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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1976-11-15-BOS-min 249 SELECTMEN'S MEETING November 15, 1976 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, November 15, 1976, at 7 30 p m. Chairman Kessler, Mr Bailey, Mrs Battin and Mrs Miley; Mr Perry, Acting Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mr McSweeney, Director of Public Works/Engineering; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present Chairman Kessler opened the hearing on the petition of the NET&T Co New England Telephone Company for permission to install conduit from Conduit Forest Street, across Waltham Street to 114 Waltham Street Notices of the hearing were sent to abutters, as listed on the petitioner's plan, and also filed with the Public Works Department Mr Pinault, representing the Telephone company, was present Chairman Kessler read a report from the Director of Public Works/Engineering recommending that approval of the underground con- duit location be granted Mr Pinault explained that this petition is to update and in- crease the service at the professional building at 114 Waltham Street No one appearing in favor or in opposition, the hearing was de- clared closed Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant per- mission to the New England Telephone Company for the following loca- tion Waltham Street from an existing manhole #54/72 located on the westerly side at the interesection of Forest Street, easterly to private property #114 Waltham Street, approximately 74+ feet of conduit Mr Stanley Kolodkin, President of Xenegy, Inc , 49 Waltham Xenegy Street, met with the Board to discuss a proposal on energy con- Proposal servation Mrs Patricia Swanson, Chairman of the School Committee; Dr John Lawson, Superintendent of Schools; Mr James MacInnes Admini- strative Assistant, School Department, were also present Chairman Kessler welcomed Mr Kolodkin, and said that the Town's energy costs are tremendous and the Board of Selectmen is anxious to take appropriate measures to reduce escalating costs of energy consumption This firm is one of two which make proposals to us Mr Kolodkin informed all present that Xenegy, Inc is a con- sulting firm comprised of a 14-man group which has a large range of clients in institutional, industrial and real estate fields We view energy as a changing environment that the Town and the whole world is 6250 Selectmen's Meeting November 15, 1976 facing We deal with it in a different way, by dealing with it as an investment and, going beyond turning down lights and temperatures, we can offer a proposal We in New England are suffering the highest energy costs in the country, and we do have a serious problem. To see how it has affected us, the cost of living has. gone up 35%, natural gas 37%, gasoline 51%, electricity 55 1%,fuel oil 104 2% (which is used for electricity) This building was designed when oil was $2 00 a barrel; now it is $13 00+ For an energy cost reduction program, we recommend that you remove every fluorescent bulb and put in new energy saving lamps Using the proper lamps is a better investment than any other method by simply changing the types of light bulbs He cautioned that if lights are turned down too much, people are unable to do their work. There is more to savings than financial, and that is engineering, which can be budgeted The rates are subject to forces outside our control, so they are uncontrollable; the only thing to control is the number of kilowatts As to the quantity, we don't know how much the town is using Many towns are beginning to budget electricity; the usage or the quantity The Town Office Building is using more but you don't know how much, and costs went up 25 7%; street lamps 12%; schools 20% Fuel for the Town Office Building went up 8 5%; schools went down 8%, which implies conservation Obviously, there are usage problems, and we would expect to see a reduction On street lamps, the only way is to negotiate a different rate Xenegy can help by implementing a con- servation program by setting up a proper monitoring program. Town key personnel can be trained to carry on the process, and there would be no need to hire additional people A firm such as ours could keep you informed of federal and state conservation assistance We recognize that part of any program involves an amount of test- ing and we would suggest a pilot program to do the Town Office Building, where energy has and is being used in excess We would be prepared to define a program which could be carried out in a relatively short period and could start by setting up an appropriate budgeting system. Finally, we believe, as a part of this, that we could at least provide the beginning of a training program for personnel, and we would be happy to put it in a dollars and cents proposition Mr William Page asked if towns have been successful in negotiating a different rate on street lights? Mr Kolodkin replied that this area was not totally within his expertise but he felt that one would have to do more than negotiate with the power company as there are questions on whether surface street lights could be removed You could actually save energy by being more judicious about when they are turned on and off Added up to 365 days, that is a lot of energy Mrs Miley asked what type of lamp he would propose to use? Mr Kolodkin replied that there is a new 35 watt cool light designed specifically to reduce energy in buildings, and it is a more efficient lamp This building has 40 watt lamps and, at $1,00 per lamp, it burns about $6 00 worth of electricity per year Turned down, it is 251 Selectmen's Meeting November 15, 1976 reduced by 50% Typical offices are overlit Thirty percent of the cost in a building is lights Mr MacInnnes asked if it was either a myth or a fact that fluorescent vs incandescent that there is a saving in fluorescent lamps? Mr Kolodkin answered that the myth is based