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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979-02-20-BOS-min SELECTMEN'S MEETING FEBRUARY 20, 1979 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in Cary Memorial Hall on Tuesday, February 20, 1979, at 7 30 p.m. Chairman Battin, Mr Buss, Mrs Miley, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present Mr John Butler, Chairman, and Mr Frank Hazel, Personnel Advisory Personnel Board, met with the Selectmen Chairman Battin read the existing charge Advisory - to the Personnel Advisory Board, dated January 21, 1974 Mr Butler's Board comments were related to a policy statement of the Personnel Advisory Board, filed with the Town Clerk on October 10, 1974 The current mem- bers of the Board of Selectmen were not aware of this 1974 document and copies were available for reference Mr Butler said that, on all matters, the PAB reports to and ad- vises the Board of Selectmen If requested by the Appropriation Com- mittee, PAB would be available to them; we are not a decision-making group and being available is part of our function Regarding the role of PAB, we, the Selectmen and the Appropriation Committee have been consistent but there has not always been agreement as to the responsi- bility of PAB In the October, 1974 document, accountability is not a question; we are appointed by the Board of Selectmen and advise the Board of Selectmen and we interact with the Town Manager The people (users) who interact with the Personnel Advisory Board have the fol- lowing concerns the Board of Selectmen in the personnel area having to do with long-range planning and, as kind of a feedback source, we are available for advice and counsel. From the Town Manager's per- spective, he feels that we would focus more on technical assistance in specific areas that might come along, i e , wage and salary administra- tion - specific focuses that are highly technical The taxpayers ' and Town Meeting's interest is they want to be sure they are getting good value for dollars expended for the large personal services com- ponent of budgets At Town Meeting, PAB has been asked to indicate some position on something the Selectmen are proposing We think that the employees are interested in having positive working conditions in the town and interested in having an apolitical system for deal with personnel affairs where fairness is paramount vs. a system that might be oriented toward other ways that other towns have handled personnel matters We think that other Boards, Appropriation Committee, are concerned about operational control as a way in which we might be useful If there is, in the statements just made, a reasonable posi- tion taken by various users, there is quite a divergence in what other people want from the Personnel Advisory Board, and we feel that clarity is important in order for the Personnel Advisory Board to be most effective Rather than an annual PAB report, Mr Butler suggested a 5-year assessment He said that a lot has happened in five years, and three major accomplishments of the Personnel Advisory Board were (1) Meeting the requirements that were on the list indicated in the spring of 1974, .and seeing that the Arthur D Little study had not begun, to move forward on the salaries and the plan itself; (2) The process by { Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - February 204 1979 which the Town Manager was seledted and the contributions made to bringing this about; (3) The development of an affirmative action program, which we have developed as a personnel policy We think it important for direction to be established for what the Selectmen and the Town Manager want in the next five years, and the charge Mr Hazel said that what Mr Butler stated as his personal views pretty much represents the consensus of the Personnel Advisory Board; many of those items have been discussed as individuals and as members of our Board Chairman Battin summarized the possible roles of the Personnel Advisory Board as seen by other segments of the town they would be involved in long-range planning - personnel planning; technical assist- ance to the Manager as needed on different personnel problems; the taxpayers' and the Town Meeting's concern for getting good services for the personnel monies spent; the employees want positive working conditions; the Appropriation Committee wants operational control A brief discussion followed concerning the relationship of the Board, the Manager, and the Personnel Advisory Board, and it was agreed that the Selectmen would explore the history of the Personnel Advisory Board before determining the direction it is to take. Also, the Per- sonnel Advisory Board was requested to submit a memorandum stating the position it wished to follow, and a joint meeting will be arranged in the future Chairman Battin thanked Mr Butler and he and Mr Hazel retired from the meeting FY 80 Mr Peter Chalpin and Mr Frank Leahy, Engineers; representatives Sewer of the Board of Health, Planning Board, Conservation Commission, and Program the Sewer Advisory Committee were present at the meeting. Chairman Battin announced that a decision would be made this even- ing by the Board of Selectmen on the FY 80 sewer program. She said that a commitment had been made to Town Meeting last year for a com- plete sewer package at a total cost of $2 5 million to be done in six installments Parcel #1 will be done