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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1939-03-131 1 D SELECTMEN+S MEETING MARCH 13, 1939. A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building, at 7;30 P.M. Messrs. Giroux, Potter, Rowse, Locke and Sarano were present. The Clerk was also present. Mr. Giroux welcomed the new members, Mr. Errol H. Locke of 3 Abbott Road and Mr. George W. Sarano of 315 Lincoln Street to the Board. He said that the first business was for the Board to organize. Mr. Potter moved that Mr. A. R. Giroux be re- elected Chairman of the Board for the coming year. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion and it was unanimously voted. Mr. Giroux requested the members of the Board to have in mind the election of the Chairman for 1940 so that he could be told in the fall of 1939 and arrange to study the budgets for the next year. 227 Organiza- tion. The Chairman stated that the next order of business was to appoint the bureau of Old Age Assistance, Mr. Sarano Old Age moved that Mr. Luther Putney, Mr. A. Edward Rowse and Mr. Assistance William G. Potter be elected to serve as members of that Bureau. Board, Mr. Locke seconded the motion and it was so voted. The Board discussed with Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Morse Welfare welfare matters. The Board discussed with Mr. Mitchell the distribution of the appropriation for welfare in the coming year. This developed into the following preliminary apportioning of Chapter 117 funds for 1939; Welfare January, February and March (Including all budget miscellaneous items) $20,000.00 November and December (Including all mis- cellaneous items) 12,000.00 April 39600.00 May 2,600.00 June 21100.00 July 10600.00 August 1,600.00 September 29100.00 October 20600.00 Towns.and Cities 3,100.81 General charges for seven months at $1400. 93,800.00 $$612100.81 The Chairman requested Mr. Mitchell to informthe Sel- ectmen at the first meeting in April what the town is pledged to for the month in the way of rent charges, cash grants, eta. 228 Next It was decided to hold the meeting next week at 7«00 Meeting. P.M. and to come back after the Town Meeting, if necessary. ' The Chairman said that he talked with Mr. Gilbert of the Civil Service Commission, who said that if the Board was prepared to state that it desired to employ Mr. Chadwick as Sealer of Weights and Measures, that he should be written Sealer of a letter to that effect. Weights & Mr. Rowse said he did not like to appoint a man from Measures. out of town and be tied up so that it would not be possible to appoint a Lexington man when it was so desired. Mr. Potter said that Mr. Chadwick could be let go at any time it was decided to make the position a full time job. Mr. Potter moved that the Board request the Civil Service Commission to approve the appointment of Mr. Ralph Chadwick as Sealer of Weights and Measures at a salary of $450.00 per year as a part time job, and that the expenses of $50. include his transportation. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Raymond reported that Mr. Wrightington had approved Contract on the contract with Mr. Albert P. Rounds on the pumping Pumping station and he requested the Board to sign the contract. Station. The Chairman asked if it was all right to sign one contract when the other two were not ready, and Mr. Raymond replied in the affirmative. Mr. Rowse moved that the contract be , signed but that it be held up until the others were in shape. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. The Town'Accountant appeared -before the Board to explain the additional money requested on the North Lexington Sewer roject, He said that in August, 1938, the town appro riated 1549000. for the job and authorized the borrowing of 190,000. This left $64,000. which would be made up of Federal funds as they were received. 0n the basis of J154tOOO.0, 45% of the Federal grant would amount to $69,300. so that if $1540000. North Lex- is sent on the North Lexington Sewer job and every cent of ington Sewer the 9154,000. is approvdd, the town will receive a Federal Project. grant of $69,300. of which only $64,000, could be used. The other $5300. would be held up after it was received and upon completion of the project, in the following year, it would be spent on maturing debt. Mr. Russell said that he had never had a P.W.A. project in Lexington and had never heard of one elsewhere, where the Federal authorities'had approved all of the expenditures. He said :that the might throw out $4,000. to $8,000, on a job amounting to 1549000. and the Federal grant of 45% would be based on the amount'of money actually approved. If the further sum of $5300. is appropriated, it will simply make that money available for use as it is needed. If it is not needed, the balance will still be used the following year for maturing debt. The e Government has offered the further sum of $4316. and the Federal grant now is set at $73,616. M! Mr. Rowse said that at a previous meeting he asked ' Mr. Street, the P.W.A. Resident Engineer Inspector, if there was anything in the project so far that he thought would be thrown out, and Mr. Street replied in the negative. Mr. Rowse