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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975-04-28-BOS-min 28o SELECTMEN'S MEETING April 28, 1975 A regular meering of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, April 28, 1975, at 7 30 p m Chairman Kenney, Messrs Bailey, Busa, and Kessler, Mrs Battin; Mr O'Connell, Town Manager, Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mr McSweeney, Director of Public Works/Engineer- ing; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present Bicentennial Mr William Durgin of the Weymouth Board of Selectmen and Weymouth Col. Raymond Jennings of the Weymouth Militia met with the Militia Board Col Jennings When the Militia came back to Weymouth from the Lexington celebration on the 19th of April, they were very happy with the courtesies shown the men, and we felt we owed the Town of Lexington our thanks for your generous hospitality The Selectmen agreed with us and Mr. Durgin will make a presentation Mr Durgin presented a proclamation and a Weymouth Town Seal plaque Part of the proclamation declared that " Whereas the people of the Town of Lexington honored the people of the Town of Weymouth by inviting the militia of the Town of Weymouth to participate in the events of the initial celebration; There- fore, the people of the Town of Weymouth wish to extend to the people of the Town of Lexington their warmest gratitude for the honor bestowed upon the people of the Town and the warm hospital- ity shown the Town's Militia " Chairman Kenney expressed the appreciation of the Board Chairman Kenney welcomed the participants in the planning and implementation of the Bicentennial celebration He read a pro- clamation, embossed with the seal of the Town of Lexington and a sketch of the Lexington Minuteman, and inscribed with the names of individuals PROCLAMATION LeX. WHEREAS, Patriots' Day, April 19, 1975 marked the beginning of our Bicen. Bicentennial Celebration; and Procl. WHEREAS, On this day the Town of Lexington had the great honor of a pppreci_ visit from the President of the United States; and ation WHEREAS, Our employees, working with the Town Manager, organized and Day implemented the plans for this visit; and WHEREAS, The Police and Fire department worked diligently to main- tain order, protect those assembled, provide first aid and rendered emergency services; and 21 Selectmen's Meeting April 28, 1975 WHEREAS, The Department of Public Works and Engineering con- structed the facilities needed and kept the Town clean and beautiful; and WHEREAS, The Bicentennial Committee created an exciting informative and enjoyable progam, assisted by the Town Celebrations Committee and Historical Society; and WHEREAS, Many citizens gave of their time and several were generous donors of gifts to the President or the Town; WHEREAS, The citizens who participated constituted a cooperative, warm and friendly welcoming committee, numbering tens of thousands; NOW, Therefore, I Allen F Kenney, Chairman of the Lexington Board of Selectment do hereby proclaim Appreciation Day, April 28, 1975 Given at the Selectmen's Meeting Room, this twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and seventy- five Allan F Kenney, Chairman Fred C. Bailey Alfred S Busa Margery M. Battin Howard M. Kessler Chairman Kenney Mr O'Connell, Town Manager, has worked so hard and so diligently in coordinating the celebration and, with only three days notice of the President's visit, I don't think there is another person who could have responded so beautifully On behalf of the Board of Selectmen and the Town of Lexington, I wish to express our deepest appreciation to him. Mr O'Connell It could only be done in a Town like Lex- ington Chairman Kenney To the men in blue - there was not one complaint during the entire weekend Chief James F Corr We received many favorable comments from White House Security and they asked me to thank all the men for an excellent job Chairman Kenney Our sincere thanks and appreciation to John McSweeney, Director of Public Works/Engineering Mr McSweeney I would like to publicly thank all the Town employees for an outstanding job, and my thanks to all those who cooperated with us during the entire weekend 282 Selectmen's Meeting April 28, 1975 Chairman Kenney The most consistent compliment from Towns- pople and visitors was the general condition of the Town after the parade - it was cleaned up beautifully Chairman Kenney to Lincoln P Cole, Jr You have served the Town in many capacities - as Chairman of the Board of Select- men, State Representative, Town Moderator, and as Chairman of the Bicentennial Committee We thank you and the members of the Bicentennial