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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1953-10-05-min 10 SELECTMEN'S MEETING 111 October 5, 1953 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building on Monday evening, October 5, 1953 at 6 :45 P. M. Chairman Reed, Messrs. Nickerson, Gay, Driscoll and Bateman were present. The Clerk was also present. At 7 :00 P. M. hearing was declared open upon ap- GasblLne plication of Custance Bros . Inc. for permission to in- hearing crease the storage capacity of gasoline tanks from 500 to 1,000 gallons on premises located at 68 Bedford Street. Notice of the hearing was mailed to a list of abutters and also advertised in the September 24, 1953 issue.•of.the Lexington Minute-Man. Mr. Robert Custance, representing the petitioner, was the only person present at the hearing. He ex- plained that the 500 gallon tank was placed in 1931 and it now has a defective vent. To make the necessary re- pairs it will necessitate digging up the driveway and they would like to replace the old unit with a new 1,000 .gallon tank. This will reduce the number of times it has to be filled. The Chairman informed the Board that the applica- tion has been approved by Captain Bernard Belcastro of the Lexington Fire Department. Upon motion of Mr. Nickerson, seconded by Mr. Driscoll, it was voted to grant a license to Custance Bros. Inc. for the storage of 1,000 gallons of gasoline in an underground tank to be located on the premises at 68 Bedford Street, Lexington. Mr. Custance retired at 7 :03 P. M. and Mr. Burns, Supt. of Public Works, met with the Board. Reference was made to communication received last week from the Atlantic Refining Company relative to in- stallation of sewer and water mains to service the proposed gasoline station and restaurant to be located Atlantic on the east side of Route 128. Ref. Co. Mr. Burns explained that he has estimated the req. for cost and broken it down into three items as follows : water & sewer 1. A right of way to oanneet to the drain on Barrymeade Drive. 2. Water assessment - 800 feet @ $1.50, $1200. The town to furnish and install the hydrant and cut in the connection and water gates at a cost of $800, or a total of $2,000. jun ac C Cid 3. Sewer assessment based on 100,000 sq. ft. at 3¢r, a total of $3,000, making a total cost of $5,000 for both water and sewer. Last week the Board requested Mr. Burns to en- deavor to arrive at some solution to the problem of the dump on Lincoln Street and the cost involved. Dump He said that several times the question of clos- ing the dump has come up and his reason for not closing it is because material will be dumped outside by the truck loads. He ,informed the Board that the solution he has worked out is as follows : Bulldoze the material off every night for two hours starting at 4 :30 P. M. and cover with any available fill every day. Use gravel to build a road and allow cars to drive in without the danger of cutting tires with glass. Allow no burning at any time because it is smoldering fires that break out in the night. Purchase fill if necessary to make up for a deficiency. He said that the cost involved would be $2.00 per day for the bulldozer, two hours a day for truck oper- ator' s time which comes to about 10.88 an hour; seven days a week for fifty-two weeks, 7900. He alsoial- lowed $1,000 for fill which may be more or may be less. The present budget is $5300 and $900 for removal of ashes and rubbish from the schools. To do what he has outlined the budget for 1954 should be $15,000. He ex- plained that if burning is stopped completely the dump will fill up that much faster and said that this solution is not perfect but it is the only way he knows that will work. Mr. Bateman asked how much further back the dump could go and Mr. Burns replied only about 200 feet. i Mr. Bateman asked if the present dump would last for three years more and Mr. Burns replied that he did not believe so. Mr. Nickerson recommended filing this information for consideration when the 1954 budgets are prepared. The Chairman read a letter from William R. Cook, representing the firm of Johnson, Clapp, Ives I King' Hearing re : relative to a hearing to be held October 23rd on petition Boston of the Boston Edison Company for exemption of a certain Edison parcel of land from the provisions of the Zoning Byelaw. (Zoning) The hearing is required by the Department of Public Utilities. Mr. Burns explained that this is a proposed sub- station to be located on Massachusetts Avenue in the vicinity of Access Road, at the so-called bluffs. 