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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1974-05-29-BOS-min 550 SELECTMEN'S MEETING May 29, 1974 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Select- men's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Wednesday, May 29, 1974, at 7 00 p m. Chairman Kenney, Mr Bailey, Mr Busa, and Mrs Battin; Mr O'Connell, Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present Reverend Harold Handley, Director of Guides, met with the Board to request the appointment of Guides Guides Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint the following as Official Guides of Lexington Dave Campbell, Ann Carroll, Eric Michelson, Karl Block, and Jean Ganshirt Chairman Kenney requested the Board to approve bonds for the Town Bonds Clerk, Constable, and the Town Treasurer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve bonds for the following Mary R. McDonough, Town Clerk, $2,800 00; Guy D Busa, Constable $3,000; and Louis A Zehner, Town Treasurer, $124,000 00 Middlesex Members of the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission met County with the Board to discuss their reports on the Middlesex County Land Land Use Use project Project "MIDDLESEX COUNTY HOSPITAL LAND STUDY Lexington Conservation Commission Comments The heavily wooded, rolling land forming a 25-acre rectangle between the rear of the visitors parking lot and the Lexington line (Area 3) is an ideal spot to be preserved in its natural state Since it abuts a large piece of Lexington conservation land on its eastern side (on either side of the water tower) , and needs only a short link to connect with another piece of conservation land further west, it would fit nicely into the Metropolitan Area Planning Council's long range plan to provide a green strip from Belmont to Lincoln It is a large enough parcel to provide a good hike within the confines of the property, particularly if the large, more open area to the south and southwest (Area 4) is also preserved for open space and recreational uses It would be helpful if a strip could be saved along the northern end of Area 2, providing pedestrian access from Walnut Street It matters little whether the land is owned by the Town, the Conservation Commission, or the County, provided adequate safe- guards assure that the land will remain undeveloped and that the public will be allowed free access The more open and flatter area on the northern end of Area 4 is ideal for picnic spots, and several spots now overgrown with sumac could be cleared for games of various kinds As one approaches the Waltham line to the 651 Selectmen's Meeting May 29, 1974 south, the trees give way to broad open meadow This could easily be level- ed to provide some baseball diamonds, as has been done near Houghton Pond in the Blue Hills Reservation The pond near the Town line could be used for skating Any active recreational use of this land would require a cooperative ef- fort with Waltham, as most of the land is in Lexington, but the only feasible access is from Trapelo Road The back conservation land would not by itself be used so intensively, and the accesses already available in Lexington should be sufficient for the use of hikers, etc ; especially if an access from Walnut Street is provided The County Commissioners apparently want to see the land used for purposes with a regional implication This makes sense Yet it does not seem prop- er that the Town should have to pay Town money to buy land owned by the County taxpayers in order to provide regional services It becomes parti- cularly sticky if we are being asked to be willing to use Town money to improve the land with access roads, ball fields, and perhaps swimming pools for regional use, and to maintain the land and improvements at our own cost If the land is to be preserved in its natural state and not "improved" for intensive use, it would ultimately be of more benefit to Lexington than to the rest of the region, and it might be worthwhile to pay a fairly large amount to preserve it If, however, the part of the property near Waltham is to be developed for regional use, opening up the entire area, including the heavily wooded area, to crowds of visitors, we are getting into a situation involving large original costs and maintenance costs which should not rest on the shoulders of Lexington and Waltham Such use should perhaps be in the hands of the Department of Natural Resources, with safeguards assuring Lexington and Waltham of specified controls or veto power Putting aside the question of who should assume what cost, the Conserva- tion Commission would like best to see the bulk of the land left in its natural state, poison ivy, lady slippers and all We would like to see Lexington explore a cooperative arrangement with Waltham so that vehicu- lar access could be provided through Waltham. At the most, picnic tables should be scattered in the half-open areas, and perhaps a ball field or two provided in the meadow land It should not be large enough a project to attract the whole region, but it could provide an attractive area for both Lexington and Waltham. Done properly and kept in scale, it could be an asset as a neighbor to the hospital and to any housing for the disabled which might be built nearby 552 Selectmen's Meeting May 29, 1974 If such a cooperative arrangement does not prove feasible, we would still like an opportunity to save the open and semi-open land in Lexington's part of Area 4 for recreational and open space use, hoping to provide a future access, perhaps by purchasing land which would connect Area 4 with the old county road Rights over that road have still to be investigated If the County holds title to the road, perhaps they would consider trans- fering title to Lexington " "PLANNING BOARD