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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981-08-03-BOS-min SELECTMEN'S MEETING '1 81 , August 3, 1981 i A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, August 3, 1981 at 7 30 P M. Chairman Buse, Mrs Battin, Mrs Miley, Mr Crain and Mr Politi; Mrs Banks, Acting Town Manager; Miss Casey, Executive Clerk were present Senator Rotondi and Representative Doran met with the Board to update Sen Rotondi them on the current status of the State budget Rep Doran Both legislators felt that the deep cuts proposed for the Middlesex County budget by the Legislative Committee would be approved by the legisla- ture Representative Doran informed the Board that budgetary transfer has taken place and full budgetary control has been shifted to the cities and towns The chief executive official in the cities and towns will be the only one with the statutory authority to vote, thus eliminating a designee of that official The Committee on Counties has prepared, and is in the process of approv- ing its last county budget Mr Doran stated that so far, the Committee on Counties has eliminated 127 positions including the director of tourism; 43 positions in the County Court House in Cambridge; 17 from the maintenance, 17 from the county extension service and 22 of the 39 administrative assist- ant positions in the Commissioner's office and the entire 64 member highway department The County Commissioners have been notified that the intent of the Committee on Counties is that the layoffs are effective August 1 and that if the cuts are not made until after the budget passes the Legislature in the fall, cuts will have to be even deeper Senator Rotondi stated that he will not support the proposed 60/40 formula for State aid distribution and did not feel that the proposal will pass as it would only benefit one-third of the cities and towns in the State He warned the Board that there may only be $209 million in total aid to cities and towns rather than the $221 million estimated It was the Senator's feeling that the Legislature is now more prone to deal with Proposition 2 1/2 up front now that the political posture response has occurred and after all that has happened with the budget, the Legisla- ture will be likely to talk about it more openly He feels that a substan- tial package dealing with 2 1/2 will be coming out of the Legislature very soon with more local option availabilities Senator Rotondi stated that he would hope that every municipal authority in the Commonwealth would work on one issue -- local aid He felt that the issue is very important and should not be let go another year with municipal authorities having to guess where the money is coming from. He stated that he felt that the fairest basis of any formula is what is owed -- and then take it from there -- and next year is the year to do it He offered to work with the Board on the issue The Chairman thanked Senator Rotondi and Representative Doran for their input and they retired from the meeting The Chairman read a request from M. R. Pollack & Sons for a One Day One Day Auctioneer License for August 15' Auctioneer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue a One Day License Auctioneer License to M. R. Pollack & Sons to conduct an auction on August 15 for Ralph D Cataldo d/b/as Cataldo Farms, 61 Bow Street 4' - 2 - One Day The Chairman read a request for a One Day Liquor License from the RAEDACC Liq Lic Association of W R. Grace & Co for August 18 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, Mr Politi abstaining, to issue a One Day Liquor License to the RAEDACC Association of W R. Grace & Co for August 18, 1981 Bond The Chairman read a request from the Town Clerk for approval of the bond Asst for the Assistant Town Clerk Town Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the bond in Clerk the amount of $2,000 for the Assistant Town Clerk Election The Chairman informed the Board that names had been submitted for the Officers appointment of Democratic and Republican Election Officers Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint thirty-seven Democratic and thirty-five Republican Election Officers The Town Clerk is to be so notified Traffic The Chairman read a request from Mrs Gabriele Stewart for a "Slow Sign Children" sign on Revere Street The recommendation from the Traffic Safety Revere St Committee was read by the Chairman which recommended a "Caution Children" sign Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recommenda- tions of the Traffic Safety Committee and inform Mrs Stewart that "Caution Children" signs will be installed on Revere Street Traffic The Chairman read a request from Mr & Mrs R. Neuman for a "Stop" sign Sign on Bloomfield Street at Highland Avenue Recommendation from the Traffic Bloomfield/ Safety Committee was approval of the request Highland Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the installa- Ave tion of a "Stop" sign on Bloomfield Street at Highland Avenue and sign the appropriate forms submitted by the Traffic Safety Committee Board The Board discussed the request from Marion B Lennihan, President