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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1978-11-20-BOS-min 377 (� SELECTMEN'S MEETING NOVEMBER 20, 1978 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, November 20, 1978, at 7 30 p.m Chairman Battin, Mr Buse, 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 Bradford and members of the Belfry Hill Association, Hancock Mrs Sara Chase, Chairman of the Historical Commission, and Mr John School Packard, Chairman of the Historic Districts Commission, met with the Board to discuss the Hancock School Mrs Chase said that there are certain deviations from the under- standings we had with the developer, especially the color of the trim and cleaning the exterior Mr Bradford said that if the developer had proposed orange paint in the original plans, they would have been rejected Mr Packard said that the building had been downgraded since the conversion and is not in a condition satisfactory to the Historic Districts Commission Mr Hutchinson stated that it is im- portant to keep in mind that the project is not completed Sydney and Noyes are substantially in compliance but there is work to be done; the site will be upgraded, they will enclose and screen the transformers, and landscaping will be done in the spring As to the color, we have not been able to resolve it as of last Friday The Board agreed that it had no intention of releasing the bond until they are fully satisfied that the tefms-_o.f the agreement and the permit of the town have been met Mrs Angela Frick met with the Board to discuss the Metropolitan MAPC Area Planning Council A-95 Review Process As Lexington's representa- tive on MAPC, she receives requests for comments, to be submitted within ten days Mrs Frick sends duplications of the request to every involved town board, Selectmen and the Town Manager If ap- plicable when completing the form, she stipulates that it has been identified as an area of need in Lexington and submits her recom- mendations If any town action or involvement is to be required, such as money, staff, space, or if it is going to compete for other- wise committed funds, it will come back to the Board of Selectmen for a decision We can continue with the process unless the Board has other ideas. The Board was satisfied with the current process on MAPC A-95 requests Mrs Frick advised the Board to wait until a letter is received MAPC from MAPC requesting the appointment of a voting alternate representa- Alternate tive of Lexington Rep It was noted that Mr Hutchinson will recommend a staff member for the Board's consideration 378 Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - November 20, 1978 Parker Chairman Battin stated that this portion of the meeting has been School scheduled with people who wish to express their ideas and concerns re- garding the conversion of the Parker School The Board will make a decision next Monday evening on the use of the school Members of the School Sites Conversion Committee were also present Mr Jack Sarmanian, spokesman for the residents, said that at their meeting yesterday, a number of concerns were brought up, and they feel the need for more study of the options On November 11, the School Sites Conversion Committee had announced that proposals were under consideration but there has been very little feedback on the actual land use, types of options, and financing Mrs Ione Caring, Precinct 8 TMMA, asked for consideration of keeping the land open Mr David Fine, 91 Simonds Road, said that no appraisal had been done because the value depends on the use of the building Without financial information, it is hard to do anything; he was in- terested in what the sale price would be and what revenue it would generate He also suggested keeping it for conservation land Mr William Scouler, 144 Simonds Road, said that there is not sufficient information to make a judgment on how it would impact our neighborhood and whether the quality of life is going to de- teriorate Ms Jody Luther asked for an additional meeting on the Parker School use Mr Martin Hagerty, Bedford Street, asked about the traffic volume The residents were informed that neighborhood representatives serve on the School Sites Conversion Committee Mr Harry Williams, Bedford Street, said that he had never heard any reports from neighborhood representatives Mrs Mary Miley, Chairman of SSCC, said that we did bring to the neighbors the information at exactly the same time as we gave it to the Selectmen Actually, we are all at about the same point In order to get appraisals, which we do have to have, a use does have to be decided upon We asked you this evening for your input; we do know your concerns and, in the final analysis, it will be Town Meeting's decision on what happens to Parker School There will be many hearings and we will be discussing whatever problems and