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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1934-09-11112 SELECTMEN'S MEETING SEPTEMBER 111, 1934 , A regular meeting of the Selectmen was held at the Town Office Building, Selectmen's Room, at 7:30 P.M. Messrs. Trask, Ferguson, Gilcreast, O'Connell and Lyons were present. The Clerk was also present. Hearing was declared open on the application of Colwell Bros. for permission to maintain a one car garage at the corner of Simonds and Preston Roads and a one car garage at Colwell the corner of Bernard and Ivan Streets. garages Mr. Colwell appeared and presented plans of both garages which had previously been approved by the Building Inspector. No persons appeared in oppostion and it was voted to' grant the permit. Hearing was declared open on the application of Charles E. Ferguson for permission to maintain a one car garage at lot 16 and 17 Blake Road. Ferguson Mr. Ferguson presented p lan of the garage. Garage No persons appeared in opposition and it was voted to grant the permit subject to the approval of the Building Inspector Water lien commitment in the amount•of $54.67 was signed Commitment by the Board. Mr. Frank Mara came before the Board in regard to the bill for the stock that was damaged by the drAin into the Pichette block in vh ich he is a tenant backing up into the cellar of the building. The bill amounted to $160.54 and he stated that this was for the wholesale cost to him of the goods damaged. He stated that the Highway Department carried away the refuse from the cellar and that even the tonic bottles he could not use because a great many of them were smashed so j' that they were a total loss to him. Mr. Mara stated that he J did not have any invoices because his business was done on a 1/ cash basis and this list was as near as he cold come to the loss. He also stated that this was not all of his loss. He Mara Claim had a refrigerator that had to be fixed and owing to the Pact for that the refrigerator did not belong to him, he had to stand Damages. the expense of fixing it. He stated that for two days there was five feetcof water in the cellar. After Mr. Mara retired, the Board discussed the matter and felt that Mr. Mara was giving an honest statement of the material he had lost and t'-iat there could be no further proof obtained, and decided to authorize the Chairman to offer Mr. Mara $100, in settlement of the bill. Juror James L. Barrington of Bloomfield Street was drawn as a Juror for the Civil session. C 113 Application to board two infants was signed for Mrs. Esther Melvin of 6 Vaille Avenue. License Notice was received from the State Department of Health in which it was stated that the rate for boarding is tients at Sanatorium the. Rutland State Sanatorium has been reduced from $16.50 per Charge week to- $10.50 per week. , Agreement between the City of Waltham and the Town of Lexington, in which it was agreed that the City of Waltham may enter upon Walnut Street in Lexington and install a ten Inch water main at the end of the present ten inch main in Walnut Street to the Town of Lexington line, approxi mately 1035 feet -as shown on a plan entitled "Waltham Waterworks Proposed Connection between Lakeview High Service Water System and Town of Lexington Water System, Woburn Street, Waltham, Mass., January, 1932, Henry F..Beal, City Engineer", this line to supply an emergency line for the use,of the City of Waltham, they to pay the cost of the water.furnished to them by the Town of Lexington. The Chairman reported that the Chief of the Fire Dept. desired to put in a fire alarm box f the residents of Haskell Street, and in order to do iuwould be'necessary to have the Edison Company install poleso n the street for the wires and the Chief took the matter up with the Edison Co, and they were willing to install the poles providing the Town will authorize the installation of the electric lights on Haskell Street. Water main Waltham St. Street Lights Haskell St. & Fire Box. The Board voted to insert an article in the warrant for the next•Town Meeting requesting the installation on this street. Neil McIntosh and Mr. Albert A. Ross came before the Board and discussed the matter of water guarantees. Mr. McIntosh had with him all the detail of the payments made by him to the town and future payments to be made. He gave figures of what he had been paying since 1919 on water guarantees. He stated that he had always kept his contract and he had paid all his guarantees up to and including last year. He felt that the Town of Lexington had handled the water guaranty situation different than any other town had handled it and in this manner he has paid for each extension instead of the tract of land being taken as a whole. Mr. Ross explained that whenever 250 feet of water main is extended in a street, for