on the fact that fluorescent bulbs used to be a lot less reliable Mr MacInnes wondered if there would be a saving by leaving a fluorescent light on as it would cost less than turning it on and off Mr Kolodkin said that his advice was to turn it off each time Also, in answer to a question often raised as to whether it costs more to turn the heat down at night and heat the house up in the morning, you save about 1% for, each degree you turn it down Mr Wyman and Mr Erbetta were present and asked for the consul- tant firm's background and what the Town has done to save taxpayers' money; what can they do over and above what the Town has already done, and what steps are they planning? Chairman Kassler said that it has taken the Town three years to wake up to this and he did not think that the Board of Selectmen, as it is now constituted, can say that we should have been aware of it two or three years ago As far as what the Town has been doing in energy savings, Mr McSweeney can tell you Now, we are aware of the problem, and that it has escalated, and we feel we should do something If we haven't done very much up to now, we will do something now Some- one like Mr Perry could draw up specifications for everyone and we would approach it the way we would do any program We would welcome knowledgeable citizens to work with us and perhaps have a committee to look into the background of all groups before a decision is made on a consultant This particular program was to make the Town aware of the fact that we could approach our energy problems on a scientific and technical basis Mr McSweeney said that Mr O'Connell had a program and it was documented; half of the lamps are out of this room Dr Kessler replied that this is a new concept and they have ideas on how to help the Town approach it Last year, we spent close to $1 million The Board is going to go carefully and openly. Mr Bailey stated that two of the Town's largest consumers of energy are the sewage pumping station and motor fuels He asked Mr Kolodkin if his firm would address these two areas sooner or later? Mr Kolodkin replied that they did not look at the pumping station but did get data on fuel. Chairman Kessler recommended that Mr Kolodkin get together with Mr McSweeney and get standard specifications for the Town Office Building He asked if the School Department could also be included Mr Maclnnes asked how long it would take to get results of a pilot program? Mr Kolodkin replied that he envisioned something that was measured on a five to ten day program, which would be a relatively small program and one that would not solve the Town's whole problem 252 Selectmen's Meeting November 15, 1976 i Mr MacInnes commented that if given something within five to ten days and they tried it out over a period of time, it would give them an idea of how to proceed with other school buildings Chairman Kassler said that he would like to see a limited proposal, and one that other firms could address themselves to; also, some specifications We would welcome any input from citizens, who could get together with Mr McSweeney We would like to save half of the million dollars we spent last year Mr Kolodkin agreed and said that he had enough figures but would like to go over some bills with Mr McSweeney to see what is go- ing on He retired from the meeting Community Mr David Wilson, Chairman, and members of the Community Rela- Relations tions Committee met with the Board Committee Chairman Kassler said that the Board would like to discuss the report and recommendations submitted by the Committee and, also, the makeup of the Committee Discussion was held on one recommendation that the Board endorse and support an expanded youth program within the police department, to work with students and the possibility of a new course on police policy at the high school level Mrs Miley mentioned the possibility of look- ing into federal or state funding similar to the arrangement at Plain- ville, Connecticut, for their Youth Officer But, the Board agreed to crank in $10,000 in the preliminary Police budget for a Police Officer to work specifically with young people and the schools, subject to approval of the new Town Manager The Board agreed to support and designate a Community Relations Officer within the Police Department, subject to approval of the new Town Manager It was agreed to refer to the Youth Commission the CRC recommen- dation that a task force be set up to evaluate and make recommendations concerning the resources presently available to meet the social, econo- mic, recreational, and rehabilatory needs of all youth within the commu- nity The CRC recommendation on having programs within the Town on teenage drinking is to be referred to the Drug Advisory Committee. It was also agreed that, in order to open up channels of commu- nication, citizens would be requested to submit names of young people who would be interested in serving on committees In discussing CRC membership, Dr Kassler recommended reducing it from the current twelve members to five or seven members; Mrs Battin suggested seven to nine members Mr Bailey felt that the Board should wait until all members are present before a decision is made on the make-up and charge to the Community Relations Committee Chairman Kassler said that the Board has accepted the report and have agreed to implement the recommendations that required action, and we will make a copy available at Cary Memorial Library for interested citizens We will inform the Community Relations Committee when the full Board of Selectmen will discuss the make-up and charge to the Committee h 1h) Selectmen's Meeting November 15, 1976 Members of the Community Relations Committee retired from the meeting Mr Perry, Acting Town Manager, read a recommendation from Mr Comprehensive McSweeney, Director of Public Works/Engineering, regarding the Com- Drainage prehensive Drainage Study, that the Board vote an intent to award