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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-07-07 SB-minSELECT BOARD MEETING Monday, July 7, 2025 A meeting of the Lexington Select Board was called to order at 6:30p.m. on Monday, July 7, 2025, via a hybrid meeting platform. Ms. Hai, Chair; Mr. Pato, Mr. Lucente, Mr. Sandeen, and Ms. Kumar, were present, as well as Mr. Bartha, Town Manager; Ms. Axtell, Deputy Town Manager; and Ms. Katzenback, Executive Clerk. EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. Exemption 6: To Consider the Purchase, Lease, Exchange, Value of Real Property - 3,4,5 Militia Drive Mr. Lucente recused himself from this item. Upon motion duly made and by roll call, the Select Board voted 4-0 to enter into Executive Session at 6:33pm. Under Exemption 6: To Consider the Purchase, Lease, Exchange, Value of Real Property - 3,4,5 Militia Drive. Further, it was declared that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect regarding effect on the negotiating position of the Town. Board returned to open session at 6:45pm PUBLIC COMMENTS Peter Kelley, 24 Forest Street, stated that he is unhappy at how the process for the new High School has played out, citing he feels the Town has put the central playground area at risk. He said the Select Board should take the entire community into its considerations. In November 2022, he saw it posted that the intent was to build on the fields. This was almost a whole year before an architect was even selected. SELECT BOARD MEMBER CONCERNS AND LIAISON REPORTS 1. Select Board Member Announcements and Liaison Reports Ms. Hai noted that the Select Board is seeking input on the Battle Green regulations. The Town will be hosting a public information session on the High School debt exclusion on Wednesday evening, at 630pm, in the Community Center dining room. Mr. Pato stated that there will be an information session regarding the Battle Green regulations on Saturday the 19th at 4pm at the Police Station, open to anyone in the public. TOWN MANAGER REPORT 1. Town Manager Weekly Update Mr. Bartha stated that there will be a second public information session on July 30th as a virtual session. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approve: Select Board Committee Appointments & Reappointments To appoint Scott E. Cooper to the Historic Districts Commission as a full member for a term set to expire on December 31, 2030. To appoint Vineeta A. Kumar as the Select Board Member on the Vision for Lexington Committee to fill an unexpired term set to expire on September 30, 2027. To reappoint Ashley E. Rooney to the Town Celebrations Subcommittee for a term set to expire on June 30, 2026. DOCUMENTS: Cooper, Scott E. HDC_Redacted 2. Accept: Select Board Committee Resignation To accept the resignation of Paul Chernik from the Sustainable Lexington Committee, effective immediately. DOCUMENTS: Resignation Letter 3. Approve: Select Board Minutes To approve and release the following minutes: June 9, 2025 Select Board June 16, 2025 Summit Meeting June 18, 2025 Select Board Retreat DOCUMENTS: DRAFT 06092025 Select Board minutes, DRAFT 06162025 Summit minutes, DRAFT 06182025 Select Board minutes 4. Approve: One-Day Liquor License(s) - Galaray House, 1720 Massachusetts Avenue After Hours Wine Nights To approve nine One-Day Liquor Licenses for Galaray House, located at 1720 Massachusetts Avenue, to serve beer and wine from 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM on July 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31, and August 1, 2025, for their “After Hours Wine Nights” showcasing artwork by local residents. 5. Approve: One-Day Liquor License - Neillio's Gourmet Kitchen, Lexington Community Center To approve a One-Day Liquor License for Neillio’s Gourmet Kitchen to serve beer and wine at a private memorial service at the Lexington Community Center Library Lounge on July 19, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. DOCUMENTS: Neillio's Event Diagram 6. Approve: Battle Green Use Request - Lexington Minute Men To approve the request of the Lexington Minute Men to use the Battle Green on Saturday, July 12, 2025 from 9:00am - 1:00pm for the purpose of 18th-century military drills and musket blank-firing demonstrations. 7. Approve: Amendment to §192 Traffic Rules and Orders: Stop Sign Placement - Parker Street To approve in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 689 of 1986 of the general laws, the traffic rules and orders of Lexington, adopted by the Board of Selectmen on November 13, 1967, now chapter 192 of the code of Lexington, are hereby amended by adding the following to § 192-10 schedule 7: Stop signs and YIELD Signs Street Location Regulation Parker Street Southbound at Clarke Street Stop DOCUMENTS: Parker at Clarke Stop Sign Memo, Code Amendment Signature Sheet (Parker at Clarke) VOTE: Upon motion duly made and by roll call, the Select Board voted 5-0 to approve the Consent Agenda. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION 1. Application: Liquor License Amendment Request - Biswas Enterprise Inc d/b/a Nick’s Wine & Spirits - Change of Hours Mr. Lucente recused himself from this item. Ms. Hai stated that Nick’s Wine & Spirits, located at 1666 Massachusetts Avenue, has currently approved hours of operation on their all alcohol package store liquor license of 10:00am – 8:00pm Monday- Saturday, and 12pm-8pm on Sundays. Biswas Enterprise Inc d/b/a Nick’s Wine & Spirits has submitted the necessary paperwork for a change of hours amendment, requesting to stay open an additional hour, with hours of operation to now be 10am - 9:00pm Monday-Saturday, while keeping the same hours on Sunday of 12pm-8pm. There was no public comment at this time. VOTE: Upon motion duly made and by roll call, the Select Board voted 4-0 to approve the request from Biswas Enterprise Inc d/b/a Nick’s Wine & Spirits located at 1666 Massachusetts Avenue, Unit H to update the Monday through Saturday hours of operation to be 10:00am to 9:00pm on their all-alcohol package store liquor license and to issue an amended license reflecting said update with no change to Sunday hours remaining 12pm-8pm. DOCUMENTS: Nicks Wine and Spirits = Change of Hours applicaiton 2. Accept Easement: 50 Valleyfield Road Ms. Hai explained that a drainage easement was negotiated with LexHAB as a condition of a financial contribution from the Affordable Housing Trust for LexHAB’s acquisition of the home and property at 50 Valleyfield Road in May 2024. The easement plan was recorded, and the Board is now being asked to vote to accept and sign the easement document. This easement will allow Lexington Engineering and Conservation staff to continue to access the property to complete stormwater storage and drainage improvements that were already in progress before LexHAB’s purchase of the property. VOTE: Upon motion duly made and by roll call, the Select Board voted 5-0 to accept and sign the Drainage Easement at 50 Valleyfield Road as presented. DOCUMENTS: Memo, Drainage Easement 50 Valleyfield, Valleyfield Recorded Plan 3. Approve: Worthen Road School Safety Zone Ms. Hai explained that, at the May 12, 2025 meeting, the Board received a presentation regarding the creation of a school safety zone. The Board is now being asked to approve the recommendation from the Transportation Safety Group (TSG) to create a school safety zone on Worthen Road near Lexington High School. Meghan McNamara, Assistant Planning Director, explained that the location of the originally proposed signage in the School Zone remains unchanged. There were further discussions regarding the suggested hours, which are now 30 minutes before the school starts to 30 minutes after dismissal. The High School is an open campus with students coming and going throughout the day. The proposal is supported by the Lexington High School Principal and the Police Captain. Previously, the proposal was to extend the hours beyond dismissal to accommodate after school activities, but the recommended time period is more consistent with what is set for schools across Town. It will also make the 20mph zone more meaningful, rather than having the school safety zones flashing for 10-12 hours per day. Mr. Lucente noted that the hours can always be revisited if the proposal does not meet the needs of the community. Mr. Sandeen noted that that 20mph speed limit signs do not actually change the physics of the road. He encouraged the Board and Staff to continue to consider infrastructure that will actually change the physics of the situation. Dawn McKenna, 9 Hancock Street, stated that she finds the lack of the School Zone being extended is more problematic than the hours. The playing field nearby is an extension. She urged the Board to extend this to Lincoln Street. Ms. McNamara noted that the guidance of MassDOT School Zone locations includes that the School Zone limit be no longer than 1/4 of a mile. Ms. McKenna noted that the guidelines do not take into account the frontage of this property. This is a busy thoroughfare, and it is critical to expand the guidelines in this case. Mr. Pato suggested installing this as presented but keeping a close eye on it. VOTE: Upon motion duly made and by roll call, the Select Board voted 5-0 to approve in accordance with the provisions of chapter 689 of 1986 of the general laws, the traffic rules and orders of Lexington, adopted by the Board of Selectmen on November 13, 1967, now chapter 192 of the code of Lexington, are hereby amended by adding the following to: §192-70 twenty-mile-per-hour school zones: School Street Limits Time Lexington High Worthen Road Between 1 Bushnell Drive and 30 minutes prior to School approximately 0.4 miles NW on Worthen Road school start to 30 minutes after dismissal, while school is in session DOCUMENTS: Worthen School Zone Memo, Worthen School Zone Map, Code Amendment Signature Sheet (Worthen) 4. Approve: Letter of Support for the Lowell Street Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) Process Ms. Hai explained that the Board will consider a letter of support related to the Lexington Woods (40B) affordable housing project application for Low Income Housing Tax Credits through the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC). A similar letter of support was provided by the Board in April that was included in Lexington Woods Project Eligibility application submission. The 30-day comment period for this application for Project Eligibility began on June 18, 2025. The wrong project plans were uploaded on that date for the Town's purposes. They were correctly filed by the developer. These are being updated as quickly as possible and anyone who previously commented will be emailed with a notice regarding the correct plans. During this 30-day window, the Town can collect comments from various town departments, committees, and the public regarding the proposed project. As a part of this 30-day comment period, the Board is being asked to submit a letter of support related to the Lexington Woods (40B) affordable housing project eligibility application. Mr. Sandeen stated that the letter is intended to help the State gauge the level of support in the community for this, and there could be some small edits made to explain the overwhelming support. VOTE: Upon motion duly made and by roll call, the Select Board voted 5-0 to approve and sign the Select Board Letter of Support, as edited and including any technical corrections, and either an included summary of all comments received or a note that the separate summary will be sent at the conclusion of the 