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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1965-03-01-min CP et Xs SELECTMEN 'S MEETING March 1, 1965 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, March 1, 1965, at 7 30 P.M. Chairman Cole, Messr Brown, Burnell, Cataldo and Sheldon were pre- sent . Mr. Legro, Town Counsel, Mr. Gray, Executive Assistant, Mr. Carroll, Superintendent of Public norks, and Miss Murray, Executive Clerk, were also present . Messr . Jaquith and Abbott, of the Historic Districts Study Committee, Messrs . Nickerson, Ripley and Hoyt, of the Board of Appeals, Messrs Bryson, Greeley, Campbell and Mrr Riffin, of the Planning Board, met with the Selectmen. Request from the Metropolitan Building Movers Co Permit for permit, to move a house from 238 Wood Street to 16 Bates Road, was held over Mr Carroll reported he h-d not had an opportunity to go over the route Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted Minutes to approve the minutes of the Selectmen's Meetings held February 20 and February 24 Letter was received from Mr. George D Comley, on behalf of the Lexington L1-H Town Committee, requesting the use of the Selectmen's Room for a demonstration, Cary Hall for an exhibit and permission to sell popcorn on April 19 Uses of Due to the fact the Chairman and the Executive halls Pssistant use the Selectmen's Room, the Board felt it would not be feasible to have the room used for demon- stration. The Board of Health has engaged Cary Hall for the same date the 4-H would like to hold an ex- hibit and it was agreed to advise that another date be chosen There was no objection to the proposed sale of popcorn on April 19. Mr. Jaquith explained he had requested the meeting to acquaint the Selectmen and the Planning Board with the Historic point the Historic Districts Study Committee has arrived Districts at in its study and the question of extending the time Study in which the Committee is to make its report . He Comm,ttee said there would be a preliminary report without any final conclusion. He explained the Committee felt that the study being made of the business center end the design 3J 111 of the future of the business center that the two studies could go together He said the Committee is aiming for a final report at a fall Town Meeting, assuming there is one He said if at that time it is feasible, and the Selectmen and Planning Board want it, the Committee will propose legislative changes in the Act He reported when this study was made, Lexington was the third community in the State to study historic districts There was some question as to how far the Town could go and therefore the districts were narrowed and not exz,ended very far Since that time the Legislature has passed an enabling Act which permits historic districts zoned by local communities ' action without going to the Legislature Mr. Jaquith indicated on the wall map the present three historic districts and also indicated what the Com- mittee is proposing relative to the extension of the dis- tricts . He explained legislation would have to be submitted to the Legislature and they would follow the same procedure as before ; present it to the Town Meeting as a resolution to the Board to sign legislation to the General Court He said Town Meeting would have an opportunity to act on it He said his committee could draft the legis- lation if the Selectmen wanted it to do so. The Chairman said he thought the Committee would be more familiar with it Mr Greeley asked which is better, the Town's special Act or the enabling Act Mr. Jaquith replied he has not made a study of the enabling Act and he thought the Town's special Act is of higher authority Mr. Greeley said if the Boards are convinced that the Town's special Act is bett r than the general enabling Act , and they want to apply it to the center of the Town, they should go after it . He said if the Town's act is not better, it should be discarded. Mr. Jaquith said as a rule, the Town is better off acting under a legislative Act for itself The Chairman asked if the Committee could familiarize itself with the two ways and come in With a recommendation Mr . Jaquith said it could if the Board wanted it to but there a e some questions as to how far the Committee ' s authority goes Mr. Greeley said the Committee 's autilority comes from the Town Meeting, and it did not seem to him that anyone would call the Committee if it stretched its merits of the two Acts . He said the Comt, ittee, who is studying this, is in a much better position to make recommendations to the Board of Selectman He said the Planning Board has no particular competence to do this c.i.) 40 rr- cr et 311. Mr . Bryson asked if the Committee or the Selectmen had considered the Battle Green being in the National Park The Chairman said if his recollection was correct, the Selectmen have taken the stand that it not be in the National Park. Mr. Jaquith reported that the Committee met with the National Historic Sites Committee from Boston and asked if it was the Committee 's intent to come into Lexington and ask for some of the Town's historical sites. The Committee came out and said no. At that time, the people in Town felt better about it . Mr. Brysbn said he did not understand the opposition. The Chairman explained most people feel that the Battle Green belongs to the Town of Lexington. Mr. Jaquith said his Committee would like to know if the Boards had any objection to the Committee 's pro- posal. No one on the Board of Selectmen expressed any op- position to the plan as outlined and pomted out on the wall map by Mr Jaquith Mr. Bryson said it looked to him like a major issue to take that much land. Mr. Sheldon explained the question is not whether anyone is for or against it . The question is whether the Committee shall proceed so it can present this and decide upon it . Mr . Jaquith explained his Committee want, to put in its report that it is going to consider the extension of the districts from the Historic Park area to the East Lexington railroad . He stated any change or ex- tension will cause concern to some people . He stated there will be meetings with the neighborhoods This evening he would like to know if anyone thinks it is not feasible to do this and if so, the Committee will write another report . The