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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1934-11-20 192 c-� CD SELECTMEN'S MEETING NOVEMBER 20, 1934. A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held at the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building, at 7:30 P. M. Messrs . T ask, Gilcreast, Ferguson, O 'Connell and Lyons were present. The Clerk was also present. License. Hairdressing license was -ranted to Jessie B. Barker to operate a '-,eauty parlor at #4 Waltham Street. Abatement of the Public Welfare Department was signed Abatement. in the amount of $405.53 covering the cases of Arthur Silva, Clifford Endres , Dwig' t Allen and Ralph Pomposo. Board of Health Abatement was signed in the amount of Abatement. p27. on the E A Cross case which had already been paid by t4e County Commissioners. Hearing was declared open on the joint ietition of the Pole New England Te. & Tel. Co. and the Edison Elec. Ill. Co. for Location. the location of one pole on School Street. No persons ap- peared to object and it was voted to grant the permit. The Board voted to authorize the abatement by the Assessors of the sewer assessment tax on the property of Abatement. Mary A. Walsh at 2243 Mass . Avenue in the amount of 413.66 And interest at 44.92, on 1934 tax bill, owing to ,the fact that she is a widow and unable to pay the tax. The Board verified the granting of an Auctioneer 's License to Jay Q, Richards of 31 Hancock Street owing to the License. fact that license was granted on Saturday to Mr. Richards by permission of three members of the Board so that he could do business on Monday morning. Letter was received from the Middlesex County Sanator- ium relative to the establishment of a Chadwick clinic in the Lexin ton Schools and stating that Dr. Martin would com- municate with the Chairman in reference to the atter. The Clerk talked with Dr. Martin and he stated in brief, that Chadwick the clinic would be established in the hi h school building Clinic in free of charge and that all the children from the ages of Public twelve to eighteen would be examined with the permission of Schools. the parents. Owing to the fact that all(of the children of this age are in the one school building, there would be no transportation cost and that the Tubercular test is the only test made and having done over one half million and having ha no danger from the tests, the School Department were anxious to have the clinic established and after the examinations are made, the underweight children are closely L 193 followed up. The Board voted to sign the letter requesting the establishment of this clinic in the Lexington Schools. Letter was received from the Supt. of the Water and Sewer Department in which he called attentitn to the fact that in the past local plumbers had been accommodated by selling to them pipe, brass goods, and other plumbing sup- Stock plies and he recommended that the practire be discontinued Sold to owing to . he fact that the stock is paid for out of the Plumbers. appropriation and it diminishes the stock. Also that the plumbers compla n of the price owing to the fact that the Town uses a heavier type of brass goods than they use and they expect to have the pine sold to them for a purchase price upon which the Town receives no return for the man's time in giving out the stock and making a record of his work. The Board voted to acept the recommendation of the Supt. Letter was received from Mr. Ross in which he stated that Annie T. Malone of Cambridge signed a guarantee bond for the Bridge Street Extension and has paid 5 years guarantee. The total amount paid to date is "67.85 and the balance due is $503 . She informed the Water Department Malone that she was fprced to turn over her lot of land to Neil Request McIntosh asshe was unable to keep up the payments and Abatement. she therefore has no interest in the lot and requested an abatement . The Board felt that it might be possible that Mr. McIntosh would return the lot to her at a later date and therefor did not feel that the water guarantee should be abated, and it was decided to so inform the Supt. of the Water and Sewer Department. Letter was received from the Lexington Cooperative Bank requesting an a ,atement- of the highway betterment as- Eaton sement at 23 Eaton Road of $180.42 owing to the fact that Road the bank was put to the expense of $800. for retaining Assessment. walls on the street line and _iad to lower the garage under the living room two feet and place new-ramps on the front piazza and a new ramp on the garage. The Board decided to tale the matter up at the next meeting when the Town Engineer would be present. The figures prepared by the Town Engineer on the cost of constructing Farm Crest Avenue and Kendall Road were pre- Farm sented, the total cost of the construction being $9772.33 Crest Ave. and showing the individual assessments to be made. Kendal1Rd. It was decided to send this to the owners of the 111 property for their signatures so that a hearing can be held on the application for the acceptance of these streets . 