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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1967-01-07-BOS-min 411 SELECTMEN'S MEETING January 7, 1967 A special meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen' s Room, Town Office Building, on Saturday, January 7, 1967, at 9:00 A.M. Chairman Cole, Messrs. Burnell, Cataldo, Sheldon and Mabee were present. Mr. Gray, Executive Assistant, Mr. Carroll, Superintendent of Public Works, Mr. Higgins, Assistant Town Engineer, Mr. Colella, Assistant Superintendent of Public Works, and Miss Murray, Executive Clerk, were also present. The following action was taken on 1967 budgets sub- mitted for the Department of Public Works: Department Reauested Approved Sewer Construction $1,517,810 $302,360 Sundry Streets Trunk Sewers 685,500 1,000,000 (Sewers to be installed when needed and where Board decides. If the amount approved is not voted by Town Meeting, only Volunteer Way and Hartwell Avenue trunk sewers are to be constructed. ) Drain Construction 50,400.00 18,400.00 Street Construction Sundry Streets 339,500.00 147,750.00 tentative Street Construction Capital Outlay 65,000.00 01--Blossomcrest Road 20,000.00 Philip Road 30,000.00 Sidewalk Construction 58,000.00 51,000.00 Curb Construction 5,000.00 5,000.00 Chanter 90 Maintenance 4,500.00 4,500.00 Chapter 90 Construction 60,000.00 60,000.00 4112 co N CI Mr. Robert Ericson, 46 Shade Street, met with the Board relative to his request for Grandview Avenue. The Chairman stated the Board had agreed to give Mr. Ericson an opportunity to meet with the Board when budgets were being considered for 1967. Mr. Ericson said he has been a small builder in Town for about fifteen years, building mostly speculative. About eleven years ago, he purchased five lots on Grand- view Avenue with the intent he would be able to build. Grandview Five years ago, he acquired two more lots and submitted Avenue a plan to the Planning Board. He explained the lots in question are not in one parcel - 105 & 106 - 112 & 110 and 111 - 113 - 33 & 34. He applied for a building permit to build on two lots, which he indicated on a plan, under the advise of Mr. Zaleski. He filed a plan but Mr. Irwin refused it. He went before the Board of Appeals and his petition was denied because the lots do not front on a street as defined in the Lexington Zoning By-Law. He stated before he did this, he had a technical agreement to run a water line down the street. The Health Depart- ment approved the land for a septic tank. When he went for a deed for the water rights, the man changed his mind. He petitioned the Town three years ago and he had eight signatures on the petition, seven of his own and one other gentleman. He said this land does not come under the subdivision control law because it was laid out in 1829 and he knew this when he purchased the property. He said the last petition has thirteen signatures on it. He owns seven lots so that is seven signatures, another individual owns one and another individual owns five. Mr. Cataldo pointed out that, between street, sewer and water this involves $37,000. Mr. Sheldon asked if Mr. Ericson would combine these lots and he said he tried to purchase land owned by the Town, but the Board would not sell it. Mr. Burnell asked if he would consider combining two fifty-foot lots into one hundred-foot lots. Mr. Ericson replied he could cut the three fifties in half and make two seventy-five foot lots. If he acquired the Town lots, he could have two one-hundred foot lots. He said the question he had would be the price of the land. Mr. Cataldo said the question is, how many people can be served for $38,000, and the main problem is whether the Board should recommend construction of this street. 41: Mr. Ericson said he would pay all betterments before the properties are sold. The Chairman said the Board would take the matter under advisement, and Mr. Ericson retired at 11:14 A.M. Mr. Sheldon said he thought there was an opportunity to make a transaction which would result in having accept- able building lots. Mr. Carroll suggested that the land be purchased by the Town for conservation purposes. The Board did not think this desirable. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize Mr. Gray to contact Mr. Ericson to discuss the subject further with him. Mr. Higgins, Assistant Town Engineer, said he would like the Board to consider a future request he would Higgins' like; to give him sabbatical leave for a year to go to sabbatical school for public management or public administration. leave He said he felt the Town would benefit by it, and that the Board could give this serious consideration. He said it takes more than an ordinary civil engineer to deal with the people in this Town. He said there are programs of collective bargaining and Federal aid and he would be better qualified to do a better job for the Town. He said, with reference to the program he has investigated, there are only four courses in the country which offer it and he has investigated two of them. They seem to think his education is adequate so he could get into a program, but he has not gone as far as applying. He mentioned the University of Maine, University of Rhode Island, University of Syracuse and New York University. Mr. Sheldon asked if there were any colleges in this area offering such a program, and Mr. Higgins replied in the negative. Mr. Cataldo said, after looking into it and thinking about it, the problems it will present to Mr. Carroll will be tremendous, as Mr. Higgins would be gone a year, and he asked who would replace Mr. Higgins. He asked if an Assistant Town Engineer would be hired for only one year and if there was anyone in the department now that could take over the job. He said a well qualified man would have to be hired, and asked what would happen to him at the expiration of one gear. If the Town makes an investment in Mr. Higgins, it would want him to return and the problem is what to do in the meantime. Mr. Higgins said this is something he would have to go over with Mr. Carroll, and he did not think he could be 41 N CI replaced easily. He said plenty of school teachers have had sabbatical leave and those left picked up the load. Mr. Cataldo said the Engineering Department is im- portant, and Mr. Carroll said he could not see bringing a man in from outside. He said there are two men in the department with abilities, Mr. Coscia and Mr. Adams. Mr. Coscia works on the outside and Mr. Adams inside. Mr. Cataldo said he would like to see this worked out. Mr. Sheldon suggested Mr. Carroll and Mr. Higgins get together and present a plan that is datisfactory to Mr. Carroll so that he will know he can operate with reasonable efficiency. If Mr. Carroll says he can only go to a qualified replacement, that is another situation. Mr. Carroll said it would take a man six months to know what the problems are. Mr. Sheldon said Mr. Carroll should discuss this withMr. Higgins and make a recommendation to the Board. Mr. Cataldo said everyone should know and under- stand the problem and the Board will have to know what the Salary Committee recommends. There is also the guarantee that Mr. Higgins will come back. He said the tuition is not paid as far as he knew and the procedure to be followed will have to be exactly the same as that followed by the School Department. Mr. Burnell asked what the time agreement would be that Mr. Higgins would remain with the Town when he returns. Mr. Gray replied a three-year period. Mr. Higgins said the subject is being brought up now so if everything works out by next September, he could go then. Mr. Cataldo said as soon as Mr. Carroll made a re- commendation to the Board, it would not take long for the Board to make a decision. The Chairman said when the Board discussed the motel and hotel liquor licenses, it established a maximum fee Fee of $2500. He said the maximum fee for Package Goods Stores is $1500 and it seemed both fees should be the same. Mr. Cataldo stated if the fee had originally been established at $1500, he would not hesitate to change. No motion was made to reconsider the vote of the Board establishing the fee for motel and hotel liquor licenses. 415 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted II to establish the hours of Hotel and Motel Liquor Licenses as 11:00 A.M. until 11:00 P.M. on weekdays and as 1:00 P.M. Hours until 11:00 P.M. on Sundays. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the vote of the Board requesting a transfer to Transfer the Snow Removal Account to read $16,850.00. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to hold a Special Meeting of the Board of Selectmen Meeting on Saturday, January 14, 1967, at 9:00 A.M. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 12: 20 P.M. A true record, Attest: ��ti Clerk, Selen Bien , II