Taylor stated that the Taylor tax appeal for 1932 was dismissed, also Tax that the 1933 tax appeal had not been entered, and he under- Appeal stood that the 1933 tax would be paid promptly. Letter was receive from th Middlese Cou, ty . anatebri in w ch it was 'stated th Walte ebster f Gr 't pe was se 4t to the Westboro ane F6s tal. x w�'s Pr ood that h ,1933 tax Wculd/be p id promptly. / Letter was received from the Middlesex County Sanatorium Webster in which it was stated that Walter Webster of Grant Street II State was sent to the Westboro Insane Hospital. It was understood Hospital that he atempted to cut his throat therefore he was removed. Letter Wvs received from Officer Neal in which he gave an account of destruction of property of Mrs . Marshall at Property the corner of Marrett Road and Waltham Street on October 31, destruct-1933 amount to $ 127.63. The damage was done by local boys, ion and it was felt that as long as the boys did not have a record that it would be well not to summons them to Court if they would make restitution. One boy made restitution but although the parents have been called upon many times, they have not settled, and he inquired what the Board desired to have done . The Board discussed the matter and decided to write to the Chief of Police instructing him to proceed with the proseccu- tion of the boys . Letter was received from the Nelson B. Crosby, Represent- Senate ative of the 28th Middlesex District, in which he acknowledged Bill the letter of the Chairman expressing the fact that the Board #260 were in favor of Senate Bill #260, and stated that the bill had been practically rewritten but was not yet available and that he would communicate with the Board later in reference to the matter. Letter was received from the Parent Teacher' s Association II requesting the use of Cary Memorial Hall on May 18th for a gen- eral international program, free of charge. 561 The Board felt that they would like to obtain further information in regard to the meeting before making any de- cision, and the Chairman agreed to talk with Mrs. Wm. G. Hall Potter in regard to the matter. Notice was received from the National Safety Council Safety calling attention to the broadcast on safety on March 28th Council at 2:00 P . M Broadcast Letter was received from the P . W. A. authorities seeking additonal information in reference to the awarding of the contract on the trunk line sewer. Sewer The Chairman stated that the information was being trunk line prepared. Letter was received from the Board of Assessors in which they called attention to the fact that their request to have the streets numbered has not been granted, also that they Agpegag red would like a large up to date map of the Town to fit the frame in their office. In reference to the numbering of the streets the Chair- man stated that a request that this work be done under the C . W. A. projects had been made, but now that the C . W. A. work is to be Liter on April 1st, it was decided to make the request under F . E. R. A. It was decided to order a large map for the Selectmen' s Office, the same to be hung on a roll on the wall. The Chairman informed the hoard that it would not be possible to make a charge of $25. for a beer and wine license to the Lexington Golf Club. inasmuch as the charge cannot be less than $100. It was therefore voted to make the charge e for a club for beer and wine 100. It was voted to make the Club liquor cbarrre for a club for all alcoholic beverages, 2000. license It is understood that an application`will be made; by the Minixte Man Go4f Club for beer and wide license, but the ap- plication forhis license and that of the Lexington Golf Club not having been filed, it was voted not to take any actiOn: The Chairman called attention to the fact that the mem- bers of the Board were invited to attend the banquet given by theiPolice Department on April 3rd prior to the Policeman' s -Police Ball to be given in Cary Hall. banquet It was voted to increase the salary of the Chief En- gineer of the Fire Department from 1500 to $800 a year, also to establish a salary of $200 per year for Mr. Edward W. Taylor Salary as Forest Warden the same to start on April 1st, 1934. Letter was received from the Town Counsel in which he enclosed form of deed to be used in dealing with the Riparian 562 cTi 0.4 Brook Owners on Brown' s Brook. He stated that there would have to ' A r8e_ be a different form for the Town of Arlington and an agree- gments ment would have to be made with the Boston & Maine hailroad, and the Shea' s would have to be dealt with separately. Letter was received from the Town Counsel in reference to allowing the city of Waltham to put a water main in "'alnut Walnut St .Street, in which he stated that there was no legal objection gater to an agreement for this purpose providing the title to the conn. pipe is vested in the Town of Lexington and Waltham acquires no right to enter upon the street to alter or repair it after it is once laid. Upon receipt of further Information in reference to the matter the Town Counsel was to draw the agreement . Mr. Edward O'Connell of Utica Street came before the Board to apply for the position of Wire Inspector. Wire He stated that he had been a electrician for fifteen Inspector years and had been in the general contracting business, worked for the Boston & Maine Railroad Company and this winter he worked for five weeks for the town operating the machine to thaw the water mains, and he was the only man that could oper- ate the machine . The Board informed him that they were not sure that they will make a change in the appointment, but if they did they would consider the application. Letter was received from the Town Accountant in which he