Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1955-08-22-BOS-min 1,444 e' vn c) ar SELECTMEN'S MEETING August 2a, 1955 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen' s Room, Town Office Building, on Monday evening, August 22, 1955 at 7:00 P.M. Chtir- man Bateman, Messrs. Gay and Maloney were present. The Clerk was also present. Mr. James J. Carroll, Town Clerk, met with the Jurors Board for the drawing of three jurors. The following individuals were drawn for jury duty: Henry T. James, machinist, 28 Vaille Avenue Robert A. Speer, 36 Ward Street and Albert J. Hill, 41 Woodcliffe Road. Mr. Carroll retired and Mr. Burns, Sup' t. of Public Works, met with the Board. Pole Hearing was declared open upon petition of the locations Boston Edison Company and the New England Telephone & Telegraph Company for permission to locate three poles in Oak Terrace. Mr. Burns, explained that the request is being made to service new homes under construction. No persons appeared in favor or in opposition. Upon motion of Mr. Gay, seconded by Mr. Maloney, it was voted to grant the request and sign the order for the following j/o pole locations: Oak Terrace, easterly from a point approximately 20 feet east of Oak Street, Three poles. Petition was received from the Boston Edison Pole Company and the New England Telephone & Telegraph location Company for permission to locate one j/o pole on Wyman Road. Proposed location was approved by Mr. Burns. Upon motioh of Mr. Gay, seconded by Mr. Maloney, it was voted to grant the request and sign the order for the following j/o pole location: Wyman Road, easterly side, approxi- mately 30 feet north of Williams Road. Wingate Road The Chairman read a letter from the Board of sewer Health recommending the extension of the town sewer to include Wingate Road. 145 ' I Mr. Burns explained that this road is parallel to Hill Street and there are houses being constructed there now. He explained that there are no funds avail- able for the extension and he• would not recommend putting a sewer in a new street when there are so many other streets in town that do not have sewers. The Chairman was authorized to advise the Board of Health that there are no funds available and furthermore the Selectmen would be reluctant to install a sewer in a new area when there are so many people who have been liv- ing on other streets for years that do not have town sewers. Petition was received from Edwin J. Donovan, 37 Grapevine Grapevine Avenue , signed by twenty property owners Avenue requesting construction and acceptance of Grapevine Avenue. Mr. Burns was requested to have an estimate of cast prepared and mailed out for the property owners tb sign indicating that they desire to have the street acdepted and are willing to pay betterments. Letter was received from the Boston Edison Com- Boston pany advising that a recent survey indicates that it' Edison would be advantageous to the town to c ange the exist- ing A-and rate to a D-2 rate. A saving of approximately $167 per year would result. Mr. Burns said that it would be worth trying and if the D-2 rate did not prove satisfactory, the town could always go back on A-and rate. The Chairman was authorized to sign forms enclosed with the letter and return them to the Boston Edison Company. Letter was received from the State Department of Chapter 90 Public Works advising that the Chapter 90 assignment of funds made on May 3, 1955 for Hill Street and Winchester Drive (State $20,000, town and county each $10,000) has been revised to read as follows: State Town County Hill Street 1 ,500 2,250 2,250 Winchester Drive 15,500 7,750 7,750 Consideration was given to the bid received from Bid for George Brox, Inc. for Street and Drain work, Contract Contract No. 3, opened August 15, 1955. No. 3 Mr. Gay asked if the Board should consider a bid when only one has been received even though five con- tractors took out specifications. 146 C"") Mr. Burns stated that the first time street bids were received, the one bid was discarded and at that time Brox came in on someone' s invitation. At that time there were two bidders and the situation has not recurred since. This bid is just under $13 a foot which is less than the bids the town has been getting. Upon motion of Mr. Gay, seconded by Mr. Maloney, it was voted to accept the bid of $91,376.25 sub- mitted by George Brox, Inc. for Street and Drain Work, Town of Lexington, Contract No. 3 (1955) . Letter was received from the Board of Assessors Thayer' s re deferred sewer betterment assessments on three deferred lots located on Bedford Street owned by Carl A. and bstiessments Marie J. Thayer. The property has been sold and Messrs. Frissore and Soule have built houses on these three lots. The Chairman was authorized to instruct the Assessors to commit the