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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1938-09-22525 SELECTMEN t S MEETING SEPT. 220 1938. A special meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building, at 7:00 P.M. Chairman Giroux and Messrs. Potter, Ross, Clark and Rowse were present. The Clerk was also present. Mr. Raymond appeared before the Board. The Chairman said that the first thing to do was to take proper action on the question of meeting the emergency caused by the hurricane of last evening. It was estimated that at least 2,000 trees on town property alone were up- rooted. Because telephone and Edison poles were uprooted, telephone and electric service was discontinued. The Chairman requested the Town Accountant to check with the Division of Accounts to see what they would recommend doing in the emergency, in order to obtain funds to clean up after the storm. Mr. Dine, Asstt. Director of Accounts, said that all form must be waived and that the Board of Selectmen might declare the existence of an emergency under Sec. 310 Ch. 44 , G.L., by vote of two-thirds of the membership. Mr. Dine stated that the Division of Accounts recommend that all of the work involved in cleaning up be charged to a special Emergency account to be labelled "Storm Emergency". They recommend declared that any work involving water, sewer, highway, or any other on account ' town department be charged to this special account creating of storm, an overdraft in the account, and said that instructions would, at a later date, be issued with reference to the matter of providing funds to meet the overdraft. With reference to the use of the money distributed from the High- way Fund, Mr. Dine stated that money could be used but only after securing approval from the State Dept. of Public Works. Because such approval would take time to secure, Mr. Dine suggested that all expenditures be charged to the special account "Storm Emergency". Mr. Clark asked if there were any funds in the Park Department to take care of this. The Chairman said that the crew of men started working last night about 7:30 P.M. and worked all night through, and the W.P.A. men went to work this morning. The W.P.A. authorities have agreed to pay for the labor of their men working on the clearing of the roads, for one week. The Chairman asked Mr. Raymond what he estimated it would cost to clear away the debris, and he replied that he estimated it would cost $15,000. to 20,000. above the W.P.A. costs. This would not include repairs. The Chair- man asked if there were any funds in the Park or Highway Departments together which might be used and still have those departments maintain their usual procedure. Mr. Raymond said that there was a very small amount of money there, but not ' near enough to do what ought to be done. The Chairman suggested that the emergency fund be set up and all the items be charged to it, and Mr. Raymond be 526 tZ requested to bring in figures next week showing the balances :V in the various accounts and the work that had been planned for the rest of the year. Mr. Raymond said that offhand he would say that there ' was $2,000. worth of damage to granolithic and bituminous top sidewalks. The Chairman asked the Town Counsel if he.thought, under this emergency, the Selectmen were obligated to keep private ways open for the necessities of life. He replied that he preferred that the Board not ask him the question from a legal standpoint, as he would have to tell the Selectmen not to do it. He said that if the Board wanted to do it, to go ahead and do it. Mr. Ross moved that an Emergency be declared under the provisions of Ch. 440 Sec. 31, G.L. Mr. Potter seconded the motion, and it was unanimously voted. Mr. Ross then moved that the expense involved in the work of cleaning up after the storm be charged to a special account to be labelled "Storm Emergency". Mr. Potter seconded the motion, and it was so voted. It was the understanding of the Board that the method of refunding this overdraft would be found as soon as instructions were received from the Division of Accounts. Mr. Rowse asked if the wages of all the men working on the cleaning up, including the salaries of Superintendents, be charged to this Emergency account, and the Chairman replied In the affirmative. The Chairman requested the Board to approve his action , in authorizing Sergeant Russell to see to it that the Food for Veteran's organizations and members of the Police Depart- workerso ment who worked all last night were fed a meal during the night. Mr. Rowse moved that the action be approved. Mr. Ross seconded the motion and it was so voted. The Chairman suggested that this be charged to the special account. He remarked that he had requested the Veterans to