this year; parcels #2 and #3 will be agreed upon tonight; next year, we will be asking for par- cels #4 and #5, and the third year we would be asking for parcel #6 They are in the order we previously proposed to Town Meeting, and we did say that conditions could escalate and we might propose to, do it in three rather than five years, depending on considerations of the health factor and the construction and financial market We did say that the town can comfortably assume $800,000 to $1 million new debt a year, and the proposal we are looking at is approximately $1,005,000, to be perma- nently bonded over a 2-year period At the Selectmen's meeting on January 17, 1979, Warren Street, Chandler Street, Follen Road, and the Stratham Road connection to Woodberry Road were deleted; questions were raised on several other streets The Selectmen agreed on January 17 to include Wellington Lane Avenue/Meadow Brook Avenue, Rockville Avenue, Bird Hill Road, Davis Road, Maple Street, Allen Street, Pitcairn Place, Middleby Road, and Edgewood Road I Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - February 20, 1979 Chairman Battin read each remaining street on the FY 80 list of Sewers sewers During discussion, Mr Busa reiterated his objections to (cont'd) Lowell Street because of hardship to the majority of residents who are retired and statements made at the hearing that there were no problems with existing systems Mrs Miley abstained from discussion and taking a position on Robinson Road Mr Busa was not in favor of moving up Robinson Road from the FY 81 list He stated that there were other streets - a section of North Street, Amherst Street and Concord Avenue - with problems which had not been given consideration The Board agreed to include the following streets, in addition to those agreed upon at the January 17 meeting Stratham Road, Meriam Street, Abbott Road, King Street, Fair Oaks Terrace, Wachusett Drive, Lowell Street, North Street, Carville Avenue (through an easement to Trotting Horse Drive), Robinson Road, Round Hill Road (lower end) Thed upppeir end ofd Lound Hill Road waa deetted, byn tl� Boatrd. ec on was a erred on Oa an rat free , and Glen Road South pending a meeting on March 5 with the Planning Board for clarification of recommendations in its report Mr Zabin, Chairman of the Planning Board, was requested to submit documentary material to the Selectmen prior to the March 5 meeting The Lexington Housing Authority, Mr Chalpin and Mr Leahy, Scattered Engineers, and representatives of the Planning Board, Conservation Sites Commission, and Mr DiMatteo, Building Commissioner, were present at the meeting Chairman Battin announced that the purpose of the meeting is for a decision to be made by the Board of Selectmen on the convey- ance of tax title lots to the Housing Authority for the scattered sites program Public hearings have been held for citizen input and reports have been received from Public Works, Planning Board, Conservation Commission, and the Building Commissioner Mrs Shunney, Chairman of the Housing Authority, gave a brief history of background information (covered in 1/31/79 minutes) We were awarded a grant from HUD for twenty-five single family homes and no charges will be levied against the town for support of this program In our developers' instructions, heavy emphasis was placed on the design of the unit and compatibility with the neighborhood We have not been able to obtain a minimum number from HUD but we are anxious to go forward with the project and are looking to the Select- men to convey the lots they find appropriate to do so. After looking at the Planning Board report, there are some problems of great cost to the developer The Housing Authority voted tonight to turn back to the Board of Selectmen whatever lots we are unable to use and cannot go forward on; we will return those lots Y4?)'9 Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - February 20, 1979 Planning Mr Zabin, Chairman of the Planning Board, said that the Planning Board Board has visited almost all the sites and has held the public hear- Report - ing Under Article VI, s 11, of the Town By-Law, the Planning Board Scattered report is based on the following criteria (1) All lots to be con- Sites veyed will have a frontage of not less than 45 feet (2) All lots to be conveyed shall meet the requirements of the Lexington Zoning- By-Law for buildability under Section 26 5 of the By-Law (3) The sale of such lots shall be consistent with local policies concerned with housing and land use and the lots shall be suitable for develop- ment with regardtothe surrounding area All lots with the exception of Site 18, Earl Street have 45 feet of frontage; therefore, Site 18 will have to be conveyed with the condition that Earl Street (at that point is a paper street) be constructed with actual frontage of not less than 45 feet Our conclusions are that all the lots meet the zoning requirements of Section 26 5 All the lots are consistent with the local policies concerned with housing and land Of the 17 sites requiring variances, 14 are minor and can be obviated by moving the homes a few feet or relocating utility rooms All sites, with the exception of 5, 14, 15, 17 and 19 are suitable in the sense of the Town By-Law for the development of low and moderate income housing under the scattered sites program and should be conveyed to the Housing Authority Sites 1, 8 and 13 have