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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1974-12-02-BOS-min rwo 1[00 SELECTMEN'S MEETING December 2, 1974 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Select- men's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, December 2, 1974, at 7 30 p.m Chairman Kenney, Messrs Bailey and Busa, Mrs Battin; Mr O'Connell, Town Manager; Mr McSweeney, Director of Public Works/ Engineering; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present Mrs Lucile Schuck, National Organization of Women, and Mrs Margot Tutun, Chairman of the League of Women Voters, met with the Board to request that the Board proclaim 1975 as International Wo- men's Year in Lexington, and to urge all citizens, young and old alike, interested groups and organizations, town officials and com- Proclamation mittees, members of educational and religious institutions to recog- nize the contribution women have made to the community, to the nation and to the world, and to begin now to provide for the observance of International Women's Year with practical and constructive measures directed toward bringing about an equal partnership between men and women. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the Chairman to sign the proclamation declaring 1975 as International Women's Year in Lexington Mr McSweeney reported to the Board that he had met with Mr Grammont, Mr Weinstein, and Mr. Kocher to explain the alternatives of the proposed route of the Grammont sewer, one being a line with Grammont two structures (manholes) The question came up about getting the Sewer easement out the other half of Aaron Road but this is not possible Mr Grammont requested that a structure be put three feet off the easement but this was not acceptable to Mr Weinstein I left it in their hands to discuss the alternatives I received a letter from Mr Weinstein today that the sewer line follow the original path, which necessitates the removal of an ash tree Also, they have some other agreements I recommended that a copy of the letter, plus the agreement, would suffice for the Board to vote and we will continue to monitor, as we agreed upon Chairman Kenney Mr Grammont has conformed to all other condi- tions The Conservation Commission and the Appropriation Committee met with the Board to discuss the Conservation expense budget. Conservation Mrs Frick, Conservation Chairman In Account 2460, line item Commission 340, we put in $10,000 for professional services, and we thought we Expense would have administrative assisstance $5,000 is for land mainten- Budget ance Conservation lands are frequently in need of cleanup, bound- ary marking, mowing (Swenson Farm particularly) , vandalism repair, trail marking and protection against vehicles Both of these are bookkeeping items 136 Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 Chairman Kenney You say they are bookkeeping items If you are talking $10,000, the best place would be to put it in the Engi- neering budget On land maintenance, the best place is in the Park Department Mrs Frick There is a great deal of trail marking, etc and we would have some places done for the Bicentennial for tours on Town land. Mr O'Connell For the purposes of this meeting, all the Board would like is to have the Conservation Commission explain what you need $10,000 and $5,000 for If it turns out that you want certain services of Town employees, that money would have to end up in the Personal Services account of that department supplying the service Chairman Kenney We are asking why you want more engineering funds than you are receiving Last year, we did include $3,000 Mrs Frick We don't know how much time is being spent Mr Mitchell, Appropriation Committee Are you getting satis- factory service? Mrs Frick Yes, but Mr O'Connell Have you asked Engineering? Mrs Frick No We thought this would be resolved by a Conser- vation Assistant Mr. O'Connell It probably would be Mr Bailey We have been budgeting something in terms of $3,000? Mr O'Connell Mr McSweeney had some in and we had $3,000 in professional services, and we transferred that $3,000 and added it to the Engineering personnel budget so that one could be used to supply the money Mr Bailey was satisfied Chairman Kenney On land maintenance, we discussed this among our- selves several times last year and there were reasons for several signs for the improvements in several areas It was pointed out that the Town did not have a specific account of this nature and Mr O'Connell men- tioned that some funds should be allocated for this type of maintenance of Conservation areas - mostly for cleanups, blocking and unblocking areas, boundry marking, etc Why not ask Mr McSweeney, through Mr O'Connell, how far $5,000 would go? Mr O'Connell Hopefully, if Conservation could furnish a list of major projects, such as boundary marking - those that get into real money Mrs Frick These are things that when Engineering is laying out a plan they could mark it so that signs could be put up right away It is difficult to know whether they would be on Town property or Conservation land. Mr Furash, Chairman of the Appropriation Committee The time to put up a marker is when a survey is done for the