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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-06-13-BOS-min 477 SELECTMEN'S MN;P'TING June 13, 1977 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, June 13, 1977, at 7 30 p.m Vice Chairman Battin, Mr Bailey, Mr Busa, Mrs Miley, Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel, Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present At the request of the Town Clerk, six jurors were drawn Jurors Philip E Sheridan 6 Carville Avenue Thelma Haggett 31 Arcola Street Bernard J Rothmel 4 Burroughs Road Robert W Nielsen 16 Henderson Road Wallace C Collins 7 Tufts Road Burton Shapiro 4 Fulton Road Vice Chairman Battin read a letter from the Planning Board Planning Board requesting suggestions from the Selectmen, Town Counsel and the Townwide Under- Town Manager on the best procedure to be followed by the Planning ground Wiring Board in bringing a proposal to Town Meeting for consideration of Proposal a townwide program of putting electric transmission lines under- ground The May 9 snowstorm, which caused lengthy power outages throughout the Town, has prompted the Planning Board to consider initiating this program Legislation exists which permits a co- operative effort by a town and its electric utility company to implement this, and the work would be carried out over several years according to an agreed upon schedule It would be financed by a 2 percent surcharge on all customer billings It has been Planning Board policy to require all new subdivisions to install underground wiring There is no question that the attractiveness as well as the safety of these developments has been enhanced Mr Hutchinson said that no matter how aesthetically pleasing it would be, it is expensive and it does present problems; main- tenance-wise it is easier to get to the wires if any trouble occurs He would like more time to work with D P W on technical informa- tion Mr Bailey said that when the enabling statute was passed by the Legislature, the Board discussed it and, at that time, the Board agreed it would not recommend any townwide activity He personally felt that to go through the horrendous expense of trying to avoid something that really only happens once every 40 years is a little ridiculous However, if the Planning Board wishes to place it before Town Meeting, that is the appropriate forum to do it If we had to take a stand, he recommended that the Board take a position against it but if they want, the Planning Board could take it to Town Meeting 4178 Selectmen's Meeting June 13, 1977 Mr Busa agreed with Mr Hutchinson and Mr Bailey and stated that a 2 percent surcharge from now until eternity is a big per- centage to pay, especially with rising costs of energy He felt that is a referendum vote to see if the taxpayers want that luxury to have wires underground. Mrs Miley agreed that the Planning Board could present the proposal to Town Meeting and let them make the decision; let the townspeople know and ask if they want to have their power under- ground and are they willing to pay the price? Vice Chairman Battin suggested that Mr Hutchinson get more technical information to give to the Planning Board, and they make the decision; they could talk to Town Counsel as to how they want to present it Mr William Spencer was in the audience and said that shortly after the storm a neighbor came to him as a Town Meeting member to investigate what might be done on Hancock Street, particularly in light of the Chapter 90 reconstruction that is coming up, to ask if it could be done as part of the job The best information Mr Spencer could get at that time was that, if it were done, the cost would come back to the residents on Hancock Street The bud- getary guess was several thousand dollars per home, perhaps as much as $7,000 per home At that point, he stopped However, he would like this to come to Town Meeting as that is the place where the debate should appropriately take place111 Mr Bailey said that this raises one of the key questions as to whether the 2 percent surcharge covers just the in-street part of it or whether that covers the individual home services My guess is that it is just the in-street part Mrs Battin recommended that this kind of information be given to the Planning Board The Board agreed Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted that the proposal for consideration of a townwide program of putting elec- tric transmission lines underground properly lies within the province of the Planning Board Technical information will be given to the Planning Board through the Town Manager and the Public Works Department, and Town Counsel will be available for any needed assistance Mosquito Mr Hutchinson discussed reports from Mr George Smith, Lex- Control - ington Director of Public Health, and Mr Kevin Moran, Superinten- Friedman dent of the East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project, in response to a letter to the Selectmen from Mr Manfred Friedman expressing his concern about the implementation of the mosquito control pro- gram voted by the 1977 Annual Town Meeting Mr Smith's report states that he had discussed the matter in detail with the Board of Health and at the meeting held on June 