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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1937-12-28151 SELECTMEN'S MEETING ' DEC. 28th, 1937. A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building, at 3:00 P.M. Chairman Ferguson, Messrs. Potter and Ross were present. the Clerk was also present. Mr. Mitchell informed the Board that he would like to have Thomas Fardy, who is working on a cross-reference index, Fardy continue in service until the work had been completed. Mr. employment Ross moved that he be continued in service until further notice. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. Letter was received from the Commissioner of Civil Service advising that an examination for the position of Sealer of Weights and Measures would be held at the earliest possible date. Mr. Potter moved that the name of Frank J. Clare of 443B Mass. Avenue be submitted for the position of temporary Sealer of Heights and Measures. Mr. Ross seconded the motion and it was so voted. Letter was received from Mr. Raymond advising that he had investigated the matter of the offer of Donald Love to sell the Clark h4ill dam property and rights to the Town. Mr. Love has been unable to determine whether or not the town would have the right to remove the dam without paying damages to other riparian owners even though the Town accepted and purchased the property which he offered. Mr. Love said that the real estate consisted of about two acres of land and a building now used as a sawmill. The right of flow is on the Shawsheen level and the dam controlling the flow is alongside the mill. The right of flow allows the Impounding of water to the height of the dam in the fall, winter and spring months. Mr. Raymond said that from his investigation he felt that the Selectmen would not be Justified' in going into a further examination of title of the property and he thought that little value to the town could be realized by the acceptance of Mr. Love's offer. Mr. Potter moved that Mr. Love's offer be rejected. Mr. Ross seconded the motion and it was so voted. Letter was received from the Mass. Division of Forestry advising that the Town might be required by Chapter 132, Section 14, G.L. as amended b Chapter 415 of the Acts of 1937, to expend the sum of 5,000. during the year 1938 for the suppression of gypsy and brown tail moths and tent caterpillars. The Department of Conservation recommended that the Town raise and appropriate $5966. for this work. Mr. Ross moved that the matter be referred to Mr. Garrity for his recommendation. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. Sealer of 'Heights & Measures. Clark's Mill property Moth funds. 152 Letter was received from the Town Counsel advising O'Connell that D. J. O'Connell had requested him to prepare some property. document to carry out the vote of the town on December 20th relative to his property on Woburn Street. Mr. Wrightington prepared an indenture which he requested the Board to sign. Mr. Ross moved that the instrument be signed. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. Letter was received from Henry F. Long advising that Bonds. the sum of $47,300.00 had been set as the amount not less than which the 1938 bond of the Treasurer and of the Tax Collector should be written. Mr. Potter moved that'.the amount of the bond to be written for both of these officers be in the amount of $47,300.00. Mr. Ross seconded the motion and it was so voted. Commitment of water rates in the amount of $5660.44 Commitments.and water miscellaneous charges in the amount of $33.74 were signed. Water liens. Water liens in the amount of $70.14 were signed by the Board. Letter was received from the Lexington Allied Veterans Council suggesting the following committee to be appointed April 19th to be in charge of the Patriots Day celebration for 1938; Committee. James J. Waldron, Chairman Claude A. Palmer George E. Foster Melville W. Webb Carl V. Jones Mr. Potter moved that the Committee be appointed as _ suggested by the Council. Mr. Ross seconded the motion qnd it was so voted. Water and sewer abatements in the amount of 4923.58 Abatements. were signed. Letter was received from the Town Clerk to which was attached copy of letter from Theodore N. Waddell. Mr. Waddell said that he believed all the questions raised in regard to borrowing for the purchase of the Barnes,prop- erty had been cleared up and any doubt which might have existed in the former vote relative to the 01500. which Barnes was appropriated for the purchase of the Smith property iproperty. had been removed. Mr. Potter moved that the Town Clerk be authorized to instruct the Second National Bank to proceed to sell the notes in accordance with their bid of