194 01 ca CD Letter was received from Paul W. Dempsey calling at- tention to the "Children-Go Slow" signs that he desired to have placed near his property on Spring Street inasmuch as Slow Signs . he had six children going. to the Lexington schools and it is a continuous source of danger on account of the high speed that the automobiles pass by his house. The Board voted to request the Supt. of Public Works to have the signs erected as requested by Mr. Dempsey. The Board considered the matter of renewal of dena- tured alcohol licenses in accordance with the new ruling of the Alcoh, lic Beverage Control Commission that a bond of $200. must be filed with the Town for any license is- o ed. Owing to the fact that that Law has been amended to require the renewal of these Licenses on January 1st rather than on April 30th, and most all of the applications for alcohol ha e been renewed, _t was voted to renew the Alcohol remaining renewals of all licenses and hot require a bond Licenses. to be filed until December 31st when the renewal applica- tions are ar-ain taken up. It was voted therefor to renew the following licenses: M. J. Aruda, 329 Mass . Avenue; Richard Whittemore, corner of Lincoln Street and Marrett Road; C. H. Faulkin,^ham, 3 Bow Street. In regard to the applicat on of the Town Paint and Supply Co. , this being a new application, it was voted to require that a bond be filed before the license was g^anted. Letter was received from the Town Counsel in which he gave a report of the dec _s ion in the Mary E. Lowe case on the violation of the Building Law and reported that the Court did not order the demolition of the building occupied as a dwelling 1-ut did order the removal of a shed which Lowe Case . was constructed this year in the rear of the dwelling. As the shed constructed was al arently on someone else 's land, he did not believe that the Board should enforce this part of the Court rder to have her remove this shed. as it was only used as a woodshed. The Town Counsel, however, did suggest that when the Building Laws are amended that they provide that no buildinr- erected for a purpose other than that of a dwellin, all thereafter be used for the purposes of a dwelling without a permit. The Building Committee was informed of the Counsel 's suggestion. Leter vr':s received from the Town Counsel in which he enclosed check of ; 38..20 for the costs which he collected Smith Case. in the Harrison E. Smith case, violation of t_ie Zoning Law, and in wkLci e gave statement of witness fees in the amount Of $40'.:.40 which wire to be paid by the Board. BIl1 in the amount of $212. for Counsel ' s services in the Harrison E. Smith case was approved. 195 Letter was received from the Town Counsel in reference to the Pasquale Moretti case. He enclosed a bill for $31.75 for services in this ca -e . He stated that owing to the fin- ancial condition of the family, he made th(- bill small and he has also collected that a aunt from the defendant which Moretti he will turn o-'er to the To "n. Case. The Board voted to ap- rove the bill of "'51.75 for ser- vices in this case. Letter was received from the Torn Counsel in which he stated that he had delivered the check of 4400. to Guiseepe Ch1uccar- Chiuccariello and had recorded the deed from him to the Town iello for the land at the co"ner of Bow Street twh ch the Town Property. voted to acquire for park purposes . Memorandum was received from the Supt. of Public Works iving the report of the Asst . Town Engine r on the damage by blasting to the house owned by "Jilliarn D. MacDonald on Blasting Waltham Street. Damages . It wa voted to deny any responsibil ty fur damages in this case. Report of the Health Inspector on slap-Lterin- for the Slaughter last three months vas received and placed on file. Report. Application was received from Philomena A. Pero of the Home Dining Room, requesting that a common victuallers per- mit for the sale of herr and tea nes be granted at 1781 Mass . Ave. License The Board discussed the matter aed it was decided to for the have Mr. Lyons check up with tie Alcoholic Beverage Commis- Sale of sion as to hetler or not if the Board of Selectmen reject a Beer & license what grounds their objection should be on and if an Wines. application was made to tme Alcoholic Beverage Commission that may grant the license over the Selectmen' s a thority. Mr. Scamman reported in rea. d to the :Le ting before the Metropolitan Distract Comrission that it was intended to have another meetin owing to tae fact that only fifteen Meeting towns attended the leetin and eight were in favor of the • on Water. change in the eethol oz: proced --e and seven arai_nst. The proposal was to ma'-e a flat rate charge for the amount of water used by each town rather than baseng the ci arge on the valuation. Application