Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979-01-22-BOS-min 4131 SELECTMEN'S MEETING January 22, 1979 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, January 22, 1979 at 7 30 p.m. Chairman Battin, Mr. Busa, Mrs Miley, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present Chairman Battin opened the hearing on the Wood Street sidewalk and Wood St read the notice sent to all abutters Mr Hutchinson reviewed the Sidewalk administrative hearing held on January 10, 1979 in Cary Memorial Hall He informed the Board that after working with the citizens, we anticipate we could save $20,000 of the $50,000 sidewalk construction estimate; if so, we could extend the sidewalk all the way to Bates Road The pro- posal is for that portion of Wood Street between Conestoga Road and Bates Road, a distance of approximately 1200 feet Mr Peter Chalpin, Senior Engineer, said the original plans called for constructing stone masonry walls but the abutters at 135, 137 and 139 Wood Street will be submitting a letter to the Board indicating their willingness to permit sloping of the land in the front of their respective properties Sloping in this 111 area, and along the Boston Edison property, will eliminate the necessity of constructing retaining walls and will result in very significant dollar savings; however, planting of trees to replace those removed in the sloping process will reduce that savings to approximately $25,000 We will be working with the owners and we do not anticipate any problPmc Mr Rosenberg, 165 Wood Street, Mr Kennedy, 135 Wood Street, and Mr. Sacco, 139 Wood Street, discussed the trees/sidewalk and Mr Chalpin said we would like to take the sidewalk in back of the layout and we are proposing to keep the sidewalk compatible with the grade of the street We recommend, in this area, that the sidewalk be along the layout line Mr Sacco said for safety sake, the trees form a hazard because of no visibility and the tree should come out Mrs Whitman said that the Bicycle Subcommittee is urging the widest possible dimension and curb cuts Mrs Caviness, 149 Wood Street, said she endorsed the program and would like to make a plea for the trees Mr Russian, 2 Conestoga Road, asked if two pine trees could possibly be saved Mr Chalpin said that it has been the practice of DPW, where possible, to re- locate shrubs on the property Mr Crain commented that the attitude of the abutters is commendable Mr Hutchinson stated that the portion of the sidewalk to be extended to Bates Road will require that another hearing be held; it will be scheduled No further questions being asked, Chairman Battin declared the hearing closed All involved persons retired from the meeting Later in the meeting, the Board agreed to the added portion of the sidewalk Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to leave the article in the warrant for the construction of a sidewalk from Holton Road to Bates Road /J2 Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - January 22, 1979 Chapter 90- Chairman Battin opened the hearing on Chapter 90 construction of Adams St Adams Street, and read the notice of the hearing sent to abutters Mr Hutchinson said the administrative hearing was held on January 10 and the objection against the total repairing of Adams Street was substantial, if not almost unanimous There was concern within the neighborhood that it become a safe road in a number of areas and, in that context, the Engineering Department has recommended, and he supports, certain spot corrections, such as the intersection of North and Adams Street, which continues to be a problem In the light of the almost unanimous objections to any other rewidening, at this point in time we would recommend that it be withdrawn from Town Meet- ing consideration and that we work to the idea of correcting those areas where we can, i e , the intersection of North and Adams Street We had excellent cooperation from the neighborhood and quite a bit of interaction as well, looking at all kinds of alternates It certainly gives us a better feeling of how people feel in that area Mr. Chalpin, Engineering Department, said he had presented a plan at the January 10 administrative hearing showing a 26 ft wide pavement with vertical curbing on both sides, sidewalk on one side and the road- way to vary and not be centered within the layout; to minimize tree damage The project is $300,000 and would include revitalization of and new drainage Trees to be removed would be 24 definitely, 9 possibly North Street will be addressed and included in this project and guardrails There were 21 residents against and 1 for this proposal Mr Hutchinson pointed out that there are no provisions in the current budget for correcting problems in the North Street area Mr Kent asked what might we do about the guardrail, and Mr Chalpin said he had discussed, basically, one alternative, to cut the slope down in front of Adams Street, which would increase visi- bility around that curve and, in itself, would be a great improvement. Mr Chalpin informed