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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980-01-14-BOS-min 7 SELECTMEN'S MEETING JANUARY 14, 1980 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, January 14, 1980, at 7 30 p m. Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk Chairman Miley opened the street hearings on Tower Road, Garfield Street Street, Sunny Knoll Avenue, Rockville Avenue, Sherburne Road, Kendall Hearings Road, and Sanderson Road Notice of the hearings had been sent to the abutters by the Engineering Department Mr Michael Hanlon, Town Engineer, and Mr Peter Chalpin, Assistant Town Engineer, were present Mr Hutchinson said that his recommendation is specifically for Rockville Avenue and Kendall Road Mr Chalpin presented the following streets Tower Road, 575 feet, 40 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, sidewalk on the odd Tower Rd numbered side, permanent taking relevant to roundings, 12" maple tree to be removed; $51,750 Recommended by the Planning Board Not recommended by the Town Manager Residents in favor. Mr Hill, 32 Tower Road; Mr Richter, 30 Tower Road; Mrs Nettleton, 35 Tower Road Residents in opposition Mr Lees, 29 Tower Road; Mr Shaine, 37 Tower Road; Mrs Whiteside, 19 Independence Avenue Garfield Street, 950 feet, 50 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, sidewalk on Garfield St the odd numbered side, takings at Reed Street and Ward Street, 12" and 6" trees to be removed; $104,500 Recommended by the Planning Board Not recommended by the Town Manager Mr Eric Clarke, President of Lexington Interfaith, said the street would be desirable and the fact that the drain would be incorporated; we need that kind of an access Mr and Mrs Richard Guest, 15 Garfield Street, were in favor of the street but not the. sidewalk Residents in opposition Mrs Reasenberg, 16 Garfield Street; Mr Richard Crogan, 24 Garfield Street; Jerome Garrity, 30 Garfield Street; Christy Ligor, 11 Garfield Street Mrs Samson, owner of the property at 11 Garfield Street, asked why the sidewalk would be put on the side where two different residents would be adversely affected? Mr Chalpin replied that it was an arbitrary judgment as that was the side the ballfield was on Sunny Knoll Avenue, 609 feet, 40 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, sidewalk Sunny on the even side, takings for roundings, 4 trees to be removed, $54,800 Knoll Ave Recommended by the Planning Board Not recommended by the Town Manager Mrs Claire Dean, 11 Sunny Knoll Avenue, said she and Mr and Mrs Cooper, 43 Reed Street (corner of Sunny Knoll Avenue) were in favor Mr Angelo, 3 Sunny Knoll Avenue, said he had submitted a petition in opposition, listing the residents of 1, 5, and 9 Sunny Knoll Avenue, and 218 Bedford Street Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - January 14, 1980 Rockville Rockville Avenue, 360 feet, 40 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, sidewalk on the Avenue odd side, 2 trees to be removed, takings at roundings, $72,000 Recommended by the Town Manager and the Planning Board Mr Chalpin said there would be takings at'the Davis Road end and there would be takings from Mr Anthony C Busa at the Philip Road end We would be reconstructing some distance on Philip Road on either side of the school driveway and also some of the school driveway in order to bring the grade up to a point where Rockville Avenue is flattened Mr Anthony Busa said he owned the property which was taken by the town at the lower end of Philip Road He was not opposed to having the road either paved or sewered but he would like to know the intent of the town at this particular time as to what direction they plan to go Do they plan to put sewerage in? Do they plan to put the street in? If so, who and when will they discuss the taking - if it is a taking - or the exchange - if it is an exchange Whatever matters will be arrived at so that the town will pass from Rockville Avenue over the property he owns onto Philip Road Mr Kent said that before we decide whether we wish to recommend the street, we ought to know whether there is a public easement over it If not, it becomes relevant to know whether the town can work out an agreement with Mr Anthony Busa We need to know these things before we lay out the street The Board agreed that this information is required before a decision is made Sherburne Sherburne Road, 500 feet, 40 ft layout, 24 ft pavement Mr Chalpin said Road we are proposing only to pave and increase the adequacy of the drainage in that section We had originally proposed a cul-de-sac but that has been eliminated Estimated cost of $20,000 Not recommended by the Town Manager The Planning Board recommends acceptance of the layout of only the existing paved portion of Sherburne Road and strongly opposed construction of a turn- around, which would open an extremely wet area to further development and would create frontage for at least three new lots Any extension of this street should be made under subdivision control at developer's expense and