was received from John F. Lovell, Treas- urer of the Lovell Bus Lines, Inc. for Permission to op- erate busses on the following route: At the junction of Applicatior. Mass. Ave. and Pleasant Street in East Lexington over for Bus Pleasant Street to the new Concord Highway to Arlington- Line. Lexington line. The Board felt that no permit should be given until after the Pleasant Street highway was constructed and it 196 01 co rn n voted to lay the matter on the table for the present. It was voted to authorize the Town Engineer to renum- ber all the streets in the Town except Mass. Avenue which has already been renumbered. Letter was received from the Supt. of the Water and Sewer Depart. in which he called attention to the fact that a fire occured at 3 A. M. on November 17th in the building used for storage at the Cickle Brook drainage job, and the Fire to building costing approximately $100. was destroyed, also a Water Dept.great many tools and clothing belong to some of the men. Building. He estimated the loss to the Town approximately $500. and stated that they are now constructing another building of the same size and desired to know whether it was advisable to place fire insurance on the building. The Board discussed the matter of placing insurance on the building and decided to leave the matter to the Chairman to find out what the cost would be. It was voted to renew the following insurance: Elmer A. Lord & Co: - $30,00Q on blanket fire insurance ex- piring December 5th; $12,000. Sprinkler leakage expiring December 17th. Robert Whitney - $20,000. fire insurance expiring on December 5th. In regard to the renewal of $20, 000. fire insurance formerly issued through the office of A. A. Marshall & Son, Insurance. expiring on December 5th, it was voted to give this to W. Benjamin C. Meady. The Clerk was also requested to report to the Board the amount of insurance taken away from Mr. Marshall in- quired how much more the Board was going to take off his account. The Board felt in view of the circumstances, that Mr. Marshall had a considerable share of the Town's insur- ance and that they could still afford to reduce his schedule. In regard to the fire insurance of $10,000. expiring through the office of Neil McIntosh on December 5th, it was voted also to give this renewal to W. Benjamin C. Meady. Cobb, Old Old Age Assistance application of Bessie B. Cobb was Age. referred to Mr. Gilcreast for his attention. Durant Request was received from Mr. Robert E. Durant for ad- Old Age. ditionsl Old Age Assistance. No action was taken on the matter. The Chairman reported that the U. S. Dept. of Agricul- ture were willing to expend funds to destroy the elm leaf beetle in Lexington, and a survey of the Town was made and 197 designated on a plan prepared by the Supt. of the Moth Depart- ment showing the infested areas. In accordance with General Laws, Chapter 132., Section 25, the Selectmen may authorize the Supt. of the Moth Department to go upon private property Elm Leaf to destroy the elm leaf beetle, and in order to have the Beetle. work done as mapped out the Board voted to authorize the Supt. of the Moth Department to destroy the elm leaf beetle within the limits of the Town. The Chairman called attention to the fact that the Bedford Band had been granted considerable free use of the hall during the winter months and it would be necessary to carry heat all day long in the Cary Memorial Building. so Use of that it will be warm enough for the evening, and that only Cary Hall about 200 children had been attending the concerts. It for Bed- was felt that if the concerts continue, that the Board ford Band. should not grant the free use of the hall owing to the cost of heating and lighting it. It was decided to check up on the concert to be held on November 21st to see whether or not any further allow- ance of the use of the building would be made. Mr. William Dailey came before the Board and stated that he got his letter in regard to the fire hazard of the place occupied by him, and owing to the fact that he was put to considerable expense he did not feel that if the Board made a mistake in granting him the license that he should be out the cost of the tables, which stood him about $350 or $400. He stated that he found out the tables could Dailey not be moved without being stripped and it would cost him License. between $120, to $130. to have the tables covered if they were moved and he could not seem to find another suitable place in the town. He stated that he appreciated the Board's granting him the lieense in the first place, but only operating for one month he could not get his money back. He asked whether or not the firemen could not still keep a watch on the place and allow him to go on. He stated that he was making a little money but he could not get his money back in one month. The Chairman reported that he would take the matter up again with the Chief of the Fire Department to see what could