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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1975-02-10-BOS-min 2111 SELECTMEN'S MEETING k'ebruary 10, 1975 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, Feb- ruary 10, 1975, at 7 30 p m. Chairman Kenney, Messrs Bailey, Busa, Brown and Mrs Battin; Mr O'Connell, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present At the request of the Town Clerk, the following juror:; were Jurors drawn Roger G. Trudeau 7 Volunteer Way George Pettinelli 51 Bridge Street Pauline Dubin 48 Webster Road Charles Sullivan 7 Sutherland Road Donald Schuler 40 Fern Street Alice A. Schaefer 16 Taft Avenue Mr Albert Rhuby and Mr Cornelius Cronin met with the Board Vernon C to request the endorsement of the Board of Selectmen of the Vernon Page C. Page Memorial Fund, Inc as a worthy scholarship program Memorial Mr Rhuby We wholeheartedly support this scholarship and know Fund, Inc that you are all well aware fo the accomplishments of Vernon Page We have a goal of $25,000 and are actively at work to accomplish this We respectfully request that you adopt the resolution Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to endorse the following resolution Whereas Vernon C. Page, a resident of the Town of Lexington for three-quarters of a century, dedictated himself to a better commu- nity for all; and Whereas Vernon C Page, elected to four terms on the Lexington School Committee and appointed a Lexington representative, to the Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School planning committee, worked ardously so that our youth would be assured a practical and balanced education; and Whereas his goal of thachoice of a vocational, technical ed- ucation became a reality fhis year with the opening of the Minute- man Regional Vocational Technical School; Therefore,be it resolved by the Lexington Board of Selectmen that the Vernon C. Page Memorial Fund, Inc. , be endorsed as a worthy scholarship program for Lexington graduates of the school who are continuing their education in the trades, and tha'.t the citizens be urged to support this community project 218 Selectmen's Meeting February 10, 1975 Pub. Bldgs Mr O'Connell informed the Board that he had received a letter Handicapped from Access 76 on the problem of access to historical buildings by the handicapped entering buildings This involves a tremendous amount of money and there are no funds in FY 76 to plan for mod- ifications Accessibility regulations that apply involve large amounts of money Any public building has to have restrooms on every floor Firemen Mr. O'Connell read a letter of commendation prepared by Deputy Fire Chief Marshall Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to endorse the letter of commendation submitted by Deputy Chief Marshall concern- ing the outstanding actions by members of the Fire Department in- volved in the fire on Summit Road on January 10, 1975 Captain McGillivray and Catalano, Firefighters Rycroft and Washburn. Hartwell Chairman Kenney read a letter from the State Department of Avenue Public Works regarding a meeting in Cary Hall on Thursday, Feb- Connector ruary 13, at 7 30 p m. for information on the Hartwell Avenue Connector The Board agreed to attend Hanscom Chairman Kenney read a letter from the Citizen's Aviation Field Policy Association regarding Hanscom Field Airport, stating Policy that CAPA includes Lexington members and they emphatically oppose planning development and operation at Hanscom Field. Chairman Kenney As you know, Selectman Brown is Chairman of the Governor's Hanscom Task Force and he is capable- handling our ' position Mr Brown For the record, I would suggest that you write me a letter confirming the Board's position I have a draft with me tonight Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to confirm the position of the Board of Selectmen regarding Hanscom Field, as follows 1 Lexington accepts the fact that Hanscom Field will remain an airport 2 We oppose the use of Hanscom Field for commercial aviation 3 We oppose any changes in general aviation which would result in more frequent flights or noisier types of aircraft 4 We oppose any extension of the existing airfield and runways, or of the total airport property 5 Land uses around the perimeter of the airfield itself must be compatible with uses in neighboring towns Access by road or public transportaion should be planned in coopera- `- tiooi'Ritfr 4Re towns. (zi9 Selectmen's Meeting February 10, 1975 6 We urge both those responsible for airport operation and those responsible for the operation of aircraft to work diligently to reduce noise and other pollution resulting from present use Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of the Selectmen's meetings of July 29 and December mutes 2, 1974 Chairman Kenney read a request from the Tax Collector to abate uncollectible ambbalance bills, dating from 1969 to 1973 Abatement The Board agreed that this list should be posted Ambulance Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Bills request of: the Tax Collector to abate the list of uncollectible ambulance bills, with the condition that the complete list be posted on the Town Office bulletin board for a period of 10 days Mr. Robert Tarlin, Bicentennial Director, Mr Lincoln P.. Cole, Bicentennial Jr , Chairman, Mr. Anthony Mancini and Mr. Stephen Politi of the Plans Bicentennial Committee met with the Board for an updated report on the Bicentennial plans Also, Mr Michelson of the Bicentennial Corporation Mr Tarlin I will give the status, Mr Michelson will discuss the memorial, and we will talk of the pros and cons of Paul Revere's ride In summary, the news is good We have very few remaining problems, and there is nothing in the schedule for