6, 1977, it was voted to unanimously support the mosquito control pro- gram and to urge that it be continued as a valuable preventive 4179 Selectmen's Meeting June 13, 1977 measure Mr Smith had met with Mr Moran, who had forwarded a written report Also, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health had advised Mr Smith that in regard to the spraying of insecticides for mosquito control, no such Environmental Impact Statement has been issued by that Department and that no official statement relative to spraying for mosquitoes for Public Health reasons only has been promulgated by that department However, the Department of Environmental Quality Engineering has issued some type of document pertaining to the use of pesticides in a myriad of circumstances and mosquito control is included In checking further, Mr Smith was advised by D E Q.E that such a document exists, that it is over 190 pages in length and that it is not readily available at this time Mr Smith was unable to receive vertification from the De- partment of Public Health and D E Q.E as to whether Mr Friedman's following statement is exact or taken out of context "The Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued an environmental impact statement concerning the spraying of insecticides for mos- quito control In this document they showed great concern about the spreading of these poisons and pointed out that this should be done with considerable care and only when required for health purposes " Mr Hutchinson commented that Mr Smith is not criticizing but is just saying that he has been dealing with the same agen- cies and has found that there is some incompatibility of infor- mation here A letter from Mr Moran to the Board of Health states " mosquito control is carried out all year around for the purpose of keeping the population of biting adults low Not only does this help the taxpayers of Lexington to enjoy their backyard and playgrounds during the evening hours but it also keeps us con- stantly aware of the mosquito problems we have in Lexington in the chance that any health hazard does arise Positive signs of Eastern Equine Encephalitis are frequently found in eastern Massachusetts, and trapping of live adults for this purpose is constantly carried out through out the State by the Experiment Station in Lakeville, Massachusetts The method and material that is used leaves no noticeable pesticide for mosquito control It is commonly used in backyard garden spray and dusts Spray operations are carried out after dark and each spray truck is equipped with a list of people that do not want to be sprayed for whatever reason and this list is gone over before every spray operation All dosages are well within the safe and recom- mended amounts; also, they are kept away from moving waters and well areas The East Middlesex Control Project recognizes that some citizens do not like pesticide spraying and we try to cooper- ate with them but we also pride ourselves on giving the majority of taxpayers the relief from the mosquitoes that they request 4[80 Selectmen's Meeting June 13, 1977 Weride ourselves also on usingthe safest and most efficient P sprays and methods available The stopping of all aerial appli- cations in Lexington and constant Checks on drainage operations are two examples of our cooperation with those concerned with their environment " Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that Mr Smith and Dr Erdos of the Board of Health will be working on this and send- ing a response to the questions raised by Mr Friedman He thought that while there were a number of worthwhile comments, we still might look to the next Town Meeting to address this question unless the Board feels that we're in an emergency state on this issue Mrs Battin said that it is the feeling of the Board that we would follow up on those questions raised by Mr Friedman before we put mosquito control money in the budget next year, but what are we to do this year? For the record, we received an additional letter from Mr Friedman "I do not think I will be able to attend your meeting; however, my feelings on the matter are ex- pressed in my letter of April 26 on the spraying of insecticide poisons for mosquito control I would simply add that before making a decision to proceed that the Board of Selectmen should be able to demonstrate the safety and public health benefits gained by extensive spreading of insecticide poisons " Mr Busasaid that his recommendation is the same as he had made before To bring the Board up to date, there has been one case of encephalitis in Eastern Massachusetts and if our spraying would prevent the second case, he thought the project should be continued Mr Bailey said that as a result of efforts over the years, we're just looking after the very bad spots now and he would hate to back up much further from that position as long as there is a potential danger He suggested that they follow the advice of our Board of Health Mrs Battin and Mrs Miley agreed and added that, with the danger of encephalitis, it is a health hazard Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously voted to continue with the mosquito control project in accordance with the mandate of the 1977 Annual Town Meeting