with appropriate Conservation Commission restrictions Mr Hutchinson said this is an existing road that is bumpy; it has a surface on it There is a question whether this is road reconstruction, and he would like more time SII to review it It is an unaccepted street and was paved by the developer I Kendall Kendall Road, 415 feet, 50 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, $37,350 Mr Chalpin Road said we acre not recommending sidewalks as this is a stretch of 415 feet in the middle of Kendall Road and there are no sidewalks anywhere in sight Mr Crain said he was confused as he had heard earlier that when you go in to do roads, sidewalks are a negligible, conditional cost Mr Hutchinson said the portion of the road that we are doing does not tie into any side- ' walk system but that does not preclude in the future that the town will not consider a shole sidewalk going up to Marrett Road One of the concerns he had was what are we going to do in ten or twenty years from now Mr Crain said he had not heard anything to dissuade him, and he didn't see why we wouldn't do it Mr Kent said that he could understand not building a side- walk if the paved portions of the newly paved portions did not have sidewalks Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - January 14, 1980 unless one could reasonably predict that by doing this paving, one would create an additional traffic flow not only on the newly paved portion but on the ad- jacent already paved portion, thus necessitating sidewalks where we don't presently have them, and then of course this strip would make more sense as a suggestion is made in accordance with the policy to do this one now His question is, are we tying loose ends together by doing this in such a fashion that we are as a practical matter going to make a travel way out of something which is at the present time only carrying local residents? Mr Hutchinson said the answer is yes Mr Kent said in that event, Mr Crain's query is relevant Mr Hutchinson said that we will get a cost estimate of a sidewalk going with the existing road construction Mrs Perkins of Foxboro, Mass said she owns all the property on one side of Kendall Road When she had lived on the corner of Grapevine Avenue and Kendall Road, the upper portion from Route 2A down to her driveway was paved, just that one portion Sidewalks are there; they were installed when the new development on the circle was put in and the builder paved from her driveway down to his new road in No sidewalk was put in There are sidewalks in sight up to Marrett Road As far as putting one in down below, if you lived on that corner and had seen the traffic starting on Marrett Road and coming down that hill to get through to Worthen Road and this was when the road was all dirt, she could imagine what the traffic is going to be with the road completed Children walk down from Sherburne Road to take the school bus There will be a problem with cars coming down that road as it is hard to see the children She believed there are six families involved, five on one side of the street and she being on the other side, and she wondered if they would want this Mr Richard Gilberti, 81 Kendall Road, said that all five residents are in favor and not to delay it With respect to the sidewalk, he would not be opposed as it would be a reasonable addition We all recognize that it is going to be a cut-through Mr Louis Coppi, 83 Kendall Road, Mrs Marion Zimmerman, 85 Kendall Road, Mr Paul Parr, 87 Kendall Road, said they were in favor Mrs Perkins said she would like more information as she felt she was outvoted It was men- tioned earlier that the cost of the sidewalk is much less if it is put in at the time the road is put in, and if indeed this is going to be paved anyway, she thought that a sidewalk should be in there because children are coming down half way on a town way on a sidewalk and then they are diverted into the street She asked how the price would change because of the sidewalk? She recommended that the sidewalk be installed on the side where the houses are Mr Chalpin said there would be an additional betterment of $1 50 per foot if the sidewalk is installed Mr Hutchinson said the problem is that the sidewalk which was not put in by the town might not be town standard design for the side Mrs Perkins' property is on; it was not put in by the town Mrs Perkins asked who paved the upper portion of Kendall Road from Marrett Road? That was voted at a town meeting, and there is a sidewalk Mr Hutchinson said we can check that information out If we ran the sidewalk on the other side of the street, it would mean that you are asking people to walk on one side and then cross over to the other Mr Crain suggested that the Board lmok tmthe Engineers for clarification Mr Eric Clarke said this is one of the worst intersections Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - January 14, 1980 in the town, Marrett Road to Waltham Street and around the corner from there; there is a considerable amount of traffic, and school traffic would add to that One