Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-10-17-BOS-min SELECTMEN'S MEETING October 17, 1977 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Select- men's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, October 17, 1977 at 7 00 p.m. Chairman Battin, Mr Bailey, Mr Busa, Mrs Miley and Mr Kent; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mr McSweeney, Di- rector of Public Works/Engineering; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present Chairman Battin opened the meeting and it was agreed to go into Execu- Executive tive Session, the required notice having been posted Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call vote to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussion of the sale of real property by financial negotiation After discussion with two developers, it was voted to go out of Executive Session and begin the open session at 7 40 p.m Mr Hutchinson introduced Mr Charles G Ellis, Engineering Asso- Whitman & ciate, and Dr Edward Pershe, Director of Research, of the engineering Howard - firm Whitman & Howard, who were present to discuss the Hartwell Avenue Sanitary sanitary landfill Mr Hutchinson said that the Town is obligated to Landfill give a closure plan by January 1, 1978 and Whitman & Howard have pre- pared a plan on leachate pollution and submitted a proposal up to $25,000, for which we have a request for a transfer of funds to implement the project Dr Pershe said that Whitman & Howard had performed in August a monitoring and testing survey of water quality and movement from exist- ing wells in place at the perimeter of the landfill and streams, to see the extent of leachate pollution at the landfill In general, the results showed that leachate pollution of ground and surface waters is a problem and steps should be taken to curb it We believe that the present landfill site can be utilized in a satisfactory manner so as to satisfy the requirements of the Massachusetts Department of Environ- mental Quality Engineering and also provide the Town with a facility that is useful for several years This can be done by (1) capping the present landfill with an impermeable membrane or a sealing clay to prevent any influx of surface water which produces leachate; (2) con- structing a barrier at the face of the landfill in locations where this is required to prevent the pollution of drainage streams; (3) installing a leachate treatment system which utilizes a combination of removal mechanism via overland/wetlands treatment; (4) following proper sani- tary landfill procedures to dispose of solid wastes on top of the capped landfill, capturing for treatment any leachate that could be formed. The principal finds and conslusions of the study were 1 Landfill leachate is polluting the groundwater in the immediate vicinity of the landfill The pollution moves outward from the landfill in all directions 26 Selectmen's Meeting October 17, 1977 Whitman & 2 During warm dry spells, the marsh area dries up and leachate Howard probably does not reach the brook by overland travel if it (cont'd) comes through the face of the landfill However, during wet weather, leachate will pass through the face of the landfill and can migrate across the swamp to contaminate Kiln Brook There is not enough information available to be able to state definitely how Kiln Brook or other waters are being contami- nated by leachate at this time 3 Calculated groundwater velocity rates are very low because of the fine silty sand through which the groundwater must pass This could be the reason why pollutants are so effec- tively attenuated in short distances and why groundwater quality away from the landfill is quite good 4 At the present time, there is not enough data upon which to base a design for curbing leachate Recommendations based on findings of the study are that 1 Monitoring of the landfill continue with sampling of ground- water, marsh and brook water being done at quarterly intervals Groundwater table elevations should be determined at semi- monthly intervals 2 Observations of landfill runoff be made during heavy rainfall to determine under what conditions leachate issues from the face of the landfill and also to note the pattern and qual- ity of the overland runoff and the quality of water in the brooks which drain the area 3 Steps should be taken to cap the landfill with an impervious membrane or sealing clay, thereby preventing any leachate from being produced by precipitation Dr Pershe said that Whitman & Howard would like to reach more conclusions before presenting their plan to the State, and this would mean getting another set of representative samples within the next two month period They will broaden the scope by investigation, will cross Route 128 to get the brook flow and also investigate behind industrial areas and check downstream on Kiln Brook to the Hanscom Air Base to see what the results are away from the landfill After general discussion, Mr Hutchinson said that although a deci- sion must be made reasonably fast, he recommended that the Board defer action this evening on the report and also the request for a transfer to fund Whitman & Howard's proposal Mr Sandy and Mrs Solomon of the Sanitary Landfill Advisory Committee were present and agreed to submit 27 Selectmen's Meeting October 17, 1977 their comments to the Board during the week The Board agreed with Mr Hutchinson's recommendations, and Mr Ellis and Dr Pershe retired from the meeting Mr Same Nablo and Mr Louis Zehner met with the Board to discuss Town the recommendations of the Town Report Committee Report Mr Nablo informed the Board that the committee had met to orga- Committee nize and Mr. Nablo is Chairman, Mr Frank Totman, Vice Chairman; George Cooper, Secretary; Mr. Robert Hutchinson, Editor-in-Chief Mr Nablo gave a report of the committee, recommending that the format of the Town Report not revert to 6"x9" from 8'"x11", as savings would be very little and there is the problem of readability for older eyes Also, to retain Parts I and II; last year, there were 9400 copies of