HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980 1)G
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
JANUARY 2, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Wednesday,
January 2, 1980, at 7 30 p m Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin,
Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town
Counsel; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
Chairman Miley read a memo from Ms Sheila Cheimets, staff member Bridges -
of the Massachusetts Municipal Associations, regarding federal funds Fed funds
for bridge inspections Mr Hutchinson reported that we do not have
bridges that fall into the outlined categories Mr Busa mentioned
the Maple Street bridge and suggested that someone look into it; he
did not know who is maintaining it but it is in a distressing condi-
tion on the sides and underneath hasn't been looked at in years
Chairman Miley said it was her understanding that when the B & M was
declared defunct, the bridges went over to the state Mr Kent said
that Maple Street is the most serious bridge, and requested that Mr
Hutchinson reference it and the other bridges, most of which have
tracks going over the road rather than under it, when he writes to
the state. Mr Hutchinson agreed
Chairman Miley read a request from Mr Paul F O'Brien, 33
Haskell Street, for deferment of the sewer betterment assessment
on Lot 72 Summer Street; previous approval had been granted in
November, 1976 for a 3-year deferment
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to defer payment, Sewer
under the provisions of Chapter 159 of the Acts of 1950, of the sewer Bettrmnt
betterment on.Lot 72, Assessors' Map 28, Summer Street, owned by Paul F O'Brien
and Elaine M O'Brien, in the amount of $567 40, without interest, Haskell St
until such land or any part thereof is further developed, sold or
until the expiration of three years from the date hereof, whichever
event occurs first; provided, however, that this extension of time
shall terminate immediately if said land or any portion thereof is
further developed or sold
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Minutes
minutes of the breakfast meeting of December 7, 1979
Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board sign the memorandum of Ch. 90
agreement between the State Department of Public Works and the Town Funds
of Lexington for Chapter 90 funds in order to keep us eligible for
monies for future projects If other projects come up, we will be
eligible to participate in the program. One of the more interesting
things we are investigating- right no is that they have allowed certain
communities to use Chapter 90 funds for support of the Mass transit
system. We are going to pursue that over the next several months and
check into the eligibility The Board agreed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize and
execute the agreement between the Massachusetts Department of Public
Works and the Town of Lexington for Chapter 90 funds in the amount of
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Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - January 1, 1980
$81,500, FY 80 $40,750 and FY 81 $80,450, to reconstruct or otherwise
improve Adams Street, East Street, and/or any other Town Road approved
by the Board of Selectmen and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Depart-
ment of Public Works
Insur Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that the Insurance Committee
Committee will be at the meeting on January 7 to discuss the report submitted
to the Board
Mr Kent asked about liability coverage on town officers and em-
ployees, and Mr Hutchinson said it is not referenced in the report
We carry $1 million in aggregate and he believed it was not fully
investigated by the committee Mr Kent felt that the Selectmen
should have the advice of knowledgeable people on the whole insurance
picture, and he requested a supplementary or amended consideration of
the committee Mr Hutchinson said that he would review the area with
Mrs Banks, who is handling it with the committee, and report back
next week. Mr Crain added that because of the very strong point made
about employee education, he thought it would be very helpful in terms
of timeline if administration could be ready to respond specifically
as to how they would envision an employee education program when we
hear the committee's recommendation Mr Hutchinson noted and agreed
Human Mr Hutchinson discussed the letter from Mr Robert French, 40 Reed
Services Street, expressing his continued concern about institutionalization of
Committee/ neighborhoods Mr French wrote that he had attended a meeting of the
Reed St Human Services Committee and the committee had discussed the need for a
Proposal policy statement which would help define the scope of its operations;
however, the direction of this discussion left considerable doubt as
to whether the Reed Street problem would fall within the purview of the
committee Mr French had requested a committee agenda item in the near
future to determine whether the committee felt that the problem was
properly assigned Mr French had enclosed with the letter a report on
the problems, and he requested an opinion of Town Counsel regarding the
proposal
During the discussion, Town Counsel was instructed by the Board of
Selectmen to deliver an opinion regarding the impact of the Harbor
Schools v Board of Appeals of Haverhill case and outline to the Board,
the Human Services Committee, and Mr French the rights that the town
may have within the scope of that decision to initiate procedures that
might deal with recent actions by organizations such as MVMH in neighbor-
hoods
The Board agreed to Mr Kent's recommendation to acknowledge and accede
to the request of the Human Services Committee that no further citizens'
problems be referred to the committee by the Board
Contract Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of the increased amount of $1,290
80-5-E in the contract for the scattered sites project as a greater amount of