existing grading problems and the Town should review site plans Sites 3, 13 and 26 will require Conservation approval and all sites should be reviewed by Conservation for applicability of the Wetlands Protection Act In future planning, other areas of the Town should receive a proportionate number of subsidized units The 1972 Town Meeting approval of the Scattered Sites Program con- stituted a reversal of prior Planning Board policy that tax title lots which did not meet current zoning standards were not to be developed Therefore, the opinions previously rendered by the Planning Board in support of that policy no longer had validity It is consistent with the mandate of Town Meeting to recommend conveyance of these lots Several are not tax title and cannot be conveyed under this program but it is hoped that the Selectmen will consider the possibility of acquiring these lots under another scattered sites' program, rezoning. to include some low/moderate income housing, and to keep that option open The issue was raised as to whether or not the style of archi- tecture was comptaible with neighborhoods and our conclusion was that the stule of the building proposed is compatible - no better or worse than houses built over the years in Lexington Conservation Mr David Williams, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, re- Report ported that Conservation had looked at each lot from the point of how the lot related to the Wetlands Act; we have questions on five lots, four of which will have to have a Hatch Act Hearing, and we have serious reservations on one lot We concur with the Planning Board report Building Reports had been received from Mr Empey, Acting Director of Public Com. - Works, and Mr DiMatteo, Building Commissioner, who responded to all D P W pertinent questions raised on particular sites Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - February 20, 1979 The Board approved Mr Hutchinson's recommendation that the follow- ing sites are not tax title lots and, therefore, should not be conveyed Site #5, Assessors' Man 32, Lot 50, Grapevine Avenue Site ##17, Assessors' Map 32, Lot 60, Marrett Road Taken for sewer purposes Site #15 Assessors' Man 15 Lot 32, Moreland Ave Taken for street purposes It was agreed to hold the following site in abeyance until the title is clarified. Site #14, Assessors' Map 90 Lot 82 Skvview Road Discussion was held on Site #3 on Valleyfield Street, Site #7 on Balfour Street, and Site #19 on Grassland Street The reports indicated that there were problems with these lots, which are wet with poor drain- age, and the Board voted as follows Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 3 - 2 (Battin/Miley in the minority) against conveyance to the Housing Authority of the fol- lowing sites Site #3, Assessors Map 24, Lot 24. Valleyfield Street Site #7, Assessors Map 58, Lot 204 Balfour Street Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted unanimously against conveyance to the Housing Authority of the following site. Site #19, Assessors' Map 24, Lot 21 Grassland Street The complete list having been discussed, the Board agreed on the lots to be conveyed Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously voted to convey the following sites to the Housing Authority for the scattered sites program. Site #1, Assessors' Map 13, Lot 145, Tarbell Avenue Site #10, Assessors' Map 72. Lot 31. Earl Street (house to be relocated) Site#11, Assessors' Map 72, Lots 36 and 37 Garfield Street (unaccepted private way) Site #12, Assessors' Map 72, Lots 422 423 424 Avon Street (Town to construct and funds reimbursed by HUD) Site #13, Assessors' Map 90, Lot 80 Rangeway Road, subject to Planning Board/ Conservation requirements Sites #16-B and 16-C, Assessors' Mao 79 Lot 45, Avon Street, subject to Planning Board requirements Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - February 20, 1979 Site #18, Assessors' Map 72, Lot 33, Earl Street at Ward Street, subject to provisions for construction of an adequate road being met (paper street) Planning Board requirements Site #20, Assessors' Map 15, Lot 40, Rockville Avenue at Davis Street Site #21, Assessors' Map 59, Lots 48A and 49A Wood Street at Alpine Street Site #22, Assessors' Map 59, Lots 27, 28, 32 Alpine Street Site #23, Assessors' Map 72. Lots 184 and 185 Reed Street, subject to Planning Board requirements (move house) Site #26, Assessors' Map 25, Lot 161 Spring Street, subject to Conserva- tion/Planning Board requirements and the three lots LHA Site Numbers 4 - 24 - 25 known as a parcel of land located on the northerly side of North Street, Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts being shown as lots 1, 2, 3 on Proposed Subdivision Plan of Land in Lexington, Massachusetts dated March 1, 1978, Joseph W Moore Co , Surveyors -Civil Engineers Mrs Shunney thanked the Board for conveying the tax title lots and stated that the Housing Authority intends to do a job that everyone will be proud of The Housing Authority and others involved retired from the meeting Traffic Chairman Battin read a report from the Traffic Safety Committee Safety - stating that the petition submitted by Karen Williams and Sharon Dike requesting a traffic and pedestrian signal installation at the installa- Bedford/ tion at the intersection of Bedford and Hill Streets has been discussed Hill Sts by the committee and referred to the Engineering Division for study