Committee for memorable achievement Mr Cole I commend you on your approach to this Appreci- ation Day It was always our hope that the people of Lexington would say, "We did it' : " The Town has the best program for a two year period, thanks to Miriam Butts, Cultural and Arts events program director Chairman Kenney to Robert I Tarlin, Bicentennial Director Your job grew and grew, and with your military and Air Force train- ing, it was very well executed Many thanks Mr Richard Michelson, Tricorne Hat recipient; Reverend Harold T Handley, Director of Guides and a member of the Lexington Minute- men; Mr Stephen Politi, Vice Chairman of the Bicentennial Committee, were individually thanked for their contributions to the most success- ful celebration weekend. Mr Raymond B Barnes, Chairman of the Town Celebration Commit- tee, Mrs Eleanor B Litdhfield, Mr. Leo G'angh$n Mr William P Brenchick, Jr Mr William P Fitgerald, Edward Turner, Raymond J Flynn, Mrs Rith M. Mitchell, Mrs Hildagrade V McGonagle, members of the Committee, were individually thanked by the Board for the many hours of preparation for the most colorful and memorable parades on April 19, 1975 Captain Robert J Marrigan of the Lexington Minuteman, Inc was congratulated for the participation of his group during the entire weekend Chairman Kenney Mr Anthony R. Cataldo, Chairman of the Bicentennial Advisory Committee, presented a musket t6 President Ford, on behalf of the Lexington Minutemen Additionally, we had planned a sugar maple tree, President Ford's choice, on the Green these were gifts from Mr. Anthony Cataldo and are very much appreciat- ed A plaque, signed by the President, inscribed with "Pride in Our Past, Faith in Our Future" and the tree planted on April 19, 1975, will hang in the Minuteman Museum; a brass replica will be installed at the base of the tree on the Green. Chairman Kenney Mr Robert Cataldo, Mr Lawrence Whipple, and Mr Philip Parsons have made a valuable contribution to the Bicentennial Mr Cataldo felt it would be appropriate to have a picture of President Ford hang in the Cary Library and he work- ed with Mr Parsons, who did the portrait, and Mr Whipple , who framed it This was accomplished at no cost to the Town, We are deeply indebted to them 283 Selectmen's Meeting April 28, 1975 Mr Arthur Maranian, owner of Maran Printing Services, has donated a silk screen plaque of the Lexington Minuteman, which was presented to President Ford on April 19, 1975 Mr Maranian's staff has prepared all of the proclamations given this evening and we appreciate the "round the clock" hours of labor involved Acting Fire Chief Edward Silva was praised for the outstand- ing performance of the Fire Department during the entire celebra- tion Also, Mr Kenneth Briggs, Planning Director, and Mr George Smith, Directory of Public Health, were also recognized for their contributions Chairman Kenney, on behalf of the Board, thanked Miss Phyllis A Smith, Administrative Assistant to the Town Manager, and Mrs Eleanor McCurdy, Executive Clerk, for the assistance given by the Town Manager's office and the Selectmen's Office during the prep- aration and implementations of Bicentennial plans Mr Robert Cataldo to Chairman Kenney We are all very proud of the Town and, in particular, we should stress that you set the tone for the day We cannot adequately express our gratitude to you and the members of the Board of Selectmen We all thank you Chairman Kenney Everyone worked hard on our Bicentennial celebration and we are extremely happy that the weekend events went so beautifully Members of the Board join with me in congratulations to each and every one involved In particular, we are grateful to Mr Emanuele Coscia, DPW Manager, who was struck by a car while he was making last-minute check-up on the public address system at the Green We are all deeply concerned and sincerely hope that he will recover from his injuries very soon Mr Coscia was present and accepted the proclamation All Bicentennial celebration participants retired from the meeting At the request of the Town Clerk, the following jurors were Jurors drawn William H Hamilton 560 Concord Avenue Peter J Coccoluto, Jr 15 Nickerson Road Mr O'Connell recommended that the Board grant permission to the Lexington High School senior class and the Lexington Summer Permit Co-op for the use of the Visitors' Center grounds Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant per- mission to the Lexington High School senior class and the Lexington Summer Co-op to use the Visitors' Center grounds on Saturday, May 4, 1 10 00 a.m. to 5 .00 p m. and Sunday, May 5, 1 00 pm to 5 00 p.m for a fund raising project of Bicentennial