said that due to the furor in town over the in- creased tax rate, he felt it would be folly to request more money regardless of the merit of the request and regardless of how it could be explained. He thought it would be better ,to eliminate some of the items in the pumping station if possible. Mr. Russell said that Mr. Waddell+s office thought that there would be no valid objection to requesting that the full amount of money be made available. Mr. Rowse asked Mr. Raymond if he was worried that there would be extras or that the Government would throw out some of the items, and Mr. Raymond said that he was worried about both. Mr. Raymond said that if the project cost the town $154,000. and the Government said that its contribution would be on the basis of $140,000., there would not be money enough to do the job. The Chairman asked if there was any reason why we could not ask for the additional appropriation of $5300. at a later Town Meeting, and Mr. Russell said he knew of none. The Chairman asked Mr. Russell what he thought the Board should do for the towns best good and Mr. Russell replied that he t t the town o ld a ro riatce th additional d�aannt of }� nci aec tree ade i nalan- r bumro onPott oof�!s�t��wee omove. r�v'ebrig tie ve for indefinite postponement on Article 31 be rescinded. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Potter moved that the Board take favorable action on Article 31 in the Warrant to make available an additional $8300.00 for the North Lexington Sewer Project as outlined in the Appropriation Committeets report, and further that the Selectmen be granted authority to take any necessary easements. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Russell retired. Mr. Vernon Page and the Plumbing Inspector appeared before the Board. Mr. Page thanked the Board for giving the plumbers an opportunity to go over the proposed Plumbing Laws before they were adopted. Complaint Mr. Page said that Mr. Lindstrom was appointed Plumb- re ing Inspector in May of 1938 and on two occasions, he had Plumbing had trouble with him and he felt that he had been unduly Inspection criticized. He complained that Mr. Lindstrom had gone to the Board and criticized his work on the boiler at the High,School without going to him first. He stated further that Mr. Lindstrom behaved in an ungentlemanly manner when he visited the High School. The Chairman told him that Mr. Lindstrom was the ' Plumbing Inspector and that the Board would back him up and that the Selectmen wished him to cooperate with the plumbers in town. Mr. Page said he merely wished to explain his position in the matter. They retired. 230 Mr. and Mrs. Roy D. Keane and Mrs. Frank Haynes of Fletcher Avenue appeared before the Board. Mr. Keane said they still were not satisfied with the sewer situation , on Fletcher Avenue. He thought it unreasonable that the people were not going to be allowed to connect with the trunk line sewer inasmuch as the Town Engineer had given them to understand that they would be allowed to do so. He asked why it had been kept a secret that they were going to be denied the privilege of connecting with that sewer. Fletcher Ave.He also asked for a break -down of the figures quoted by Sewer. Mr. Raymond for connecting with the sewer in the rear and also for the sewer in Fletcher Avenue. Mr. Raymond said that if Mr. Keane would call at his office, he would gladly give him the details on the estimate and Mr. Keane agreed to discuss the matter with him. Mrs. Haynes asked why the town should have to spend $5,000. for putting a sewer in Fletcher Avenue when the people could connect with the trunk line. Mr. Raymond said that there was no sewer in Fletcher Avenue now, but there would have to be one some day. The Chairman requested the people to get further in- formation from Mr. Raymond and if they still were not sat- isfied, to discuss the matter with the Selectmen again. They retired. Mr. Raymond asked how far the Board wanted him to go Town on the matter of a town infirmary. Messrs. Potter and Infirmary. Giroux told him to drop the matter. The Chairman explained to the new members that it would be a very expensive ' proposition as an infirmary would have to be under the supervision of the State, families with children could not be kept there, etc. Mr. Raymond reported that on March 25th, the policy covering the house and barn at the Westview Cemetery expired Insurance. through the office of John G. Hall & Co. Mr. Potter moved that the policy be renewed through the office of John Valentine. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Raymond read a letter from the Mass. Dept. of Public Health relative to the water in Butterfield's Pond. The letter quoted a paragraph from a letter dated March 7, 1912. This letter stated that the -water contained more organic matter than is ordinarily found in good ice, but Water in the number of bacteria present was small. .The Dept. felt Butterfieldtsthat the only way in which ice could be obtained from this Pond, source which could be used with safety for domestic purposes would be by removing from the ice before using, all snow ice, including the first inch of clear ice that formed upon the pond. The letter stated that the recent examination showed but little change in the condition of the water. Mr. Raymond said'he believed the best thing to do was ' to let it go for now, but to have the Health Inspector watch the place and find out whether or not they•did out ice and if so, if the ice cut was in accordance with the by-laws of the town. Mr. Raymond reported that the Lexington Field & Garden Club had requested the use of Estabrook Hall on April 25th from 9=30 A.M.