trench ledge had been encountered on Earl Street and Avon Street
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize an in-
crease of $1,290 under Contract 80-5-E to Somerset Paving Corp for con-
struction work for the Housing Authority's scattered sites program; con-
tract of $27,875 to be increased to $29,165, Appropriation authorized
under Article 18, 1979
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - January 2, 1980
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that John R. Clarke & Associates ,Inc. Parker
Cambridge, has scheduled a meeting in Estabrook Hall with the area residents School
of the Parker School on Thursday, January 10, 1980, at 7 30 p m to review
the proposal for the Parker School Clark has made arrangements to go be-
fore the Planning Board on January 14
The Board agreed to schedule a meeting with the Central Business Com-
mittee on January 7
Mr Hutchinson informed theBoardthat a permit hearing for the
Honeywell Company concerning their license application will be scheduled
for a regular Selectmen's meeting
Mr Hutchinson requested approval of an addition to the route of the Common
Boston Tours Carrier
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to add Route 2 East License
and West to the current Common Carrier license of Boston Tours
Mr Buse asked Mr Hutchinson about the proposed reclassification of Bldg
the Building Commissioner and requested that it be scheduled as an agenda Comm.
item again for further discussion
IIIMrs. Battin suggested that the Board schedule a meeting with our Minuteman
representative on the Minuteman School Committee, Mr Jackson, and a School -
representative of the Appropriation Committee to discuss the Minuteman
budget. Chairman Miley said Mr Hutchinson has been balking with Traffic
Minuteman on the problem of the traffic light and she had talked with Budget
Mr Jackson. The School Committee would like to meet with us and after
we get some groundwork done, we will have them in Mr Crain said he
was intrigued with the 11 percent increase in salaries, which is pretty
heavy, and 11 percent in transportation, especially at a time when they
are suggesting to broaden the zone, to include Lancaster and Needham,
when energy is so expensive Chairman Miley said that what we were work-
ing on was not that budget part of it; that we can discuss with our com-
mittee member ourselves In fact, if we get the whole School Committee
in, we could discuss the salaries then. Mr Crain said that if they come
in and don't know we are focusing on a couple of items, it won't be very
productive Chairman Miley said she would pass that word back to Mr
Jackson
Chairman Miley said that Mr. Zabin is here to discuss his letter re-
garding an article on a fair housing resolution, and Mrs Sunney is here
to deal with HUD Section 8
Mr. Zabin said that the Fair Housing Committee has been struggling
with the whole problem of fair housing, both from the policy and with
some understanding of what the needs of the town are with respect to deal-
ing with MCAD. Basically, we have tried to define the scope of fair
housing problems in Lexington We did feel that one of the things we
should get a start on is having the town make a public commitment to
the town meeting to fair housing, not only because we believe basically
it is the right thing to do but it is the kind of thing MCAD is also
looking for communities to do It really requires a development of
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Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - January 2, 1980
consensus by the town boards that have responsibilities of running town
affairs, and housing as well We are cognizant that there is not a lot of
time to do that kind of work between now and town meeting It is a de-
cision of the selectmen
Mrs Battin asked how much he wanted to say in addition to last
year's resolution? We did make a commitment to the number of units
to the elderly and we talked about low and moderate income Do you
want to say specifically in numbers in terms of minorities? Mr Zabin
said that last year's deals really with the issue of low and moderate
income housing What we are looking for is a policy for the adoption
of a statement of principle as to who is in those homes, and maybe
beyond the public market as well Mr Kent said he would like Mr
Zabin's reaction to tentative concerns he had His recollection of
what we did last year was not simply work out a policy statement for
the town but came as a result of extended work by a committee which came
up with both a majority and a sonority report What ultimately was
adopted by the town was predicated upon an alternative draft substituted
by members of town meeting on the floor of town meeting, and that was
what he thought had emerged as a housing policy for the town Now,
we have a fair housing committee and if that committee believes that in
some respect that policy fails to fully meet significant issues the com-
munity ought to meet, he was most receptive to proceeding in some form
to address the committee's concerns He was not troubled by re-address-
ing the content of that housing policy if the committee believes that it
is deficient in some material respect within the charge which has been
given to the committee He was troubled by the elaboration of some
separate policy dealing with housing in this respect apart from the
housing policy which was so painstakingly hammered out through the
processes of the town by the committee and the town meeting last year
He was troubled by the premise that the housing policy really didn't
have anything do with fair housing; he thought it had a lot to do
with it Now, it may not have been sufficiently explicit and he was
quite ready to support the inclusion in the warrant of an article call-
ing for additional reexamination if Mr Zabin believed that the committee
process leading up to that can be fully and adequately handled in the
time that exists between now and town meeting.