The Board agreed to use answers to Mr Fiedman's questions as guidelines during next year's budget discussions regarding mosquito control Taxi Fare Vice Chairman Battin read a letter from Mr Edward Tippett, Increase President of the Arlex Taxi Corporation, requesting an increase in rates, because of the rapidly increasing costs of doing busi- ness and in the price of gasoline He requested the following 1 That the initial meter ate of $0 60 remain the same but the distance be changed from 1/1 to 1/5 of a mile 481_ Selectmen's Meeting June 13, 1977 2 That each additional 1/5 of a mile be $0 20 3 That the waiting time of $0 15 for each one and one-half minutes be increased to $0 20 Mr Hutchinson quoted rates in the surrounding towns and recommended that the Board approve the request as Mr Tippett had been cooperative, plus the fact that he has six new taxicabs in operation now Mrs Miley questioned whether there were flat rates or meter rates for trips to the airport and, after discussion, it was agreed to nvite Mr Tippett to the next meeting to present the necessary information Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend Section VI (a) of the Lexington Rules and Regulations Governing Taxicabs and Other Public Vehicles for the Carrying of Passengers for Hire, as follows VI Rates or Fares; Meters (a) for public vehicles for hire, the rates within the limits of the Town of Lexington shall be 60¢ for the first one-fifth of a mile 200 for each one-fifth mile thereafter 20 ' for each 90 seconds waiting time The above amendment is to be published in the next issue of the Lexington Minute-man Mr Hutchinson advised the Board that he received 1,000 appli- Fire Exam cations for three openings in the Fire Department and 250 will take the examination on June 18th (1) All Lexington residents are allowed to take the test; (2) Those who have had past firefighters experience, with E.M T skills that were certified; (3) Those who met the criterion of affirmative action, and who also met the minimum qualifications - for example, 25 women have applied Mr Hutchinson briefly discussed the Lexington Housing Author- Lexington ity' s application to HUD for financial assistance for 85 units Housing It was agreed to ask for recommendations from interested agencies Authority/HUD and then schedule an agenda item for a meeting within two weeks Mr Hutchinson asked for an opinion of the Board regarding Hancock the reconstruction of Hancock Street under Chapter 90 Street - Mr William Spencer, 32 Hancock Street, said that some of Chapter 90 the residents thought that there would be one more public hearing held 482 Selectmen's Meeting June 13, 1977 Mr Baileystated that it was his understandingthat the Board of Selectmen intended to have another hearing even though it may not be legally required Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted that a rep- resentative of D P W /Engineering is to present the necessary in- formation to the Board at the next meeting and then a public hear- ing is to be scheduled as soon as possible on the Chapter 90 re- construction of Hancock Street Auctioneer Vice Chairman Battin read an application for an Auctioneer's license Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Auctioneer's license for Mr Ronald T D'Abbraccio, 14 Westminster Avenue Certificate of Vice Chairman Battin read a request from Secretary Guzzi for Incorporation approval of an address for an applicant for a Certificate of Incorporation Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve 47 Wachusett Drive as a maildrop for Citizens of Lexington Con- servation, Inc Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of the Selectmen's meeting held on May 31, 1977 Block Party Vice Chairman Battin read a request for permission for a block party Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request from residents of York Street to conduct a block party on June 24 from 7 00 p.m to 12 00 Midnight, subject to the regu- lations of the Police and Fire Departments Compulsory & Vice Chairman Battin informed the Board that a debate will Binding be held in the Senate on the Governor's amendments on compulsory Arbitration and binding arbitration, and she urged all members of the Board to attend; she and Mrs Miley plan to be present As the Board knows, we have told our Senators and Representatives that we support the Governor's compromise Representative The Board discussed Mrs Battin's recommendation to invite Carol Amick Representative Amick to meet with them and a representative of the Boards of Selectmen of the other towns she represents in order to clarify Representative Amick's change in her position on com- pulsory and binding arbitration Mrs Battin said that people are puzzled as to what we as Board members heard her say to us and what she said at candidates' night The Massachusetts League of Cities and Towns is very concerned about Representatives who change their minds 48oe Selectmen's Meeting June 13, 1977 III The Board agreed g eed to schedule a special meeting for Thursday, June 16, at 7 00 p.m with Representative Carol Amick Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 8 32 p m. A true record, Attest ,31 ) ‘ 46-et.....x„, ;))h )2c Executive Clerk, Selectmen III III b