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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-05-10-BOS-min 441 SELECTMEN'S MEETING May 10, 1977 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Select- men's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Tuesday, May 10, 1977,at 6 45 p.m Vice Chairman Battin, Mr Bailey, Mr Busa, Mrs Miley, Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs McCurdy, Execu- tive Clerk, were present Mr Louis A Zenner, Town Treasurer, met with the Board to re- Treasurer quest Approval of the sale of conservation bonds No signatures are Sale of required at this time but the Executive Clerk will certify the vcte Bonds of the Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recommendation of the Town Treasurer for the sale of conservation bonds (Nos 1 to 153) to Kidder, Peabody & Co and Moseley, Hallgarten & Estabrook, Inc in the amount of $765,000 at 3 50 percent payatle on June 1, $175,000 in 1978 and 1979, $150,000 in 1980, and $115,000 in 1982 Mr Zehner requested approval of the use of facsimile signa- Use of tures of the Board Facsimile Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Signatures use of facsimile signatures of the Board of Selectmen to be en- graved and printed on the bonds for sale These facsimiles are to be kept on file at the New England Merchants Bank Mr Zehner requested the Board to sign the certification that Bond the bonds are in the amount of $765,000 Certification Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the certification that the bonds are in the amount of $765,000 and were issued pursuant to the statutes and votes of the Town, and that ro other debt has been incurred except those for bond anticipation loans Mr Zehner said that all but one of the nine parcels have been acquired, and we have a purchasing sale agreement for that one Mrs Joyce Hals, Chairman of the Transportation Advisory Commit- Share-a-Cab tee met with the Board She introduced Mr Avanucci, team member of Massport Mr Avanucci explained that the outbound program of Share-a-Cab is already in effect with service from Logan Airport to communities They are now in the process of negotiating with Cab Companies for inbound service but this is more difficult to accomplish They Ere talking about having pick-up points and to have a small additionEl charge for door-to-door service They are going to push hard for door-to-door service At the present time, they are asking town: to endorse the service program but to make sure their regulations allow 442 Selectmen's Meeting May 10, 1977 this sort of thing "In Lexington, we feelwe are pretty good " The easiest way is to have one flat fare in and out for Lexington; right now, the Cab Co will take people for $11 00, and the $8 50 isn't much of a break Mrs Battin said that there is really nothing the Board has to do to facilitate the outbound service as it is now coming to Lexing- ton Mr Avanucci replied that the outbound service is now operating to Lexington Mrs Battin said that the Board had referred it to the Transpor- tation Advisory Committee for recommendations Mrs Hals said that, principally, we agree but we still think that some policy guidelines are necessary before it starts up (1) We wonder what would happen to a person who calls Share-a-Cab and no one else is available Would they have to pay full fare? The Lexington regulations leave the fare up to the Cab Company, and we feel that the rates ought to be firmed up (2) How many hours notice in advance would be needed before being told that they can't find a match for you? And if the Cab Co would be brought into the planning process on their ideas of what system would work best That basically, is what we thought, and if you would want us to meet with the Cab Co to get their ideas Mrs Battin agreed, and suggested they put down all of the issues we want addressed. Mr Avanucci asked if the Town can exert any pressure to come to some understanding He had found that everyone seemed to have their own ideas, and he expected more of a problem with different companies in the suburbs He added that if they do not get any cooperation, and they don't want to do it, but Massport will consider letting a Boston Company provide service as it is completely legal We would like not to do that In the final negotiations, they will mention that that is their option We feel that the public is well served by Share-a-Cab service, and that is the important thing In a sense, it really opens up a big market for the Cab Companies that they don't have now Most people have said that existing cab riders won't go for this but we believe it will open up a new market and make it financially attractive for the industry Mrs Miley commented that 10 or 15 years ago, it cost $8 00 and for it to be only $8 50 now seems incredible Mr Busa said that now it would cost $34 00 for a family of four to come out from Logan, and he had paid $18 00 Mr Avanucci said that he would have the option of taking a regu- lar