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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1967-03-30-BOS-min J' 51 S1 TF;CTMEN'S MEETING March 30, 1967 A special meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen ' s Room, Town Office Building, on Thursday, March 30, 1967, at 7:00 P.M. Chairman Cole, Messrs. Burnell , Cataldo, Mabee and Kenney were present Mr. Gray, Executive Assistant, Mr. Carroll, Superintendent of Public Tdofks, and Miss Murray, Execu- tive Clerk, were also present Mr. Legro, Town Counsel, arrived at the meeting at 7:30 P.M. Chairman Parrish, Messrs. Grant , Gary, Blaisdell, Kolovson and Mrs . Souza of the Appropriation Committee, and Mr. Chapin, Capital Expenditures Committee, met with the Board . The Chairman referred to the article covering the acquisition of the New Amsterdam property and stated the Board was going to appooach it on eminent domain New He reported the title search has not been completed yet Amsterdam and Town Counsel has stated there is a possibility they land may not own all of it so the Board could not follow that procedure He said the price of the land is $2300 an acre. Mr. Parrish said the option was $2200. The Chairman explained they are bringing in the interest and taxes. He said the Board has not reached any agreement yet and Town Counsel has to make them one final offer in connection with getting Federal funds. He said when it comes to Kingston Homes, which it is agreed to take at $4,000 an acre it will not help on the other one . Mr. Grant stated one case cannot be put in evidence, but it may make it more difficult to negotiate. Mr . Cataldo said if the Board agrees to pay $4,000 an acre; it is a willing buyer and a willing seller and if the Board votes to buy Kingston Homes at $4,000 an acre without taking it, this is the problem. The Chairman asked, if this Town Meeting agrees to take Kingston Homes at $4,000 an acre, what reflection would this be on the New Amsterdam property. Mr. Parrish said up to a given moment they are willing to settle for $2300 and have publicly said so. The Chairman said the option has run out . Mr. Cataldo said he was concerned with the value being set from here on. co Mr. Parrish said the Kingston land is half under water, and, in his opinion, it is not a better piece of land than the New Amsterdam land . Mr. Parrish said he thought, as a committee, it would give this some serious thought. He said the com- mittee was hopeful that by this time the eminent domain proceedings on the Pihl land would be started and the New Amsterdam land would be in the fold. Mr. Cataldo said the basis of decision should be what this type of land is worth to the Town. Mr. Parrish asked if the appraisal the Conservation Commission had for this land is $1.,000. The Chairman stated they can say they have an ap- praisal to justify this figure . Mr. Parrish said his committee would consider this seriously. Mr. Mabee reported the Board is going to recommend indefinite postponement on the Lloyd land . He submitted Lloyd land a plan and explained a section of the property not covered by the article and stated even though the Board went ahead Lloyd would not sell it because it would land lock the back. Mr Lloyd has said he would give the Board an option for any time in the .future. He said they were talking about next March, and at that time , the land will be surveyed and properly described. He said a much more favorable arrangement was going to be made as to terms with Lloyd next year which might cost a little more. If the Board agrees on the price, Mr. Lloyd will give an option for $1.00. The Chairman referred to 4hipple Hill and said there are those who would like to take it regardless of how Whipple much it costs . He said he thought a majority of the Hill Board feels it is overpriced, and it has an appraisal considerably less. Mr. Parrish said the number the Appropriation Com- mittee came up with appears to be half way between the two appraisals or somewhere near that , and there is some thought the committee would just leave it that way. He said the other thought is , the Town is not going to buy this no matter what it offers; just put in enough to take care of whatever the lowest appraisal is . He said the penalty there is, as he understood it, the reimbursement appli- cation has to but in at this and the Town cannot refile for reimbursement. This would result in some penalty to the Town. He said this is information received from Mr. Sussman. Mr. Cataldo said he would rather hear from Town Counsel on this. 553 The Chairman said the Appropriation Committee is looking for postponable articles, and to his thinking this is as postponable as anything. It is not going sly- where this year. Mr. Parrish said that school of thought had been re- jected before. This is land the Town has been talking about for five years. The Chairman said he did feel services in the Town had been cut and then the committee recommends something like this. Mr. Parrish said this is why the committee was will- ing to bond. Mr. Cataldo said the same approach could have been made on the sewer; the committee cuts $50,000 off the sewer which was bonding. Mr. Parrish said the lateral sewers were bonded in lieu of land. Mr. Cataldo said if the $50,000 were kept in the sewer, it would have been bonded. Mr. Parrish said a good portion of that bond was in lieu of purchase of land. Mr. Cataldo said $275,000 was for land, but the extra $50,000 would have been bonded for sewers. Mr. Grant said if the Town is going to acquire land, it should be good-sized parcels. The Chairman asked if the committee felt Whipple Hill was going anywhere this year. Mr. Gmy replied in the negative. Mr. Parrish said it might go up in price. Mr. Mabee said the thinking of the Board at one time was it preferred the Lloyd land to the Whipple land and the Appropriation Committee was reversed. He said he subscribed to that, but now the Lloyd land is going to be indefinitely postponed and he thought the Town should buy land each year and he would support Whipple Hill now. The Chairman said the idea of buying open land is to keep it open. If the committee is convinced that Whipple Hill is not going anywhere this year, it will still be open land and will still be in the same state next year. He asked why this could not be postponed. Mr. Grant said next year there would be the Lloyd land and the Whipple Hill land. Mr. Kenney said he thought this is a gcod year to get the Whipple Hill. The Chairman said there is a legitimate concern with the tax rate this year. Mr. Parrish said this would be bonded. He said the committee' s plan, as of the moment, is to proceed on the Whipple Hill article as its report states. Mr. Cataldo said he could see the committee wanting to take Whipple Hill, but not for the amount of money it 554 has. He said the lowest appraisal should be the outside figure. Mr. Kenney asked if the committee would support that. Mr. Parrish said the committee would take a vote on it and he thought there would be no reason to put more money in the article than is needed to take it. Mr. Parrish said Mr. Sussman believes that in the filing of an application with the Federal government, if the land is taken by eminent domain, the maximum amount that can be filed is the amount the Town originally agreed to pay. If the court decides a higher or lower number, the Town cannot refile. Mr. Legro said he had not seen that . Most of these matters are handled entirely by the Conservation Commission. He said he had not seen anything to that effect. The Chairman said it does not mean it isn't so. Mr. Cataldo referred to Article 63, and said he under- stood the Appropriation Committee was supporting this Article. Mr. Parrish said he thought, equivocally and unalter- ably the committee was opposed because this, in its opinion, is another step in the speep-up of construction of Worthen Road which is not necessary and not worthwhile. The com- mittee finds no reason to do it. s Mr. Parrish said the Conservation Commission is going g to ask for more than the $2,000 the committee has approved Conser- for its fund. He said he understood it will ask for nation either $5,000 or $10,000. He explained appraisal money funds is now being put in each article. The Chairman said that is the best argument for de- creasing it . te said he thought the Board is with the committee on the $2,000.00. Mr. Cataldo referred to Article 63 and said he thought it would be in the best interest of Worthen Road to postpone Article 64. He suggested taking up Article 64 first, move indefinite postponement, and then take up Article 63. The Board and Committee appeared to agree with Mr. Cataldo' s suggestion. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 7:40 P, M. A true record, Attest: may ; Etci ve lark Select en