acquisition of Conser- vation land. Mr McSweeney It is usually included in the survey plan The bounding should be included at that time The Board agreed 137 Selectmen Meeting's December 2, 1974 Chairman Kenney If you have any additional specifics, we would appreciate having those furnished to us Mr McSweeney recommended that a meeting be arranged with Engi- neering and Conservation to understand exactly what their program is, and then come back to the Selectmen The Board agreed Mr Mitchell We have a question on the big increase in secre- Cons. Comm. tarial services ($3000 to $3750) Secretary Mr O'Connell That is based on the significant increase in the number of hours worked per month, and an increase in the rate which is established as part of the personnel policy in the Town You have been at 24? Mrs Frick Between 24 and 25 hours Our budget was cut last year and I should warn everybody that we are going to ask for a trans- fer as Mrs Greene is in on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and we are not getting the paper work turned out Even if we get the Conservation Assistant - I spent a great deal of time when Mr Whitney was there because I had to teach him - we are going to have to ask for more money Mr Mitchell I don't know if I buy the increase Chairman Kenney We would like to schedule another meeting to discuss the Capital budget The Board agreed to a joint meeting with the Appropriation Com- mittee and the Conservation Commission on December 16, 1974 at 9 00 p.m Conservation Commission retired from the meeting Mr John J McSweeney, Director of Public Works/Engineering, the DPW Person- Appropriation Committee, and the Personnel Advisory Board met with nel Require- the Selectmen for a presentation by Mr McSweeney of DPW personnel ments requirements Mr McSweeney In 1972, the Board approved the consolidation of the three departments, headed by a Director The purpose of the reorganization was to improve the efficiency and productivity of engi- neering services - and we feel we have improved - and to have tighter control methods Out of this came a new building maintenance pro- gram. We added a new building supervisor, which has been a benefit to us We picked up new agencies, such as conservation commission by 3/4 of a man, maintenance in the school department, snow removal, etc , Permanent Building Committee by engineering services Mr Mitchell Are you reimbursed at all? Mr. McSweeney None of this is reimbursable With the school department, we do have two men and equipment after the 40 hours on resurfacing contracts in parking lots Mr Levingston How many people are represented in engineering and administation? 138 Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 111 Mr McSweeney 14 in engineering; 14 in administration plus a secretary and the Director Mr Levingston Does this include supervisors? Mr O'Connell It goes up through Mr Coscia Mr Levingston Who are the people in administration? Mr McSweeney Clerical help; Mr Coscia, Office Manager; Fred Sweet and custodians; Mr Jefferson Mr Gilmore How many all together? Mr McSweeney 82 Chairman Kenney The only item which is a little different is that we put buildings under the administration Mr McSweeney Yes, it took two years to accomplish this We have been current, as far as our contracts, for about 6 to 8 months This was operating for a full year on maintenance and work orders The most efficient way was to get all operation in here and one person plans and assigns all the work, and sees that it is carried out We have some other reorganization plans ahead Mr Chapman Explain operations as it relates to planning and ad- ministration Mr O'Connell All work originates in administration and ends up in operation Mr. McSweeney We have a head of operations, a head of administra- tion, and a town engineer We have taken on a tremendous task in getting the job done If we are to continue or consider other modes of improving it, we have personnel needs and personnel requests In operations a welder and mechanic's helper - we have in excess of $1 million in equip- ment to maintain; DPW needs and requests them. In parks, two laborers; highways - one laborer; cemetery - two laborers; water - one; traffic- laborer and equipment operator In buildings, we have three people on loan, two from highway department and one from parks taking care of these buildings and the visitors' center Mr O'Connell Clarify the custodians You aren't planning to add three custodians; you want to return them to where they belong Mr McSweeney Yes, a lot of things can be accomplished by trans- ferring There is a man in traffic now from the highway department We have four classifications and any man can be shifted to other places Mr White You are talking about putting these two people under planning and administration back in parks? Mr McSweeney Yes, they are all in the same classification For the building people, you need a complement of eight Chairman Kenney You want two, in addition to the custodian you want to return? Mr McSweeney Yes Mr Mitchell You have a request for six people in administration Is that a result of engineering? Mr McSweeney It is as a result of improvement in our operation Mr White It would seem that as we become