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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1966-03-19-BOS-min 1 SELECTMEN'S MEETING lit March 19, 1966 A special meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen' s Room, Town Office Building, on Saturday morning, March 19, 1966, 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, and Miss Murray, Executive Clerk, were also present. The following persons were also present Chairman Campbell, Messrs. Greeley , Fowle, and Mrs. Riffin, of the Planning Board. Messrs. Brown , Trani, Tarbox, Scheublin, Burke, Michelson, Kolovson, Herr, King. The Chairman stated there is a problem on the article relative to beautification of Lexington Center . He said he did not think it is any concern as to how an error was made, but there is only ninety-six feet of width from Beautifi- building line to building line, and there has been much cation activity on this during the last two days . Lex. Center II/ Mr. Kolovson said he did not think anyone should lose sight of the fact that regardless of what decisions may be reached, they do not want to wash their hands free of a beautification. He said if it ends up twenty-six feet for a promenade on this side, they still want funds to work on twenty-six feet . He said they co not want to lose the purpose of the article which is to appropriate funds for beautification. He said if all they have is twenty-six feet, they are committed to do the very best they can with the area given them. He said they would hate to see the article lost and not have money to do the work. The Chairman said he felt the entire Board is committed to a beautification of the Center, the same as the Planning Board and Mr. Kolovson' s committee. Mr. Kolovson said ending up with four less feet raises the question as to whether or not four lanes of traffic, four reduced lanes, plus two parking lanes, will carry the load for an interim period. He stated they have to say that there is a possibility the interim period could be the ultimate period. He said it could not be based on the fact this is only for a year or two years. He said he guessed it was fair to say they feel the four reduced lanes, plus the parking lanes, will be an improvement in the parking situation. He said they thought it would be adequate, but they do not think it is perfect . He explained the purpose of today is to decide if they can come to a , A general conclusion on that fact or what other alterna- 111 tives exist, and what overall conclusion can be arrived at. He referred to some maps. The Chairman said it should be understood that while this is a Planning Board article, it authorizes the Select- men, and the Selectmen, as he understood it, was the only Board that can lay out streets. The Selectmen would listen to recommendations from the committee or anyone else, but the final analysis would be done by the Selectmen . He stated some people do not understand who is responsible. Mr. Kolovson submitted plans to the Board, and Mr. Herr explained in detail plans he had displayed on the wall. The plan showed the Center, hassachusetts Avenue from Edison Way to Meriam Street. He stated the proposal of the steering committee' s plan has been that there would be a thirty-foot promenade on the north side in front of the Hunt Block and Baker Juildinc and the Woolworth block. He stated that at the Central Block it would be twenty-five feet because the right of way is ninety feet rather than ninety-six feet. There would be a street width of fifty-six feet, curb to curb, through the center except a little more at Depot Square. The new understanding with regard to four fewer feet applies in this section only (which he indicated on the plan ) . The way in which a fifty-six foot street, plus thirty-foot promenade would be achieved was shown in color on the map. Mr. Herr stated this is the ultimate proposal. Mr. Sheldon said the red showed a thirty-foot sidewalk in front of the Hunt Block. Mr. Herr said that was right. This was drawn yester- day. Mr. Sheldon said it is narrower in front of Baker' s. Mr. Herr said the present sidewalk is narrower. He stated the change that having four fewer feet makes is not so much in the long-range proposal as it is in the interim stage. He said in the interim stage, it had been their hope that they could provide this promenade, having a double row of trees, and having an interim stage they would have parking on both sides of the avenue and four moving lanes of traffic, He said the scheme was then when the six spaces were removed, the sidewalk would be moved four feet. He said the question is, can they still, now with ninety-six feet, still tell people when they ask for money for beauti- fication that they can still provide the double row of trees, promenade and two lanes of parking and four moving lanes . He said if the answer to this is yes, then he thought they had clear sailing. If the answer is no, then if they want to, rathert han this mall, it is necessary to say parking will have to be banned through this portion in peak hours . He said there has been questions as to how this thirty feet was arrived at. He explained this by the drawing showing what is in front of Woolworth's now. He said they have 3 about twenty-two feet from the curb to the building; a single row of trees which leaves twenty and a half feet for the space occupied by the lower branches of the trees and for people to move. He said they