concerns there are, and we will make sure that any developer chosen for the development of this building will be someone who will please the town It was agreed that the School Sites Conversion Committee would conduct an informational meeting with the residents and abutters of Parker School on Saturday, November 25, at 10 00 a m in Estabrook Hall All interested persons retired from the meeting Town of Mr David Williams, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, and Dennis Mr Albert Zabin, Chairman of the Planning Board, recommended that Wetlands Lexington become a friend of the court regarding the case pending By-Law before the Supreme Court relative to the legality of a Wetland By- Law of the Town of Dennis They requested that Town Counsel work with them to prepare the necessary support statement Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize Town Counsel to exercise his judgment as to the measures in the best interests of Lexington with regard to itsB -Law and the in- volvement -volvement of that Bt-Law in the Dennis case 379 Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - November 20, 1978 Mr Hutchinson recommended that discussion on a Precinct 3 polling Precinct 3 place be tabled Polling Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the Place matter of a Precinct 3 polling place pending the Town Manager's re- view with the School Administration. Mrs Mary Lou Touart, Chairman of the Permanent Building Committee, Bicenten and members of the Bicentennial Bandstand Committee met with the Board Bandstand- to request approval of the Buckman Tavern grounds for the location of Buckman the Bicentennial bandstand Mr Burnell said that the Lexington Rotary Tavern Club has offered to sponsor the cost of the bandstand as a gift to the town Mr Moore explained that the bandstand is 30 to 34 feet across in diameter, cedar shingle roof, removable stairs for inside storage, wooden railings, platforms to elevate the band More details would be available in a few weeks for Historic Districts hearings It would be over 100 feet from Buckman Tavern, set back from the road, and would not interfere with any of the buildings Mr Wilbur Jacquith said that the Historical Society has unanimously voted to oppose the installation of a grandstand on Buckman Tavern grounds The Society feels it would be incompatible with the historic area; a permanent structure which would be used only 10 weeks a year; a great concern about vandalism Mr Fred Bailey also represented the Society and the Church of Our Redeemer, which is greatly concerned about the possible spread of vandalism to buildings in the area After a brief distussion, the Board agreed to the Buckman Tavern grounds, and the Bandstand Committee is to go forward with preparation of detailed material to .be submitted at a requested hearing before the Historic Districts Commission Upon motion duly made and seocnded, it was voted to approve the recommendation of the Buckman Tavern grounds as the site location of the proposed Bicentennial Bandstand The Committee retired from the meeting The Board approved the following agenda items Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Sheraton request of the Sheraton Lexington Inn for an extension of hours under Lex New the Innholder liquor license to 1 00 a m on New Year's Eve Year's Eve Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the 1-Day 1-day liquor license for a W R. Grace employees' party on November 20 Liq Lic and November 21, 1978 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Hanscom Fld following groups who have made applications for membership on the Adv Com Hanscom Field Advisory Committee National Business Aircraft Association, Inc , Washington, D C ; Merriam Hill Association, Lexington; William E Ziminsky, Technical Aeroservice Inc , Bedford; Raytheon Company Missile Systems Division, Bedford The Hanscom Field Advisory Committee had recommended the ap- proval of the Board of Selectmen 38o Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - November 20, 1978 Tax Chairman Battin read a recommendation from the Lexington Housing Title Authority that the moratorium on the sale of tax title land be ex- Moratorium tended to March 31, 1979 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted that thee ! moratorium on the sale of tax titlelots on the scattered sites list be extended from November 30, 1978 to March 31, 1979 Appt Mrs Miley nominated Mrs C Jean Coates, 30 Donald Street, for Town appointment to the Town Celebrations Committee Celeb Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mrs C Jean Coates a member of the Town Celebrations Committee for a term of office expiring April 30, 1980 Chairman Battin announced that one vacancy still exists and the Board would appreciate receiving names of persons interested in music who would assist the committee in the selection