Mr Busa said that we are trying to build a utopia here in the town
of Lexington, and he didn't think it could be done in the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts He fully realized what we adopted last year and he
thought it was a fair housing policy, which should be implemented to see
what the final results are We have not had results of whether it is
adequate, will work, or will not work As a citizen and a member of the
board to make a commitment to see that we bring in minorities and ethnic
groups in the town of Lexingtin, either willingly or against their will,
the case of the elderly will come forward If you are talking specifically
about bringing more elderly, in ten years this will be an elderly town -
more elderly than people who are earning a living; it would mean double
the taxes to support some of the social programs that are coming forward
He could not support a commitment to increase the number of minorities in
the town unless someone could convince him that we do not have a fair
housing policy exclusive, and if that's the case, if we have a policy
that excludes minorities who would love to come into the town, he would
be the first one to fight against it and support the minorities who come in
He had no problems with minorities, majorities, and ethnic groups as he
had lived with it all his life
Imo '`
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - January 2, 1980
Mr Zabin said he did not think the Housing Authority or any board
had been consciously engaged in any exclusionary policies; however, the
recent statistics on elderly housing from the Housing Authority indicate
that there are no members of any minority, if at all He was not saying
that the Housing Authority was not looking into minority applications,
but that there are 148 white occupants of the 148 housing authority units
for the elderly There are lots of reasons why this is so, none of which
imply that the HOusing Authority in any way has followed a segregationist
policy But it also indicates that if having minorities live in Lexington
is something that the town ought to strive for because it wants to because
it's good or because the MCAD says we have to, something is wrong with the
approach that somebody has taken to achieve that goal
Mrs Shunney said that first of all, this business of Lexington
residents having first preference, it is important that you include in that
that this is only with all things being equal so that Lexington residents
can. On elderly applications, we go through a tenant process, which is
difficult and painful We have personal interviews and tenants are
selected by need Mr Zabin's approach is unrealistic; it is idealistic
Instead of looking at the make-up of the people in the units, you also
have to look at the number of people who apply We probably have more
minority people apply under Section 8 program than we do under the elderly
We have a number of oriental people apply; it is obvious there is an in-
crease in the oriental population of Lexington and therefore their Tela-
, tives are going to be needing housing. There doesn't seem to be an in-
crease in the black population in the town; there is an increase in
indian and oriental people, and we have had those applications We seem
to be at a standstill as we haven't had a vacant apartment in six months,
and you can't put someone out in the street in order to put someone else in.
We are working with everybody who applies and it just isn't possible to have
quotas For the most part, the minority groups who apply under Section 8
come from a distance - Lawrence, Haverhill, parts of Boston - and they have
to come, be interviewed, fill out an application, and either they are or
are not eligible for a certificate of eligibility; then they have to go out
and find an apartment in Lexington Right away, this is a problem as a
lot of them come by. bus We sit with them and help them fill out an applica-
tion, and they have to have someone to drive them They have to have access
to what rentals are available in Lexington and,most of the time, apartments
in Lexington are scooped up quickly There are many factors that come into
this picture and reasons why the breakdown of the people who are actually
in our program The Housing Authority works very seriously and sincerely
with the need of our applicants, and that is how they are chosen All
things being equal, I will admit, and we have to go through this with every
program we have When you get a program funded, you are going to be
scrutinized in every area before ELCD or HUD gives us that money, and part
of that is a very serious discussion of the policy No matter what the
local policy is, it depends upon the agency that is giving you the funds
for a particular program, and it depends upon the people who happen to
be working in that department at that time In three or four years, she
had seen changes - a strong policy one way and then it varies a bit if
you happen to have a change in the person in charge of affirmative action
and equal opportunities, and in charge of tenant policy We have guidelines,
and we realize we have to have them, but you have to be realistic in that
you have to deal with the applications that are received and you have to
deal with the people who are giving the money
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Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - January 2, 1980
Mr Kent recommended against the Fair Housing Committee submitting
an article to the Town Meeting without the fashioning of a resolution in-