the weekend that is a surprise On April 18, we will have the U S Bicentennial Band and Chorus; we are the only town that will have it, with the exception of Boston and M.I T I'm sure this will create a great deal of public interest On April 21, we are leaving the progrramming up to the youth, and they will bring it back to the Bicentennial Committee for approval For the rest of 1975, we will have a calendar having to do with music and lectures The third calendar will have the Lexington Walking Tour information The Bicentennial Ball on April 12 is being handled by the Council of Congregations and we are doing all we can to assist; it will be held in the Marist Hall in Bedford Mr. Busa That is the only place around that will accommodate 450 people What about tickets for the band concert? Mr. Tarlin That is a problem but we would like the Bicen- tennial Committee to decide how we handle the tickets Chairman Kenney It is a free concert and it will have to be done on a "first come-first serve" basis Mr Tarlin Turning to logistics, we have been promised 400- 500 National Guardsmen on April 20 The Governor hasn't signed it yet but I understand it is only a formality. 220 Selectmen's Meeting February 10, 1975 Chairman Kenney How would you plan to instruct them as far as deployment? Mr. Tarlin That will be handled by Police Chief Corr We are going to hire 160 outside policemen, and I am hoping to get a supplementary amount of money to pay them; it will be some- thing between $10-$20,000. I have arranged for meetings in the State House on this. On personnel, the 114th Medical Battalion will be augmented by the Red Cross and local hospitals A draft has already been given to the Red Cross Deputy Fire Chief Silva and Lt Flaherty of the National Guard are working on it right now. The Department of National Resources has promised one forest fighting vehicle The State Police will be cooperative and a large contingent of them will be at Hanscom Field if we need them. They will support the road blocks at Route 128 and Route 2, if necessary DPW is fabricating wooden barricades at this time As yet, I haven't found 16 walkie-talkies. On Health and Safety, the State DPW will provide 200 comfort stations around the parade route, at their expense. Mr Bailey This seems to be focused pretty heavily on the 19th; if the President comes, is it not likely to have a logistical problem on the 20th? Mr Tarlin You don-it if the President is coming. If the President does comg things will take place without our help - federal agencies will take care of it Mr Bailey I am specifically concerned about the meeting of the Rededication Committee on the 20th if the President does come There will be a problem with people at church services and then all coming to the Common at 12 -00 Noon There will be a colossal traffice jam. If positive concern is expressed, maybe the Lex- ington residents will be on the Common when the ceremonies start Mr. Tarlin Does anyone want to suggest a time other than 12 00 Noon? Mr Bailey No My answer would be to let the churches know so they can re-schedule their services on that one Sunday morning Mr Tarlin It is a good concern. Regarding food, the Rotary Club is planning on having 600 men at the food tent at the Episcopal Church There will be a need for food along the 2-mile parade route. Mr. O'Connell Only a few have expressed interest Mr. Tarlin On transportation, we have made sure there will be no commuter buses or trains coming to Lexington The State Committee guarantees that gasoline outlets will be fully staffed that weekend. We should make sure that commercial tours are told of the problems We are talking with local radio and TV stations, and heliocopters will be up there. We hope that picnic tables will be ready for the summer On church parking spaces, all four churches have agreed and we have agreed that we will erect a sign in front of each church saying, "Open to Bicentennial Visitors " 22III 1 Selectmen's Meeting February 10, 1975 Our basic policy is that we would like full coverage on TV. Z am meeting with Channel 5 to explore a mobile TV The High School foreign language department is looking for oral and written assistance to help foreign visitors The Police support budget has been reduced; if this extra supple- ment comes through from the New England Regional Commission, that will reduce the cost by another $10-$20,000 Commemorative booklets have gone to the printer to be sold at $2.00, and Bicentennial posters will be $1 00 Mr. Richard Michelson, Chairman of the Bicentennial Corporation, Bicen discussed the proposed permanent Bicentennial memotiAl. Memorial Mr Michelson Our subcommittee voted to have a permanent Battle memorial on the Green The proposal is to locate the buildings Green that stood on the Green in April, 1775 and to see if the Meeting House could be located The work is to be done by Holy Rogers, who did the footing on the Hancock-Clark House. He has already probed the Green and has an idea of where they are, and he would like to work with the youth of the Town in locating the footings We would like to request that he could open it up and permission for a limited time to open Chairman Kenney You want to have this done by April 19 this year? Mr Michelson Yes; his intentions is to start early in March He would work during the day and at no time would it be done at night Mr. O'Connell What is being proposed is outside the scope of the By-Law on the Battle Green The Board agreed to refer the matter to Town Counsel. Discussion was held on the mignight ridt^ of Paul Revere and, Paul because of legistical problems, it was the feeling of the Board Revere's at this time that the event would not be scheduled Ride The Board referred the request from the Lexington Minute Men for the use of the Green on April 18 and April 19 to the Bi- centennial Committee Messrs Tarlin, Cole, Michelson and Politi retired from the meeting. 