Chairman asked if the Planning Board cold be recorded at this time as having no objection. He also asked about the Board of Appeals. Mr. Nickerson said the plan seemed very good to him. Mr Cataldo said as far Fs East Lexington is concerned, he would like to know why the Committee would make the railroad station the cut-off line . Mr. Jaquith eplied that below that, is all basically commercial and there are no buildings of historic value. Mr. Cataldo said the Board would like to get all of Erst Lexington cleaned up and maybe this would be a way of doing it He said he thought all the people in East Lexington would like to see the district extended down there to keep controls . He said anything that can be 41 done, everyone down there would be in accord with what the Committee wants todo He said if the Committee pro- posed that the district go to the Arlington line, it would receive considerable support . Mr. Jaquith said the Committee could consider that The group retired at 8 10 P.M The Chairman read a letter from the Planning Board advising it had scheduled a meeting for March 8 at 8:00 P.M. with Mr. Regis Harrin_.ton, administrator for federally assisted planning contracts ( "701 program" ) The Planning Board would like the Board to attend at least a portion of the meeting. Mr. Gray reported that Mr. Boughton, Chairman of the Capital Expenditures Committee, would like to meet with the Chairman of the Planning Board and the Board of Select- men at 7 :30 P.M to discuss this "701 TheChairman said they could meet with the Board at Program" twenty minutes to eight. It was agreed that either Mr Sheldon or Mr. Cataldo would attend the Planning Board meeting with Mr. Harrington Letter was received from the Lexington Historical society advising that some time ago, the Society acquired a framed oil portrait of Miss Ellen M. Tower, and it is now temporarily hanging at Buckman TPvern but must be removed by the 19th of April when the hou e opens for the season. The Society offered the portrait as an indefinite loan, to be hung in a public room such as the first-floor conference room in Cary Memorial Building The Board had no objections and Mi . Sheldon suggested that it be hung in one of the rooms in Cary Building. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted Race to grant permission to the Greek Orthodox Church, 14 Magazine Street, Cambriuge, to start its annual Ten Mile Run at the Minute Man Statue on April 10, 1965, at 1 :00 P.M. Letter was received from the Appropriation Committee, in reply to the Board 's request for a transfer of $150 to the Inspection - Personal Services budget, advising that Transfer no Reserve Fund money will be available until after the Annual Town Meeting The Chairman reported that when he learned that Chief Rycroft had been suddenly taken ill and hospitalized, he Temporary wrote a letter to Lieutenant Corr appointing him Acting Chief Chief The Board unanimously approved the Chairman's action 412 CAD CP Invitation was received from he Lexington Science Invitation and Engineering Schola ship Fund Dinner to be held Thursday, March 25, at Cary Hall Letter was received from Officer Benjamin W. Day Retirement requesting retirement from the Lexington Police Depart- ment, effective April 18, 1965 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to submit the request to the Board of Retirement for processing Reque t from the Secretary of State, Kevin H. White, Census for return of number of persons in Lexington as of January 1, 1965, was referred to Town Clerk for the in- formation requested. Letter was received from William R. Page, 25 Oakland Street , Boy Scout Leader, expressing the hope that the Swenson Board would take into consideration that the Boy Scouts land have been using the woods in back of Swenson's Farm as a camp site, in its recomr.endation on the article to acquire the Swenson land . Notice was received from the County Commissioners that the amount which the Town is to pay for maintenance Sanatorium operation and repair to the Middlesex County Sanatorium Assessment for the year 1964 is $2,898.19, payable on or before the first of April, 1965. The warrant was forwarded to the Board of Assessors Upon motion dulymade and seconded, it was voted to certify the characters of James J. Myers, 148 Wood Cert. of Street, Raymond E. Merrill, Jr. , 155 Burlington Street , Inc Marie C Eberle, 85 North Street, Milton Collins, 14 Gleason Road, and Howprd Kiedaisch, 21 Flintlock Roa , satisfactory references having been received from the Chief of Police These individuals have applied to the State for a Certificate of Incorporation, under the name of The Lexington Hki Club, Inc. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant Taxi Driver Licenses to John R. Malcolm, 1 License Hilltop Avenue and Stephen Nawoichik, 16 Nichols Road, satisfactory character references having been received from the Chief of Police. Mr. Gray reported that Mrs. Anthony, Meriam Street, wants to take students from the Gloucester High School to Town Meeting and asked to have about sixteen seats reserved on the floor 43 Mr. Sheldon said the students could sit in the seats on the floor in the rear section of the hall . Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to invite the students from Gloucester High School to attend the Town Meeting Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to go into Executive Sessinn for the purpose of dis- cussing, ds?iberating or voting on matters which if Executive made public, might adversely affect the public security, Session the financial interest of the Town, or the reputation of any person. Following discussion with Town Counsel and a dis- cussion with the Capital Expenditures Committee, it was voted to resume the open meeting. Mr. Carroll, Superintendent of Public Works, re- turned to the meeting. The Chairman read a letter from the Historic Dis- tricts Study Committee, dated March 1, 1965, requesting Historic the Board to designate one of its members to serve on Districts the Com-ittee inasmuch as Mr.Brown' s term expires with Study today's election. Committee Consideration of an appointment from the Board was held over until the next meeting. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9:2L. P.M. A true record, Attest : 1/416a; civ ale , Selee en L kC v � ("t ge I