of Message Sri Chinmoy Centre, 2000 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, for the Town to of honor in some way the 50th birthday of Sri Chinmoy Kumar Ghose, humanitarian Congratu- After discussion, the Board authorized the Chairman to send a contratu- lations latory message to Sri Chinmoy Kumar Ghose through Marion B Lennihan Minute Man The Board met at 8 00 P.M. with the Minute Man Commuter Bikeway Study Bikeway group to discuss the proposed transportation and recreation bikeway to be from Bedford through Lexington and Arlington to the Alewife Brook in Cam- bridge The proposed route would be on the railroad tracks through each town The Town Engineer's report indicated a review of the study which was prepared by the MAPC Mr Hanlon's report indicated that study was outlined in four sections One, a standard maintenance program including sweeping, pavement and sign repair, brush and tree trimming; two, snow plowing; and three, light repair He stated at the public hearing on May 28 that the Lex- ington DPW was not prepared to accept the bikeway maintenance program at that time because it was a policy decision of the Town Manager and Board of Select- men. Mr Tom Fortmann, who favors the proposal, indicated that the cost to the Town would be about $8,000 Mrs Banks indicated that the figure in 1981 dollars would be as high as $13,000 Selectmen's Meeting August 3, 1981 The problem of security was discussed and objections to the bikeway were registered by Lewis Aronin, 20 Ingleside Road and Robert A. Cataldo of the East Village Condominiums Mrs Banks stated that she felt that it would be difficult to patrol the paths regularly and that there would be a problem here Mr Crain expressed concern and stated that he did not see how the Board could commit itself to this project independent of the other budget considera- tions the/same Mr Politi and Mrs Battin also expressed concern and requested clarifica- tion of what was being asked of the Board and what was going to be sufficient for the Committee's purposes Mrs Banks stated that she did not feel that the Town would be commiting itself totally by indicating its support for the project in a letter to the State Department of Public Works requesting that the bikeway be included in the Transportation Improvement Program and that the Town could withdraw if desired After further discussion, the Board agreed to the request of the Lexing- ton members of MAPC working committee on the bikeway to submit a letter to the State DPW in support of the project with the option to withdraw Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to send a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Works requesting that the Minute Man Com- muter Bikeway be included in the Transportation Improvement Program. The Board met with Chief Bergeron and some Lexington physicians who had Ambulance sent a letter to Chief Bergeron expressing disapproval of the new ambulance Policy policy wherein some patients are taken to the Lahey Clinic Dr David Singer, spokesman for the physicians, stated that no Lexing- ton physicians practice. at Lahey and cannot do so Be stated that it was the feeling of the physicians that patients are being taken to Lahey Clinic whether it is an emergency wherein seconds count or not The physicians feel that in non-emergency situations, no effort is being made to find out the patient's preference He made it clear that there was no problem with professional treatment at Lahey, but felt that it was a violation of the patient's rights to go where they can have their own doctor Chief Bergeron, after questioning by Mr Crain, stated that the percen- tage of patients being taken to Symmes has dropped from 75% to 50% since the opening of the clinic For the Month of June 50% were taken to Symmes, 31% to Lahey Clinic, 6% to Emerson, 5% to Mount Auburn, 3% to Childrens' and 1% to Waltham hospitals He explained that the EMTs attempt to honor all pa- tient requests, although prioritizing the individual's comfort and the need to get them to a definitive facility He explained that EMTs are not allowed to administer fluids, drugs or intravenous and that they attempt to keep the ambulance at its maximum availibility and that the second call that might come in may be more urgent than the first He stated that he wanted the EMTs to help determine what constitutes a real emergency and that injured people can be very poor judges He stated that the Fire Department has a large list of true emergencies that the physicians in Town had helped put together, but when a patient gets in their hands there is no medical direction He stated that they may be able to talk to the emergency room and tell them what the conditions are, but there is no protocol for a physician at the emergency room to give some dir- ections - 4 - kAAa Mrs Miley stated that the ambulance policy that was approved by the Board was instituted before the opening of Lahey Clinic and that it had not occurred to her that Lexington doctors could not treat their patients if they were taken to the Clinic She suggested that some method be devised wherein a patient, except in critical