-to 12;30 noon. Mr. Potter moved that the use of the hall be granted free of charge. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Raymond reported that the Follen Alliance had requested the use of Cary Hall on April 14th for the purpose of holding a show. Mr. Raymond said that last ear the use of the hall was granted subject to a fee of 15.00. Mr. Rowse moved that the use of the hall be granted subject to the same fee. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. 231 Use of Hall n Mr. Raymond read the second paragraph of the Boards letter to him regarding notifying the Building and Plumbing Inspectors when work was to be done in public buildings. He asked if the Board wanted him to do anything in regard Building to schools. Mr. Rowse moved that the Board call the and attention of the School Committee to The situation and Plumbing tell them that it was brought about by not having proper work. inspection by the Plumbing Inspector and that the Selectmen were calling it to their attention for the safety of the children. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Raymond asked if the Board would approve asking for bids on three trucks, one for each of the following depart- Bids on ments: Highway, Park and Water; also for a bid on a new trucks & coupe for the Water Department. Mr. Rowse moved that Mr. car. Raymond be authorized to obtain bids as requested. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. Letter was received from A. E. Smith of 15 Hibbert Street stating that an assessment of $376. had been levied on the property for a highway betterment -assessment. The owner stated that there was little or no betterment to the property and that the assessment should be reduced. Assessment Mr. Raymond said that without a doubt the property Hibbert St, was not benefitted to the amount of the assessment. He said that the land belonged to Anna Hellman when the assessment estimates were sent out and Mrs. Hellman signed an agreement to pay the assessment and not contest it. However., in fairness to the people, considering how Hibbert Street went through and taking into consideration the short frontage of the property, he :thought it would be fair to reduce the assessment. He asked Messrs. Paxton and Cosgrove about it and they agreed with him..' Ob.e felt that the assessment should be $150. and the other thought it should be $260.00. Mr. Raymond felt that if an assessment of $200, was levied, it would be somewhere near right. Mr. Rowse moved that the assessment be reduced to $200. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. 232 Mr. Raymond said that he had received the actual North Lex. offer from the Government for additional funds on the ' North Lexington Sewer project. He wired that it was im- Sewer. possible to accept the offer within seven days and that three weeks were needed. He told the Government that the Town Meeting was next Monday and that the Board could not act until five days after that took place. The Government replied and said that the Board could accept the offer on March 25th. The Chairman asked if the members of the Board would approve holding a special meeting on March 25th in the event that the town approved article 31 in the warrant for the Town Meeting. Meeting. Mr. Potter moved that a special meeting be held. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Raymond presented the specifications for removal Aldrich of the buildings at 20 Lincoln Street which have been approved b Mr. Wrightington and Mr. -Garrity. The notice property. to contractors was read by Mr. Raymond and he requested authority to publish this in the paper. Mr. Potter moved that the notice to contractors be published in the paper and the expehse charged to the Unclassified Account. Mr. Locke seconded the motion and it was so voted. A writ in the amount of $750. was served on the 'Friend Bros. Town Clerk on behalf of Friend Brothers whose truck was suit. in collision with the Water Dept. truck some time ago. Mr. Rowse moved that this be turned over to the Town , Counsel. Mr. Potter seconded the motion and it was so voted. Letter wasreceived from Mr. W. S. Caouette calling the Board's attention to the condition of the land at the lower field of Blake's castle and onto which (he said) drainage from the following streets emptied; Franklin Road, Somerset Road and Hayes Avenue. Mr. Couette re- Drainage- quested the Board's immediate attention to the matter so Blake that the condition could be eliminated. Mr. Raymond said property. that he did not believe there was any legal liability on the part of the town, although there might be some moral obligation. Mr. Raymond said that Caouette wrote him on February 13th asking about the drainage in the neighbor- hood and he referred the