REPORT ON MIDDLESEX COUNTY LAND USE PROJECT The County Commissioners have asked that Lexington respond to a report developed by Justin Gray Associates (Planners/Architects) , for the pro- posed development of the County-owned land surrounding Middlesex County Hospital The single criteria the Commissioner has imposed on any devel- opment on this site is that it meet a regional need Since the site offers a variety of land use alternatives, the Planning Board requested input from the Board of Selectmen, Conservation Commis- sion, Recreation Department, and the Lexington Housing Authority as to what the best ultimate land use for this site might be This report re- flects that input The site is an 108 acre tract of land of which 96 acres lie within Lex- ington The site has been delineated into 5 zones by J C A for planning purposes, based on topographical features and existing land use All of Zone 5 and approximately 1/3 of Zone 2 are in Waltham Zone 1 by defini- tion will remain in its present land use, the County Hospital The County Commissioners have identified two regional concerns that are applicable to this site The first is to provide housing for low and moderate income families Such housing in Lexington is well below the standards as established by the Planning Board report with regard to the petition of Lexington Realty Trust for a comprehensive permit under Chapter 774 The second regional concern is for recreation facilities Justin Gray Associates recommend the following development guidelines for each zone Zone Land Use 1 Existing use to remain 2 Subsidized or private housing, public services uses 3 Open space, parkland/conservation 4 Open space, parkland/conservation land bank 5 Subsidized or private housing, public services uses 5 Selectmen's Meeting May 29, 1974 1 Site Analysis a Soils The Soil Conservation Service of the U S Department of Agricul- ture has determined the following soil characteristics No septic tanks or on-site sewage disposal can be accommodated The surface water run- off is not a significantly limiting factor except that paved surfaces should be kept at a minimum in steep places The soil would support woodlands and could allow homes to be built b. Topography Zones 2 and 4 have moderately sloping gradients that constitute no significant land use constraints Zone 3 has moderate as well as steep slopes that would impede construction of any kind c Drainage The sloping character of Zone 2 has sufficient water drainage so as not to restrict construction This drainage is also characteristic of the majority of Zone 3 However, there is seasonal water accumulation in 111 the flat swampy land of the western section of Zone 3 The westerly half of Zone 4 is relatively flat, with a small stream traversing it During periods of moderate to high preciptation this section is prone to have standing water on it d Vegetation Woodland vegetation covers throughout nearly the entire Zone 3 Zones 2 and 4 have hedgerows and clumps of tree and brush growth in addi- tion to the predominant low growing, grass vegetation e Visual Character The hill to the north of the site blocks the view to and from the site in that direction The west and south view from Zone 4 may extend to 1,000 feet depending on vegetation Zone 2 has clear vistas of up to a mile to the east and south (the topography slopes to the east and the vegetation is mostly grass) 2 Uses and Facilities a Streets and Traffic Walnut Street is a collector street with a 38' right-of-way and an 18' paved width. The pavement would have to be increased if the use becomes 554 Selectmen's Meeting May 29, 1974 substantially more intensive Trapelo Road is capable of supporting a major traffic flow Zone 2 is the only zone in Lexington that abuts a nearby street (Walnut Street) b Public Utilities The Town of Lexington does not have sewer lines along Walnut Street A 10" water line and utility line run along Walnut Street at Zone 2 c Surrounding Land Uses Most of the land across Walnut Street from Zone 2 is open land owned by the Metropolitan State Hospital The land abutting Zone 3 is undeveloped at present except for the county hospital parking lot in Zone 1 An 11 8-acre parcel of Lexington conservation land forms part of the north boundary, and another conservation parcel of similar size lies about 400 feet to the north, separated by privately-owned open land In addition to private and county open land, Zone 4 abuts an apartment development, a recreation field and Trapelo Road d Commercial Facilities The nearest commercial facility is the shopping on Lexington Street in Waltham -- 1/4 mile from Zone 4 and 3/4 mile from Zone 2 e Schools Bowman School is the nearest elementary school in Lexington - 1 mile from Zone 2 Clarke Jr High is 1 3/4 miles from Zone 2 Lexington High School is 2 1/2 miles from Zone 2 f Public Transportation The Metropolitan Coach Services has a route along Trapelo Road, starting from Waverly Square at twenty minutes to the hour, stopping at the hospitals, then proceeding to the Star Market on Lexington Street, where it leaves every hour on the hour The MBTA bus route along Waltham Street in Lexington is 1/4 mile from Zone 4 and 3/4 mile from Zone 2 I , , M✓ Selectmen's Meeting May 29, 1974 g Recreation The Powder Horn Par 3 Golf Course is located on Walnut Street near- ly adjacent to Zone 2 The nearest recreation field for child and adult use is the bailfield in Waltham abutting Zone 4 The Conservation land in Lexington abutting Zone 3 provides woodland recreation Conclusions and Recommendations The result of the analysis generally supports the preliminary use des- ignations suggested in the J G.A report Zone 2 This is the only section of land well suited for low and moderate income housing It has the only direct access to any street in Lexington and the grades