HomeMy WebLinkAbout1972-01-03-CONCOM-min.pdf a
l=w, TOWN OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS
CONSERVATION COMMISSION
MINUTES of Commission meeting of January 3, 1972.
The meeting was called to order by the Chairman, Mr. Brown, at
7: 55 p.m. Commission members present were Mr. Cohen, Mrs.
Frick, Dr. Kessler, Mrs. Pease and Mrs. Rawls and Mr. Mazerall
(ex-officio) , Associate Members Dr. Friedman and Mrs. Solomon
and visitors Mrs. Shirley Byrne, Mrs. Charlotte Sanderson,
Frank Sandy and Mrs. Paula Alden (League of Women Voters observer) .
Newly-appointed member of the Commission, Mrs. Wendy Pease, was
introduced to those in the room.
Meeting of December 29 on land acquisition was not held. Apparent-
ly material from all Boards has not yet been received.
Great Meadow. Mrs. Frick announced that a joint meeting of the
Arlington and Lexington Great Meadow Committees will be held
Thursday evening, January 6, at her home. Sinoe some members
of the Committee may not be able to attend, Mrs. Rawls said
she would go. Mrs. Frick said that meeting is open to all
interested. It is hoped that recommendations for action to
the Towns will be forthcoming from this meeting.
Meeting with the Planning Board will be scheduled once articles
for the Warrant are written.
4ction on 1971 Articles. Mr. Brown announced that both the
Titelbaum and Ballou options have been exercised by the Board
of Selectmen and notice of this action was mailed to the owners
before the December 31 deadline. "Letter of Consent" has been
received from State DNR, but not from Federal HUD. According
to most recent word from the HUD office, there is still hope
that Federal aid may be approved. In any case, the Commission
has applied for 50% State reimbursement, which could be revised
to 25% should the Federal grant materialize. Option on the Cooke
property is being extended due to delays in getting the case to
the Board of Appeals, whose approval of a variance for the Cooke' s
remaining house lot is a prerequisite for purchase of the parcel
on Massachusetts Ave.
Action on 1970 Articles. The cancelled checks for the Drummer
Boy, Wilson, Frissore and Soule purchases have all been returned,
and certified copies of them will be sent to the Commission soon.
Copies of all deeds and proof that Federal recordation require-
ments have been met must be obtained before final Federal Requisi-
tion for Grant can be filed. State has not yet approved reimburse-
ment due to lack of funds.
Additional Appropriation of *200 from E.& D. funds was approved
by the Board of Selectmen to pay for secretarial help in 1971.
JAN 141972
opservation Commission Minutes 1/3/72 Page 2
Appointment of Sixth Member of the Commission, Wendy Pease, was
made known to the Commission in a copy of a letter from Town
Manager to Mrs. Pease, dated December 29, 1971 (copy sent to Mr.
Brown) . Mrs. Pease' term expires on April 30, 1974.
Manhole Off Bow Street. A letter from Health Director, Robert
Heustis told that he had inspected the area around that manhole
into which private sewer pumpings may be dumped (by permit) and
on only one occasion had he found any evidence of spillage on the
ground.
Meeting in Bedford on Lexington' s Sanitary Landfill. A member of
the Bedford Conservation Commission called Mrs. Frick at 4: 30 one
afternoon last week to invite the Commission to attend a meeting
that evening. Mrs. Rawls was able to go. Also there from Lexing-
ton was Iris Wheaton of the Regional Waste Disposal Planning Com-
mittee. The discussion centered around the Shawsheen river water-
shed in Bedford and Lexington, and the possibility that, particular-
ly in Lexington, the use to which this land is being put is affect-
ing Bedford's wells along the Shawsheen River. The more rapid run-
off after storms was mentioned, as was the decreased capacity of
this land to hold water since so much of it has been filled. There
has not yet been proof that Lexington' s dumping operation is caus-
ing pollution, but the Bedford. Conservation Commission spoke of the
possibility of using water samples from various locations to try
to prove such pollution exists. It appeared to Mrs. Rawls that
the Town of Bedford would, if necessary, take legal action to sop
the spread of Lexington' s dump. They determined, however, to try
to settle the problem amicably first, through meetings between
Selectmen of the two towns. Mrs. Rawls felt that much of the water-
shed land in question would require Hatch Act permit before filling
and subsequent use and was alerting the commission to the possibility
of action in this area.
Mrs. Frick had requested that minutes of this meeting be sent to
the Commission, along with copies of Bedford' s flood plain zoning
regulations (reported to restrict building below 110-foot level
along the Shawsheen and below the 120-foot level along the Ooncord
River) .
Wetland Zoning in Lexington has been proposed by the Citizens for
Lexington Conservation and discussed by the Planning Board. Mr.
Sandy reported that an article incorporating such a proposal will
not be ready for the 1972 Town Meeting. (The CLC proposal would
increase lot size in wet lands and still allow the 20,000 sq. ft.
lot in a PUD)
Burlington Border Strip. Mr. Sandy reported that he had been told
that the Town was now surveying the area. It was also reported
that Burlington recently increased its building setback require-
ment in commercial zones adjacent to residential zones from 10 to
100 feat.
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Coop on Between and Among Towns was t �14mportant issue, Mrs.
Frick stated, in the above discussions wit ;dford and Burlington,
as well as in the forthcoming discussions w °-�- ,. ,rlington on the
Great Meadow, where it is hoped some kind of w., '41: zoning recom-
mendations will ensue.
Executive Session was declared at 8 27 p.m. and the meeting re-
mained in executive session except between 9 00 and 9 15, when the
following was transacted.
Minutes of the December 27 open session were approved as submitted.
Oren House Sunday January 9, from 2 to 4 p.m. , was announced.
Town Report copy was submitted last week, Mrs. Frick reported.
The meeting adjourned at 10 30 p.m. , until January 10, at 7 45 p.m.
Respectfully submi ted,
Secretary to the Commission