cases, be taken to the hospital where his/her Lexington physician practices Mr Crain and Mr Busa also expressed concern and felt that except for dire emergencies, the patient should have the benefit of attendance by a physician he knows Mr Crain stated that he felt that one third of the patients of the total being taken to hospitals were being taken to .a facility where their own doctors were unable to practice was high Dr Elliott Cohen, representing Lahey Clinic, stated that he is an em- ergency room physician and all patients admitted are asked if they have a doctor He said that at least 85% have no doctor in Lexington or elsewhere He stated that the policy at Lahey is to generally transfer the patient back to another hospital if it is in their best interest It was decided that Chief Bergeron would work with the physicians in reviewing the policy He stated that he felt that they needed the whole medical system to pull together on the problem and that the first interest is the concern for the patient He is to report back to the Board in about a month The Chairman thanked the physicians for attending the meeting and for their input and they retired from the meeting Guides The Chairman read a request from Neil Cronin, Director of Guides, for approval of issuance of licenses for five new andonerenewal guides Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue the following guide licenses RENEWAL Melissa Hart 64 Bloomfield Street NEW Saul Kaplan 21 Webb Street Philip S Pedlikin 5 Coach Road Scott Levingston 358 No Emerson Rd Yoav Shorr 56 Liberty Avenue Jamey Macey 359 No Emerson Rd The Board discussed the request of James B Chase for deferrment of sewer betterment charges on Carl and Myrna Roads During discussion, it was brought out that there is a question of owner- ship of a small piece of land which lies between lots 9 and 10 The Chairman informed the Board that he had discussed the problem with the Town Manager, the Director of Public Works and the Planning Director and as there is a question of ownership and also whether or not a building permit could be issued, it was their feeling that Mr Chase should apply for a building permit and if it was denied, go to the Board of Appeals This suggestion was conveyed to Mr Chase along with the suggestion that he offer this particular parcel of land to both of the abutters to see if they would want to include it in their present lots - 5 - y ; 3 Selectmen's Meeting August 3, 1981 Mr Chase did not feel that he wanted to go the expense of trying to obtain a building permit and so requested the deferrment After discussion, the Board agreed to accept the recommendation of the Engineering Department not to grant a deferrment Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recom- mendation of the Engineering Department to deny the request of James B Chase for a deferrment of sewer betterment charges on Lot #A2 at the rear of Carl and Myrna Roads Mr Busa reported to the Board that he had attended the meeting of the MBTA Adv MBTA Advisory Board, representing the Town of Lexington, and had voted in Bd Meet favor of the fare increases, but not the budget increaseg. Mrs. Battin submitted the name of Fred James to be appointed to the Center Re- Center Revitalization Committee to fill a vacancy vit Com. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Fred James Appt to the Center Revitalization Committee The Board discussed committee appointments During the discussion that Committee followed, the Board agreed to table committee appointments on the agenda Appts and to follow procedures that would include publicity that would alert the citizens of committee vacancies and enable those interested to submit names and resumes for consideration for appointment Mr Politi suggested that chairmen of boards and committees should be contacted prior to appoint- ments for their input relative to the technical and personal character of a committee and whether or not members were interested in reappointment He also suggested that the Board should review the charges to committees and also determine the necessity for continued existence of a committee He further suggested that, due to the large number of committees in exis- tence, the members of the Board could be assigned responsibility for certain committees to coordinate the process overall to see that all necessary view- points and all needed areas of expertise are represented on the committee being appointed The Board agreed to review the current procedures and Mr Politi's sug- gestions prior to next year's appointments Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table committee appointments on the agenda Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes Minutes of the Selectmen's Meeting of June 8, 1981 The Chairman read a request from the Lexington Minute Men, Inc for Battle the use of the Battle Green on September 20 for the annual installation Green of officers ceremony Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the request of the Lexington Minute Men, Inc for the use of the Battle Green on September 20 at 2 00 p m. for the annual installation of officers ceremony Mr Rosenberg