be on duty tonight, also. The Chairman said that he had authorized Sergeant Flash lights Russell to make such purchases of flash -lights as were needed last evening. Mr. Potter moved that this action be approved. Mr. Ross seconded the motion, and it was so voted. The Chairman said that, in this emergency, it had been decided to use the equipment of A. Ross & Son where and when necessary; and further that Mr. Ross had agreed that any bill Use of A. he submitted would not have to be paid until the Town Meeting Ross equip -voted the money. Mr. Raymond said that the equipment was not went, going to work until the next morning. The Chairman asked Mr. Wrightington if this would be illegal if the matter was taken up with the Town and the facts explained. Mr. Wright- ington said he felt sure that the Town would vote the money and the Division of Accounts would approve payment of the ' bill in an emergency of this kind. Mr. Raymond said that it was a question of either using this equipment or not getting any. Mr. Rowse said that the excuse for using it was that other equipment was not avail- able. Mr. 'Raymond said that there was no equipment avail- able today. Mr. Rowse asked how much he thought the Ross bill might amount to, and Mr. Raymond thought it would probably be $600. or $700.00. Mr. Ross said that he called Mr. Raymond this morning and told him that Arlington and Winchester had requested the equipment, and told him that he would give Lexington the preference. By so doing, he lost a day's work for the equipment. He said that he was giving the Town a special rate on the shovel. The Chairman asked the Town Accou-itant, if, based on what the Division of Accounts stated today, he had any feeling that they would disapprove this bill. Mr. Russell said he did not believe the Division would disapprove the bill, but he thought it was a question of our by-laws. The Chairman asked Mr. Russell if he would hold up the bill. Mr. Russell asked Mr. Wrightington for his opinion. Mr. Wrightington said that if he were on the Board of Selectmen he would go ah3ad and do whatever he thought necessary and not bother with the legal aspect of anything. Mr. Rowse said he thought that the Selectmen were responsible anyway, and Mr. Wrightington said that they were. Mr. Rowse moved that equipment be hired from A. Ross & Son, Inc. during the period that sufficient equipment was not available from other sources. Mr. Potter seconded the ' motion, and it was so voted. The Board questioned Mr. Russell about the items to be charged to the Emergency Account. He said that the salaries of the Superintendents would be charged to the regular account, and just the extra service would be charged to this account. Mr. Raymond said that Mr. Wrightington questioned the method of going almad and taking easements for Vine Brook. He said that Mr. Wrightington stated that he wanted it clear that he did not approve of taking an easement and not a fee in the Colonial Garagd and Ryder properties. Mr. Wrightington said he had two reasons for object- ing. He thought the Town understood that we were going to acquire land of certain width along the brook., and second, in those particular cases, the Town was sure to encounter a law suit and damages would be greater than anticipated. The Chairman asked what the policy was going to be with regard to private ways. Mr. Wrightington said that the Town was not obligated to go in on private property and clean up the mess. He said that if a Town tree fell on a house, he thought the Town should clean it up. Mr. Ross thought that the Town should clear private ways of obstructions. The Chairman asked Mr. Raymond how much more it would cost to clear private ways, and he replied that roughly speaking, he thought it would cost 25% more. 527 Vine Brook easements 528 Bids on Vine Brook Project, Mr. Raymond thought that the Town would lose a great deal of money in taxes if a conflagration started; he thought it would be wise to do this and make the ways reason- ably safe for travel. Mr. Ross moved that Mr. Raymond be authorized to clear all private ways to the point of making them passable. Mr. Potter seconded the motion, and it was so voted. At 7:55 P.M. the doors were opened so that those per- sons desiring to be present at the opening of the sealed proposals for the Vine Brook Drainage Project might enter. Besides spectators, the following were present: Approp- riation Committee; Mr. Whitman and Mr. Harrison P. Eddy; Mr, Wrightington; Mr. Raymond; and Messrs. W. H. Slogan and F. H. Street, P.W.A. Resident Engineer Inspectors. At 8:00 o'clock P.M, the Chairman declared the time for entering bids on the Project closed, The Chairman read Addendum No. 1, dated'September 17, 1938, and Addendum No. 2, dated September 19, 1938. He