got down to a thirty- four foot dimension. It was the judgment of the landscape architect this was a real minimum. They have to take care of pedestrian movement. The other thing is the edge dis- tance. If a tree grows very big at all, there will be trouble. The two trees cannot get too close together. As the dimension moves below thirty feet, it is the judgment that they will have to abandon this notion of pairs of trees set in rows. He said if they are going to come through with a double row of trees, the dimension must remain thirty feet and that leads to the question, can fifty-six feet take care of the parking. Mr. Pierce asked if not more important is the width of the street curb to curb distance. He said if the travelled way gets to be too wide, they feel the Center falls apart. The Chairman asked if he meant from an aesthetic point of view, and Mr. Pierce replied in the affirmative. Mr. Herr said twenty-nine feet is very slightly different in degree than thirty feet for a promenade than If is different in kind for the planning. Mr. Pierce said they were at thirty-four or thirty-five feet so they feel they have passed that threshhold. They have come from thirty-eight to thirty. Mr. Herr said there is no proposal at this time to make a change in front of Woolworth's. Mr. Greeley said the double row of trees in the immedi- ate future is only from Baker's. He asked if any consider- btion had been given to a narrower row of trees. Mr. Herr said it is a different design and raises a whole new issue. He said they would not be submitting there are only two alternatives as shown on that sketch. He said the thing they have talked about disappears when they go below thirty feet. Mr. Pierce said he would hate to close the door on the possibility of moving the sidewalk curb out. Mr. Cataldo said if it would be better with trees on both sides of the street . They could, under the present setup, go a single line of trees on both sides right now. Mr. Pierce said the south sidewalk is too narrow now. Mr. Cataldo said they knew below thirty feet they can't have the parallel row of trees. He said they could land- scape this side and go sixteen feet on the other side. Mr. Pierce said there was even talk of moving the north curb back. Mr. Cataldo said all he was saying is they said they can't visually bring them closer together. He said they could be brought much closer together. The Chairman said there is a definite conflict between the width of the sidewalk and the pavement. There are two points of views. Mr. Sasaki is adamant on the thirty feet. The Board has experts whose views it values too. One is J c.4 4 2r the Superintendent of Public Works and he felt sixty feet was the minimum. He said the Board has someone from Whitman & Howard, a Mr. King. He feels sixty feet is the minimum that will be recommended for this. He said he thought the Board of Selectmen would be divided. The Chairman said he thought, in view of the presentation made last year and the Board's commitment to the Town, he felt the Board was committed to at least sixty feet, four lanes of travel, the emphasis being on traffic and the com- mittee' s view is on aesthetics. Mr. Campbell said on page fourteen of the book, they have four feet to pick up. Mr. Herr explained a drawing, of which he gave each member of the Board a copy, and said it was recommended to duplicate on the north what is already on the south. Mr. Michelson said he thought the traffic would also flow twenty-eight feet in the other direction. Mr. Campbell said he denied that. The Chairman said the situation now is not even the way it should be; one can live with almost nothing. An effort is being made to create something that is at least safe and better than what now exists. Mr. Cataldo said everyone is failing to recognize that half of the middle lane is over the sixteen feet. He said here they have twenty-eight feet where the white line is with sixteen feet to spill over. He said no one wants to see the Center like the Central block right straight through. Mr. Fowle asked if the Board of Selectmen was in general agreement with the idea of the thinking on page ]4. The Chairman replied the Board has gone along with the report of the committee that on-street parking will be eliminated when off-street parking is provided to replace it. Mr. Pierce said he did not think they were trying to push aesthetics in place of traffic safety. There was real resistance this year to removing parking on the north side now. He said that is why they are not doing interim solution. It comes down to, are they ready to live with the interim period with a less perfect solution. The Chairman said Mr. Cataldo stated there is no guarantee that the interim period will be changed. Mr. Kolovson said they had no guarantee that the off-street parking is going to be provided. The Chairman said if the Board goes along with the interim with no hope it will eventually be better, it will be doing the people of the Town a disservice. Mr. Pierce said it seemed to him to subscribe to what they would like to see, there has to be strenuous thinking and planning. To buy this interim scheme that is being proposed, they h.hve to hang their hat on the acceptance of the next stage . L. 5 Mr. Kolovson said the situation that confronts them is the one of thirty feet as opposed to twenty-six feet. There isn't anything that can 't be done with thirty-six feet that can 't also be done with the