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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1941-09-02 24: .. 4110 SELECTMEN' S MEETING September 2, 1941 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen' s Room, Town Office Building on Tuesday evening, September 2, 1941 at 7 :30 P. M. Chairman Giroux, Messrs. Rowse, Sarano and Locke were present. The Clerk was also present. Mr. Potter arrived at 8 :10 i M. Messrs . William S. Scamman and Ralph E. Chadwick ap- peared before the Board. The Chairman said that Mr. Chadwick was Sealer of Weights and Measures in Lexington and Belmont and was a Deputy Tax Collector in Belmont . Belmont has a very small amount of taxes outstanding and he wondered if they were using some method of collection which it might be well for Lexington to adopt . Mr. Chadwick said that they had ten poll taxes for 1940 and five for 1941 outstand- ing. Mr. Scamman said he had a Deputy Collector, a Mr. Green who comes from Arlington. Mr. Chadwick said that the success in Belmont was based upon the cooperation of Tax the Collector, the Deputy Collector and the Board of Collection Assessors . He said he had his own notices printed and paid for them out of the money he received. Mr. Scamman 4110 asked if they arrested many people there and Mr. Chadwick replied in the affirmative. He said that after an arrest the person must either take the Poor Debtor ' s oath or get out on a bond. Mr. Scamman said that his Deputy was given a list of the outstanding accounts and that if a man was unable to pay a bill, he didn't see what sense there was in taking him to East Cambridge. Mr. Chadwick said that when a warrant was issued, the bills were sent out . At the end of thibty days the Collector has the privilege of sending out a demand notice and 35¢ is added on. At the end of fourteen more days, the warrant is given to the Deputy and the Statute requires payment of an additional dollar and this goes to the Deputy. If an arrest is made, there is an additional X5 .00 cost and this goes to the Deputy. Mr. Rowse asked how soon the Collector turned the accounts over to the Deputy and Mr. Chadwick said in Belmont they were turned over as soon as they possibly could be . Mr. Scamman said that he turned them over after fourteen days and that Mr. Green now had some 1941 poll taxes to collect. The Chairman said that the purpose of this meeting was to see if Belmont was doing something that Lexington was not doing, but it appeared that they were not . Mr. Scamman and Mr. Chadwick retired at 7 :55 P. M. Application for permission to remove two poles and 41/0 set one pole on Follen Road near Smith Avenue was re- Imo__ 204 410 ceived from the New England Telephone & Telegraph Co. and Pole the Boston Edison Company. Messrs. Cosgrove and Paxton locations approved the removals and telocation. Mr. Sarano moved that the permit be granted. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion, and it was so voted. A petition was received from the New England Tele- N.E Tel. phone & Telegraph Company for permission to increase the Order number of cables and to enlarge the existing conduit in Muzzey Street and Massachusetts Avenue . Mr. Locke moved that the Order be approved and adopted. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Mr. Locke moved that the bill amounting to $52.80 for the stenographer' s services at the hearing before the Steno. County Commissioners relative to streets in Liberty Heights bill be charged to the Law Department-Expenses Account. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Mr. Locke moved that the bill of $6.81 for recording Recording the Boston & Maine deeds to land in depot square be charged B & M to the Law Department-Expenses Account. Mr. Rowse seconded Deed the motion, and it was so voted. A request was received for a certificate of Character Cert . of in connection with Katherine E. Allcock of 152 Follen Road. character Mr. Sarano moved that the certificate be approved and signed. Mr. Rowse seconded the mbtion, and it was so voted. The matter of holding a Town Meeting to act on the Building Line in front of the Scott property was discussed. Mr. Potter moved that a Town Meeting be held on Town September 22 , 1941 and that an informal meeting be held Meeting on September 15, 1941 to explain the matter in detail to Town Meeting members . Mr. Locke seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Mr. Allen Rucker appeared before the Board at 8:37 P. M. The Chairman told him that there would be an Appr. article in the warrant to appropriate money fOr the Com- Public mittee on Public Safety and that the Selectmen would pre- Safety fer to have a member of the committee handle it at the Comm. Town Meeting. Mr. Rucker conferred with his committee and said that they felt that they needed an appropriation of $1,000.00. Mr. Rucker retired. Mr. Paxton appeared before the Board at 9:45 P. M. Use of He said that the Lexington Minute Men would like to use Hall Cary Hall on September 26, 1941 for an Americanization show. This will be open to the public. Mr. Rowse moved that the use of the hall be granted Mr. Sarano seconded the motion, and it was so voted. 4 2O5 4 4111 Mr. Paxton said he had requested the Boston Edison Co. to submit a new layout of street lights on Follen Road and they have submitted the layout from Pleasant Street to the Street Tower Development . The actual maintenance charge will be lights the same as at the present time, but there is a charge of 4226.00 for shifting over the lights . Mr. Paxton said he would like to see the work done while the Town is working on the street , but there were not sufficient funds in the Street Light Appropriation to take care of the additional expenditure. He wondered if perhaps the necessary amount could not be transferred at the next Town Meeting. The Board thought that it would be better to let the matter go until the budgets for 1942 were being considered. Mr. Paxton said that he had an estimate of the cost of erecting a stone fence at the Bashian property prepared. The estimate is $210.00. The Board felt that it would not be justified in approving an expenditure of this sum of Bashian money and voted to take no action on Mr. Bashian's request fence that a new stone fence be erected. Mr. Paxton said that Anthony Rochette, assistant jani- tor, would be employed here six months on October first and according to the Board' s vote he will be entitled to one week's vacation in 1941. He is not entitled to it until Vacation October first but Mr. Paxton felt it best for him to take Asst . 