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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1942-10-0533 ' SELECTMENIS MEETING October 5, 1942 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectments Room, Town Office Building on Monday evening, October.5, 1942 at 7:30 P.M. Messrs. Potter, Ssrano, Locke, and Rowse were present. The Clerk was also present. Mr. Potter served as Chairman pro -tem. At 7:30 P.M. Mr. Peter VanGemert of 67 Baker Avenue and Mr. Paxton appeared before the Board. Mr. VanGemert said that he wished to talk about his sewer betterment assessments. He objected to the assessments on lots 494 and 495 Ames Avenue amounting to $70.00. He said VanGemert that when he came before the Board previously he said sewer that he did not need the sewer but the Selectmen said betterment that a sewer main was needed in Ames Avenue. He assessments talked with the Town Engineer who told him that arrange- ments could be made so that he would not have to pay a betterment assessment as he did not need the sewer. Mr. Paxton said that this subject was brought to the attention of the Selectmen on December 16, 1940 and on December 30, 1940. He said that everything was sub- stantially as Mr. VanGemert had stated. Mr. VanGemert has two lots facing on Ames Avenue and two lots fronting on Baker Avenue. At the present time there is not any sewage going from these lots into the sewer main, but it is possible that in the future they could be tied in. Mr. VanGemert said that he kept the two lots on Ames Avenue only to protect his own premises. Mr. Rowse asked if there were objections to the sewer extension on Ames Avenue on the part of other property owners and Mr. Paxton said that he did not remember. Mr. Rowse said that as he understood it, the majority of the people were in favor of it and even though Mr. VanGemert did object, the sewer was extended because the majority were in favor of it. Mr. Paxton said that the sewer could not have been outletted without putting a main in Ames Avenue. Mr. VanGemert said that the sewer in Baker Avenue was so high that his house could not be connected with it. Mr. Rowse said that Mr. VanGemert would have to prove that the lots were not benefitted and if this could not be done, then the Board would have no grounds for authorising an abatement. Mr. VanGemert said that he complained early enough so that the Town did not have to lay the sewer past his property. 34 all in the coal bunker at Munroe School but there was no damage to the interior or the exterior of the build - x 'Coal bunker ing. One hundred tons of coal had to be moved out to ifire at the -yard but there was no appreciable loss of coal. He said that if the Board would not abate the assessment then he was asking for a "diverted payment" for the two lots on Ames Avenue, Mr. Potter asked him YLat he meant by a "diverted payment" and h:4& said that he was asking for "diverted payment" for 100 years with a payment of $1.00 a year. Mr. Potter told Mr. VanGemert that the Board would discuss the subject further and would let him know what the decision was.He retired at 7:55 P.M. Mr. Paxton said that Ames Avenue was in much better condition now than before the sewer was put in. The Board requested Mr. Paxton to refigure Mr. VanGemert's assessments as a whole on an area be0is and report how much it would amount to. Mr. Paxton agreed to do this. Mr. Paxton informed the Board that the Air Raid Use of hardens would like to use Estabrook Hall on October 6, hall 1942 at 8:00 P.M. for a resume of the last alert. Mr. Sarano moved that the request be granted. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Mr. Paxton said that the Cary Lectures Committee Use of had requested the use of Cary Hall on the following hall dates: November 5, 1942, December 3.9 1942, January 7, 1943, February 4, 1943, and March 2, 1943. ' Mr. Sarano moved that the uses of the hall be granted. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Mr. Paxton said that last week there was a fire in the coal bunker at Munroe School but there was no damage to the interior or the exterior of the build - 'Coal bunker ing. One hundred tons of coal had to be moved out to ifire at the -yard but there was no appreciable loss of coal. Munroe Sch. The labor and equipment for the removal of the coal was about $30.00. He asked if the Board wished to file a claim with the insurance companies for re- imbursement of this damage. He said that it would cost about $50.00 for clerical work to collect the $30.00. Last year they had a $600.00 loss and the maximum paid on any one policy was 121.00 and the others ran down to a few cents. On this loss no policy would pay a claim of more than a dollar and some would go down to a couple of cents. Mr. Converse Hill said that if he could get four or five largeb companies to "pitch in", he would be willing to pay his share. The Board thought that this was a good idea and asked Mr. Paxton to see what he could do on it. ' Mr. Paxton told the Board that Mr. Garrity had com- pleted the fireplace at the playground and the Board could see it whenever it so desired. Mr. Paxton said that he secured prices on snow plows this week. The Dyer Sales and Machinery Company has only one Baker plow. It is second-hand, made in 1940, and the price is $290.00. The Good Roads Machinery Company has a new plow which they will sell for $325.00. Mr. Rowse moved that Mr. Paxton be authorized to purchase both plows at a total cost of $615.00, the expense to be charged to the Snow Removal appro- priation. Mr. Sarano seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Mr. Paxton said that in the past, in the handling of complete sanding of the Town, he has called Stevens who has steamed up his steam shovel and loaded the sand right at the pit which saved the Town from storing a large amount of sand. This year if Stevens' shovel is busy (and