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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1967-11-GMSC-rpt.pdf / (11, 7 GREAT MEADOW DESCRIBED The Great Meadow is shown in the upper right quadrant of the accompanying land use map of Lexiagton, marked by an arrow. The sharply pointed piece of redential land rrojecting into the area adjoining the Emerson Gardens apatment zone has recently been approved by the Board of Appeals for the construction of a large nursing home. As is clear from the map, the Meadow is the largest area presently available within the borders of Lexington for conservation and recreation use. It is shown as entirely wooded, in conformity with other similar areas on the map, but is in fact largely open land. Although the lowest sections were under water one hundred years ago, mosquito control and other drainage projects have produced a large grassy swamp, wet in sprirg and dry in summer, which covers a substantial part of the land. 1oods, small ponds, low hills and knolls provide fu. iLer variety in natural environment for wildlife. Previous to 1871, the Arlington Lake Water Company supplied water to the town of Arlington from Spy Pond. In that year an act of the General Court authorized the company to take, hold and convey into and through the Town of Arlington the waters of Mill Brook and its tributaries and of the Great Meadow in Lexington. In the same year the Arlington Town Meeting voted $120,000 for the purchase of the charter, franchise and properties of the Arlington Water Co. , which included property and rights in Arlington as well as Lexington, and for the construction of the Arlington reservoir on the Arlington-Lexington town line. It is not clear what part of these funds represented the 178 acres of land in Lexington. Legal possermicm of the Groat, Meadom was taken in. 1872 -2- • Arlington's actual cost for the reservoir and necessary street mains was $130,858. Damage claims from owners along Mill Brook came to another $32,687. The bottom land was flooded by the construction of dams, but the brooks which fed it on the northeast were diverted directly in&c, the new reservoir, whose overflow spills into Mill Brook in Arlin61-_ Heights. The records show many proposals for filtering standing Meadow water, but in 1895 Arlington completed its high service sys,- .r_ of pumping water from 25 deep wells in the Meadow to a standpipe at Park Circle in Arlington Heights. The cost of the system was almost $92,000. In 1899 Arlington was admitted to the Metropolitan District Water Supply. A legislative act authorized that town to expend funds to maintain their water lands as a puo1J c park and confirmed its right to maintain and keep its water supply as an auxiliary to the MDC supply or for any puo2ic use. (The MDC replaced the standpipe with the much larger present structure in 1922. ) For many years Arlington maintained an officially appointed Great Meadow Committee whose principal interest was to protect the area from proposals for commercial and residential use. The 1958 Lexington Town Meeting demonstrated its interest in the future of the land by voting $20,000 to open negotiations with Arlington for purchase of the Meadow for playground, recreational and educational purposes. The Arlington committee did not regard this sum as adequate for serious consideration, recommended tht the Town not sell, and won a vote at their Town Meeting to expend $10,000 to determine Arlington' s rights. A thorough legal review was undertaken, including a new survey of boundaries, which established beyond reasonable doubt the Arlington title to the land. -3- Accepting Arlington' s intention to retain ownership and desire to plan for the future in the public interest, the Lexington Selectmen cooperated with the Arlington Board in 1965 in appointin' the present Arlington=Lexington Great Meadow Study Committee. Thr ,= members were named from each town. The Committee recommended almost a year ago that the cost of a professional hydrology and soil study of the Meadow and its watershed be shared by the two towns. Arlington voted their $10,000 last March; Lexington' s participation is still in doubt. November 1967 The Arlington-Lexington Great Meadow Study Committee Note : The Lexington land use map has been made a7L,ilable through the cooperation of t'le Lexington Planning Board. THE ARLINGTON- LEXINGTON GREAT MEADOW STUDY COMMITTEE invites you to attend an information meeting on Tuesday, November 7, in the High School Science Lecture Hall at 8:00 p.m. The Great Meadow consists of 178 acres of meadow, swamp and higher land, owned by Arlington and located entirely within Lexington. Both towns have been concerned about its future for many years. The Selectman of both towns appointed our committee two years ago; we presented our report to the two Boards last December. The Arlington Town Meeting voted $10,000 last March as their share of the cost of our proposed hydrology and soil study of the Meadow and its watershed, to be made by professional engineering and soil consultants. Due to legal problems, the Lexington Town Meeting could not vote a matching amount at the special Town Meeting last June, but sent the article back to the Selectmen for more investigation of ways in which Lexington can legally cooperate with Arlington about the Meadow's future. The Committee has gathered suggestions from interested citizen groups of both towns, town officials, and state and federal agencies through meetings, field trips and special re- ports. We find a strong desire in both towns that the Meadow be kept as open space as a nature park, wildlife preserve or municipal golf course. We have come to understand clearly that much technical information about the area's watershed, soil and topography is needed before any well-founded decision can be made. The November 7 meeting is being held at the request of the Lexington Board of Select- men. This is the first opportunity for Town Meeting Members, town officials and others interested in recreation and conservation to learn the details of the Committee's work, ask questions and make suggestions. New information will be presented by Lexington Town Counsel Donald Legro about legal procedures necessary for the two towns to fund jointly the proposed engineering study and to take other cooperative action in the future. Public discussion must start now to enable the next Lexington Town Meeting to make a wise and legally binding decision. Please plan to attend. Lexington Committee Members Arlington Committee Members William A. Rae, Co-Chairman Aubrey C. Tobey, Co-Chairman John J. Garrity Herbert M. Meyer Richard S. Sparrow Harry J. Miller U ����" \ � ~ " " BURLINGTON UR L \ ����.~---- \ v Metcalf ° Eddy • Engineers 8 Planners • Boston New York Palo Alto |