on this section of the site will permit construction without exten- sive alterations to the land The need for low and moderate income housing in Lexington is well documented, therefore, serious consideration should be given to subsidized housing in Zone 2 Zone 3 As the Lexington Conservation recommends, the heavily wooded, rolling land forming a 25-acre rectangle between the rear of the visitors parking lot and the Lexington line (Area 3) is an ideal spot to be preserved in its natural state Since it abuts a large piece of Lexington conservation land on its eastern side (on both sides of the water tower) , and needs only a short link to connect with another piece of conservation land further west, it would fit nicely into the Metropolitan Area Planning Council's long range plan to provide a green strip from Belmont to Lincoln It is a large enough parcel to provide a good hike within the confines of the property, particularly if the large, more open area to the south and southwest (Area 4) is also preserved for open space and recreational uses It matters little whether the land is owned by the Town, the Conservation Commission, or the County, provided adequate safeguards assure that the landlyill remain unde- veloped and that the public will be allowed free access tt 1 An important element of this plan would be to provide access and agress to Zone 4 from Walnut Street, via a pedestrian way along the northern sec- tion of Zone 2 (1) Lexington Conservation Commission Comments, para 1, p 1, May 21, 1974 1 556 Selectmen's Meeting May 29, 1974 Zone 4 The Recreation Committee has expressed a need for recreation land in the Concord Avenue area for several years The major problem with Zone 4 is that there is no direct access from Lexington to the site The Plan- ning Board recommends that the site be identified as park or passive recreation land for the present, with the option to develop active recrea- tional facilities such as ball parks, swimming pools, tennis courts, etc as the demand for these facilities increases If necessary in the future, a street or pedestrian path could be devel- oped from one of several points (Waltham Street, Concord Avenue, or Walnut Street) to service the area from Lexington If other sites are found in the Concord Avenue area, or if the demand for active recreation is satis- fied elsewhere, the site could remain as a park A recreational facility at this location would serve a regional need and therefore, should be developed and maintained under the control of the County, M D C or other regional organizations, in collaboration with Lex- ington and Waltham " Mrs Lois Brown, Planning Board Our report endeavors to discover what is the role of the County on regional services, and it makes recommendations on the use of surplus land The Planning Board staff has given us some more information than is on the J G A. map such as vegetation, land boundaries, conservation land, and that we have areas steeper than 15 percent. Accord- ing to Justin Gray Associates, there are 108 acres, most of which is in Waltham but it is safe to say almost half of it is in Lexington They recommend that Zone 1 remain in regional health use, and the Planning Board feels that is a good recommendation Zone 2 is recommended for public ser- vices uses and the future possibility of subsidized housing We feel it is a good recommendation but the principal objection would be that Walnut Street would have to be widened The Planning Board agrees with J G A. 's future plans for land; it could be land bonded for future use We would assume that any housing built in Lexington or Waltham might meet RH mini- mum standards, and that Lexington has thoughts about certain design re- quirements About Zone 2, I would add that it abuts open space, and we feel definite provision should be made for a service road or a pedestrian easement from this side Zone 4 The area reaching into Waltham is relatively flat and the recommendation of J G.A is for open space or parkland/conservation land bank The need for this land is not evident at this point It has access to Trapelo Road It is a regional proposal and subject to regional re- quirements The burden of development should not lie on Lexington alone and should be shared with Waltham or taken over by some regional agency We raise the point that the use of that should be regional and the cost distributed in some way ail 0 Selectmen's Meeting May 29, 1974 The Conservation Commission report offers good notes and we agree with them, and with J G.A , and with the additional points I have made Chairman Kenney to Mrs Rawls, Conservation Commission We have received the report from the Conservation Commission and we agree pretty much on how the land should be used; we have gone into regional uses Mrs Frick has sent us a memorandum stating that the Conservation Commission would like to (1) preserve the wooded area 3 in its natural state, (2) con- sider the open meadows of 4 for playing fields, (3) urge that financial arrangement and ownership be further explored That is the common consensus Mr Busa I think the report is quite conclusive and I agree except for the part set aside for the housing authority at this time or in the future A study should be made of the density It was the concensus of Town Meeting to try to have limited density Mrs Brown We keep thinking of RH density as 18 The way the zone is written is obscure Really, maximum density is 12 The idea was that it could be raised up to 18 by the Board of Appeals If a proposal is set down in the middle of a lot of conservation land, there could be a set of circumstances to justify it higher, up to 18; there are conditions written in up to 18 Mr Busa Present and past Town Meetings were concerned about the density of multiple units; that was the biggest question to the