instance, Mr. McIntosh would pay a guarantee on that 250 feet, and if a further extension was requested at a later date of 300 feet, that extension would be handled as a separate extension. In other towns, Mr. McIntosh stated, they would take the tract of land as a whole and credit the guarantees paid on any of the streets in that tract. He stated that in some.instances now he has already paid a sufficient amount which should be credited against some of the other streets in the development. McIntosh water guarantees 114 Mara Bill Election Officers Insurance The Chairman reported that Frederick H. Tullar talked with him in regard to not having been appointed an election officer inasmuch as he had served the Town in that capacity a great many years. He felt that the fact that his work was not satisfactory had not been called to his attention. He felt that he needed the money and would like to be appointed an'Election Officer if possible. The Chairman explained that Mrs. George M. Davie stated that she was willing to give up her appointment and he. ree ommended therefor that Mr..Tullar be appointed in her.g lace as Deptty Warden of Precinct Three, and the Board so voted. Letter was received from Willard C. Hill calling atten- tion to the fact that the Gurney heater at the Cary Branch Library was not insured under Policy P.P.-55023 and calling attention to the fact that the policy could be endoraed to cover this heater -for $17.46 for three years. The Board discussed the matter and it was decided not to endorse.- the policy covering this heater. cn - n He gave figures showing the decreased assessed value of the Cary development since he took over the property, also , the Fair Oaks Development and in these developments there was a net to the Town of J117,000. taxable property. He felt that the town had made an extension on Lowell Street, for in- stance, without having any guarantee paid and therefor he felt that it was not fair for him to pay in all instances. Mr. Ross stated that on Spring Street, it was the only section that they were grouping all of the water rates to credit against the guarantee. Mr. McIntosh was asked exactly what he would like .to have the Board do, and he stated thathe would like to have the en- tire extensions wiped out as far as that is concerned,or he should like to have it figured o n the basis that is now being paid for new extensions under the Betterment foRm. He will have to pay the guarantees for seven years more. He felt that he should be given some consideration. I The Board requested him to get all his figures together and give them a definite statement that they could have before them to work on at the meeting next Tuesday evening. After Mr. McIntosh retired, Mr. Ross was requested to figure out the extensions by grouping the streets together in a development and crediting the payments made by Mr. McIntosh to see what could be worked out at the next meeting inasmuch as it was felt that Mr. McIntosh was entitled to some con- sideration. ' Bill of Edward H. Mara for painting the doors of the Car Memorial Building and Town Office Building in the amount of 1220.48 was approved. The Chairman reported that Frederick H. Tullar talked with him in regard to not having been appointed an election officer inasmuch as he had served the Town in that capacity a great many years. He felt that the fact that his work was not satisfactory had not been called to his attention. He felt that he needed the money and would like to be appointed an'Election Officer if possible. The Chairman explained that Mrs. George M. Davie stated that she was willing to give up her appointment and he. ree ommended therefor that Mr..Tullar be appointed in her.g lace as Deptty Warden of Precinct Three, and the Board so voted. Letter was received from Willard C. Hill calling atten- tion to the fact that the Gurney heater at the Cary Branch Library was not insured under Policy P.P.-55023 and calling attention to the fact that the policy could be endoraed to cover this heater -for $17.46 for three years. The Board discussed the matter and it was decided not to endorse.- the policy covering this heater. 