twenty-eight feet. He said thirty feet is the barest they cap go. He said he thought, in all conscienceness, they have to give the Town the alternative between thirty and what thirty will achieve. He said he assumed the Selectmen will have to state what twenty-six feet would provide. He said they thought the situation can work out with fifty-six feet. The other side of this case is that sixty feet is the only situation. The Chairman said with twenty-six feet the Center can be beautified. It can 't be beautified to the same extent it could at thirty feet. Mr. Greeley said the traffic could go through under either condition. The Chairman said the Board's advisor tells it sixty feet is the minimum. He stated on the design they will give seven feet for parking and the Board is advised eight feet is the minimum. Mr. Greeley said he thought the opinion of the experts was just as valid as the unexpressed opinion. Mr. Carroll went to the wall map and stated there is no missing four feet; the ninety-six feet always existed. He said the traffic does not occupy twenty-eight feet, it is a little more than twenty-eight feet. He said they do need, as far as he was concerned, the half width of the road. He said the decision has to be made whether t his is going to be sixty feet or something less than that. He said he questioned the statement that in the future when additional parking is made available, they will try to reduce the pavement in front of Woolworth's. He said he could not see in the report any proposal to supply addi- tional parking to help these properties here. He said as far as he was concerned, they have to think of the entire width of the avenue as fifty-six feet or sixty feet. Mr. King said he had looked into this problem at Mr. Carroll's invitation. He said they asked if there was any possibility, in his mind, of reducing this width from sixty feet and still provide four lanes and parking. He said it could be done but he recommended sixty feet as a safe and practical minimum. He said he preferred twelve foot moving lanes because they are safer. He said the eight-foot parking area he considered to be a minimum. He stated a car travelling by a parked car will automatically stay away from the parked car. It requires more clearance. He said traffic t 3 travelling easterly along this street passes over the sixteen feet and encroaches on the opposite lane. He said he thought the Traffic figures presented were very optimistic and he thought the maximum to be attained is between 1400 and 500 vehicles per hour. He said if the traffic is t o be accommodated reasonably and safely, the sixty foot is a safe minimum. He said it is the most desirable. ar C Mr. Campbell said his point ever since this started is the problem of Massachusetts Avenue is eastbound. He said the elimination of parking should be on the south side. He said if it is insisted upon, then they should have the parking width so one can drive in and out without backing in;. Mr. King said it would be most desirable if they eliminated parking entirely but he did not think it was practical. Mr. Pierce said the steering committee and advisors would be in complete agreement with Mr. King. The solution originally proposed twelve-foot travelled lanes. The question here seems to be, is this an interim solution or a permanent solution. He said they were after the same dimensions Mr. King is talking about. This is being re- garded as a permanent solution. He said if it is , he did not think it works. Mr. Herr said the difference between the interim solution and the permanent solution is paint. The movement will not involve reconsideration. He said they maintain the same point of view expressed by Mr. Campbell. The major problem is eastbound. Mr. Carroll said if the Board of Selectmen feels it might in the future not eliminate parking on the north side of the street, then there will be change in curbing if the fifty-six foot is used. The Chairman said Mr. Carroll said sixty-four feet is recommended but sixty feet is the minimum. Mr. Greeley said in the long range, it would be sixty- four feet, not sixty. Mr. Carroll said the Town could have an adequate width with sixty feet and the curbing would not change in the future. Mr. Fowle said if the group was considering a permanent solution for the Avenue , four moving lanes and two parking, he would not be in favor of a sixty-foot Width but would think sixty-four feet would be better . He said at the present time, there is a lack of parking space for the stores on the north side of the avenue. Mr. Kolovson said the opinion of the merchants ex- pressed at a large gathering, was that they were willing to accept the "No Parking" on one side of the avenue if adequate parking is provided. He said the Board would not find the opposition of removal of parking from one side of the avenue. He said the feeling of the merchants is they will not fight that the parking remain on the avenue. Mr. Fowle asked if there was adequate parking in the rear for the stores on the south side now. The Chairman said he thought everyone was aware of all the facts . Mr. Kolovson said he thought many other features went into the vote for the widening of Massachusetts Avenue. He said he thought many other things were being accomplished be- sides improvement of the center. 