Part I and 700 Copies of Part II, and there are serious cost penal- ties if you are going to try and assemble a single report The committee strongly recommends not to limit the distribution but if you want a single report, the committee recommends limited distribution Mr Busa reaffirmed his position of opposition to unlimited dis- tribution and recommended that a questionnaire survey be made to see how many citizens were interested in receiving the Town Report Mrs Miley recommended that Part I include financial statistics; she would like to have meaty information in Part I as many citizens are interested in reading it Mr Hutchinson said that we will not resolve the issue by a question- naire as to who reads the report but he suggested including a notation within the report stating that if a person is interested in receiving and reading the Town Report next year, to please advise us The Board agreed to this suggestion Mr Nablo continued the report, stating that letters will be sent requesting reports of departments and committees by November 18 The Town Manager's office will supply clerical help and editorial assis- tance He stressed the importance of the Selectmen's Report and said that the Chairman of the Board is responsible for this Mr Hutchinson had informed the committee that each department is to give a statement of purpose with an indication of future direction, and how the money is distributed and how it is used; also, organizational charts are to be included showing the relation of departments to the Board of Selectmen. The Auditor's report will be included in each report Also, emergency telephone numbers and numbers and names for department where complaints and constructive criticism can be directed After discussion, the Board agreed to an 8'"xll" Town Report in Parts I and II, with a snynopsis of statistics to be included in Part I Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-1 to approve Townwide distrubtion of Part I of the Town Report Mr Busa voted in the negative Mr Nablo agreed to discuss with the committee the number of Part II I III issues to be printed and the amount of material to be included He and Mr Zehner retired from the meeting 28 Selectmen's Meeting October 17, 1977 The Board discussed and approved the following agenda items Parade Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Permit quest of Mr Ralph Lord, High School Recreation Coordinator, for a parade permit on Saturday, November 12 from 12 30 to 1 00 p m prior to the Melrose-Lexington football game Meeting Mr Kent agreed to represent the Board at the meeting of the Lexing- Representa- ton Burlington Red Cross Chapter on October 27 at the Minuteman School tive Board members agreed to attend Back-to-School night at the Minute- man School on October 26 from 7 00 to 9 00 p.m Board members agreed to participate in the Veterans' Day parade on November 11 at 10 00 a m. and Chairman Battin is to read the proclama- tion at the ceremony on the Green Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve minutes of the Selectmen's meetings held on July 11 and September 12, 1977 Amick - Chairman Battin read a letter from Senator Carol Amick stating that Bedford she was disappointed that the Board had disapproved her proposal to Street provide what she though was a measure of relief on the traffic situa- Traffic tion at Bedford Street near the jughandle However, she invited rep- resentatives of the Board and the Transportation Advisory Committee to meet with her and the State Department of Public Works Engineering staff to discuss it once again to come up with constructive proposals; the date of the meeting to be set as soon as possible Mrs Miley agreed to represent the Board and a copy of the letter will be sent to the Transportation Advisory Committee; also, representa- tives of our Public Work/Engineering Department will attend the meeting Selectmen The Board agreed to defer discussion of Selectmen's Policies and Policies Procedures until the complete packet is ready Mr Busa discussed Chairman Battin's expenses for the joint meet- ing of the Massachusetts Selectmen's Association, the Massachusetts League of Cities and Towns, Mayors' Association, Municipal Management Association, the Finance Committee's Association, and the Municipal Personnel Association, to be held in Hyannis on the weekend of October 21-23, 1977. Members of the Board agreed that it was in the best in- terests of the Town of Lexington for a member to participate in the activities of the Selectmen's Association and the League of Cities and Towns Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the ex- penditure of expenses incurred by Chairman Battin on October 21-23, 1977 Health Mr Hutchinson agreed to have staff representation at the meeting Meeting of the Health Planning Council of Greater Boston to be held in Cary Hall on October 25 The Board discussed custodial fees for the use of Cary Hall and 29 Selectmen's Meeting October 17, 1977 Mr Hutchinson recommended that state and federal agencies be charged a fee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adopt the policy Cary Hall of charging custodial fees for state and federal agency meetings held Custodian in Cary Memorial Hall Fee Policy Members of the Board agreed to attend the Governor's Economic Con- ference on 128 on October 28, 1977 Mr Hutchinson recommended that the contract for curbside collec- Recyclables tion of recyclables be awarded to the lowest bidder, Stanley Roketenetz, Contract Inc , for an 8-month trial period at $5,250 00 per month or a total of $42,000 00 Curbside collections would be on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week Authorization is contained in Article 31 of the 1977 Annual Town Meeting He advised the Board that this bid price does not include the expense of building a permanent bunker system at the landfill, as previously recommended and approved It is proposed to continue the rental of 40 cubic yard containers, supplied by the recy- cling markets, at an approximate cost of $90 00/month per container during the 