of bands Affirm Mr Hutchinson informed the Board of the meeting this morning Action with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination on the town's numerical goals and timetables, as outlined at the Select- men's meeting last week, these should bring us into substantial com- pliance with this part of our work program We have had some helpful suggestions from the Personnel Advisory Board on what the format should be and we have inculcated those into our proposal We pointed out to MCAD that we are also working on completing the system with a Fair Housing Plan, which the Planning Board is undertaking and a rough draft would be ready for review the first week in December We have also agreed to work with other appropriate town agencies and bring them under the aegis of the plan where it is deemed advisable to do so, even though they might have legal power beyond the scope of the Selectmen and the Town Manager The last item we would be working on would be the issue of contracting procedures, which would require some detail and MCAD has agreed to work with us on this because it is a little more complex The meeting was very positive and MCAD has agreed they would file a prompt response with the appropriate agencies Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board consider adopting these numerical goals as they are compatible with our intent, and this does have an impact on funding for the town. Mr Busa said that he disagreed with the whole procedure as once we start putting quotas on, we are no longer an equal oppor- tunity employer No one in the state house or state government should be telling us what our goals should or should not be when we have thoroughly committed ourselves under the affirmative action program toward those goals; once you start putting numbers and dates and time, that was not his idea of affirmative action and an equal opportunity employer Mr Crain took exception to Mr Busa's change of the word "goals" to "quotas," which would imply follow-through in the face of whatever conditions exist At the Board's request, Mr Crain had met with Ms Edmonds of MCAD last week and he felt it was healthy what the 111 state is requesting as our best estimate of reasonable goals and 381 Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - November 20, 1978 timetable, with the opportunity, if conditions change, to describe why those weren't met; that is different than a quota He was convinced it was the right thing to do as there will be other aspects of funding considered, i e , pool, scattered sites It was clear to him that various State Secretaries are going to ask Ms Edmonds for an appraisal of the status of the town's affirmative action program, and if there is a lack of goals and timetables, she will have to say that we are not in compliance Chairman Battin, Mrs Miley and Mr Kent agreed with Mr Crain Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4.1 to approve an amendment to the Town of Lexington's Affirmative Action Plan, provid- ing numerical goals and timetables Mr Buse voted in the negative A copy of the amendment is to be hand-delivered to the Mass Commission Against Discrimination with a covering letter signed by the Town Manager, stating that the Board of Selectmen had approved the amendment and the Town of Lexington, as part of its work plan, would continue to evaluate recruitment procedures so we can increase the number of minorities and women candidates AMENDMENT TO THE TOWN'S AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PLAN Employment Goals Employment turnover in the Town is generally low, and, therefore employment goals must be both long-term and short-term recognizing the goal of developing a workforce which is ultimately characteristic of the SMSA workforce * During 1979 and 1980 there is only one reorganization scheduled The Fire Department will create 5 new Lieutenant positions and elimin- ate an equal number of Fire Fighter positions It is anticipated that the recruitment for the new positions will be within the Department Other reorganizations may take place in 1980, but at this time the Town Manager does not see any new positions resulting from such actions Turnover among present employees is very low During 1977 there were approximately 12 turnovers (16 2%) in the Department of Public Works, 1 turnover (less than 1%) among the clerical employees and 1 turnover (less than 1%) in the management level In DPW, about half of the turnovers result in new employees, the remaining in promotions Under Chapter 32B, Sec 118 passed in 1977, there is no longer a mandatory retirement age for municipal employees A review of the ages for recent retirees shows, however, that the average is between 62 and 65 years There are presently 33 employees who are or will reach 62 years of age in the next two years Approximately 75% of these can be expected to