7 Mr. Cataldo said there is no question but there were other things being accomplished. The Chairman declared a fifteen minute intermission at which time the Board of Selectmen left the room to give the Planning Board and the steering committee an opportunity to discuss the subject . When the meeting continued, Mr. Kolovson said their position would be stated by Mr. Greeley. Mr. Greeley said they were unequivocally in favor of the long-range, fifty-six foot pavement, one lane of park- ing, beautification. They thought that the most economical and straightforward step in that direction would be to start off with the fifty-six foot pavement and go ahead immediately with the beautification project . He said they realized this would mean inconvenience and maybe some traffic difficulty depending on lanes and parking. He said the Selectmen have told them that they are in favor of a sixty-foot pavement. He said they would support that and support the article for beautification rather than run the risk of losing this. The Chairman asked what the motion was. Mr. Greeley replied that the Town Meeting appropriate $60,000.00 for beautification between Grant Street and Meriam Street. The Chairman said the motion at the present time has approximately thirty-foot sidewalk. Mr. Fowle skid it might be more effective for the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen to make a joint statement. The Chairman asked if the Planning Board had taken a vote. Mrs . Riffin replied two believe in fifty-six foot wide and parking. If everyone is united on the sixty foot, they will go along with the sixty foot hoping some day it will be fifty-six feet. The Chairman asked if the Planning Board was unani- mous in agreement with the Selectmen on sixty feet. Mrs. Riffin replied in the political sense. The Chairman asked if it was going to take this posi- tion. Mr. Campbell said the Planning Board supported the Selectmen unanimously. The Chairman asked for the committee 's attitude. Mr. Kolovson said he voted against this approach but the majority of the committee present voted for it with another exception and there will be one more exception. He said he doubted a minority report would be issued. The Chairman read the motion that had been drawn for the Town Meeting and stated it would have to be changed almost entirely in content. The Chairman said as far as a statement was concerned from the Board of Selectmen, he saw no reason why the Board could not agree on this. CA; 0 J Mr. Cataldo said Mr. Greeley stated on the basis of when adequate parking would be supplied. Mr. Greeley said he did not think anyone was ready to say it should be twenty-six feet or ten feet. Mr. Fowle said the Board was committing itself to the width of the north sidewalk plus a curb line will be set on the north. The Chairman said the committee would meet with the Selectmen and the Planning Board and see if it cannot come up with some plan. He said while the Selectmen recognize all this is within their authority, they don't intend to be arbitrary . Mr. Mabee explained the Board is just trying to pin down the sixty feet and leave everything else as open as it can. Mr. Greeley said the Selectmen feel they must pin down the sixty feet in order to get this through. Mr. Kolovson said he would prefer to pin down the sixty feet than twenty-six feet. The Chairman said he wondered if Town Counsel would rule the Board would be forever prohibited from ever making it less than sixty feet without a Town Meeting. Mr. Cataldo said if this is not tied down, after last year, the Town Meeting would not support the Board. He said the Board should tie it down and he thought the figure should be sixty feet. He said if Town Meeting is going to vote money for parking space and parking garage, it will vote to change it to sixty feet. The Chairman said the Board could take out "approximately thirty feet in width". Mr. Greeley suggested that the Board be prepared with an amendment providing that the distance between the curb shall be approximately sixty feet. Mr. Herr said when the Board pins this down, it should state as to which blocks it is being pinned down. The Board of Selectmen agreed on four moving lanes and one parking lane. The group retired at 11 :40 A.M. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to LVNA have Mr. Mabee continue as the Board' s representative to the Lexington Visiting Nurse Association. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the Senior Wing Girls Scout Troop permission to Use of meet in the second-floor conference room in the Police room Building on Thursday nights from March 2L. through April 21 or 25. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing, Executive deliberating or voting on matters which, if made public, Eectn might adversely affect the public security, the financial 9 interest of the Town, or the reputation of any person. 111Following discussion pertaining to the Inspections Department, it was voted to resume the open meeting. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to hold a meeting of the Board on Wednesday, March 23, 1966 , at 7:00 P.M. Meeting Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mr. Logan Clarke, Jr. and John H. Blaisdell Associate Members of the Board of Appeals for terms Appointment ending March 31, 1967. These appointments will fill the vacancies caused by Mr. Duffyts death and Mr. Sheldonts appointment as a regular member of the Board. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 11:55 A.M. A true record, Attest: ' �- ^ Exec tiv Cler , Select1ien 60. r t