Planning Board Mrs Brown We can take it under advisement Chairman Kenney You are getting beyond the reports You are say- ing that special consideration be given to housing, and we would not dis- miss the idea Mr. Briggs, Planning Director J G A wanted it more broadly and didn't want to get into specific details J G A. would like to have a copy of this report We would like to know if you would want to transmit this to the Town and to them Mrs Battin We will send them the report of the Planning Board and the input by the Conservation Committee, and also inform them of the point made by Mrs Brown of the burden of development Mr. James Reilly, 25 Walnut Street I would like to go on record in favor of the use of Region 2 on low and moderate income housing Chairman Kenney We will write to J G.A and enclose the reports of the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission, and inform them that we are substantially in agreement with both of the recommendations We will emphasize the point that in the event there are any financial require- ments for the development of regional parks or other facilities, we would strongly feel that these costs should be shared on a regional basis, even if the facility were located in the Town of Lexington Members of the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission retired from the meeting 558 Selectmen's Meeting May 29, 1974 Mr O'Connell discussed the need for transfers and recommended that Transfer the Board request approval of the Appropriation Committee Requests Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request the Appropriation Committee for approval of transfers to the following accounts Account 3450-Rabies Clinic-$220 for unanticipated increases in the cost of vaccine, advertising, postage and printing, additional help at Rabies Clinic, heads sent to laboratory Account 2940-Metered Mail-$2,250 for mailing of 15,000 motor vehi- cle excise tax bills and 10,000 real estate tax bills to be mailed in June Account 2935-Office Service/Copier Supplies -$1,550 for increased cost in paper; also, extra use during Town Meeting for budgets and motions Account 8525-Interest on Tax Anticipation-$1,450 for increase in interest rates unanticipated when budget was formulated Account 1950-Elections Town Clerk-$2,500 for Special Referendum on Town Meeting Articles Account 1125-Fire and Police Medical-$1,650 in medical bills for two firefighters, K. Kelley, Jr and Francis Belcastro Chairman Kenney The Appropriation Committee has approved $10,000 of the $17,000 transfer request to Account 3800-Police Department Expense Mr O'Connell informed the Board that 36 applicants have taken the Firefighters' written examination for two positions open in the Fire Department We Examination are now proceeding with agility tests He recommended that Selectmen Review Bailey sit in as a member of the Review Board and, because of the Town Board Manager's heavy work load, he has asked David Hughes to represent him. Mr Bailey agreed and is to contact William Fitzgerald to ask if he will participate as a member of the Review Board Mr O'Connell submitted two nominees for appointment to the Lexing- LCSR ton Commission on Suburban Responsibility Marguerite Bateson, Library Nominees employee, and renomination of Edward Silva, Fire Department employee The Board accepted the nominees to be appointed at a later date Masterworks Mr O'Connell informed the Board that the Masterworks Chorale has Chorale requested the use of Cary Hall on Sunday evening, April 20, 1975, for Cary Hall a concert, in addition to a rehearsal on April 12 The Bicentennial ' Bicentennial Committee has requested that Cary Hall be reserved for them up to the middle of the afternoon of April 20 in case of inclement weather It f. 549 Selectmen's Meeting May 29, 1974 is recommended that Mr Robert Tarlin, Bicentennial Director, work out a written agreement with the Masterworks Chorale for the use of Cary Hall for a rehearsal on April 12 and a concert at 7 00 p m on Sunday, April 20, 1975 The Board agreed that Mr Tarlin is to work out the details of a written agreement with the Masterworks Chorale Mr O'Connell informed the Board of a request from a candidate for the Governor's Committee to campaign at the sanitary landfill on next Saturday morning Chairman Kenney Traditionally, we have allowed it as long as it didn't interfere with the free flow of traffic The Board agreed Chairman Kenney requested the Board to sign the Order of Construc- tion of Sewer on Holland Street Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Order of Construction of Sewer on Holland Street, a public way, from Taft Holland St Avenue to end, as shown on a plan entitled "Plan of Proposed Sewer in Order Holland Street, Lexington, Mass Scale 1 in = 40 ft , May 14, 1974, Contract James E Chase, Town Engineer," to be recorded in compliance with the 73-6-E vote taken at the Annual Town Meeting1973 held March 19, NOTE Because of a public health nuisance, this sewer construction is to be continued through the easement to Mohawk Drive under an extra work order under Contract 73-6-E Chairman Kenney read a request from the Conservation Commission for approval of the use of Whipple Hill land by Lexington Radio Amateurs on June 22 and June 23, 1974 Approval has been given for the Conservation part of the land and the Selectmen must approve the additional section Permit Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permis- Whipple sion to the Lexington Radio Amateurs for the use of the land at Whipple Hill Hill on June 22-23, 1974, subject to the conditions that there are to be no fires, no brush or tree cutting, and the area is to be left in clean condition. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 7 55 p m. A true record, Attest 4614-9,-N )27C- Executive Clerk, Selectme