gave figures showing a balance on hand of $69,469.66 after Revenue taking out the revenue loan just secured. He explained the loan payments coming due between now and May 1st of $248,547.50 and recommended a revenue loan of $150,000. be authorized and payable December 20, 1934. The Board voted to authorize the loan as recommended by the Accountant. The Chairman explained that there was a break in the water main in Chandler Street and in the old three inch pipe between Water Meriam Street and Upland Road. Twelve families were shut off pain as a result of the break, but Mr. Ross was to install a gate handler so that all but one house can get water, and he will furnish St' water through the hlTdrant for that house. The Board voted to authorize the Supt . of Public Works , to replace the broken main, with an 8" pipe, at an early date. FERA It was voted to appoint Robert P. Trask, Chairman of the Adminis- trator Board of Public Welfare as F. E. R. A. Administrator. tra Attention was called to the fact that the appointment Members of Associate Members of the Board of Appeals could not be of bd. effective until the by-law accepted by the town was approved of APpeslsby the Attorney General and published. 563 Mr. Mitchell came before the Board and reported that Charlbtte M. Williams had been admitted to the Boston City Hospital on March 7th for a confinement case. He received Williams word from the Hospital about the matter and he informed them case that Mrs. Williams not having made application for assistance and her husband being a regular employee of the Highway De- partment, he did not see row anything could be done toward payment of the bill. One year ago Mrs. Williams did the same thing and endeavored to have the Town pay the bill after her confinement . The Board voted to deny all responsibility in this case. Application was received from Harry G. Campbell who is now living at 1 Meriam Street with the McCormack family. Mr. Wood of Wood' s Greenhouses has been aiding him and said that he was a fiord worker if he was working alone, but he did not want to have anyone working with him and Mr. Wood was un- able to help him any longer. Campbell Mr. Mitchell recommended giving him not over $6. a week case assistance and the Board voted to approve this allowance. In regard to the apx.lication of Manuel G. Rose, Jr. of Waltham Street who had been employed on the C . W. A. , the eRg8 Agent reported that Miss Harrington had visited him and en- deavor is being made to get a proper truss for him from the government inasmuch as he was injured on C . W . A. employment, and until the trusp is obtained, the Board agreed to allow :6. per week in this case. Mr. Mitchell reported that Michael A.uP;sro is atilleliv- ing, 3n_ Waltham and he therefore wo ld cease aiding him. Pero ease Mr. O'Connell stated that he understood Mr. Pero had gone to work in Waltham in a garage. Mr. Mitchell reported in regard to the MacDougall rent at 37 Rawson Avenue that they presented rent receipts show- ing that they had paid November and December rent, 1933, and that they had paid 615. in March, 1934. McDougall Mr. Mercadante agreed to reduce the rent from $25. to case $20. per month. The MacDougall family consists of five children and their budget allowance for food alone amounts to almost $12. a week and the man only got t12. per week on C . W. A. Mr. Mitchell recommended that the rent be paid for Mr. MacDougall and the Board voted to pay the $20. per month rent . In regard to the case of John Kelley of 8 Muzzey Street, he is now receiving $8. per week on C . W. A and receives 16. Kelley per week from his son. Mr. Kelley requested additional aid, case but it w s voted not to grant anything further until it was decided how much the F. E. R. A. will slow for families when it is established. 564 cri Owl The Board felt also, that with the various commodities that had been given out, the family should be able to get along on this allowance. In regard to the application of Paul Callahan, whose Callahan father Bartholomew Callahan recently died, Mr. Mitchell re- ported another problem which could be settled when the F. E. R. A. is established. Dr. Hardcastle informed the Agent that George G. Balduf has a double hernia and should have a truss which is of better Balduf construction than that which the State desired to provide. He stated that Miss Harrington, the Social Worker, would en- deavor to see if the State would not provide a better truss inasmuch as the doctor stated that the man should not have an operation at his age and that this was the only way in which he could be helped. In regard to the case of George J. Stylgles who has six Stygles children at home and two at school and was earning tl2. a case week on C . A. A. , Mr. Mitchell reported that he now has his house in a Home Loan Bank and is to pay $9. a month . It was decided to see what the F. E. R. A. would bring forth for this case also. Mr. Mitchell presented a summary of commodities furnish- ed to families in Lexington through the Federal Emergency Re- lief Administration. The Clerk presented the correspondence and records in reference to the acceptance of the signs given to the Town by Holmes Sarah Eddy Holmes in memory of her father and it was evident signs that the Board had voted to accept the signs. Miss Holmes request was that the name of her father he placed on the signs in place of the Board of Trade. The Board felt that as long as they had accepted the signs, they should complete the transaction by having this done . Letter was received from the Supt. of Public Works, who was present at the meeting, in which he recommended that a concrete slab be used with pipe rail at each side rather than Bridge to rebuild the wooden bridge on