1111 it in September before the busy season starts. janitor Mr. Rowse moved that Mr. Rochette take one week's vacation in September. Mr. Locke seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Mr. Paxton read a letter from Elmer A. Lord & Company relative to the sprinkler equipment at the high school. The system is complete and water is in the pipes but the Gate Valves have been left closed due to the fact that Grinnell Company have not been able to procure three valves and it Sprinkler is impossible to know when they may be obtained due to de- system at fense business. Mr. Hill talked the situation over with a High Sch. representative of the New England Fire Insurance Rating Association and their agreed that it was better to have the system in commission than to leave it as it isatpresent. However, the Grinnell Company would have to be relieved of responsibility in the event of accidental discharge of water. If this was done it would be necessary to carry an abnormal amount of sprinkler insurance, say $125,000. on the building and 421,000. on the contents. There would be- a temporary reduced rate to be followed later by the promised reduction when valves were installed. Mr. Paxton asked what the Board wanted to do. It was decided to adopt Mr. Hill 's recommendation and to turn on the water and to place the abnormal sprinkler leakage in- surance and to change over when the valves were installed and the system in proper working order. 200 The Chairman said that the Red Cross would like to 41/1 Barnes use the room in the Barnes property down stairs until such room for time as the Town needed it . Mr. Paxton had no objections. Red Cross Mr. Paxton retired at 9:10 P. M. A letter was received from Mr. Edward W. Kimball stat- ing that with the opening of the Viano and Central Blocks, Signs he hoped the Board would give consideration to the recom- mendation of the Planning Board that signs be flat against the building, only one major sign to a tenant and no over- hanging signs. The Clerk was instructed to acknowledge the letter with thanks and to tell Mr. Kimball that his redommendations would be given due consideration. A letter was received from Edward W. Taylor complain- Complaint ing of the condition at the dump at the Public Works Build- dumps ing and on the Dix Property on Ledgelawn Avenue. He said that both constitute fire hazards and were also a health menace . A letter was received from the Health Inspector in- forming the Board that he had talked with Irving R. Dix, owner of the land on Ledgelawn Avenue, and that Mr. Dix had promised to clean it up. The Clerk was instructed to request Mr. Paxton to see that the dump at the Public Works Building was properly supervised and that the refuse was pushed back and covered with dirt. 4111 Mr. Potter said he had investigated Mr.. Leslie Wood' s premises and he would recommend that Mr. Wood be given per- Swine mission to keep twelve swine for a year anyway. license Mr. Potter moved that the license be granted. Mr. Sarano seconded the motion, and it was so voted. The Chairman asked if there were any omissions or errors in the records of the meeting held on August 25th Records and the meeting held on August 27th. No omissions or errors being noticed, Mr. Rowse moved that the records be de- clared approved. Mr. Sarano seconded the motion, and it was so voted. At 9 :20 P. M. five members of the Planning Board ap- Land at peared to discuss the proposed purchase of land owned by Waltham the Lexington Trust Company and located at Waltham Street St . & Park and Park Drive. Mr. Greeley, the chairman, said that their Drive judgment was that the Town did not need the land for any purpose . They look on Park Drive as a local artery and their advice is not to buy the lots. They dd not object strongly but see no reason why the Town needs it. I j ,207 1111 Mr. Greeley said that last spring the Planning Board talked about charts or measurements of the Town's expendi- tures over a period of years but nothing was done about it . They discussed the matter with the Appropriation Committee Planning Be who approved of the general scheme . A subcommittee of the charts Planning Board handling this , submitted some forms to be sent to the Department heads asking for estimated capital expenditures over a six year period. They recommended that these forms be filled in and submitted before October 1st . the Planning Board would then attempt to plan the capital expenditures for the next six years. Brookline and Winchester have done this and it has been very successful. They believe it would be better for the forms to be sent out from the Selectmen'd office. The Chairman told the group that the Board would be very glad to send out the forms and to ask to have them returned by October 1st. The group retired. Mr. Morse appeared before the Board at 10:16 P. M. and retired at 11 :04 P. M. Board of Health abatements in the amount of 034.86 and Selectmen' s abatements in the amount of 05.00 were re- ceived. Abatements Mr. Potter moved that the abatements be approved and signed. Mr. Locke seconded the motion, and it was so voted. 41/1 Commitments of water rates and water liens were signed. The meeting adjourned at 11:06 P M. A true record, Attest : /42--411-- Clerk