matter to Mr. Cosgrove. Mr. Cosgrovets letter to Mr. Caouette was read by Mr. Raymond. Mr. Raymond said he understood that if a drainage condition had operated for one year, there was no liability on the part of the town but that the property owner had the right to stop the water from coming down onto his property. The Chairman suggested that Mr. Raymond answer Mr. Caouettd s letter after conferring with Mr. Wrightington on the matter. Mr. Raymond said that he noticed in the Appropriation Committee report that $414.00 was going to be transferred from Drainage Construction, Sundry Streets. He said that Transfers on July 5th, 1938, the Selectmen approved an expenditure of $300. of that money for the improvement of a drainage condition on Waltham Street. However, because of the am 233 hurricane and other work, the department did not get around ' to doing it. Mr. Sarano asked what harm it would do to let this go another year, and Mr. Raymond replied that it would do no harm unless an automobile ran into the puddle. It was decided to transfer the money. Mr. Raymond said that the $41.14 balance in the Charles Street account was needed for cleaning up odds and ends, etc. Inasmuch as it had already been planned to transfer this amount to Excess and Deficiency, no change was made. Mr. Raymond read a letter from Mr. Garrity advising that the estimated cost of repairing and painting the flag pole on the Common this year was $150.00. Mr. Garrity Flag Pole said that he understood the expense was to be charged to the George W. Taylor Flag Fund and he requested that the Board take the matter up with the Trustees of Public Trusts, The Clerk was instructed to request the Trustees of Public Trusts for a transfer to take care of this work. Mr.- Raymond informed the Board that he had a W.P.-A. mosquito control project ready. He said that there were Mosquito 181 men on W.P.A. this week and if some of the projects control he presented were not approved, they would run out of them. project Mr. Potter moved that the project be submitted. Mr. Saran seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Raymond retired at 11=00 P.M. Letter was received from Mr. Worthen regarding the Tenement Committee to consider the Tenement House Act. It was House Act decided to hold the matter over for two weeks. Committee Letter was received from Chief Sullivan informing the Board that Sergeant John W. Rycroft had performed Ryerof t 190 hours punishment duty and recommending that the re- duty maining hours be cancelled. Mr. Potter moved that the Chiefts recommendation be approved. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion and it was so voted. The Contributory Retirement Board reports for Jan- uary and February were received. Reports. Letter was received from Robert H. Eldridge, Chairman of Precinct Four, stating that it was the sense of the Fire Dept, meeting of Precinct 4 that the members approved the pur- truck. chase of a ladder truck but objected to the price and suggested that the town try to get one for less money. Mr. Potter moved that Mr. John Lamont be nominated Slaughter for Slaughter Inspector for the coming year. Mr. Rowse Inspector. seconded the motion and it was so voted. ' Board of Appeals orders were received as follows: Shell Union Oil Corp. - for permission to construct a one - car garage and lubritorium at 1095 Mass. Avenue; 234 CTS C Bd. of Charles W. Ryder - for permission to maintain a riding Appeals school at 24 Maple Street; , orders. Lexington Trust Company - for permission to maintain an office at Harding Road. Upon motion of Mr. Potter, seconded by Mr. Rowse, it was voted to grant the following licenses: Arthur H. McLearn, 1387 Mass. Ave. - Auctioneer Licenses F. K. Johnson, Inc. 39-41 Bedford St. - Overhanging Sign Colonial Garage, Inc. - 1668 Mass. Ave. - it it William Viano, 1794 Mass. Avenue - If If Commitment of water miscellaneous charges in the amount Commitment. of $72.70 Was signed by the Board. A bond in the penal sum of $1,000. for James J. Carroll Carrollfs as Town Clerk and another in the amount of $47,700.00 for bonds. Mr. Carroll as Town Treasurer, were received by the Board. Mr. Potter moved that the bonds be approved. Mr._ Rowse seconded the motion and it was so voted. Mr. Potter reported that the committee on the sale of tax title property had discussed the offer of Edward B. Tax Title O'Connor to purchase lots 5, 6 and 7 on Waltham Street property, formerly owned by Francis H. Holmes, et a1, for the sum of 11000.00. Mr. Potter said that the land was assessed for 3200. and that Mr. O'Connor had been informed that he would ' be assessed at the rate of $.15 per square foot if he purchased the land. The Committee recommended making a counter offer of $2,000. Mr. Locke moved that the recommend- ation be approved. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion and it was so voted. Town It was decided to invite Dr. Victor N. Rochette in Physician. on March 27th to discuss the position of Town Physician, Mr. Potter mov6d that_Dr. Chester. 1. Blakely be nom- inated as Animal Inspector for the coming year. Mr. Rowse seconded''the motion., and it was so voted. The meeting adjourned at 11:30 P. M. A true record, Attest: F Clerk. 1