Sherman Street. Sherman The Chairman report=d that Mr. T . A. Custance wanted to St. build a wooden bridge over Sherman Street inasmuch as he felt that at some later date when Vine Brook was widened that it might be necessary to build another bridge . Supt . of Public Works stated that he intended to do the work with Town men and that Mr. Hawley was capable of building forms . The bridge would be nine feet by forty feet and he would use eight inch concrete slabs . After discussing the matter it was voted to have the Town Engineer draw up a plan of the proposed work to be done on the 565 bridge so that the Board could have estimates given on the cost of doing the work. Attention of the Supt . of Public Works wss called to the Hole in hole in front of E. C . Martin' s Drug Store and he was request- street ed to have the same fixed at an early date. Supt . was req ested to Bret bids on the sand and gravel, gasoline, oil, and road oil and printing requirements for the year. He also was regiested to procure information for the Board as to the towns and cities in the State that used Various Bermudez Asphalt . bids Mr. Scamman has always recommended this asphalt be used on new highways inasmuch as he felt that it was less expen- sive on maintenance even though the cost was eight or nine cents a gallon higher than other asphalts. He felt that the State Engineers do not recommend the use of it on the high- ways because they are not interested in the cost of mainten- ance after the street Is constructed. In reference to the water lien which was presented by the Water Department to be filed against the property of Stevens Mr. Rupert Stevens, it was voted to instruct the Supt. of water rates Public Works to collect the water rates from money owed to Stevens by the Town. Letter was received from the Teacher' s Club requesting the use of Cary Memorial Hall free of charge on May 4th for Cary Hall a concert and dance. It was voted to grant the use of the hall for the mini- mum fee of $15. Supt . of P' blic Works reported that. F. E. Thayer of Winter Street claimed when the blasting operations were in nro,ress , that a seam stns opened up in his cellar, causing *tater to flood part,of the eellar14 Investigating the mat- Thayer ter, the Supt. found that a small stream of water was run- damages ning through the cellar and Mr. Thayer had made an opening in the wall to allow the water to run into a pipe and ditch which he has constructed. The Supt . stated that for a small expense of pipe, the water could be connected with the catch basin to be installed in Winter Street . He also called at- tention to the fact that when the blasting was done on Winter Street, two panes of glass were broken and a window frame was cracked in the house of Mr. Thayer. These he would arrange to have fixed. The Board discussed the matter of doing the work on private property such as piiing into a catch basin on the highway and decided to lay the matter on the table for the present. 566 1-4 The Chairman reported that at the meeting at the Middle-' sex County Sanatorium this past week, proposal was made by the Mdsx.Cty.County Commissioners to expend $1,000,000. for an addition to Can. the Middlesex County Tuberculosis Hospital. The Board felt that with the charge made for the board of patients and the County tax for the building and repairs to the building, that it was costing the Town enough for the board of patients, and itwwas voted to go on record as op- posed to an additon to the Middlesex County Sanatorium at this time . The Chairman reported that the Mass . Avenue sidewalk job Sidewalk done under C . W. A. was almost completed and that three of the job;DWA men have gone back to their own work, being Donald Wilson, John Bailey and James Irwin. Letter was received from McClintic Marshall Corp. in which it was stated that they had made up a detail of the bracket to be used on the anchor bolt on the steel standpipe and submit- Standpipeted it to both Mr. Ross and J. R. Worcester Co. and J. R. Wor- cester Co. approved and liked the revised detail better than the original, and that they woul send copies of the revised drawings as soon as the changes could he made . They also reported that the cost of the silt top for the inlet and outlet connection made of welded steel plate would be 45. The Board voted to approve the 5. charge additional for the silt top. Letter was received from Mrs. Cora,Dempsey in reference to the work to be done on Valley Road, asking that the stone wall be set back on her property and the shrubbery be replaced in the same manner in which they were before the relocation Valley Rd-of the street was made . Chairman advised her that this would be done. That Chairman stated that work on Valley Road would start this week. Mr. Gilcreast reported that he talked with Mrs . James Meehan in reference to the insurance of her husband and she Meehan informed him very definitely that there was only 4219.61 re- ceived from her husband' s insurance and that she paid $150. to Thomas Montague. This information was 'obtained in reference to the rumor that Mrs . Meehan had received $2000. insurance. Mr. Gilcreast also reported having visited Mr. Murphy, old age recipient, at 37 Rawson Avenue, about whom report was received last week that he was not paying his rent to Mr. Murphy Mercadante. Mr. Murphy' s grandson produced rent receipts showing that he had paid his r-nt all during the year 1933 and had made a payment in 1934. Mr. Gilcreast informed the grandson that the money given to the grandfather for Old Age was for his own care and not for the support of the grandson and if it were used as such, it would be taken away from him. 567 The meeting adjourned at 10:05 P. M. A true record, Attest: Clerk. 111 1