more efficient, we have had to add new people, which is inconsistent 1.39 Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 Mr McSweeney We have accomplished it in different ways - while other areas have suffered That is why we need some of these people Chairman Kenney When we had increasing requirements for cus- todial services, someone was taken from DPW; he is still budgeted up at the barn but is at the visitors' center Another example is the people in traffic; when we want to get them on the street, they are in another area Mr O'Connell There is a long list of accomplishments we have achieved in the past two years Our buildings would be in sad condi- tion waiting for extra people and, in order to get the work done, our list of personnel requests would be larger and larger Mr McSweeney We have accomplished the pickup and maintenance work in the buildings and the janitorial work has to be done Chairman Kenney I would point out that they had been far behind in the work. We are current with our sewers but, in 1970, we were doing 1967 commitments Mr McSweeney We are still studying the cost effectiveness but we know from past experience where we need help We are unable at this particular time to set our priorities, and what action should be taken. We have increased our productivities by having a school- cooperative program with the High School for our clerical help and also at the barn with High School students They have been some of our largest assets when they come in at vacation time and in the summer- time We have had the Neighborhood Youth Corps under federal funding and, also, employment under E E A. Our present building supervisor came to us under that program. Mr White How does the number 18 compare with the traditional number (requested) in the budget over the last 3 or 4 years? Mr McSweeney Last year, I asked for 4 to replace the custo- dians and put highway back up to applied strength Mr O'Connell I think the number Mr White wants is the figure 11 Mr McSweeney Yes, but that was when we were going through the phasing three years ago in 1971 and the Board approved but we had no change in the number of personnel We received four in seven years in engineering and last year we received two in landfill Mr White By reorganization and delivering efficiencies within departments, we have refined precise areas Is it because we have reached some sort of plateau The thing that strikes me as inconsis- tent is the large number of requests for manpower Mr O'Connell Mr McSweeney is not yet requesting 18 people; he is exposing you to the department requests Mr McSweeney Also, we are talking about the everyday operation here Things were not getting done and they are now The demands on the department far exceeded the people we have Now you are seeing the estimates of department heads in terms of what they think of man- power in the form of increased requests and increased pressures During the two years, we weren't adding anybody; the "wish list" was for 11 or 12 14() Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 II/ Mr White The people that developed these numbers did so under the same general philosophy as in the past, or under a different set of standards that the practice may or may not have changed Mr McSweeney They were developed under the old standards Until we can get some of the costs and until we can justify two men in parks or in cemeteries All we have been- doing is producing and improving the organization With the workload, we haven't been able to collect some of the data We are telling you what our problem areas are, and what our needs are When we analyze the cost effec- tiveness ourselves, we will come back. Mr Bailey Mr. McSweeney has said that the reason the depart- ment has been running hard in the past three years is because they have been doing things that weren't done before The next questions - how has the total workload of the department changed? What is happen- ing more? Is there more repaving, more trees to prune, is there documentation? As Mr White said, it comes to a point of leveling off, and if going on forever and ever even if the square miles are the same and the population is the same Mr Chapman You have added conservation projects that you didn't have before This is creating more work and does it create various other standards? Mr McSweeney Yes In some areas, the job is not being done the way we would like to have it done Mr Busa I would make an observation that our parks and play- grounds are in deplorable condition and nothing has been done other than cutting the grass In getting the sewers and sidewalks done, they have had to neglect playgrounds and parks Mr O'Connell The most significant has not been mentioned - the impact of the wetlands control act - the amount of work going into preparation, the administrative work, all approvals We now have a great deal more work under the wetlands act. Mr McSweeney There is one senior engineer and an assistant town engineer and; last year, we gave the figure of 1,500 hours; this year it is over 2,000 hours There are a number of areas that we have to get the cost effectiveness ourselves Chairman Kenney In answer to Mr Bailey's questions - 1 Are we leveling off in some areas? Mr O'Connell