30-day period, to be sent to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) for the consideration of the Lexington Woods Project Eligibility Letter. DOCUMENTS: Draft Select Board Letter of Support, Draft Select Board Letter of Support – redlined, General information 30-day comment period for 40B project eligility application Planning Board Comment Letter to Select Board re Lexington Woods Application, Affordable Housing Trust Letter of Support re Lexington Woods 5. Approve: FY25 Year End Budget Adjustments Ms. Hai explained that Staff will present the FY2025 end-of-year budget adjustments, including four (4) End-of-Year (EOY) budget transfer requests and five (5) Salary Adjustment (SA) transfers. No Reserve Fund transfers, or Revolving Fund increases are being requested for the end of FY2025. These adjustments have been reviewed by the Appropriation Committee Ms. Kosnoff and Rosalyn Impink, Budget Officer, reviewed the proposed adjustments. Dawn McKenna, 9 Hancock Street, stated that the Town is still not at the same staffing levels in Police and Fire that it was 20 years ago, and the population has only increased. She would like the Town to consider how to address these shortfalls. VOTE: Upon motion duly made and by roll call, the Select Board voted 5-0 to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the four (4) End-of-Year budget transfers and five (5) Salary Adjustment transfers as presented in the attached summary. DOCUMENTS: End-of-Year Budget Transfers 6. Discussion: Next Steps for Select Board / Town Manager Goals for FY2026 The Board discussed next steps for Select Board / Town Manager Goals for FY2026. A preliminary set of Strategic Goal Areas was established at the June 18 Board retreat: Complete The High School Project Foster A Clean, Healthy, Resilient Environment Increase Community Vibrancy Maintain Fiscal Stability Sustain A Livable Community Mr. Sandeen stated that he has heard that some residents are a bit confused by the five goals. He suggested making sure that the high-level goals are more transparently connected to the underlying goals. The summary and bullet points could be a bit clearer. Ms. Hai noted that the next stage will be to create specific bullet points which will be action items. This will provide the clarity of how the Board defines each goal. Ms. Hai stated that it will be helpful to make sure the goals and action items are also trackable. Bob Pressman stated that this June 18th meeting was a three-hour facilitated meeting, the agenda item for which stated, “Facilitated Session on Communication Strategies and Best Practices.” Priorities and goals were not even on the agenda. The meeting was not on Lexmedia and was not available online. He stated that he would like the future procedure to be improved, so that the community and those with interest will be able to watch the meeting and have an opportunity to give feedback. DOCUMENTS: Memo - Goals (March 2025) 7. Initial Discussion: Town Manager Review Process Ms. Hai stated that the Board will begin its discussion regarding the process and schedule for conducting the annual performance evaluation of Town Manager, Steve Bartha. Topics may include the evaluation format, criteria, use of self-assessment and Board input, timeline for each step, and designees to assist with coordination. She suggested working backwards from the end date of November, as this would be the one-year mark for Mr. Bartha with the Town. There was discussion regarding the format that Danvers uses and trying to take pieces from that. Ms. Hai stated that she will include a process proposal for the next Board meeting. Dawn McKenna noted that the Board has goals for this year, and these were included in the job description. The Board should measure against those. She noted the importance of public, Town board/committee, and senior management input and feedback on this item. DOCUMENTS: 2023 - Lexington TM Performance Evaluation Form, 2022 - Danvers Goals and Evaluation form 8. Discussion - Lexington High School Debt Exclusion Vote Date Ms. Hai explained that at the June 30th Joint Select Board/School Committee meeting, an Article 97 update was presented as well as a proposed timeline for the Lexington High School Project. As a follow up to the joint meeting, the Board will continue the discussion in the effort of reaching a consensus on a proposed date for the Debt Exclusion Referendum. The two proposed dates on the table for the debt exclusion are November 17 and December 8. As a reminder, the Board was leaning towards the December 8, 2025 date. The School Committee and School Administration were proposing the November 17 date, largely with concern around Thanksgiving. Mr. Bartha stated that an earlier vote would give the Town a marginally better chance of getting this into the legislature before the holidays, but this is not a guarantee. It would come at the expense of a couple of extra weeks. Ms. Hai noted that a submission under Article 97 could be held at any point, and this would not require the debt exclusion vote to have already been held. Ms. Kumar noted that the community is most engaged when there is an article at Town Meeting. Following Special Town meeting with a debt exclusion referendum fairly quickly might help. This is one reason she could be in favor of November 17. VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, by roll call, the Select Board voted 5-0 to set the date for the debt exclusion relative to the Lexington High School project for Monday, December 8, 2025. DOCUMENTS: 6/30/2025 Presentation - Article 97 ADJOURN VOTE: Upon a motion duly made and seconded, by roll call, the Select Board voted 5-0 to adjourn both the Executive Session and the Regular Meeting at 8:32p.m. A true record; Attest: Kristan Patenaude Recording Secretary