cab Mr Busa asked if it would still be possible for him to call a Lexington Cab to pick him up for a special flight? Mrs Battin replied that he could, as he wouldn't have to use Share-a-Cab Mrs Hals added that this is for the person who doesn't want to pay a full cab fare 443 Selectmen's Meeting May 10, 1977 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request the Transportation Advisory Committee to proceed to explore the matter with the Lexington Cab Company Mrs Hals mentioned that the Committee will soon come to the Board on the Bedford Street traffic situation, and she and Mr Avanucci retired from the meeting Mr William Page and Ms Frayda Cooper of the Lexington Forum Forum on on Aging met with the Board to request endorsement of a formal Aging proposal to the National Science Foundation from the Board of Selectmen, which must be submitted by May 15, 1977 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager, to review and sign the resolution to be submitted to the National Science Foundation Mr McSweeney came into the meeting at 7.16 p.m Vice Chairman Battin requested the Board to establish the charge Temperary to the Sewer Advisory Committee, which had recently been appointed Sewer Comm Copies of a draft, written by Mr Bailey, had previously been sub- mitted for the Board's consideration The Committee had been appointed as a result of a letter signed by citizens recommending that a permanent committee be set up but it was the Board's decision to have a temporary sewer committee Mrs Battin asked for comments Mr Bailey said that he had tried to set down everything he could think of within the scope but he felt that the committee could talk about anything they want to Mrs Battin agreed Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to establish the charge to the temporary Sewer Advisory Committee and to forward it to members as soon as possible The temporary Sewer Advisory Committee is being formed by the Board of Selectmen to counsel the Board on policy matters relating to the extension and maintenance of the sanitary sewer system in Lexington In order for the deliberations of the Committee to be of value to the Board, a report should be submitted by September 15, 1977 The principal reason for the establishment of the committee is the recurring annual dilemma of the increasing unit costs of sewer laterals and trunks as Lexington reaches the point of nearly complete sewer coverage The closer we get to complete coverage, the more difficult the physical task of installation becomes per dwelling serviced The report of the Committee should include, but not necessarily be limited to, discussion of the following 1 What is a reasonable overall objective for the Town relative to "100% severing"? 2 What alternatives to the present collector system are available and practicable? 444 Selectmen's Meeting May 10, 1977 3 What procedures should be followedto establish need and/or desire for severing (or an alternative)? 4 Can the betterment formula be revised to the benefit of the Town while maintaining reasonable equity with the abutters? 5 What are the relative dollar costs (installation and long-term service and maintenance) of the conventional collector system and any viable alternatives? Are there substantial differences in overall impact on the Town or the neighborhood? Request for technical/informational support from Town Agen- cies should be directed to Mr John J McSweeney, Director, Public Works/Engineering; Mr George A Smith, Director, Public Health or Mr Robert M Hutchinson, Jr , Town Manager as appropriate It is the intention of the Board that the Committee be dissolved as soon as the Board feels confident that policies can be promul- gated to cope with the remainder of the sewering of the Town on a basis acceptable to the Board and to the Town Meeting Later on in the meeting, the Board accepted Mrs Joan Crothers' suggestion that Mr John Harvell be asked to convene the first meeting of the Sewer Advisory Committee State Land The Board discussed a letter from the Executive Office of Trans- Route 3/128 portation and Construction, Department of Public Works, for recom- mendations of the Board to assist them in determining the best disposi- tion of approximately 11 acres of land in Lexington which was ac- quired for the relocation of Route 3 south of Route 128 In response to the Board's request for comments, the Planning Board recommended acquisition for park purposes The Conservation Commission advised that this land would add measurably to the recreational potential of the area In addition, this parcel presently provides a buffer between the residential areas in Lex- ington and the commercial developments and attendant traffic in adjacent Burlington A portion of the acreage to be abandoned is wetlands and is traversed by the Vine Brook as it flows northeast into Burlington Also, if the current trend on municipal water supply continues, Lexington will have to augment the overtaxed MDC system, and sites