said that he assumed that all bidders had read the addenda, and that if any wished to withdraw their bids they might do so. He asked if there were any objections to the addenda, and there were none. No one wished to withdraw his bid. The Chairman said that the Board understood that the bids were now submitted. He read a sworn statementsigned by Mr. Arthur L. Shaw, a partner of Metcalf & Eddy, certifying that copies of Addendum No. hand Addemdum No. 2 had been sent by Registered Return Receipt mail to those contractors that had taken out specifications, in ample time to be considered before submitting their bids. The Chairman announced that the bids would now be read. He said that the full description of each item would be read in the first bid, and thereafter the items would be read by number only. At 8:09 P.M. Mr. Raymond read the first bid, that of John Williams, of 8 Beechwood Street, Dorchester, Mr. Williams submitted a bid bond. His total of items with monolithic drainage conduit was $149,061.75, and for items with precast pipe drainage conduit was $154,419.75. Mr. Raymond finished reading this bid at 8:21 P.Y. At 6:215 P.M. Mr. Giroux read the second bid, that of Frank T. Westcott of 95 High St., No. Attleboro, Mass. Mr. Westcott submitted a bid bond. His total of items with monolithic drainage conduit was 147,368.50; and for items with precast pipe drainage conduit was 157,458.50. Mr. Giroux finished reading this bid at 8:315 P.M. At 8:32 P.M. Mr. Raymond read the third bid, that of N. Cibotti Co., of 15 Page St., Hyde Park, Mass. This company submitted a bid bond. Their total of items with monolithic drainage conduit was $123,298.10, and for items with precast pipe drainage conduit was $134,089.50. Mr. Raymond finished reading of this bid at 8:43 P.M. 1 n 529 The Chairman declared the opening of bids finished at 9:40 P.M., and the spectators retired. The Appropriation Committee remained. The Town Accountant and Messrs. Merriam, Emery, Maynard and Hynes of the Appropriation Committee were present. The Chairman explained the action taken by the Select- men with regard to the emergency occasioned by the hurricane last evening. The Chairman stated that if the Town did as outlined in the Town Accountant's letter of September 2nd, the tax rate would be $34.50 for 1939, and with the emergency, another dollar or dollar and a quarter would be added unless some ' policy was formulated so that there would be no capital expenditures. Mr. Merriam said that holding down capital expenditures was the most promising thing the Appropriation Committee could think of. The Chairman said he had thought of sending a copy of Mr. Russell's letter to all department At 8:435 P.M. Mr. Ross read the fourth bid, that of the C. & R. Construction Co., of Boston. This Company submitted a bid bond. Their total of items with monolithic ' drainage conduit was $143,245.60, and for items with pre- cast pipe drainage donduit was $166,733.50. Mr. Ross finished reading this bid at 8:535 P.M. At 8:545 P.M. Mr. Rowse read the fifth laid, that of the V. Barletta Co., of 10 Whipple Ave., Roslindale, Mass. This Company submitted a certified check. Their total of items with monolithic drainage conduit was X145,178.00. They did not bid the job figuring on precast pipe drainage conduit. Mr. Rowse finished reading this bid at 9:02 P.M. At 9:03 P.M. Mr. Raymond read the sixth bid, that of DiMarco and Ciccone, of White Plains, New York. This company submitted a bid bond. They did not figure the job using monolithic drainage conduit. Their bid for items with precast pipe drainage conduit was 122,397.50. Mr. Raymond finished reading this bid at 9:115 P.M. At 9:135 P.M. Mr. Rowse read the seventh bid, that of. A. Baruffaldi of 52 Powder House Boulevard, Somerville, Mass. Mr. B aruffaldi submitted a certified check. He did not . submit a bid on doing the job with monolithic drainage con- duit. His total of items with precast pipe drainage conduit was $158,961.75. Mr. Rowse finished reading this bid at 9:20 P.M. At 9:215 P.M. Mr. Ross read the eighth bid, that of John ' McDonald Construction Co., of Newton, Mass. This company submitted a bid bond. Their bid on items with monolithic drainage conduit was $128,653.50, and for items with precast pipe drainage conduit was 6147,300.50. Mr. Ross finished reading this bid at 9:29 P.M. At 9:30 P.M. Mr. Raymond read the ninth and last bid, that of Louis C. Cyr of Lawrence, Mass. This company sub- mitted a bid bond. They did not bid on doing the job with monolithic drainage conduit. The bid for items with precast pipe drainage conduit was $199,642.50. Mr. Raymond fin- ished reading this bid at 9:375 P.M. The Chairman declared the opening of bids finished at 9:40 P.M., and the spectators retired. The Appropriation