107 ' The Clerk was instructed to advise the Town Counsel. Mr. Burns retired at 7 :15 P. M. The Chairman read a letter from John Blackhall Smith, Suptt. of Schools, advising that the School Corn- y mettee believes the insurance coverage on the center Insurance playground and bleachers should be carried with the town's insurance and not assumed by the School Depart- ment; the reason being that the field is used by various other groups, particularly on Sundays. Mr. Nickerson suggested that the Chairman con- tact Mr. Converse Hill and ask what would be a reasonable coverage and then the Board could act accordingly. He said that if the Board Votes to have this handled as a part of the regular insurance account, Mr. Ames, who now has the palling, could continue to write it. Mr. Driscoll said that he would also like an opinion from Town Counsel. Mr. Nickerson explained that Mrs. Morey mentioned that the school was the only organization covered by in- surance and asked if it could be handled with the rest of the town insurance so that the town would be protected at all times. Letter was received from Brewer & Lord, ,together with a list of ageflts participating in the commission on town insurance. Mr. Hill explained in the letter that Insurance the agents on last year's list are actively engaged in the insurance business with the exception of Mr. William H. Ballard, who recently died. Mr. Robert lthitney is in the army- and it is not known whether or not he was a resident of the town when recalled to the service. The company would like to be advised of any changes the Board desires to make. Upon motion of Mr. Driscoll, seconded by- Mr. Bateman, it was voted to remove the names of Ballard and Whitney from the list. The Clerk was instructed to bring in the names of individuals who have requested a portion of the tom 's insurance. k letter was received from James F. Sawyer, 5 Center Street, Lexington, offering $1,000 for Lots 1 Tax title and 2, Block 18, Reed Street. property Mr. Gay moved that a proposal to sell the lots be advertised in the Lexington Minute-Man and that further consideration be given the offer at the next meeting of the Board. Mr. Nickerson seconded the motion, and it was so voted. los omo Co a Letter was received from Harold I. 14-pr y 19 Wilmot Street, Watertown, advising that he would accep -•a deed Tax title for Lot 46, Hillcrest Street in which the use of the lanld property is restricted and to be used in conjunction with thr ad- jacent lot he now owns. Mr. Gay moved that a proposal to sell the lot be advertised in the Lexington Minute-Man and that further consideration be given the offer at the next meeting of the Board. Mr. Nickerson seconded the motion, and it was so voted. Letter was received from the American Legion Aux- iliary requesting permission to conduct a Poppy Drive on Poppy Drive Thursday, November 5th and Friday, November 6th. Permit Upon motion of Mr. Bateman, seconded by Mr. Nicker- son, it was Noted to limit the drive, in accorcance with v' the Board's policy, to one day unless this is a nation- wide activity and all auxiliaries hold drives on the same two dates. The Chairman read a letter from the Board of Appeals advising that it is necessary to request an additional Transfer amount of $325 for the balance of the year. Upon motion of Mr. Nickerson, seconded by Mr. Gay, it was voted to request the Appropriation Committee to transfer the sum of $325 from the Reserve Fund to the Board of Appeals - Expenses Account. Use of hall Application was received from Mrs. George V. Morse, on behalf of the United Nations Permanent Committee for permission to conduct a meeting in Estabrook Hall on October 13th from 8:00 P. M. until 10:00 P. M. Upon mbtion of Mr. ,Bateman, seconded by Mr. Gay, it was voted to grant the use of the hall free of charge, subject to a fee of $1.50 per hour for janitor's overtime services. Application was received from Bradford Giddings, on behalf of the Lexington Community Services, Inc. for permission to use one or two rooms at the Barnes prop- erty from October 25th to November 25th as Community Fund Drive headquarters. Upon motion of Mr. Nickerson, seconded by Mr. Gay, it was voted to grant the use of available rooms if there are no conflicts. The meeting adjourned at 7 :55 P. M. A true record, Attest : Clerk L.