deferred accounts to the Col- lector for payment; the betterments deferred under Chapter 159 of the Acts of 1950 now becoming due the land having been sold. Copy of Chapter 511 of the Acts of 1955 was re- Burlington ceived from Town Counsel. This Act authorizes the Water Act Town of Lexington to sell water to the Burlington Water District, and authorizes the District to pur- chase water from Lexington. Mr. Stevens explained that no action is neces- sary by the Board. It is up to the Town of Burlington to act. Letter was received from Alfred P. Tropeano, Borrowing for Chairman of the Maple Street School Building Comittee, Harrington requesting the issue of bonds for the Town to borrow School money to construct the school. Letter was also received from George P. Wadsworth, Chairman of the School Committee, requesting the Board to direct the Town Treasurer to purchase bonds for the construction of the Harrington School. By vote of Town Meeting a borrowing of $700,000 was authorized and the Chairman agreed to contact Mr. Carroll immediately. Letter was received from the Planning Board recom- Parking Area mending that a copy of John F. Murphy' s appraisal, made appraisal in connection with the proposed parking area, be re- tained by the Selectmen, one copy to the Planning Board and one copy to the Board of Assessors. The Board had no objection. (The Assessors and the Planning Board have a copy and Mr. Maloney has the Selectmen's copy. ) 147 An Order was received from the County Commissioners Babson affirming the recommendation of the Selectmen and order- Kennel ing the revocation of kennel license 847 issued to Miss license Harriet W. Babson, 272 Concord Avenue. revoked Upon motion of Mr. Gay, seconded by Mr. Maloney, License it was voted to sign a Sunday Movie License for the Lexington Theatre. Upon motion of Mr. Gay, seconded by Mr. Maloney, Bridge St. it was voted to adopt an Order of Taking on Bridge Order of Street. Taking Mr. Stevens reported that he has signed agree- Borrowing menta, in re off-street parking area, from George Smith, Lexington Savings Bank, Manhattan Builders and Mahoney & Mattheson. The Chairman was authorized to request the Town Treasurer to obtain bid's on the $50,000 borrowing authorized under Article 6 acted upon at the Special Town Meeting held on June 20, 1955, for the acquisition of land for the off-street parking area. At 8:25 P. M. Mrs. Walter Rose and Mr. Frederick Bryson met with the Board to discuss the death of William Spicer, Mrs. nose' s nephew. The discussion was more or less as follows: Chairman: This meeting is called at your request. Rose: I think that it was too bad all the way around when Mr. Bryson had seen Bill that morning at the foot of the steps in my garage. Bill slept upstairs in the garage. He saw Bill at 9:00 o'clock and can tell you what shape he was in. I heard the police car drive in. I saw it come in the driveway next door and stay there. I heard a man say hello to Bill, how are you. I thought they were hunting for someone . Mr. Bryson called me at ten to see if the police had stopped to see how t hings were as he told them. They never came to me, just backed out and went next door. I went out and there was blood all over his face and his head was turned to one side. I tried to get the doctor and couldn' t and then called the Fire Department. They called Dr. Pious and he said to get the ambulance and send him in to the Massachusetts General which I did. One of the things to me which was terrible . They saw the man lying • 148 there with blood on his face, one arm tucked under him and when they put him in the ambu- lance you had to pick his legs up like sticks. Anyone would know there was sombthing}bhe mattes. I asked Meadows, the police in charge, the next day if he was the one talk- ing to Bill, why didhlt you come and tell me. All he had to do was back out the driveway. He said if I was going to take that tone of voice, he was not going to talk to me. I said you don' t have to I will talk to the Chief. The Chief feels something happened between the time Mr. Bryson saw him because when his men saw him he was all right. Don' t they take first aid? Chairman: Was blood coming out of his mouth when you saw him? Bryson: No blood was coming out of his mouth. there was some on his arm. Chairman: Did you put the coat under his head? Bryson: That is right. I went into the garage that morning and heard someone say, Is that you Fred?' I went back around the car and he was laying on the floor with his legs under him table fashion and he asked me to straighten his legs out. I thought the circulation had 11/1 stopped. I straightened his legs but they did not straighten out. They stayed in a prone position. I did not think too much about it. I did ask what he had been doing and he said, Oh, I got a