October 19, 1937. e It was decided that after the deed had been passed, Mr. Raymond should investigate the matter and advise the J Board as to whether or not he felt any of the offices could move into the Barnes property before having any work done. Letter was received from the Lexington Allied Veterans Council suggesting the following committee to be appointed April 19th to be in charge of the Patriots Day celebration for 1938; Committee. James J. Waldron, Chairman Claude A. Palmer George E. Foster Melville W. Webb Carl V. Jones Mr. Potter moved that the Committee be appointed as _ suggested by the Council. Mr. Ross seconded the motion qnd it was so voted. Water and sewer abatements in the amount of 4923.58 Abatements. were signed. 153 Town Painter. Cataldo property. Mr. Raymond said that he had not yet decided to,go ahead with the Hibbert Street job. He read a letter from Mr. Geary of the Arlington Dept. of Public Works stating that Arlington did not think it should cut off the main at the line and thought that the house in Lexington should be served by Lexington. Mr. Raymond said he believed Geary Hibbert did not appreciate the fact that the main was so near the Street. surface and so liable to freeze or break from traffic. Mr. Raymond said he hesitated to put in a water main when there was very little likelihood of more houses being built. He read a letter which he proposed sending to Arlington stating that Lexington felt it would be desirable to cut off the pipe at the line feeling it would not be a reliable emergency connection and that Lexington was ready to go ahead and prepare to serve the house in Lexington. The Chairman suggested that Mr. Raymond discuss the matter further with the Town Counsel. Mr. Raymond said he had signed an agreement to purchase gasoline for 1938 from the City Service Co. at a top price Gasoline of 82V per gallon, plus taxes. The meeting adjourned at 5:10 P.M. A true record, Attest: Clerk. Mr. Raymond appeared before the Board and asked if the Town Painter would be considered a regular town employee and if so, if he was to be paid for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tt was decided to take no action on the matter inasmuch as the man has been employed only about nine months and had been employed more or less as an experiment. Mr. Raymond said that he was entitled to a vacation as he had worked more than thirty-two weeks. The Chairman said that funds for the man►s vacation should be provided in the 1938 budget, probably in the Town Offices and Cary Memorial Account inas- much as most of his time has been spent working on those buildings. Mr. Raymond said that he had Thomasello's dragline experts down to Mill Brook at the Cataldo property and they sent in a proposition to furnish a dragline, operator, etc. for $70.00 per day and to rent pontoons for the job for $325.00. They also have submitted a price of $1150.00 for doing the entire job. However, Mr. Raymond thought that the Town could.do the work for that amount of money with its own equipment even if it had to go to the expense of building a road to get the equipment down and onto the land. The Chairman said that nothing could be done on the matter until some money was available anyway. Mr. Raymond said that it might be possible to have the matter taken up as a W.P.A. project. Mr. Ross suggested that Mr. Raymond talk with Henry Heaton, who operates a shovel for the Ross Company to see if in his opinion, it would be practical for the Town to do the work with its own shovel. 153 Town Painter. Cataldo property. Mr. Raymond said that he had not yet decided to,go ahead with the Hibbert Street job. He read a letter from Mr. Geary of the Arlington Dept. of Public Works stating that Arlington did not think it should cut off the main at the line and thought that the house in Lexington should be served by Lexington. Mr. Raymond said he believed Geary Hibbert did not appreciate the fact that the main was so near the Street. surface and so liable to freeze or break from traffic. Mr. Raymond said he hesitated to put in a water main when there was very little likelihood of more houses being built. He read a letter which he proposed sending to Arlington stating that Lexington felt it would be desirable to cut off the pipe at the line feeling it would not be a reliable emergency connection and that Lexington was ready to go ahead and prepare to serve the house in Lexington. The Chairman suggested that Mr. Raymond discuss the matter further with the Town Counsel. Mr. Raymond said he had signed an agreement to purchase gasoline for 1938 from the City Service Co. at a top price Gasoline of 82V per gallon, plus taxes. The meeting adjourned at 5:10 P.M. A true record, Attest: Clerk.