mentioned wetlands, and Mr Chapman mentioned that Conservation projects have resulted in a tremendous increase in the work 2 Citizens' complaints are increasing each year, and those that go to Mr. McSweeney we are not responding to as quickly This has been greatly increasing In operations, we know we don't have more lines to paint, but we have to do all that we have I don't think he is suggesting more work in parks and highways but rather to a better standard 3 In Engineering, I would see a leveling off in another three years on sewers On the other hand, they would be on wetlands 141 Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 Mr McSweeney If we can come up with a contractural program - putting out a contract is another way of accomplishment. Also, if we can get some help in the administrative area We are ready to put all of this in a program and to use the new vocational high school as a service I am not saying I am looking for 18 people To keep up with the current load, these are the aims Mr Bailey Nobody is arguing with your cost effectiveness or analyses The problem is, where did the need for 18 people arise? Everybody would concede that the work has improved, but where is the additional work coming from? How did the workloadevolve in the 7-year period during the evolution of the new program? I think there are good reasons for it and think you have to demonstrate positively that there is a need for additional people Chairman Kenney When can you give us more information? Mr O'Connell In about a month The Appropriation Committee and the Personnel Advisory Board re- tired from the meeting Chairman Kenney read a letter from Mss Elizabeth Whitman, 9 Demar Road, requesting additional parking spaces for Post Office pa- Post Office trons Parking After discussion, the Board agreed that three parking spaces in the driveway at the Town Office. Office Building, formerly reserved for official Town cars, would be designated as 15-minute parking spaces for Post Office patrons during the month of December The Director of Public Works/Engineering is to be instructed to make arrangements to have signs posted for these three spaces Chairman Kenney read a letter from Mrs Christine Noyes, 5 Tewks- Tewksbury bury Street, requesting that the sidewalk be constructed on the even- Street numbered side of Tewksbury Street as it would be uncomfortably close Sidewalk to her home at number 5 A report from the Director of Public Works/Engineering recom- mended that a single sidewalk be constructed on the even-numbered side of the street The Board agreed to accept the recommendation and to inform Mrs Noyes that the sidewalk would be constructed on the even-numbered side Mr Bailey left to attend the Appropriation Committee meeting and returned for Executive Session Mr Cole, Mr. Tarlin and Mr Politi met with the Board to discuss Bicentennial Bicentennial plans for 1976 Plans for Chairman Kenney We have had a general agreement all along for 1976 emphasis on 1975 in Lexington The Board is willing to accept opin- ions of the Bicentennial Committee regarding 1976 I 142 Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 Mr Cole In my opinion, emphasis is going to be on Philadel- phia in 1976 There will still be people coming here but, at best, it will be a regional thing Chairman Kenney I agree with you that we have a safety factor, and you have a whole year to make any type of recommendation beyond what they are thinking Mr Busa Does the Town Celebrations Committee realize they must submit a budget? Mr Tarlin We are meeting with them next Thursday If the Selectmen agree that they take over on July 1, they will come in with a budget. Mr Busa We should have a dollar safety factor Mr Cole As I said, if treated as a non-significant year, they would revert to a budget for a regular year Chairman Kenney If we act on the assumption of a normal year, we plan for just an ordinary parade You ask what happens if they all show up - that would be a disaster Mr Busa I am looking at the safety factor Mr Tarlin If we have a crowd, preparations must be made in advance, by having money in the budget for contingencies Mr Busa I would hate to walk up to April 19, 1976 and say, "You people do it. " We should go back in theory to 1974 Chairman Kenney If we do it in theory, we do it monetarily Mrs Battin We just won't have a parade in the afternoon; just a children's parade in the morning Mr Cole From a physical standpoint, I don't think the Town should -have it two years in a row Every other year should be in a much lesser degree Mr Busa We aren't encouraging them to come here I am look- ing at the safety factor Chairman Kenney If there is a safety factor, we will cancel Mr O'Connell I would ask from whom can we expect to see the Town Celebrations FY 76 budget request? We have not seen an expense budget originated by TCC since 1972 The Town Manager submitted the budget on their behalf, or they wouldn't have any money in the budget Are they really doing it this time? Mr Cole They said they are Mr. O'Connell In connection with budgetary requirements for the 1976 Bicentennial activities (to appropriate Town departments a small bicentennial administrative budget for the continued use of the LBC in