115 Application was received for An Overhanging Sign from the Town Paint and Suprly Co., Tavye Sandler, toplacea sign at 1749 Mass. Avenue. The matter of overhanging sign's was discussed and Mr. Lyons felt that it was about time the Board stopped granting permits for overhanging signs in the town and that they should start in to eliminate some of the signs and this would give a better appearance to the town. The Board felt that if this was to be done, that they should consider eliminating all of the signs. After discussing the matter the majority of the Board voted in favor of granting the permit to the Town Paint and Supply Co. Mr. Lyons requested to be recorded as voting against grant- ing the permit, Letter was received from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Liquor. Commission calling attention to the fact that all the salesmen for wholesale dealers and manufacturers of liquoro must have a permit from the Commission to sell to retail dealers and re- questing that the attention of the retail dealers be called to this fact. Letter was received from the Town Accountajit calling atten- tion to a bill of the Lexington Plumbing and Heating Co'., of $8.07 for 1933, which he did not honor out of the 1934 appro- Bill. priation. He also enclosed copy of letter from the Dept. of Corporations backing up his decision in the matter. Mr. Gilereast called attention to the parking signs near the taxi stand on Mass. Avenue. He stated that they were mis- leading owing to the fact that ensign stated that no parking was allowed and the other sign stated that there was no parking Parking between signs. He felt that there should be one sign marked signs. for the taxi stand for the five cabs and the other marking no parking. Mr. Scamman was requested to make the change in the signs. Invitation was received from Albert A. Ross fnr the members of the Board to attend the convention of the New England Water- works to be held at the Hotel Statler Sept. 18, 19, �O, 21. He Waterwork enclosed a program showing that our Town Counsel, S. R. Wright- Conven- ington, will read a paper on the subje.et of Betterment Assess- tion. ment Method of Financing Waterworks Extensions, on Thursday, Sept. 20, and that Mr. Ross himself would read a paper on the subject of Freezing and Thawing of Water Mains. Supt. of Public Works reported that he had put a steam shovel in on the Pleasant Street job today and the Chairman Pleasant requested that he divert the traffic so that nothing but the St. Con - Greenough trucks that have'to haul the gravel be allowed to go struction. through and the persons living in that section. Suggestion was made to the Supt. of Public Works that he request permission to place a sign in Belmont at the bridge 116 1 CA where persons driving to Lexington come over Belmont Hill to di- vert the traffic at that point. , Complaint Mr. Lyons called attention to the complaint that he..had re received about the cement mixer operated by the George Fuller Cement Company at the Boston and Maine Freight yard near the Center Mixer. railroad station. The Chairman informed the Board that there is not going to be a cement mixer but that this was simply a storage place for the cement shipped in by freight on the side track at the freight yard, then to be loaded into the trucks of the Fuller Company. The cement was to be used on the construction of the new Concord Avenue highway and the storage would probably be there only forty days. The Clerk reported that Mr. Spencer, Assistant Assessor, desired to call attention to the fact that there were several suits brought by residents of Concord Avenue against the State Concord for damages for land taken for the Concord Avenue highway. He Avenue, was called upon to testify in the case of Mrs. Culler who was awarded damages of $5500 which he felt was excessive for the land taken. He felt that the Town should be represented in these cases in Court. The Board felt that they had no jurisdiction in the matter owing to the fact that the State Dept. of Public Works is hand- ling the entire matter. hip. Mitchell came before the Board and presented applica- tion for Military Aid from Morris Sears of Belmont who was in- jured in an automobile accident and is now unable to be out. 'Sears He recommended that he be paid $50. a month Military Aid, and Case. he was informed by the State House that in addition to this he might render Soldier's Relief as a supplementary aid, the same pending the settlement by the Insurance Company of his claim for injury. Mr. Mitchell reported having received application for aid from Luther Thompson who lives in.the Ryder house at the corner of Lowell and North Streets. The man came from Medford to Lexington August 15, 1931 and has worked for various contrac- tors as a carpenter. He was injured and paid compensation in - Thompson. surance for one year and one-half. He went to Washington and worked there on some Government buildings and apparently the Town of Medford who had been aiding the family, gave him funds to return although they did not admit.having done so. The family consists of the man, wife and three children and appar- ently they have a settlement in Medford. Mr. Mitchell recommended $10. per week for this man and the Board so voted. John Barnes. The chairman informed Mr. Mitchell that John E. Barnes was to be employed as a special police officer on the Pleasant , Streetjob at $4. a day for a five day week and that he was not' to reeive any further aid. The meeting adjourned at 9:25 P.M. A true record, Attest. Clerk. �7 C] 117