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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1936-03-16 361 S1T,FCTMEN 'S MEETING MARCH 16, 1936. A special meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen 's Room, Town Office Building, at 6:30 P.M. Chairman Ferguson, Messrs. Potter, Giroux, Clark and Ross were present. The Clerk was also present. The Chairman brought up the matter of designating salaries when the appropriations are made at the Town Meeting. He stated that it was the opinion of the Question of Director of Accounts that separate accounts should be specifying kept if the salaries were specified in the votes and salaries in he thought that it was a poor practice to continue. votes. The Chairman stated that if the Board insisted upon separating the appropriations, there was a question whether or not Mr. Russell could do all the work. Mr. Giroux stated that he was in favor of having Mr. Ferguson get the sense of the Meeting and if he thought the Town Meeting Members were so disposed, to proceed to present the votes without specifying the salaries and he made a motion to this effect. Mr. Clark seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Ferguson brought up the fact that the Board voted last week to increase the appropriation for Elections Elections and Registrations by $388.00. He stated and that there was a difference of opinion between the Registrations Appropriation Committee, Town Clerk Carroll and the Budget. Selectmen on this increase. Mr. Clark moved that the vote of last week to increase the appropriation by $388. be rescinded. Mr. Giroux seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Clark then moved that an appropriation of $2299.00 be approved for Elections and Registrations. Mr. Giroux seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Clark moved that theevious vote of the Board Law approving an appropriation of $3000. for the Law Dept. Dept. be rescinded. Mr. Giroux seconded the motion and it Budget. was so voted. Mr. Clark then moved that $2500. be approved for the Law Dept. appropriation. Mr. Giroux seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Clark moved that the previous vote of time Board approving an appropriation for $1000. for printing the Town Town Report be rescinded. Mr. Giroux seconded the Report motion and it was so voted. Mr. Clark then moved that Budget. the Board approve the sum of $1126.73 for the printing of the Town Report. Mr. Giroux seconded the motion and it was so voted. 362 ii colsadpi The Chairman stated that if $6000. were asked for Water Con. Bloomfield Street and $5000. for Sundry Streets, it Sundry would require more money than was available in the Streets . Water Dept . Available Surplus and Water Assessment Fund. Mr. Clark moved that the Board rescind its previous vote approving an appropriation of $5000. for Water Con- struction, Sundry Streets. Mr. Ross seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Clark then moved that the Board approve the sum of $3000. for Water Construction, Sundry Streets, $2000. to be transferred from Water Department Avail- able Surplus and $1000. to be transferred from the Water Assessment Fund. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Clark moved that the previous vote of the Board Water Con. , approving an appropriation of $6000. for Water Con- Bloomfield struction in Bloomfield Street be rescinded. Mr. Ross Street. seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Clark then moved that the sum of $6000. be transferred from the Water Dept. Available Surplus Account for Water Construction in Bloomfield Street. Mr. Ross seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Ross stated that he would like to have the Board discuss the matter of paying Town employees something Pay for extra for working after hours at night. He stated that work after during his term of office, he had to call men out of bed hours. and first they were paid double time, then time and a half, and then regular wages. Mr. Potter asked Mr. Ross what the average earnings of the men on the Water and Sewer Dept. were. He replied that 50/ men earned an average of less than $17.00 per week and 550 men earned an average of less than $20.00 per week. Mr. Ross moved that all Town employees who are on an hourly basis and are called out to work after hours be given a minimum of one-half day's pay, and if the labor is in excess of four hours, that they be paid the regular rate. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Trask reported that it would cost $5.00 per day for the use of busses to transport the men morning and night to and from the W.P.A. project in East Lexington if the bus started at 7:45 A.M. He--stated that it could be done for $4.00 per day if the bus could start twenty minutes later. Mr. Clark inquired if it would not be cheaper to use dump trucks to trans- port the men. Mr. Giroux stated that if the Town transported the men in dump trucks it would increase the Town's liability. Mr. Giroux suggested that nothing be done until more information was on hand. 363 Mr. Trask stated that he received a call from the Boston W.P.A. advising that Frank Cook of Lowell Street II was eligible as a foreman. Cook holds an A.B.C. license in Boston and has had twenty-five years experience. Mr. Trask stated that he was trying to get him put on as W.P.A. a second class supervisor and the Town would then be Supervis- relieved of paying his salary. He stated that the only ion. other supervisor, Charles Alger, had resigned to go back to work. Mr. Trask stated that he believed Frank Cutter might be hired for the Engineering position and that he thought he might be employed for about *15. per week. Mr. Ross moved that the Supt. of Public Works be authorized to engage Frank Cook and Frank Cutter sub- ject to the approval of the W.P.A. authorities. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. The matter of Mr. Cutter 's salary was held over until the next meeting. At 7:30 P.M. a group of people from Fletcher Avenue appeared before the Board to discuss the matter of closing the railroad crossing. Mr. Haynes stated that the residents on the street had paid for the construction of the street only last year and that if the crossing were closed, they were all going to ask for an abatement on their taxes. Mr. Stebbins and Mr. Freeman of the Jefferson Union Co. were present . Mr. Stebbins stated that he ', would like to have the matter postponed as he wished to look into it further and confer with some of the railroad people. He was of the opinion that the Fletcher railroad could not close the crossing. He would like Avenue to have some arrangements made so that a light could Crossing. be installed and the cost of installing it divided in some way. He thought it would be well if a plan might be worked out whereby the Town and the railroad could pay a portion of the cost and he thought that the Jefferson Union Co. would have no objection to paying some sort of a tax or part of the cost. The Chairman stated that the railroad had received from the Dept. of Public Utilities the right to close the crossing. Mr. Frank Haynes stated that he thought the town could well afford to pay *1500. to install warning signals. Mr. Haynes stated that he believed the Jefferson Union had some sort of a deed dated 1913 giving them a right of way. Mr. Stebbins stated that if the railroad were to close the crossing, trucks would have to use Grant Street which is an underpass with limitations to the height, and the Jefferson Union would have to have some way of getting in and out with machinery. IIThe Chairman stated that he would be glad to leave the article on the Fletcher Avenue crossing to the end of the Meeting so that the property owners could obtain L 364 01 Tj more information and talk on the matter at the Town Meeting. The group then retired. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 P.M. A. true record, Attest: ``\) Clerk. I