relative to conformance with the applicable traffic signal warrants The Board will await a report from Engineering Traffic Chairman Battin read a report from the Traffic Safety Committee Safety relative to a request from William M Redpath, 29 Barberry Road, for Barberry/ the installation of traffic signs on Concord Avenue Concord Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the Avenue recommendation of the Traffic Safety Committee for (1) a single Stop yellow center line to be painted on Barberry Road approximately Sign 50 to 75 feet long, beginning at Concord Avenue; (2) the installa- tion of a Stop sign on Barberry Road at Concord Avenue Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the Traffic Rules and Orders of the Town of Lexington to include the following Stop Street, subject to the approval of the Mass Department of Safety• Street Location Regulation Barberry Road Northbound at Concord Avenue Stop Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of the Selectmen's meetings held on January 8, 1979, January 31, 1979, and February 5, 1979 (Executive) YL 7 Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - February 20, 1979 Chairman Battin read a request from Mr Winston Flynn, 32 Water- Youth town Street, to award a medal on each Patriots' Day to the most out- Recognition- standing youth of Lexington. Patriots' Upon moiton duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant per- Day mission to the Lexington Youth Recognition Committee, a subcommittee of the Lexington Youth Commission, to strike the Paul Revere side of the Lexington Bicentennial medal with silver, imprint the appropriate inscription, and award the medal to the most outstanding youth of Lexington at a ceremony to be conducted on each Patriots' Day Chairman Battin read a request from Mr Cohen, Town Counsel, to Conserva sign a deed transferring land to the Conservation Commission Land Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the deed transferring the following parcels to the Conservation Com- o mission to be held under its care, custody, management and control for conservation purposes including outdoor recreation as provided by section 8C of Chapter 40 of the General Laws: Parcel One, unregistered land shown on Assessors' Map No 23, Lot 27; Parcel Two, unregistered land shown on Assessors' Map No 23, Lot 28; Parcel Three, unregistered land shown on Assessors' Map No 31, Lot 54B; Parcel Four, unregistered land shown on Assessors' Map No 31, Lot 80; Parcel Five, unregistered land shown on Assessors' Map No 31, Lot 81; Parcel Six, registered land shown on Assessors' Map No 15, Lot 68 Mrs Miley discussed the bill filed by Senator Rotondi for a Bedford St traffic light at Bedford and Eldred Streets In 1974, a proposal Eldred St to widen Bedford Street to a 6-lane highway with a traffic light Light was rejected In 1977, through the efforts of Senator Carol Amick after we had contacted her, it was proposed to widen the jughandle at Harwell Avenue; Plans were brought to the Selectmen and this proposal was rejected by the town. Early this year, Senator Rotondi recommended that we go to the State DPW and try again Senator Rotondi was asked by a Precinct 7 Town Meeting member to file a bill on a light at Bedford and Eldred Streets, and in our last request to the State DPW, we asked them to include a light in their study in order to come up with a possible solution The Committee on Transportation was concerned that there has not been a formal letter sent by this board supporting Senator Rotondi's bill Mrs Miley hoped there could be come consensus of what we would like to be done The Board agreed to request the Traffic Safety Committee to study the area again and come back in two weeks with a report Mrs Nancy Banks recommended approval of the locations for Cert of Certificates of Incorporation, as requested by the Secretary of Incorp the Commonwealth Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve, as a mail drop, the following locations oflincorporations New England Coalition of Educational Leaders, Inc , 1620 Mass. Ave Professional Equipment for the Needy, Inc , 73 Laconia Street *b 8 Selectmen's Meeting - 8 - February 20, 1979 Bleachers Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of a transfer request for the High School bleachers Because of the $1,458 increase in the cost of lumber, and be- cause of the 45 days it takes to get delivery of the lumber, the Board voted unanimously to request the approval of the Appropriation Committee for a transfer from the Reserve Fund to Account #6000-Parks to construct 1300 seats at the High School; the amount requested is $10,000 Capping A brief discussion was held on proposed legislation on capping Levels and it was agreed to discuss the matter further, and the possibility of a dialogue with the citizens at the meeting at the Diamond Junior High School on February 26, 1979 Executive Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5 - 0 by roll call Session vote - Mrs Battin, Mr Busa, Mrs Miley, Mr Crain and Mr Kent - to go into Executive Session, with no intention of resuming the open meeting, for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to union negotiations and a personnel matter After discussion, it was voted to go out of Executive Session. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 11 05 p m A true record, Attest ‘1-` ' 4! ;(.4e444.,.1 :;), R Executive Clerk, Selectmen