Mr Kent that there were no administrative figures on doing something on the blind corner at North Street Mr Kent questioned Mr Chalpin's statement at the administrative hearing that the speed limit should remain at 30 mph, that he saw no reason for it to increase, and that the chances of it being decreased are nil Mr Chalpin replied that the posted speed zones are established by the cooperation of the town, the Mass D P W and the Registry of Motor Vehicles They send a special unit of two men with a radar-equipped automobile and clock 100 vehicles in each direction at every quarter of a mile along the proposal for speed zoning They tabulate the figures and arrive at an 85 percentile for that speed below which 85 percent of the vehicles that pass that particular point are travel- ing It is that speed which is established as the speed limit The chances of it going down anywhere today are non-existent The town cannot lower the speed limit; the process is that the Board of Selectmen can request the state to do this Mrs Miley asked when the tests were done and Mr Chalpin said that we do not know when they come into town as they use an unmarked car Mrs Miley said she uses that corner a 111lot and at the end of the work day the traffic goes through pretty fast Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - January 22, 1979 Mrs Margaret Brook, 26 Hancock Street, suggested a blinking light at the North Street intersection Mr Chalpin said it would have to be requested by the Board of Selectmen to the state We have discussed this in the Traffic Safety Committee and currently there are two stop signs on North Street which are plainly visible and we do not feel the expenditure for flashing red light would improve the situation Nnastatements .were made in favor of the proposal When asked for statements in opposition, one resident said that he would like to keep Adams Street as a country road; the surface is acceptable; he would like consideration of correcting the visibility, and North Street is the tough one Chairman Battin said that we do have a sense of the abutters, taken from the hearing , that everyone is in essence against the pro- posal The administration now is recommending to the Board that we withdraw it, that we consider spot improvements, which we aren't going to be able to do during this budget cycle but to think them through very carefully If the Board agrees with the administration, it would be a year before we could do that Mr Kent said that the condition at the North Street corner is a very serious business and his enthusiasm for the Chapter 90 project related to doing something at that corner If the department and the residents have reached this position, he was comfortable with it save for one aspect and that is the delay If it were not for what Mr Chalpin said that the department is not ready to proceed with this corner, he would be pushy about doing something about it It has to be done right and if the department feels it needs more time with respect to this, so be it But he hoped they would make it a high priority item in presenting to the Board a concrete proposal with respect to do something about the corner In the meantime, he would plead with D P W to be ever vigilant about keeping the grass cut back because during the summer months the height of the grass is a substan- tial contributor to the blindness that exists at that particular corner Mr Charles Code agreed with Mr Kent's sense of urgency He said that a blinking light would be no good at all as it would be invisible unless it is at the top of the hill Mr Edward Orange, 82 Adams Street, said that if the North Street intersection is taken care of with town money rather than Chapter 90, it could be done next year There were no further questions and Chairman Battin declared the hearing closed Later in the evening, the Board agreed to withdraw Adams Street and delete the article Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to withdraw the proposal for Chapter 90 reconstruction of Adams Street and delete the article from the warrant Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - January 22, 1979 Hearing - Chairman Battin opened the hearing on General Revenue Sharing Funds. General She said that Lexington's proposed budget this year is $29,119,826- Revenue $12,392,622 for general purpose government and $16,727,204 for educa- Sharing tion General Revenue Sharing Funds coming to us are $492,290, and the Funds Manager has his recommendations to the Board. Mr Hutchinson said these are only estimates of what we would be receiving and we had estimated $108,000 a quarter but we have been ad- vised we would get $93,000 for this next fiscal year, which is approxi- mately $60,000 less than we had anticipated In other words, from $432,000 to $372 00 There was an administrative hearing held and the Senior Center Cite Committee had requested that money be provided for the Munroe School but he had not provided any money in this recom- mendation as the town is not in a position to commit itself