FY 76) , based on discussion by the Board, it should be submitted under Account 1147 There would be two budgets, one for 1147 and one for Account 2400 The budget has been $6,000 and most of that was for units in the parade Chairman Kenney Regarding the disbanding of the Bicentennial Committee Mr Cole There should be some place where these activities can be coordinated where you wouldn't need the full committee111 143 Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 Mr Buse You say to make it a normal year in 1976, and then you say there may be some activities in 1976 Mr Cole There would be activities on other days, other than April 19; such as quilting, civic organization events not on April 19, and it wouldn't require money to do it Mr Buse We have had activities in 1971 to 1974 I am question- ing your theory, and you either make it the Bicentennial of '76 or not Mr Cole Play down '76 and play up '75 because that is "the" year I would hope the concerts would go on Chairman Kenney It seems that you should at least go through 1975 and, as of January 1, 1976, you could then debate your reasons We definitely want someone around at least through 1975 We are agreed in essence that, basically, 1975 is the Bicentennial year and 1976 is to be a normal year Mr Cole Massachusetts has tourism as the 4th biggest industry Boston has the third They are going to emphasize '75 and '76 equally Federal public relations will be accentuating '76 I checked with the Boston Chamber of Commerce and they expect the same size groups of tourism both years We are talking about April and that is far more difficult to predict If you expect, tonight, that we treat it on the premise that the parade is to be scheduled in '76, then police, fire and DPW budgets should reflect sums of money. Chairman Kenney We are accepting it on the premise that it is not going to be extraordinary If we walk up to it, our point is that we had asked Town Meeting and the townspeople to do it once If the feeling develops that we are making a•tactical error Mrs Battin We are not minimizing it but if Boston is inviting people, we suggest that Boston take care of them. Lexington can't be the center for two different years Mr Cole I think that in '76 Lexington is going to get more tourists than in '75 There are more conventions scheduled for Boston It is a holiday in Massachusetts and Maine and, outside of these two, it is not a holiday Mr Buse I think there should be money in the budget Mr Tarlin If people come to Massachusetts during the Bicentennial years, they are coming, to some degree motivated by history I can't picture too many people coming to Boston and not going the next 15 miles to where it all started Boston feels the same way - that they will go to Lexington, Concord and, possibly, Salem and Plymouth You can't say, "If Boston wants them, Boston keeps them." Mrs. Battin If Boston has some event, they could keep them there for that Mr Tarlin I don't know what the criteria will be to know what kind of crowd to expect from April 19, 1975 to April 19, 1976 Chairman Kenney Ours would be on April 20 in 1975, and then we would have an idea We may only draw 75,000 in 1975 If inundated, we would realize there is interest here and then we take a look at 1976 144 Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 Mr Busa Then, where do you get the money? Chairman Kenney We save by having a morning parade only Mr O'Connell If there is a normal amount in the Police overtime budget, we can say do we go through the day or shorten the day? That is the way we would have to do it Chairman Kenney We still have a big question mark on 1976 Mr Cole If we are hit over the head with facts, we can change our minds, too The Board discussed the guest list for the 1975 Patriots' Day Bicentennial weekend Guest Chairman Kenney We would like you to add to your recommended list List of dignitaries to be invited on April 20, and include them for April 19 - representatives from England, Mexico, Canada and France We have a particularly strong feeling that the invitation to England should be of a higher rank than just the Consul General He would be invited but we should invite the Ambassador Also, we would like to see developed some scrt of reserved seating You are so directed. Mr O'Connell has some suggestions Mr O'Connell There should be some sort of reserved seating area fcr the elderly, and to extend that seating on the beautification side uF to a maximum of 500 seats There would be 500 for the elderly and handicapped, and 500 to take care of this other category Mr Cole said that he would take the recommendations back to the full Bicentennial Committee Mr Cole, Mr Tarlin and Mr Politi retired from the meeting Dr Eric Clarke, Chairman of the Planning Board, came into the Bedford St. meeting to discuss the following recommendations regarding improvements Area in the Bedford Street area "As I remarked at the State Department of Public Works 19 November hearing, the Planning Board continues its longstanding support of plans for alleviating the traffic congestion on Bedford Street at Route 128 and the resulting impact on the surrounding neighborhood It has now been six years since the Town, in conjunction with the MIT Lincoln