Study - the contract to Whitman and Howard Whitman & Dr Kessler said that the Conservation Commission, Planning Howard Board, and the Engineering Department are unanimously in favor of this Contract action Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recommendation of the Director of Public Works/Engineering regarding the Comprehensive Drainage Study, and to vote an intent to award the contract to Whitman and Howard, Wellesley, in an amount not to ex- ceed $25,000 Mr Perry recommended that the Town Offices be closed on Decem- Dec 24 ber 24, 1976, with the understanding that if an emergency occurs, Closing - arrangements will be made for DPW forces to have an alternate day Town Offices off (at regular time) Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to close Town Offices on Friday, December 24, 1976 For the record, Mr Perry read a letter from Mr James Crain, Personnel Chairman of the Town Manager Search Committee, thanking Mr Charles Office Cook and Mrs Tina Marshall of the Personnel Department for their valuable services during the Town Manager search Chairman Kassler read a request from Attorney Norman May to Hobart- indefinitely suspend the sewer betterment assessed to Albert N Summer St Hobart on his property located at 16 Summer Street because the Sewer property is located on ledge and, therefore, cannot be connected Assessment to the sanitary sewer in Summer Street A report from Mr McSweeney stated that the public sewer in Summer Street is definitely available to the house and it can be connected There is ledge in the area and, in fact, blasting was necessary to install the main in the street He concurs that blasting would be necessary to install the service but this is neither unusual or extraordinary and is not a valid basis for either abating or deferring the betterment It is recommended that the betterment not be abated or deferred. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept Mr McSweeney's recommendation not to defer the sewer betterment assessment against the property at 16 Summer Street and, therefore, the sum of $921 00 is due and payable to the Town of Lexington Chairman Kassler read a request from Grace Shaw and Joseph Shaw & Comeiro for an abatement of the sewer betterment assessed to their Comeir0- property located at 36 Summer Street Summer St Sewer Assessment 254 Selectmen's Meeting November 15, 1976 A report from Mr McSweeney stated that while this is a longer than average sewer service, according to the law a betterment must be assessed Therefore, it is recommended that the sewer betterment assessment not be abated Furthermore, if a health problem should develop with the system in the future, they would be required by law to connect to the Town's sanitary sewer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept Mr McSweeney's recommendation not to abate the sewer betterment assess- ment against the property at 36 Summer Street and, therefore, the sum of $1,298 89 is due and payable to the Town of Lexington/ 1977 Annual Chairman Kassler requested the Board to vote to call the Annual Town Meeting Town Meeting Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to call the Annual Town Meeting (Election Day) for Monday, March 7, 1977 and to set the polling hours of 7 00 a m. to 8 00 p m. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to call the first deliberative session of the annual Town Meeting for Monday, March 21, 1977, at 8 00 p m. in Cary Memorial Hall Warrant Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to close the Closing Warrant on Thursday, December 30, 1976 at 4 30 p m. for the submission of Articles for the Warrant of the 1977 Annual Town Meeting Lions Club Chairman Kassler read a request from the Lions Club for approval 4th of July of July 1, July 2, July 3, July 4, 1977 (Friday through Monday) for the annual 4th of July Carnival Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant per- mission to the Lions Club to conduct the annual 4th of July Carnival on July 1 through July 4, 1977, subject to further discussion on the hours of operation K of C Chairman Kassler read a request from the Knights of Columbus for Ext of an extension of hours on two evenings Hours - Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Liquor request of the Knights of Columbus for an extension of hours under the Club liquor license on December 9 and December 15, 1976 until 12 00 p m. Cert of Chairman Kassler read a request from Secretary Guzzi for approval Incorp of location for a Certificate of Incorporation Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve 32 Colony Road as a mail drop for Certificate of Incorporation, "LEAD Educational Resources, Inc " Energy The Board discussed representation at federal energy conferences Conferences to be held on November 29 through December 1 and state energy con- ferences on December 2, 7, 9 and 14, 1976 It was agreed that Mr Perry is to make arrangements for citizen and employee representation at both conferences 255- Selectmen's Meeting November 15, 1976 It was agreed to defer the appointment of a Vice Chairman until a meeting when a full Board is present Chairman Kessler read a request from the Conservation Commission Chabot to take by eminent domain Lot 132 on Assessors' Map 24, owned by Mr Land Taking and Mrs Chabot Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the order of taking by eminent domain Lot 132 on Assessors' Map 24, owned by Joseph F and Mary Ellen Chabot in the amount of $8,000, as authorized under Article 45 of the 1766 Annual Town Meeting Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, 4-0 by roll Executive call vote, to go into Executive Session to discuss strategy with Session respect to collective bargaining, and the reputation of a person After discussion, it was voted to go out of Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 05 p'.m A true record, Attest 111 _:54.-!.4_;,6,,2 Executive Clerk, Selectmen 1 t