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 financial interests of the Town or the reputation of a person After discussion of a Board of Health budget matter, it was voted to go out of Executive Session and resume the open meeting at 925 pm. 222 Selectmen's Meeting February 10, 1975 Conserv. The Conservation Commission, Appropriation CommitteeLand Bonding the Capital Expenditures Committee met with the Board td discuss land acquisition Mr Frank Smith, Conservation In Article 40, we felt that by coming in withthis request Town Meeting could vote whether or not they are interested in a $2 million bonding issued on a land acquisition package We hope we would have authorization for a bond issue and have a special Town Meeting in the fall to fill out the package Our Articles 41 through 47, if passed, would be funded and not go on the tax rate Chairman Kenney Does the Town float the $2 million bond or "small piece" it? Mr Cohen Put it out as you need it You would have money available for land owners Through the use of a bond anticipation note, you get the money and put out a fairly substantial bond issue Mr Silverman, Capital Expenditures It is anticipated by the Commission that this $2 million is for all foreseeable land to be acquired for a 10 year period, and would this be it and you would seek no more? Mr Smith This would be substantially all Mr Furash, Appropriation The Conservation Commission has stated at various times the percentage of land acreage they wish to see in the bank. The $2 million purchase represents both a commitment and how the land shall be paid for by the taxpayers in order to take advantage of the volume. Would you come back after the $2 million or not? We should have a clear answer as to the adequacy of the staff, availability of counsel, planning, and engineering in order to carry it out I think these issues are related. It might be the desire of Town Meeting to say yes, but only under the circumstances of negotiations and not to come back twice We have a debate, not whether to acquire land but on the power of eminent domain taking Have Town Counsel work out the ground rules as this is the issue involved Mr Buse The Commission is saying they will make recommend- ations to Town Meeting In the past, Town Meeting has said they don't want to acquire certain land You must have gotten the message when they tell the Town twice How many times do you want to go to Referendum? Mrs Frick The Commission was charged to set up a plan to tell Town Meeting what ought to be acquired. We have come to the end of our rope Town Meeting will decided they want to acquire any more land, and it can be done by eminent domain Mr Bailey As I understand it, they will be nibbling at the $2 million, maybe $750,000 at a time 24423 Selectmen's Meeting February 10, 1975 Mr Busa No the way I hear it Wea3.n8acw have $1 5 million and they are talking $75.000 plus a special Town Meeting. The .$2 million will be eaten up this year. Mr. Bailey I think it will take 2 to 3 years to spend $2 million Chairman Kenney The specific question from the Conservation Commission is, "Is the Town Meeting wiliing to endorse and spend $2 million?" Is it understood that this $2 million represents your land package for ten years? Mrs Frick Substantially We need about double the acreage we now have We would like to go into Executive Session to discuss dollars on our Articles. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to go into Executive Executive Session for the purpose of discussing, deliberating or voting on matters which, if made public, might affect the public Session security, the financial interests of the Town, or the reputation of a person After discussion of financial interest to the Town, it was voted to go out of Executive Session and resume the open meeting at 11 15 p.m. Chairman Kenney read a request from the Director of Public Abatements Works to abate water bills Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to abate the following water bills Eugene Foley 98 Reed Street $25 80 Rate adjustment Hanscom Air Base Bedford, Mass. 322 79 Billing error For the information of the Board, Chairman Kenney read a letter from Attorney General Quinn enclosing a check in the amount of $26.07 as the Town's share of the fourth installment in the settle- Concrete ment of the Concrete Pipe Antitrust Case Pompe Anti- The check for $26 07 is to be deposited with the Town Treasurer rust Check Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the Rec Study matter of appointments to the Recreation STudy Committee until the Committee next meeting. Chairman Kenney read a request from the Board of Assessors Suspended to add an amount of $7 50 to the $45 00 voted by the Board on Street January 20 regarding 511 Homestead Street Betterment Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to add the 511 Home- amount of $7 50 to $45 00 voted on January 20, 1975 as the stead St suspended street betterment assessment on Lot 511 (Assessors' Map 58, Lot 143) Homestead Street acquired by the Town of Lex- ' ington in May, 1974, subject to the condition if said lot is ever sold, the person acquiring it would be responsible for paying the total street betterment balance of $52 50 224 Selectmen's Meeting February 10, 1975 , Chairman Kenney read a request from the Lexington Girl Scouts for the use of the Green Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission to the Lexington Girl Socuts for the use of the Green after the ceremonies on April 20, 1975 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 11 30 p.m. A true record, Attest C �� Executive Clerk, Selectmen