there is a possibility that it may be working out of Town) there are certain provisions that should be ' made such as the storing of 300 or 400 tons of sand at the �ublic Works Building. The gas shovel will then be used to load the.sand onto our trucks. He said that if it is necessary to spread a considerable quantity of sand it will be necessary to have a spreader. The Dyer Sales and Machinery Company has a second-hand spreader which they will sell for $135.00 but Mr. Paxton does not like it at all. The E. W. Systrom Company has two spreaders they will sell and these are very similar to the one purchased by the Town some years ago. The price is $175.00 each. Mr. Paxton recommended purchasing the two spreaders and said that they could be paid out of almost any account. Mr. Sarano moved that the two new spreaders be urchased from the E. W. Systrom Company at a cost of 175.00 each, this expense to be charged to the Road Machinery Account. Mr. Locke seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Mr. Paxton reported that when the steam roller was inspected this year the State would give only a sixty day permit on the machine. They were just able to get through on Spring Street with it and get back to the Public Works Building. He had a man loolf at it today who said that he could sell the Town a boiler for ' about $100.00 but he suggested that the machine be dis- carded. 35 Fireplace Snow plows Sand Spreader Steam roller 36 informing the Board that arrangements were being made ' with the Metals Reserve Company, a subsidiary of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, to finance rail removal at no cost to the Town. The work will be let out to private contractors who will remove the rails Mr. Paxton thought that perhaps the Board might want to contribute it to the salvage drive. If we go back to a construction program in the future, it will be more economical for the Town to purchase a gas machine. In the meantime, if we need a machine we can hire one. Mr. Paxton even went so far as to check with the Buffalo Springfield Roller Company to see if they would allow anything on the machine now toward a new machine to be purchased after the war, but they would not. He thought that the roller should be sold for junk. Mr. Locke moved that Mr. Paxton be authorized to dispose of the roller for junk. Mr. Sarano seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Notice was received from the Clerk of Courts of a hearing to be held on Friday, October 23, 1942 on a petition for appointment of a special commission to 'Maple St, determine whether the Boston and Maine Railroad or the are to a Bridge County Commissioners for MiddlesexCounty pay hearing for the alterations and upkeep of the Maple Street bridge. The Chairman asked Mr. Paxton to appear at the hearing and represent the Board. He agreed to do this. Letter was received from the War Production Board informing the Board that arrangements were being made ' with the Metals Reserve Company, a subsidiary of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, to finance rail removal at no cost to the Town. The work will be let out to private contractors who will remove the rails Rail leaving a trench approximately 20 inches wide which removal will be filled in with ready -mixed concrete or some other suitable material, leaving the streets in good condition. The letter outlined the steps to be followed in order to accomplish this. Mr. Rowse asked Mr. Paxton what he thought of it and Mr. Paxton said that it depended on how important the Board felt the rails would be toward the salvage drive. If the Board felt that the salvage was more important than the condition of the street, then the rails. He said however, thing to do was to remove the , that two strips of concrete would not put the road into very good condition and the ties would still be there. He said that in some towns they put in concrete even in macadam roads and the Board felt that they would not want that done here. Mr. Potter suggested that Mr. Paxton tell the War Production Board that our ties are so near the surface that they should be removed. He agreed to do this. n Li Mr. Potter said that scrap was needed very badly now and he felt that the Town should do everything possible to help. Mr. Paxton said that he would look into the matter and it was decided to hold it over un- til the next meeting. Letter was received from the Lexington Choral Society renewing their request that the use of the Estabrook Hall one evening a week be granted free of charge. The Chairman said that the building was not heated all the time and it was necessary to heat Estabrook Hall separately for each rehearsal. Mr. Saran moved that the group be ranted the use of Estabrook Hall provided they pay 97.50 for each use. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Mr. Paxton retired at 8:45 P.M. The garbage contract between the Town of Lexington and Connors Brothers of Burlington waspresented for signature. Mr. Locke moved that the contract be approved and signed by the Board. Mr. Sarano seconded the motion;, and it was so voted. Abatements for the Selectmen's Department in the amount of 5.00 and for the Water Department in the amount of 16.59 were signed. Mr. Morse appeared before the Board at 8:47 P.M. and retired at 9:07 P.M. The letter from the Massachusetts State Guard requesting a meeting between the Selectmen, the Chair- man of the Committee on Public Safety, and a represen- tative of the State Guard was again discussed. No action was taken on the matter. Letter was received from the Town Counsel rela- tive to the claim of Frances Locke Clarke for damages to her ceiling. Mr. Writington said he knew of no way in which the Town could be held liable because of vibration caused by a truckman who violated the traffic regulations. He said that in his opinion the Town could not be held liable for