such as this land could very well provide a potential well site, as indicated by soils and ground water observa- tions During the discussion, Mr Busa recommended that water be added to the land use for recreation, parks and conservation The Board agreed to request Town Counsel to compose a reply to the State DPW stating Lexington's interest in the acquisition of the 11 acres of land located at Route 3 in Lexington, and to include land use purposes Vice Chairman Battin read a letter from the School Committee 44.x. Selectmen's Meeting May 10, 1977 informingthe Board of the appointment ofMr Otis S Brown, Jr as School Site PP the representative of the School Committee on the School Site Con- Committee - version Committee School Comm. The membership of the Committee is now complete Representative Mr Cohen requested the Board to sign the taking of easements Temporary Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Easement order of taking for temporary sidewalk easements on Massachusetts Sidewalks Avenue between Clarke and Muzzey Streets Mass Ave Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Minutes minutes of Selectmen's meetings held on April 11 and April 25, 1977 Vice Chairman Battin requested the Board to sign the orders of Streets acceptance of streets, and the discontinuance of two streets, as approved by Town Meeting Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the orders of acceptance, and the discontinuance, of the following streets approved at the 1977 Annual Town Meeting SUBDIVISION STREETS Brent Road - From Hathaway Road a distance of 650 feet, more or less to Emerson Road Emerson Road - From a point easterly 990 feet, more or less, from the end of Suzanne Road, and westerly to the end of that section of Emerson Road Suzanne Road - From Emerson Road a distance of 250 feet, more or less to Mill Brook Road Lois Lane - From Bedford Street a distance of 950 feet, more or less, to end DISCONTINUED STREETS Hinchey Road - As a Public Way 300 feet, more or less, from Hartwell Avenue easterly to end Wood Street - As a Public Way 1000 feet, more or less, from Station 0+00, the Lexington Bedford Town Line to Station 10+00 As agreed on May 2, Vice Chairman Battin requested the Board to Lannom sign the citation for Mr Allen Lannom Citation Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the citation for Mr Allen Lannom in appreciation for his influence and direction, since 1951, of the Lexington Choral Society Mr Miley is to present it at the concern on Saturday, May 14, and Mrs Battin is to present it to Mr Lannom on Sunday, May 15 Vice Chairman Battin read an annual request from the V F W V F W Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant per- Permit mission to the V F W Lexington Post #3007 to accept donations for Buddy Poppies throughout the Town on May 12, 13, 14, 1977 446 Selectmen's Meeting May 10, 1977 The Boardamendmentsrules and Liquor - discussed to the regulations cov- Motels & ering Clubs and, also, Motels and Restaurants Restaurants Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the current hours for Monday through Thursday - 11 00 a.m to 11 00 p.m ; Sunday - 1 00 p m to 11 00 p.m under Club liquor licenses to the following hours of operation Monday through Saturday - 11 00 a.m to 12 00 Midnight Sunday - 12 00 Noon to 11 00 p m Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the current hours for Monday through Saturday - 11 00 a.m to 11 00 p.m ; Sunday - 1 00 p m to 11 00 p.m under Motels and Restaurants liquor licenses to the following hours of operation Monday through Saturday - 11 00 a.m to 12 00 Midnight, Sunday - 11 00 a.m to 11 00 p.m Lex Golf Vice Chairman Battin read a request from the Lexington Golf Club Club - Hours to extend the hours of operation on Sundays from the current 1 00 p.m. opening to 12 00 Noon Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to extend the hours of operation under the Lexington Golf Club's Club liquor li- cense to an opening on Sundays at 12 00 Noon (Sunday hours are now 1 00 p.m _ 10 00 p.m ) 1-Day Vice Chairman Battin read a request for a one-day liquor license License Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the special one-day liquor license for W R Grace on May 18, 1977, ex- piring 12 00 Midnight Special Vice Chairman Battin requested the Board to approve the award Elections of the contract for printing Town Warrants for two special elections Warrants Telephone quotations had been received as follows June 13, 1977 - 9500 copies - Lexington Press-$236 00; Maran Printing Service-$250 00 June 21, 1977 - 6500 copies - Lexington Press-$182 00, Maran Printing- $218 00 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award the contracts for printing Town Warrants to Lexington Press, Inc at $236 00 for June 13, 1977 special election of a member of the Board of Selectmen; $182 00 for June 21, 1977 special election of a State Senator representing Precincts 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 D P W Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that four bids were received Cater- for the purchase of one Crawler Loader for the Public Works Depart- pillar ment The low bidder was Wrentham Equipment Co , Inc of Norfolk on a John Deere at $40,951; Witt-Armstrong Equipment Co , Hopkinton bid $48,995 on a Caterpillar The low bidder did not meet the specifications and the recommendation is to award the contract to Witt-Armstrong at $8,995 He commented that the Caterpillar is a much better piece of equipment and, with prompt delivery, it will 447 Selectmen's Meeting May 10, 1977 be fullyutilized because of - the results of the storm and the prop lems at the landfill Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to endorse ,he recommendation of the Town Manager to purchase a Caterpillar from Witt-Armstrong Equipment Co at $48,995 Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board approve the award if Garbage a garbage contract to Rocketenetz in the amount of $76,000 for on. Contract year commending July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978 Contoni Trucking Corp of Peadbody bid $74,000 for a 3-year contract, however, they submitted no bid for one year, which we feel is all that is war- ranted at this time as we may want to recommend alternate methods of collecting garbage in the next budget Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the award of a garbage contract to Stanley Roketenetz, Inc , Wobu^n, in the amount of $76,000 for one year commencing July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978 Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that there have been appro-di- Summer mately 250 applications for ten summer jobs and many people will 3e Employment disappointed by the selection process Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board approve a change i.i Vacation the vacation policy to allow salaried employees to have three weeks Policy vacation after five years of service, and four weeks vacation after 13 years of service Also, to recognize Martin Luther King Day, January 15, as a holiday Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve ;he change in the vacation policy to allow salaried employees to have three weeks vacation after five years of service, and four weeks vacation after thirteen years of service Also, to recognize Mar-in Luther King Day, January 15, as a holiday Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that the Firefighter exami:ia- Firefighters tion will be conducted on June 13, 1977 at 10 00 a.m in the Diamond Examination Junior High School Cafeteria He also commented that it is antici- pated that there will be two to four vacancies in the Fire Department based upon retirements and resignations Mr Hutchinson gave a status report on yesterday's severe snow- Snowstorm - storm which caused a tremendous amount of damages to trees and pe Tree Damage sonal property, and the loss of power in most sections of the Tor Power Failure All Town crews and Boston Edison crews are in action to restore ser- vice as soon as possible When on a tour of the Town, he had noticed many inexperienced people working on trees with axes and power saws, and he had called the newspaper to publicly caution against this is he feared that there would be many accidents Vice Chairman Battin asked if the Town would, as Arlington i3 now doing, pick up tree branches if people put them at the side or the road? 4148 Selectmen's Meeting May 10, 1977 Mr Hutchinson replied that, already, many people have been helping out by cleaning up and bringing them to the landfill but, as a practical matter, he would not encourage putting them at the roadside because of the hazards involved Mrs Miley said that there is one item she has been concerned about for a long time, and she is now recommending that the Town provide a place at the dump for people to pick up pieces of wood and trees for their own use It could be made available at some specific spot and perhaps cut up to some extent; perhaps people could cut it up themselves Other communities provide this for citizens to make use of the trees that come down Mr Hutchinson said that his experience has been that when the trees come down, they are pretty well gone, but it's possible that is not true of all the trees Mr McSweeney said that when the new landfill regulations are adopted, all the wood will be cut to 1+ ft lengths, and we will work with private contractors and homeowners so they will be able to go to one large area at the landfill Mr Hutchinson agreed to review it He publicly announced that if people need shelter or assistance, calls could be made to the Police Department or the Town Hall as we are prepared to take care of them Morrow Mr Cohen informed the Board that the Morrow easement along Easement- the Vine Brook had been signed by all appropriate parties, and he Vine Brook will record it Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 7 46 p.m A true record, Attest Executive Clerk, Select