of the Transportation Advisory Committee requested the LEXPRESS approval of the Board for route changes for LEXPRESS Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the follow- ing changes in the LEXPRESS routes effective September 8 1/1K - 6 - Route 1 will travel on Pleasant to Watertown St , turn left on Peacock Farm Rd , left on Mason St , make a U-turn at White Pine Lane and return to Peacock Farm Rd to complete its present route. Route 2 will turn right on Goffe Rd from Philip Rd and 111 take Worthen Rd East to Pleasant St Route 3, as it is return- ing towards the center, will take Kendall and Sherburne Roads to Winthrop Rd Route 7 will take Adams St directly to Burlington eliminating Hathaway, Brent, Suzanne and Mill Brook. Route 7 will continue to serve Diamond Jr High between 7 30 and 8 00 a m. when shool is in session. Human Sery Mrs Battin requested the pleasure of the Board regarding the draft of the Com. Charge charge to the Human Services Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the charge to the Human Services Committee attached Chapter 497 Mrs Banks requested the Board's signatures on the 1981-82 forms for State Aid State aid on highways Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the 1981-82 forms accepting State aid in an amount of as yet to be determined by the Massachusetts Department of Public Works State Aid Office, District #4, in accordance with Section 14, Chapter 497 of the Acts of 1971 Sewage col Mrs Banks requested the Board's authorization for the Manager to file system grant for grant application for sewage collection system. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the Town Manager to file a grant application on behalf of the Town for sewage collec- tion system grants Ambulance Mrs Banks informed the Board that a new collection system for ambulance bills bills has been instituted but there were bills that are still not collectable and requested the Board to write them off consistent with the auditor's recommendation and the Town Comptroller Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the request of the Town Manager to write off uncollectible ambulance bills pending further investigation Street accept Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to set the dates for , requests street acceptance requests as follows September 15 cutoff date for informal requests for street acceptance October 15 cutoff date for formal petitions Accessory Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the charge Pts Com. to the Accessory Apartment Committee attached Charge Easements Mrs Banks requested the vote of the Board to take temporary construction Kendall Rd easements for Kendall Road Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to take the temporary construction easements for Kendall Road Mystic Valley The Board discussed the request of the Mystic Valley Mental Health Associa- Mental tion to apply for State funding for Safehouse in the amount of $10,000 sub- Health Assoc ject to local match - 7 - Sys The Board expressed dissatisfaction with Mystic Valley because of its lack of communication with the Board relative to requested data and other information requested It was also felt that by endorsing the request it may result in the Town assuming responsibility for administering the funds Mrs Banks recommended that the letter be sent by the Board but not execute the agreement until such time as the Board is fully satisfied with the material received from Mystic Valley Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to send a letter to the Department of Social Services indicating the Lexington plans to con- tribute $10,000 to the services of emergency shelter for youth "Safehouse" a program of the Mystic Valley Mental Health Center Association, Inc and would like to participate in the Donated Funds Program of the Department of Social Services Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted by roll call vote, Executive 4-0, Mr. Busa, Mrs. Hattin, Mrs Miley, Mr Crain and Mr Politi, to go Session into Executive Session to discuss matters of litigation with no intention of resuming the Open Session. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 11 Q5 p m. A true record, Attest idediW<;722 at.e-At- Executive Clerk I - 8 - y96 Selectmen's Meeting August 3, 1981 HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE CHARGE MEMBERSHIP Eight members serving staggered two-year terms Appointment by the Board of Selectmen by May 31 of each year Backgrounds to be represented human service management; planning and evaluation of human services; fiscal planning; health care and prevention; Town government; providers of human services (excluding those significantly associated with providers of human services in Lexington) ; interested citizens PURPOSE OF COMMITTEE The Human Services Committee is advisory to the Board of Selectmen In that capacity it will recommend to the Selectmen human service policies, goals and priorities It will advise the Selectmen upon issues that arise in the light of the human service policies adopted by the Town; it will, as requested by the Selectmen, oversee the implementation