photographs 284 Selectmen's Meeting April 28, 1975 Mr O'Connell suggested that nominees be submitted to him Appointments for consideration of appointment to the two new committees created by Town Meeting vote under Articles 74 and 75, the Historical Commission and the Council on Aging Dr Kassler Regarding appointments, I think we should ex- plore the possibility of thinking about a committee to make re- commendations , both to the Board and tom Town Manager - a general screening and resource committee It seems to me that, on many occasions, we don't seek out people who might be willing to serve, and we have to look to people we know, There is no effort on the part of any one group in Town to seek out and ask people if they would serve I would like the Board to think about that concept Chairman Kenney You will recall that we did solicit nominees through the newspaper and we did get some response Beyond that, the number of encumbents is very high Unless you wish to make some changes Dr Kassler I don't view this as something that would make radical changes over a period of time I know there are people in Town who would serve for a short term or a longer term Rather than put it in the paper, we should gather a resource pool of people who are talented, and to explore the possibility of really cataloging people who would serve Mrs Battin I subscribe to that and, also, to maintaining a file Chairman Kenney This is something we will have to think about We will take it under advisement Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize Bond - the Chairman to sign the approval of the bond of $36,500 for Mrs Asst Treas Doris E Barclay, Assistant Treasurer The Board agreed to sign the contract awarded to Barnes Barnes Eng Engineering Company, Auburndale Concord Ave Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Moon Hill contract with Barnes Engineering Company, approved as to form by Trunk Town Counsel, for engineering services for field surveys of the Sewers Concord Avenue and Moon Hill Road trunk sewers, in an amount not to exceed $4,260 00 Authority for these surveys is contained in Article 29 of the 1970 and 1971 Annual Town Meetings Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept Ambulance the recommendation of the Tax Collector to rescind the vote of Bill February 10, 1975 abating the ambulance bill to Mr Leo Levesque, Nashua, N H in the amount of $10 00; bill has been paid 285 Selectmen's Meeting April 28, 1975 Chairman Kenney read a request from Maiden Mayor Kelliher to join with them and with Cambridge in civil action regarding the system of financing public elementary and secondary education in Massachusetts Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted that no action be taken on the request of Mayor Kelliher Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted toccertify Incorporation the character of the following who have applied for Certificate of Incorporation Murray T Potter 19 Walnut Street Howard L. Potter 56 Grassland Street William L Potter 21 Fair Oaks Terrace "Powder Horn Golf Club in Inc " Chairman Kenney read a recommendation from Mr McSweeney, Heitman Director of Public Works/Engineering, that the street betterment Abatement - assessed to Mr & Mrs John Heitman on Lot 112 Philip Road be Street abated The report states that in reviewing the question of Betterments whether that portion of Philip Road was built under subdivision Philip Rd. control by Partridge Assocates as a Minute Man Highland sub- "' division, it has been found that the street and sidewalk, in- cluding utilities, were constructed by the subdivider at no cost to the Town While Lot 112 Philip Road was not part of the sub- division, this was just a matter of convenience for both the sub- divider and the Town of Lexington as part of a second access for the development and the subsequent Bowman School facility We recommend the abatement, with a clear understanding that Lot 112 will be subject to betterments if, and when, Rockville Avenue should ever be constructed. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recommendation of the Director of Public Works/Engineering to abate the street betterment assessement on Lot 112 Philip Road, owned by Mr John H and Mrs Constance Heitman, 34 Rockville Avenue, in the amount of $940 00, subject to the understanding that betterments will be assessed if Rockville Avenue is ever constructed Chairman Kenney informed the Board that resumes have been M.V M.H & received from interested citizens in response to the request for Retardation nominees for an appointment to the Mystic Valley Mental Health Area Board and Retardation Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to submit the following nominees (alphabetically listed) to the Mystic Valley Mental Health and Retardation Area Board for consideration of the appointment of one as a member of the Area Board 286 Selectmen's Meeting April 28, 1975 Mrs Renee T Cochin 7 Partridge Rd Mrs Marjorie Middleton 4 Hudson Rd. Mrs Shirley H. Stolz 2139 Massachusetts Ave Mrs. Jacqueline H Ward 15 Robinson Rd. Mrs Doris G. Works 15 Winthrop Rd. Arts & The Board discussed, and had no objection to, a request from Crafts the Woodworkers Guild holding a woodcraft sale on the grounds of the Arts and Crafts Society on Saturday, May 17, 1975, at 10 00 a m. The Board had no objection to the Ceramic Guild of the Arts and Crafts Society conducting a pottery sale on their grounds on Thursday, May 10, 1975, between 10 00 a m. and 5 00 p m Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant Field & permission to the Lexington Field and Garden Club for a box lunch- , Garden eon on the Buckman Tavern grounds on Wednesday, May 28, 1975; also, to sell house plants on the Buckman Tavern grounds on Wed- nesday, June 4, 1975, from 10 00 a m to 12 00 Noon Bond Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the bond for Constable John J Shine, Jr in the amount of $3,000 I Drummer The Board discussed the letter from Mr C. F Mistretta, Boy - State District Highway Engineer, regarding a permit for a one-way Bedford/ access from the Hartwell Avenue jughandle to the proposed Drummer Winter St Boy Green complex A report was read from the traffic Safety Committee stating that Mr Mistretta's letter indicates that data collected under present day conditions indicates a need for traffic signals at Bedford and Winter streets, and requests that the Town submit an application for a traffic signal permit; in addition, he requests that the Town enter into an agreement with the State to assume the operating costs of the signals The Committee noted that this location has been studied several times in the past few years by various traffic-oriented consultant firms and none has recommend- ed a traffic signal installation Bearing this in mind, the Com- mittee recommends that before making a decision of such magnitude concerning as sensitive an area as Bedford Street, the Board assure itself of the need of traffic signals at Bedford Street and Winter Street To date, the Committee is not aware of any particular problem at this location and is not fully convinced that a traffic signal is or will be necessary Chairman Kenney We have also had a letter from Mg Jane Trudeau, 7 Volunteer Way, saying that the North Lexington Associa- tion hopes the Board will act favorably regarding signalization Mr Bailey When Town Meeting voted approval of the dev- elopment, I thought it included traffic control I agree with Ms Trudeau. I 287 Selectmen's Meeting April 28, 1975 Mrs Battin I concur Chairman Kenney The Traffic Safety Committee is not saying the signal shouldn't be there but that there will be changes on Bedford Street The developer, Spaulding and Slye assured the State that they are willing to pay for the light and to put the funds in escrow The Board agreed to reply to Mr Mistretta and Ms Trudeau that it is in favor of a permit being issued by the State to the developer for a one-way access curb cut from the Hartwell Avenue jughandle to the proposed Drummer Boy Green complex However, the Board wishes to defer approval of a traffic signal installa- tion at Bedford Street and Winter Street at this time, but to recommend that an agreement with the developer be obtained to insure the installation of a traffic signal if it clearly be- comes a necessity once the Drummer Boy complex is underway It is the understanding of the Board that the developer would agree to this, even to the point of putting the necessary funds in escrow. Chairman Kenney read a request from Mr Norman T May re- Muzzey St questing the installation of an 8" or 9" granite retaining wall Reconstruction in front of 24 Muzzey Street as part of the street reconstruction work Mr McSweeney was instructed to contact Mr May to discuss his request and reach a solution to the problem Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to go into Executive Executive Session for the purpose of discussing, deliberating Session or voting on matters which, if made public, might adversely affect the public security, the financial interests of the Town, or the reputation of a person After discussion of matters concerning personnel and the financial interests of the Town, it was voted to go out of Ex- ecutive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9 40 p m. A true record, Attest ` Executive Clerk, Selects