the damage. The Clerk was instructed to write Mrs. Clarke and deny any liability on the part of the Town. 37 Use of Hall Garbage contract State Guard Clarke claim 38 Unclassified ' The Clerk informed the Board that the Account was overdrawn. The sum of $250.00 was appro- Unel. priated for the account and an additional $310,00 was Account included for indexing old records. Earlier in the year, the Board voted to charge the Rationing Board Expenses to the Unclassified Account. To date 4213,53 has been expended for the Rationing Board and $98.18 for regular Unclassified items. She said that she thought a transfer should be requested and that $150.00 would be sufficient, Mr. Rowse moved that the Appropriation Committee L Transfer be requested to transfer the sum of $150.00 from the Reserve Fund to the Unclassified Account. Mr. Saran seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Letter was received from the Town Counsel rela- tive to the plan to adopt a By-law covering the Apartment general subject of apartment houses. He recommended House By- that a Committee be appointed to consider such a By-law, law Comm. with instructions to report to the Board not later than the middle of January. The Clerk was instructed to ask the old Building By-law Committee if they would be willing to serve as a committee as suggested by Mr. Wrightington. ' Petition was received from the Boston Edison Company and the New England Telephone & Telegraph Co. for the approval of the following joint pole locations: Slocum Road, westerly from a point approxi- mately 100 feet east of Highland Avenue - 2 poles; Slocum Road, southeasterly from a point approximately 300 feet southwest of Mass. Avenue, 4 poles. Mr. Locke moved that the approval be granted. Mr. Sarano seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Upon motion of Mr. Locke, seconded by Mr. Sarano, it was voted to grant the fallowing licensess Mrs. Grace B. Cole, 41 Kendall Road -Physiotherapy Clifton R. Price, 1709 Mass. Ave., -common victualler u n 1 Upon motion of Mr. Locke., seconded by Mr. Sarano, it was voted to grant the following licenses to the Lovell Bus Lines, Inc. LICENSE In accordance with the provisions of General Laws, Chapter 159A, Section 1, the Lovell Bus Lines, Inc. are hereby granted a license to operate motor vehicles for hire over the following described route: From the Lexington -Arlington line over Summer Street, to the junction of Summer and Lowell Streets, and re- turn over the same route. Given under our hands at Lexington, Massa- chusetts this 5th day of October, 1942. William G. Potter Selectmen A. Edward Rowse of Errol H. Locke Lexington George W.. Sarano LICENSE In accordance with the provisions of General Laws, Chapter 159A, Section 1, the Lovell Bus Lines, Inc. are hereby granted a license to operate motor vehicles for hire over the following described route: From the junction of School Street and Massachusetts Avenue, over Massachusetts Avenue to Wood Street, over Wood Street to the Lexingtos.-Bedford Line, and return over the same route. Given under our hands at Lexington, Massa- chusetts this 5th day of October, 1942. William G. Potter Selectmen A. Edward Rowse of Errol H. Locke Lexington George W. Sarano The Chairman informed the Board that Ball and Ball could no longer do addressing of envelopes for elec- tions and Town meetings. He asked what the Board wished to do in the matter. The Adams Press will do the work for not more than Mr. Ball's price. 39 rA E The Chairman said that Mr. James J. Carroll had offered to do the addressing at his home for the same price Mr. Addressing Ball could do it. It was the opinion of the Board that Election it was better to have an established concern do the work envelopes rather than have a Town employee do it after hours and receive extra compensation for it. Mr. Locke moved that the addressing of the envelopes be done by the Adams Press. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion, and it was so vote. Letter was received from the Metropolitan State Hospital advising that Dr. William Corwin, present Special Agent of the Board of Health, was leaving the Sp.Board State employ. The Acting Superintendent recommended of Health that Mr. Howard R. Carley be appointed in his place. Agent Mr. Locke moved that Mr. Howard R. Carley be appointed Special Agent of the Board of Health for a period end- ing March 31, 1943. Mr. Rowse seconded the motion, and it was so voted. An offer of $50.00 for the purchase of lots 69 and 70 on Hillside Avenue was received from Mr. W. H. Tax Title Melby. Mr. Potter said that the Committee on the Sale property of Tax Title Property recommended that the offer be accepted. Mr. Rowse moved that the Selectmen sell and con- vey lots 69 and 70 Hillside Avenue to Mr. W. H. Melby. Mr. Sarano seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Letter was received from Mr. T.A.Custance requesting that the building permit issued to the Scott Realty Corp. ,Scott Realty which expires on October 7, 1942 be renewed for the dura - building tion of the war. Mr. Custance also requested that the fee permit charged Mr. Scott for the renewal of the permit last April be refunded. The Board was not in favor of refunding the money or renewing the permit. The question of Sunday movies was then discussed. The Chairman informed the Board that those in favor out - Sunday numbered those opposed by about four to one. After con - movies siderable discussion on the subject, Mr. Rowse moved that the Board allow the showing of moving pictures on Sundays, mo performance to start before 6:00 P.M., this to be for a trial period ending March 31, 1943. Mr. Sarano seconded the motion, and it was so voted. It was also decided to Article place the matter before the voters at the annual meeting to be held in March, 1943, The meeting adjourned at 10:00 P.M. A true record, Attest: Clerk 1 1 1