8-month contractural agreement; we do have that amount of money within the scope of the Article to rent them and it does get the program underway Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award the con- tract for curbside collection of recyclables to the lowest bidder, Stanley Roketenetz, Inc , 29 North Maple Street, Woburn, in the amount of $42,000 for a period of eight months Mr Hutchinson recommended that the contract for the installation Traffic of traffic signals at the Waltham Street/Worthen Road intersection be Signals awarded to the lowest bidder Authorization is contained in Article 34 Contract of the 1976 Annual Town Meeting Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award Contract 77-8-E to New England Traffic Signals, Inc , Winthrop, for the installa- tion of traffic control signals at Waltham Street and Worthen Road, in the amount of $23,906 00 Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that 62 applicants have passed the Firefighters firefighter written examination and physical ability test, and inter- Positions views are now being conducted for recommended appointments There are 22 Lexington residents, 7 of whom are minorities or women Mr Hutchinson discussed Chief Corr's report on his meeting with Center the Center Business Committee relative to parking problems in the Center, Parking which stated that everybody is aware that more parking is needed in the Center, and the Business Committee should pursue the matter of raising our parking fees on existing meters as additional monies could be avail- able for whatever project received the go-ahead The Committee agreed and it is believed that the Chamber of Commerce will endorse the pro- 4:4) :f ti ti Selectmen' s Meeting October 17, 1977 posal This would require the Board of Selectmen to amend Article 5, section 16 of the Traffic Rules and Orders, as well as expending $2,500 to convert existing meters Chief Corr had also advised the committee that the Police Department would make further efforts to try and stop all-day meter feeding violators in the Center area; also, he informed them that he did not agree that a metermaid was the answer to the problem The Board agreed with Mr Hutchinson that the efforts of the Police Department regarding enforcement of meter feeding violations be publi- cized, and to include $2,500 in FY 79 Police budget to convert exist- ing meters Further discussion will be held on this item Unemployment Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that extensive time had been Compensation spent reviewing unemployment compensation, which becomes effective for local employees on January 1, 1978 A decision must be made by Decem- ber 1, 1977 on how to fund claims against the Town, and we would con- tribute 1 percent of the payroll ($180,000) or self-insure and proceed with the reimbursement method that requires direct payment from an appropriation It is recommended at this time to approve the reimburse- ment method, as well as designating the Town Manager's office as the agent for administration for the Town, which would include school claims against the Town Also, that school crossing guards be funded through the School Committee budget in order to avoid the possibility of claims for unemployment; this will be reviewed in greater detail with the School Committee and Dr Lawson so that they might provide money in their budget They would contract with the Police Department to con- tinue to provide this service We are spending approximately $42,000 a year now on school crossing guards Mr Hutchinson is to come back to the Board after discussion with the School Committee Sewer The Board discussed Mr McSweeney's recommendations regarding sewer Connections- connections for the proposed development of 56 single family homes ad- Vine Brook jacent to Emerson and Maureen Roads which are in the area just upstream Area of past sewage overflows This area has been subjected repeatedly to overflows during certain times of the year, the cause of which has not yet been adequately demonstrated, nor has there been ample opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the contingency plan These answers should be forthcoming after completion of the inflow-infiltration analysis next June, and after experiencing the effects of this winter on our contingency plan Therefore, it is believed that no additional sewerage connections in the Vine Brook area should be authorized unless an existing health hazard exists, or a severe hardship will result, until additional information is available Mr Hutchinson commented that this would be a reflection of our good faith efforts to those other communities we have been dealing with He and Mr McSweeney would like to assess this further and develop an impact statement economically as it covers a rather broad area rather 31 Selectmen' s Meeting October 17, 1977 than just these homes Town Counsel will be asked for legal advice re- garding any consideration of denying subdivisions, based upon the premises outlined in Mr McSweeney's recommendations The Board agreed to discuss the matter after further information is developed Mr Hutchinson requested the appointment of Mr Perry as Acting Acting Town Manager during his absence to attend the National Managers' con- Manager ference Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mr Richard M. Perry as Acting Town Manager for the period of October 31 through November 2, 1977 The Board approved Mr Hutchinson's recommendation to combine the Annual Annual Town Meeting Warrant and the report of the Appropriation Warrant - Committee and the Capital Expenditures Committee Finance Comm. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call vote to go into Executive Session with no intention of resuming the open session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to negotiation of real property, collective bargaining, and litigation Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to go out of Executive Session and adjourn at 10 35 p m A true record, Attest '227 72-7c 6.4.17y Executive Clerk, Selectmen