Laboratory underwrote the study by Roe Hendrick of the problem of im- proving the traffic flow between Route 128 and Hanscom Field, which resulted in the concept of the Hartwell Avenue connector The purpose of the connector was, of course, to provide an additional path for vehicles moving from Route 128 to Gate 4 of the field, since the con- sultant had concluded that it would be uneconomical and undesirable to try to improve Bedford Street and its intersection with Hartwell Avenue to the necessary degree Since 1969, when the study was published, the Planning Board has continued its consideration of the needs of the area, and at the same time has consistently supported the efforts of the Board of Selectmen to obtain the necessary State funding of the connector which, in its view, is a necessity if any real improvement in traffic flow is to be 14i Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 gained. It early concluded that widening of Bedford Street would be necessary to provide relief to the residents, and was able to obtain an effective setback of all new construction along the south side of Bedford Street so that liability for damages would be minimized Later, when metropolitan transportation needs became evident, it sup- portedIthe idea of making the present sanitary landfill available to the Ma.s. DPW for fringe parking All this was included in a letter to youidated 12 February 1973, on the subject of an environmental im- pact statement in connection with the proposal to relocate Route 2 Since the implementation of these proposals would require con- struction in the ecologically sensitive Tophet Swamp, the Planning Board in 1973 obtained funds from the Town Meeting for a study to de- termine whether development could take place in this industrially- zoned area in such a way that runoff would have a negligible effect on the surroundings and in particular on the Shawsheen River The results of this study indicate that projects of the magnitude of the Hartwell Avenue connector and the parking lot as proposed by the Mass DPW con- sultant can be safely carried out. The study data show that it would take considerably more filling of the swamp before its water levels and that of the Shawsheen at the exit of the swamp would be raised by more than a few inches above their present maxima In view of these results, which were obtained by a detailed, pro- fessional analysis of the swamp's hydrological characteristics, I be- lieve that an insistence upon a formal environmental impact statement for these projects would serve only to delay our achievement of badly needed improvements in the area The considerable amount of informa- tion ncpw available should permit an adequate environmental impact assessment to be made, and thereby save nearly two years in the process of completing this and the project for reconstruction of Bedford Street currently under TOPICS study " Chairman Kenney We will write to the State Department of Public Works and enclose a copy of your recommendations We will inform them that we are unanimous in our support of the project, and our strong feeling is that a full environmental impact study would constitute an unnecessary waste of time and effort We feel that the November 19 hearing, held by the State DPW, did show a positive reaction to the proposal, with a small minority of several people who consistently oppose any changes in the area We are convinced that the project can be constructed without any serious, harmful effects and that it would represent a very important alleviation of the peak hour traffic prob- lem on Bedford Street Therefore, we strongly urge that the Massachu- setts Department Of Public Works promptly proceed with the final design and construct±on of the Hartwell Avenue Connector Chairman Kenney We have asked our Senator and Representatives to communicate with the State DPW on behalf of the Town 1 146 Selectmen's Meeting December 2, 1974 The Board discussed a letter from the U S Department of Commerce- Economic Economic Development Administration, stating that on the basis of un- Development employment data provided by the U S Department of Labor, the Boston ' Act labor area statistically qualifies for designation as a redevelopment area " your Town may become eligible for financial assistance under the Public Works and Economical Development Act of 1965, as amended, if the additional requirements for designation are met." Mr O'Connell The criteria would not fit Lexington's situation Dr Clarke Lexington is too affluent for these programs The Board agreed Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Water recommendation of the Director of Public Works/Engineering to sign Abatements abatements of water bills for the following James McCadden 9 Donald Street 9 45 Wrong meter reading Ginn & Company Spring Street $1,455 67 Incorrect reading Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to go into Execu- Executive tive Session for the purpose of discussing, deliberating or voting on Session 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 of financial interest to the Town, it was voted to go out of Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 20 p.m. A true record, Attest it6 Executive Clerk, Selec n J