to drawings or a study of the Munroe School for a Senior Citizen Center Other requests were made from the Youth Commission regarding a youth service directory and summer employment service but we feel those can be ab- sorbed in the existing current operating budget We have recommended the expenses to be supported by this budget, and there will be some modifications, - Council on Aging Expenses-$26,820; Mystic Valley Mental Health Expense-$30,853; Community Services-$34,617; Police Motor Vehicles-$25,000; Street Lights-$250,000; DPW Equipment-$125,000 We have tried to blend some form of commitment to human services as well as what we consider basic operations within municipal government The Selectmen have the right to designate the money in a rather wide range of categorical areas and there are very few limitations on how you choose to allocate that money Mr Rooney, Chairman of the Senior Citizens Site Committee, said the Selectmen have a copy of the committee's report We have come to the point where we have to recognize our senior citizens We have taken 28 locations within the town and have decided on the Munroe School as it has excellent possibilities There is a lack of space in the present facilities We came to the Revenue Sharing hearing to ask for $38,000 and we can cut that figure down to $17,500 .it .eras potate4 aut _thatthe Selectmen had just received notification from the School Committee on the Munroe School and it was premature to have dialogue on the possible use of the school Mr Hutchinson agreed and said that he could not possibly recommend $18,000 or $19,000 Chairman Battin said we have heard Mr Rooney and the Manager and we will have to take it under ad- visement Mr Roy Hebert, 18 Bowker Street, asked if it would be more appropriate to ask for $5,000 from revenue sharing rather than the citizens' article submitted? The Board agreed that the article would stay in the warrant as it was reluctant to introduce something of a new character (The article requests $5,000 for the Central Middlesex Association for Retarded Citizens ) Mrs Judy Zabin commented that the League of Women Voters is not making a specific request on the use of GRS funds this year but we applaud the use of them for human services over the past few years and hope in the future you will consider allocating GRS funds for other human services, some of which have been funded previously in the town budget Mrs Jackie Davison said that personally she was concerned that the commitment of GRS funds to human services continue as it appears there will be cutbacks at the state and federal levels Also, to put a real effort forth next year to increase human services allocations and put street lights and D P W in the town budget Chairman Battin declared the hearing closed 1/35 Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - January 22, 1979 I Mrs. Touart, Mr Burnell and Mr Grossimon met with the Board Mrs Bandstand Touart said that the committee had met and decided on recommending Hastings Location Park as the site for the location of the bandstand They had advised th6 Historic Districts Commission and a meeting will be arranged to discuss approval The Board agreed to unanimous support of the proposed new location The committee retired from the meeting The Board approved applications for idecevses:. Licenses Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to renew the Com- mon Carrier license for Boston Tours, 89 Arcadia Street, Waltham, for Common the transportation of passengers for hire by motor vehicle along Pleasant Carrier Street and Massachusetts Avenue to the Battle Green to Route 2A to Concord; One stop at the Battle Green License expiring December 31, 1979 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue an Auctioneer Auctioneer's license to William G Marley, 22 Phinney Road, expiring March 31, 1979 Mrs Miley asked if the Bus Companies could be requested to move Tour Buses their buses out of the tenter of town and not keep the motors running Fumes Mr Hutchinson agreed to contact the bus companies Chairman Battin read a letter from the Lexington School Committee Munroe stating that the committee had unanimously voted at its meeting on School January 16, 1979 "To authorize the Chairman of the School Committee to send a letter to the Board of Selectmen informing them that the School Committee will no longer need Munroe School and the land site for school purposes from and after July 31, 1979, and furthermore the School Committee requests the Board of Selectmen to assume responsibil- ity for the building and grounds no later than July 31, 1979 " Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the responsibility of the Munroe School Members of the Board of Health and Mr Smith, Health Director, Bd Hlth met with the Board to discuss a proposed by-law- "No person shall Article- throw, dump or cause to be deposited in any brook, stream, water Brooks, course or drainage facility within the town any trash, rubbish, Debris debris, refuse or other material such as grass