good one this time. I asked if he wanted me to go to Mrs. Rose and he said no. Going down Bedford Street I started to think and thought that it was not natural the way his legs were. I thought he had been drinking but he was talking too co- herent. Then I told `the first police officer that I met and at the corner of Pleasant Street I told the story to the police officer. He asked if Mrs. Rose would object and I said no. He then said he would put it over the police car. I watched him place the call and he said a couple of fellows would go up to see him. when I got to the office I called Mrs. Rose. She said she was wondering what the police were doing but they never came to her house but went next door. There was an hour' s lapse between the time I left my of- fice and when I called her. Chairman: Where did Bill sleep? 111 • 149 Rose: Upstairs in the garage. Chairman: How did he get up there ? Rose: A stairway. Bryson: I doubt if he fell off the stairs because no man would fall off and place his legs table fashion. Rose; He was not drunk then . I said, Bill I think you had a shock and he said, so do I. Chairman: The police said when they spoke to him he talked very clearly and said he was resting and was going out in the garden and told the police to go along. The police did not want to bother you. You called them several times and this time there was nothing wrong. Apparently something happened between the time the police saw him and Mr. Bryson saw him. Rose: You are trying to say that he came to enough between the time Mrs. Rose saw him to fall and break his neck, Chairman: What do you want us to do? Rose: I think the police should know something about their duties. I have had the police a number of times when Bill had been drinking. Chairman: The police are very well trained in first aid. Rose: Well, why don't they practice it? Chairman: The doctor did not know what was the matter. He had to have an x-ray. Rose: I know .you will take their part. Something should be done about the Police Department. Chairman: Mr. Bryson said at first there was no blood on his mouth, but he did have it on his arm and you said he straightened him out. The police found him with his arms on his chest. We will take this up with the Police Chief and the two men involved. I would say that the police did what they thought was the right thing to do for Bill Spicer. They assumed that something was wrong and perhaps he was sleeping off the effects of wine. Gay: We have your story now which we did not have before. We can now discuss it further with the police and then contact you. Bryson: My curiousity had been arisen enough to call a police officer to ask him to check and they walked in and did not try to move him, but just looked at him. Chairman: In the first place I don't see why you did not stop at the Police Station in a hurry and the second thing is it makes a lot of difference who the person is. They knew Bill very well and did not want to get him in any trouble. You must have thought alcohol was involved. 150 cn Bryson: To a certain extent, but those legs bothered me. Chairman: The only thing we can do is to take it up with the Police Department.agdin. I can' t under- stand any discourtesy and this is the first mention of discourtesy on his part that I know of. We will check it further this week. Mrs. Rose and Mr. Bryson retired at 8:140 P.M. Colesworthy The following members of the School Committee met resignation with the Board: Chairman Wadsworth, Mrs. Marek, Messrs. from School Cromwell and Chapman. Committee Mr. Wadsworth said that he had with him a copy of a letter of resignation received from George Colesworthy. He stated that he believed the School Committee was to inform the Selectmen of the fact that he has resigned and then the Selectmen and the remaining members of the School Committee appoint a member by ballot. The Chairman explained that the Board of Selectmen will not have a meeting at which all members will be pres- ent until the 12th of September. Mr. Wadsworth said that it would not make too much difference, but the School Committee does not want to give the appearance of stalling. An informal discussion was held on the subject and it was the concensus of opinion that possibly someone who had shown interest enough to run for the office, but had not been elected, might be considered. The Chairman said that the Board of Selectmen would discuss the subject on September 6th, the next meeting, and then meet with the School Committee on the 12th. Mr. Maloney said that it would not necessarily have to be a Monday night meeting and it was left that Mr. Wadsworth would contact the Chairman some time after Sep- tember 6th and arrange for a meeting of the two groups. The meeting adjourned at 9:25 P.M. A true record, Attest: hz ���-4 Se atme�. G I