be done. Mr. John D. Holley of 85 Taft Avenue came before the Board and presented communication from the Supt. of the Water Dept. in which he gave him in a letter dated April 12, an estimate of $90. for the connection of his property Polley to the sewer. Two weeks after that he got another letter Sewer dated May 1st in which he was informed that the assessment Assessment. for the sewer had already been made on one side of the pro- perty and he would therefore pay $55.80 to have the sewer service. On this ground he made application for the sewer service and the matter was taken up in a warrant for a town 198 CAO C71 CD meeting and the sewer connection was made on the Tarbell Avenue side and he received a further letter dated in Oct- ober informing 'him that the sewer assessment would be $60. He paid the cost of the sewer connection and was very much surpirsed when he received a bill assessing him $108.81 and after taking the matter up with Mr. Ross, he received a letter stating that Mr. Ross would take the matter up with the Selectmen this evening. Mr.. Ross apparently had forgot- ten about the matter and was not on hand to make a report. The Board informed Mr. Polley therefor, that they would take the matter up next week when Mr. Ross would be present. Mr. Ernest Martin came before the Board and stated that he desired to request a reduced rate of the $150. paid by druggists for liquor licenses, owing to the fact that they were not making sufficient money to pay this fee. He stated Druggists ' that he understood the Town of Beverley were making a out Liquor in the rate charged to druggists and most people go to pack- Licenses. age stores except on Sunday when they have to have a prescrip- tion. He stated that he felt the fee of $150. was too much and $50. was sufficient to pay. He gave figures starting with Jan. 1st each month of the amount of the business he did, Making a total of approximately $2200. out of which hie gross profit was approximately $682. Taking out the license fee and various taxes that he would have to pay would leave him a gross profit of approximately $482. for the year. Out of this there should be taken either 27 or 28 per cent for over- head. He called attention also to the fact that New Hampshire is selling liquor a great deal cheaper than Massachusetts and a great many persons go to New Hampshire to purchase their liquor. 1 The Chairman called attention to the fact that the Little Theatre Guild used the hall on the 19th and the Clerk informed him that the bill for the use of the hall had not been paid although they agreed to pay for it on that date. Instructions Payment were then given to the janitor to collect the money before for use the show went on and he himself came to the hall to find out of Hallo if he had been paid and the janitor had not received any money. He therefore told him to close the doors until the fee for the use of the hall was paid and finally they were able to obtain $27. and the doors were opened leaving it to the janitor to get the balance of the amount out of the receipts. In view of the circumstances, it was voted that all pay- ments for the use of the hall should be made 48 hours in advance unless it is to be used by local persons known to the Board. The Chairman called attention to the fact that the girl scouts desired the use of Estabrook Hall on December 12th and asked for the reduced rate. It was voted to grant the use of the hall for $3.00. 199 Mr. Mitchell reported in regard to the case of John E. Barnes. that Mr. Barnes ' son son is now at Fryeberg Academy without any expense to the family and that $25. per month rent is being paid for the family so that the bank will not Barnes press the foreclosure on the property and they received $9. Case. cash aid. He stated that owing to the fact that the son is not, now with the family, he feels that the budget of $5. for food is sufficient and therefor recommended that no fuel be granted in this case in response to the request for fuel. The Board voted that fuel be not granted in this case. Mr. Mitchell reported that he went to see Mrs. Sarah Devine twice and was not able to get any response. She is being aided $6. per week, Old Age Assistance, and request Devine had been made for fuel. He stated that he received applica- Case. tions from her son for welfare aid. He recommended granting fuel to the son, Lawrence Devine, and the Board so voted. Mr. O'Connell reported that Mr. John H. McHarg of 31 No. Hancock Street has a daughter Grace, who had been sent in to the psychopathic hospital and they turned her out. There appears to be no question but what she is mentally not right. His son lives in New Hampshire and is willing Grace to take the father, but will not take the daughter. McHarg. The matter was referred to Mr. Mitchell to look into the matter to see whether or not the daughter can be com- mitted somewhereefor care. The meeting adjourned at 10:10 P. M. A true record, Attest: Clerk.