clippings, brush, tree limbs or similar items which will obstruct or impede the free flow of water The penalty for violation shall be $100 for each offense. " Mr Smithsaid that throughout the year, we have a lot of trouble with people dumping and causing a lot of nuisance problems The idea is to give someone other than the Board of Health the authority to enforce it Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to support the by-law article proposed by the Board of Health dumping debris in brooks, streams, water course or drainage facility within the town gf3b Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - January 22, 1979 Bicycle The Recreation Committee and Mr Wathen-Dunn met with the Board to By-Law discuss the proposed bicycle by-law Chairman Battin said the state statute does say bicycles may be ridden on sidewalks outside business districts when necessary in the interests of safety unless otherwise directed by local ordinance Our by-law says that no person unless authorized by regulation shall use or oerate on any sidewalk any bicycle or vehicle unless propelled by hand except on such as are designated by the Selectmen and marked as bicycle paths or routes So, they are ex- cluded in Lexington unless otherwise specified, and the state allows the reverse to happen, that they are permitted everywhere unless it is specifically excluded, As background information, the Town Meeting directed the Recreation Committee to come in with a proposed by-law about bicycles Mr Wathen-Dunn presented the following "No person unless authorized by regulation shall use or operate on any sidewalk or independent bicycle path any vehicle, except a wheelchair, not being propelled by hand Non-motorized bicycles may be ridden on independent bicycle paths, designated by the Selectmen and marked as bike paths or bike routes, and when necessary in the interest of public safety, non- motorized bicycles may be ridden on sidewalks except within business districts and within such other areas as may be designated by the Selectmen Otherwise, bicycles shall be operated according to Chap 85, Section 11B, of the General Laws of Massachusetts " Discussion was held and Mr Busa asked who determines it is in the best interest of public safety? Mr Wathen-Dunn said that it should be the Police Department Mrs Hinkle, Recreation Committee, said they would be working with the Traffic Safety Committee and we hope to publicize and educate the people Mr Busa suggested that they look at the areas around schools The Board agreed to insert the Article and would take a position later The Recreation Committee retired from the meeting Bleachers Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of a transfer request of $10,500 -Transfer for the bleachers He said that he was asked to further refine the estimate Request for the materials needed based upon anticipated price increases, and the Appropriation Committee said it would look at the request again Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request approval of the Appropriation Committee of a transfer in the amount of $10,500 to Account #6000-Parks for the High School bleachers Appts - Mr Hutchinson requested the Board's approval of his appointment'of Youth members of the Youth Commission Commsn Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Town Manager's appointment of Steven Doran, 16 Village Circle, and Alan Corman, 9 Vine Brook Road, as members of the Youth Commission for terms expiring in 1981 Town Report- Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of the low bidders on the Warrant printing of the Town Report and the Town Warrant Printing Upon motion duly mdde and seconded, it was voted to award the contract to Rene Press, Fitchburg, in the amount of $4,806 50 for printing the 1978 Town Report Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award the contract to Semline, Inc , Braintree, far':printing the 1979 Annual Town Meeting Warrant 48 pages and cover-$3,245;$67 60/page; 56 pages and cover-$3,799;$67 84/page 137 Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - January 22, 1979 Mrs Banks recommended approval of a Certificate of Incorporation Cert of location Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve Incorp the address at 330 Bedford Street, Lexington as a mail drop for the Address Friends of the Lexington Council on Aging, Inc The Board agreed to schedd't'p a meeting wit/1h the Chairmen of Meetings Committees on Friday, February 16, 1979, at 7 30 a.m in the Select- men's meeting room. Also, to schedule a Selectmen's meeting at the Diamond Junior High School on February 26, 1979, at 7 30 p m Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive vote - Mrs Battin, Mr Buse, Mrs Miley, Mr Kent,Mr Crain - to go Session into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to litigation and a matter involving the sale of real estate After discussion, it was voted to go out of Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 40 p.m r A true record, Attest 4,41 4A4LiCoe, l e Executive Clerk, Selectmen e