of those policies assuming, as appropriate, the following roles -- planning, coordination, evaluation, communica- tion The Committee will be responsible for suggesting the re- sources necessary for citizen education about human service needs and services and will be responsible for designing mechanisms for public participation in community human service issues CHARGE TO THE COMMITTEE 1 Continue to recommend human services policy and the allocation of Town resources to the Selectmen as well as provide criteria for setting goals and priorities and for making decisions The Selectmen adopt the policy emphasizing prevention recom- mended by the Human Services Committee in its May, 1981 report 2 Develop a human services planning process -- integrated inter- nally with the other Town agencies involved in human services (see attached) as well as those Town agencies involved in the Town's physical and economic planning and integrated externally with the planning done by private agencies as well as regional, State and Federal planning entities Within this very impor- tant segment of the charge lies the following tasks.. The .ex- pression, assessment and prioritization of needs; an inventory of resources and services available to Lexington citizens; identification of duplications and gaps in services; develop- ment of communication among the Town Boards and administrators involved in human services as well as providers and advocates for those in need; assessment and improvement of the planning process at the individual case level 3 Continue to analyze critically the funding requests presented to the Selectmen and the Town Meeting as well as. review and comment on requests for Town endorsement of proposed human ser- vices (A95 review) 11 4 Evaluate how effectively public and private human service agencies are responding to community needs and carrying out the Town's human services policies Recommend con- tracts to be entered into between the Town and human ser- vice agencies and organizations, designing such contracts to serve the prevention component of the human service policy while enhancing the agencies programs To this end the Committee will work with the Town administration in providing contract specifications and monitoring criteria 5 Anticipate and be responsibe to emerging community human service issues informing the Selectmen as they arise; design an information and referral process The Town Manager's office will supply staff support to this Committee The Human Services Committee shall report at least annually in writing to the Board of Selectmen and the Town Meeting no later than the end of January It shall review periodically its composition, purpose and charge, recommending changes as necessary to the Board of Selectmen ** The Role of the Town A. The Present Position Today, some human services are rendered by private organizations, some by the Town, some by state and federal agencies, many by a mixture of these The following departments, commissions and committees of the Town are already or potentially involved in the rendition of human services Health Department, Police Department, Veterans Services, Housing Authority, School Committee, Youth Commission, Council on Aging, Recreation Committee, Trustees of Public Trusts, Trustees of Cary Library Selectmen's Advisory Committees Transportation, Community Health Education, Senior Center Sites, School Sites Conversion Some of these are devoted entirely to what we define as human services; for others, human services in the sense we use the term is only a small portion of their contribution to the life of the community But all are part of the human services picture The Town directly funds a portion of the budget of some private human ser- vices organizations, such as Mystic Valley Mental Health Center and RePlace The Planning Board is inevitably involved with the areas of social, physical and economic planning. In addition, the state and private sector plan and operate programs for our citizens based on their own perceptions of local needs What is lacking is coordination and the capacity for planning and evalua- tion of these human service efforts and allocation of resources - 10 - 9g Selectmen's Meeting August 3, 1981 ACCESSORY APARTMENT COMMITTEE CHARGE 1 The Committee shall review past and present proposals regarding the existing disposition of accessory apartments within the Town of Lex- ington and propose recommendations to the Board of Selectmen and other agencies regarding any recommended changes in the existing situation for accessory apartments and also recommend a course of action re- garding future apartments within the Town of Lexington The Committee shall report back to the Board of Selectmen no later than January 1, 1982 2 The Committee shall consist of 5 members 1 One member with the knowledge of the detailed history of the Town and its'zoning and assess- ment practices 2 An attorney with knowledge of the by-laws and statutes affecting the Town of Lexington 3 A citizen with extensive building and construc- tion background and knowledge of codes affect- ing Lexington 4 Two citizens at large The Chairman shall be