retire, assuming the same retirement trends continue under the new law *Workforce characteristics in Boston SMSA are presently 7 5% minority including 5% black and 2 5% Hispanics and 46 7 women Source Guidelines for Affirmative Action, Division of Employment Security ��I 382 Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - November 20, 1978 Projections for FY 79 show that there will be approximately 14 vacan- cies Employment goals for minority and women are outlined below' Projected Openings Women Minority Full-time paid employees Promotions New Hire Employment Employment ' Office Clerical 46 2 1 - 50% Management 46 1 3 1 - 25% Unorganized Service/Maintenance 9 Organized Public Works 74 15 5 1 - 20% Organized Fire 58 2 1 - 50% Organized. Police 52 1 1 -100% TOTALS 285 16 13 1 - '7 6% 4 - 30 8% The establishment of these goals recognizes some areas of concern Within the Public Works Area, the Union agreement requires promotion from within the organization, "except if the Director of Public Works determines that no employee who has so applied is qualified for the position " Under this agreement, efforts to recruit minorities and women is focused on entry level positions In these positions we give serious consideration to CETA employees whose employment meets other social goals To date under the CETA program we have only em- ployed one minority, and we are working with CETA to increase the numbers of minorities in the program In the Fire Department we have limitation this year as we are working off a 3-year list due to expire December 31, 1979 On that list there are no minority candidates remaining A minority appl,ica- cant was offered employment and turned down the appointment There are, however, women still on the list who are confident will meet the qualifications for appointment The five year goal will be to achieve employment parity with the minority representation of the Boston SMSA During the first quarter of 1979, the Town will complete a five year manpower plan, which will clarify specific numerical goals in various categories All employment goals are based on projections Goals will have to be revised based on actual turnovers s / Margery M Battin, Alfred S Busa, Mary W Miley, Robert B Kent, James F Crain Transfers- Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board approve the list of trans- ' Art 5 to fers in the amount of $233,725 from Article 5 to line item accounts in Art 4 Article 4 to provide for the payment of approved salary increases Generally, we are in a favorable position on Article 5 because of vacan- cies not being filled However, there will be minimum requests coming to the Board on classifications which are still under review I 383 Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - November 20, 1978 IIIUpon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize Transfers transfers from Article 5 to Article 4, in the total amount of (cont'd) $233,725, as follows Acct Personal Appropriated Transfer from No Account - Services Art 4, 1978 Requirements Art 5, 1978 1060 Town Manager's Office $ 81,204 $ 82,322 $ 1,118 1075 Clerical Services 8,348 8,765 417 1150 Town Clerk's Office 49,640 52,589 2,949 1500 Board of Appeals 10,815 11,572 757 1600 Planning Board 38,655 40,178 1,523 2000 Board of Registrats 6,550 7,061 511 2470 Recreation 107,170 109,533 2,363 2500 Treasurer & Collector's 73,629 77,876 4,247 2800 Comptroller's Office 90,657 96,062 5,405 2950 Assessor's Office 55,561 58,061 2,500 3250 Health Department 39,198 41,840 2,642 3500 Animal Control Office 15,850 16,383 533 3760 Police Officers & Staff 293,665 308,689 15,024 3770 Patrolmen & Sergeants 790,331 859,285 68,954 4120 Fire Dept Coll Brgn Unit 965,771 993,800 28,029 4450 Inspection Department 65,142 70,382 5,240 4900 DPW-Coll Brgn Unit 973,689 1,014,574 40,885 111 4950 DPW Management & Staff 294,270 309,929 15,659 5100 Engineering 180,770 189,075 8,305 5200 Town Bldg Maintenance 57,296 62,468 5,172 7100 Veterans Benefits Off 8,910 9,494 584 7500 Library 360,805 375,713 14,908 7825 Non-Contrb.Ret Pension Fund 175,000 181,000 6,000 Totals $4,902,798 $5,136,523 $233,725 Article 5 Appropriations $300,000 Less Transfers 233,725 Total Available $ 66,275 The Board agreed to table the proposals for increased rates at the sanitary landfill, and building permit fees Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive vote * Mrs Battin, Mr Busa, Mrs Miley, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to Session go into executive session, with no intention of resuming the open meeting, for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to litigation, legal negotiations and the purchase of real property After discussion, it was voted to go out of executive session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 1100pm 9 A true record, Attest t III ›)) .. 2)?.c.......,„,f2; xecutive Clerk, Selectmen I