Committee remained. The Town Accountant and Messrs. Merriam, Emery, Maynard and Hynes of the Appropriation Committee were present. The Chairman explained the action taken by the Select- men with regard to the emergency occasioned by the hurricane last evening. The Chairman stated that if the Town did as outlined in the Town Accountant's letter of September 2nd, the tax rate would be $34.50 for 1939, and with the emergency, another dollar or dollar and a quarter would be added unless some ' policy was formulated so that there would be no capital expenditures. Mr. Merriam said that holding down capital expenditures was the most promising thing the Appropriation Committee could think of. The Chairman said he had thought of sending a copy of Mr. Russell's letter to all department 530 Letter re: 1939 budget. heads and requesting them to come before the Board after eliminating everything possible, and having the Board explain what it was faced with. The Chairman asked the other members of the Board how they felt about sending out such a letter. Mr. Potter said that he had no objection. Mr. Clark said that the Board knew that he wanted to out taxes. He thought that the Town would never grow until the taxes were reduced. The Chairman said he looked on the Vine Brook and North Lexington sewer projects as the town's contribution toward capital expenditures for the next few years. Mr. Rowse said he hoped both bodies would take the stand that there would be no capital expenditures for next year, at least, except in case of emergency. Mr. Merriam asked if the Board meant to interfere with the policy of providing new trucks and cars in the various departments. Mr. Rowse said that if a truck or car could not be economically repairgd, it would be advisable to purchase a new one to replace it. Mr. Hynes asked if the schools had any serious damage during the storm and Mr. Potter said he did not believe so. It was decided that the Chairmen of the Selectmen and Appropriation Committee draw up a letter to be sent to the department heads regarding the 1939 budgets. The Selectmen are to send the letters to those departments under their jurisdiction, and the Appropriation Committee to send to the balance. The Chairman told thee, Appropriation Committee that the Selectmen had taken steps for making arrangements for the use of A. Ross & Son, Inc. machinery for the clearing of trees, etc., on the grounds that sufficient equipment was not available and the Selectmen thought it the sensible step to take. Mr. Rowse explained that the charge for this equipment was less than the charge from an out-of-town contractor, and it was the job of the Selectmen to get the work done as quickly and economically as possible. 1 1 1 The Chairman asked the Approir iation Committee how it would feel about creating a separate Board of Public Separate Welfare. He explained that this would mean a special act Board of of the Legislature. Mr. Merriam said he had thought for Public several years that this should be done, as he felt it was Welfare. too much to ask the Selectmen to supervise the welfare work in addition to their regular work. He said that the Appropriation Committee had been divided into small committees of two or more, with each small committee taking a department to investigate and study. They thought that this would facilitate the work on 1939 budgets. He said that he had compared welfare costs in Lexington with those in other towns of a like size, and found that Lexington had increased more markedly in the past two or three years than other towns. Mr. Merriam said that he talked with Mr. Mitchell abbEu.t a separate Board of Public Welfare, and Mr. Mitchell thought it would be necessary to have an Agent for Public 1 1 1 531 Welfare, and another Agent to handle the other branches of welfare. ' The Chairman said that the Selectmen could meet two nights a week, the second night to consider welfare cases. Mr. Merriam asked whether or not the new police officer was used much, on welfare; he understood that he had not.been. The Chairman said Mr. Mitchell should report to the Board Police - if the officer was not working f or.him enough. Both Messrs, man on Merriam and Rowse remarked that the reason the additional Welfare. officer was approved was so that he could investigate wel- fare cases. Mr. Rowse suggested that the matter be dis- cussed with Mr. Mitchell at the next meeting. The Chairman asked how the Board felt about creating a separate Board of Public Welfare, and it was the sense of the members that no change should be made. Mr. Merriam suggested that the work on the 1939 bud- gets would go ahead faster if the Appropriation Committee and Selectmen had more joint meetings. The meeting adjourned at 10:45 P.M. A true record, Attest: Clerk. r