would want to think very hard before one opens that particular layout to traffic which is much more than ordinary streets which do not connect two important areas together We in Town Meeting talked of extending Worthen Road to Marrett Road and it was defeated, and he hoped that Town Meeting will reconsider that some day so that pressure will be relieved If you open thispiece at this time, You are goingto get far more increasing traffic than anyone can foresee Mr Gilberti said we recognize the traffic flow but we are also living with the kinds of problems we are coping with, and the frustration Chairman Miley said that the Board hears what you are saying, and it is a difficult one We are hearing each side Mr Kent said that Mr Clarke's contribution, if it does nothing else, underscores Mr Crain's concern about the side- walk Sanderson Sanderson Road, from Bryant Road to Station 13 + 50 36 on Sanderson Road Road Mr Chalpin said this is a matter of procedure as it is a subdivision street done by the developer Mr Kent asked when the construction is being done by the developer, what is the situation with respect to sidewalks? Mr Chalpin said he believed there is at least one sidewalk on Sanderson Road Mr Kent asked if any agency of the town, including the Planning Board, has any control over whether when this is done, there is a requirement with re- spect to sidewalks? Mr Chalpin replied that generally in our review, we recommend that at least one sidewalk be included Mr Hutchinson said the Planning Board in recent years has waived the requirement of sidewalks in a_hiimbar of subdivisions, and it is an area of concern that we probably should address as we look to the future Mr Cohen said the Planning Board has their rules and regulations and they include sidewalks, but they have full power to waive them. Adams For informational purposes, Mr Chalpin discussed Adams Street, He Street said that we are proposing to reconstruct Adams Street from a point half way between Westwood Road and North Street 660 feet to the Burlington town line The layout width as it exists is 50 feet and we are proposing to construct a 24 ft roadway and lower the hill and take some of the curve out There would be no permanent land takings but we will require temporary construction easements We will be building a stone masonry wall as well as lowering the roadway This will alleviate the blindness of the corner between North and Adams Street Mr Wathen-Dunn asked if we would be eligible for Chapter 90 reimbursement? Mr Hutchinson said we had investigated this before and we are not going from one com- plete tie-in of one street to the line Chairman Miley said that we did that at the other end for Chapter 90 for the last two years Mrs Battin said that we weren't meeting Chapter 90 requirements and we had said we would have to do it on our own The abutters said they did not want Chapter 90 Mr and Mrs John Martis, 104 North Street, were present Mr Martis asked for details Mr Chalpin said that we have a rough profile, and in order to do the project, we would have to survey the street He was not talking about any drastic change,but we hope to make it as safe as most intersections in town; it would certainly improve the current situation Mr Martis said he lived on the corner Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - January 14, 1980 of North and Adams Streets and realized it is a critical problem but he wondered if we are being overly symplistic in the design As he under- stood it from the Police, it is not the most dangerous corner in town and he didn't think the safety would be improved by widening the corner, but would increase the danger; now, they come out very cautiously He felt the speed limit in that area should be 30 MPH and that would give braking possibilities If you increase the sight line, you aren't accomplishing much for $53,000 The street is being used for access to the Mall and, with the Leahy Clinic being there, one section will not improve the situation He would hate to see it done piecemeal and waste money, but he did not know what the answer is Mr Kent said that this Board was quite persuaded that the increase in traffic was going to take place on Adams Street whether we do anything about these conditions or whether we don't That is why this Board was very much in favor of Chapter 90 reconstruction on Adams Street, and that attempt failed on the floor of the Town Meeting It is fair to say this was entirely due to the very vigorous objection by a host of people living the length of Adams Street Nevertheless, it is also fair to say that there was a consensus amongst those people that the town ought to do something about that blind corner at Adams Street and North Street Mr Martis has identified two issues where the presentation has assumed one He was not really sure what the relationship is between the widening of Adams Street twixt North Street and the Burlington line and attempting to do something with respect to the sight line at that corner But, at least with respect to the sight line at that corner, this Board has felt for some time that we have a responsibility for doing something about it If we can't re-do Adams St , it seems the Engineers are proceeding along the line of which we would have them proceed However, before we give final approval, perhaps we ought to have more in front of us than we do at the present time Mr Frank Martin said he lived on the other corner and you have to come out more than half way onto Adams Street The only solution would be to cut a slice out of that hill; lowering the road is not a solution; cars come down at 50 to 55 MPH and traffic is getting worse Mr Chalpin said a slice would be taken out of the embankment about 12 feet with an 8 to 9 ft stonewall on Mr Martis' property, and a 5 ft sidewalk up against the wall, and 5 percent would be of grass before you get to the end of the road Chairman Miley asked where the sidewalk would go then? Mr Chalpin said that there is a sidewalk down to North Street and it will be continuing up to the Burlington town line There were no further comments or questions, and Chairman Miley thanked all for attending the meeting Chairman Miley read a report from the Traffic Safety Committee regard- Traffic - ing a request from Mr Bruce Adams, 12 Linmoor Terrace, for a Yield sign ..at Preston/ Preston Road and Simonds Road Simonds Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recom- mendation of the Traffic Safety Committee to deny the request of Mr Bruce Adams for the conversion of the existing Stop sign at Preston Road and Simonds Road to a Yield sign It was the Committee's feeling that this location does not meet the warrants for a Yield sign; specifically, the safe approach speed does not exceed 10 MPH 114 Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - January 14, 1980 Street Chairman Miley read a request from Ms Margot Shaw, 4 Upland Road, Sale to conduct a street sale on Upland Road and to close off the ends of the street After discussion, the Board voted to deny the request The Board agreed to discuss the appointment to the Fair Housing Committee at the next meeting Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of Selectmen's meetings of October 29 and December 19, 1979 Housing Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that a meeting is being arranged Formula with the Office of Communities and Development concerning a housing formula regarding the disposal of funds to communities We have questions with respect to their policy and we are trying to resolve what they mean by this formula. FY 81 The Sewer Advisory Committee met with the Board Mr Hutchinson Sewers said we can move the deliberation of the capital program to Wednesday evening and we can now review the recommendation of the Engineering Division for Chadbourne Road-$73,000; Waltham Street-$58,400; Pleasant Street at Wilson Farm End-$45,260; Lee Avenue s/easement-$14,600; Clelland Street-$8,760; North Street from Lowell Street to Burlington Line-$56,575; North Street along Willards Woods-$170,820; James Street- $55,115; Hazel Road-$23,360; Grove Street-$31,025 - Total $536,915 Concord Avenue Gravity-$96,725 and Force Main $68,985; Amherst Street $18,250 and Easement-$48,910; Hayward Avenue-$40,150; Fairview Avenue- $31,390 - Total $304,410 Mrs Fricker, Chairman of the Sewer Advisory Committee, said that almost all of this is in line with what we have recommended Concord The Board approved Mr Hutchinson's recommendation that the town Septage of Concord be informed that their request regarding Concord's septage would be referred to Mr Hutchinson for reports to be submitted from the Department of Public Works and the Health Department Council Mr Hutchinson requested approval of his appointment of Ms Pamela on Aging Thomson to the Council on Aging Appt Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Town Manager's appointment of Ms Pamela Thomson, 34 Revere Street Warrant Mrs Banks said that she had gone over the modifications suggested Format - by TMMA on the warrant format and has been working with TMMA members on TMMA them, and they have offered assistance on the warrant Mr Hutchinson said that we did not feel it necessary to take their suggestion on Article 4 Housing Mr Cohen recommended that the Board sign the deed conveying Authority Site 21 at Wood and Alpine Streets to the Lexington Housing Authority Wood & This had been voted some time ago The Board signed the conveyance Alpine St Lot i /3 - 7 - January 14, 1980 Selectmen's Meeting The Board discussed the list of Articles for the Warrant for the 1980 1980 Annual Town Meeting Warrant Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to insert 80 Articles Articles in the Warrant for the 1980 Annual Town Meeting Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive vote to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing strategy Session with respect to litigation and one real estate matter After discussion, it was voted to go out of Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 1100 pm A true record, Attest s71?- (2.* C. "re? xecutive Clerk, Selectmen r r I VOID