volving the taking into consideration the views of a great variety of
people, including the Housing Authority
Mr Zabin said that is the unanimous position of the committee
Mr Kent said if that is the committee's position, he did not believe
that the time exists for the orderly and the sifting process that has
to go on in something like this and he would urge that they not try to
do it in haste Mr Zabin said that the committee Ranted to make the
Board aware of what their thinking is
Mr Crain said that one of the frustrations is apparently the incon-
sistency between the stipulations and criteria of HUD and MCAD, and
he was very cognizant of how long it has taken to get Jane Edmonds to come
out and start the process of understanding what the MCAD's position is,
which then we could attempt to reconcile with HUD This suggested to
him that this year's town meeting is unrealistic
Chairman Miley agreed and said that she did not think the resolution
could be put together for this year's town meeting
Mrs Shunney said that the Housing Authority has prepared an outreach
letter to be sent to churches, temples, Metco coordinator, and larger
companies in the area, informing them that the houses are in the process
and the Housing Authority will be accepting applications If names are
submitted to us, in addition to advertising by the rule, we also will
inform any person who has so advised us of an interest We are compiling
a complete list of places to send the outreach letter
The Housing Authority is doing somethingright; we have 148 units
and we do have 17 more, $500,000 to purchase more units, and we are work-
ing on legal problems of trying to acquire the condominiums, which is separate
from the $500,000 grant We are looking into some private property and we
are going to have 60 more units
Regarding the Section 8 letter, the Housing Authority unanimously
opposes the DCA application because of local control reasons The
Department of Community Affairs is now applying for Section 8 money as
a local housing authority would apply, and it is allocating 1600 units
in the four counties Mrs Shunney could see it happening in a com-
munity where there is no housing authority or one not doing its job
but not in Lexington DCA does not have to give us any information
and we have no idea of where their units are We would like to see
support from the Board of Selectmen to maintain local control
Chairman Miley informed Mrs Shunney that Section 8 was not an
agenda item this evening but would be on the agenda for a decision
next week
Mr Hutchinson said that the issue dealing with MCAD and HUD is some-
thing we have to keep re-emphasizing because we also have an affirmative
action plan that this board adopted; a component of that was a housing
program, and the outreach letter the housing authority is sending out
is an indication of the efforts that we are trying to make to reach
appropriate interest groups We are trying to get a lock on where we
are going There is no way we are going to have a successful affirmative
action program in the long run if we don't have a transportation system
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Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - January 2, 1980
IIIas well as a housing program that provides capacity for people to live
within the community, and we are moving within the direction they want
We have to request of these agencies what they do want and we have to
come up with some standards to be able to and measure our own goals
against, because that is one of the issues the board references to me
quite frequently We are going in the right direction but in trying
to establish what direction is going to be, evidently we are going to
have to walk onto it Those questions for this town meeting are too
complex, certainly without the federal and state agencies even being
available to us at this time Their work as your committee does tie
in with the plan that this board has already adopted
Chairman Miley agreed. Some of our conservation money was received
because we promised we would meet these goals and with the affirmative
action program, which is what that is, you are sending out to these
people with the assurance that they have as fair an interview and shot
at these different units as anyone else Working together, we are
going to reach our goal
It was agreed not to have an article on the resolution for this
year's Town Meeting Mr. Kent. assured Mr ,Zabin, that his concerns
with ,tipeness d-01not-constitute, remotely a discouragement to come to
grips with this and attempt to work through a town policy on this;
there is a great deal to be said for it but it will not be an easy
road and he hoped the committee would do it Mr Zabin agreed and
retired from the meeting. Mrs Shunney is to meet with the Board
next Monday regarding Section 8
Mr Hutchinson discussed the following budgets Members of the Human
Human Services Committee were present. Services
Committee
Account #2380-Council on Aging The bulk of this money is for staff and
program development and, at a subsequent time,we should review this with Budgets
CoA, as well as with the Hlnnan Services Committee. $35,100
Account #3300-Health, $10,950.
Account #3310-MVMH, $30,853
Account #3320-Visiting Nurse & Community Health, Inc , $6,800.
Account #3330-Community Services, $37,388 This is mainly money for Re-place
The Human Services Committee had been asked by the Board to focus on MVMH,
Re-place, and CIIHARC. Mrs Perez, Chairman, said that members of the sub-
committee had met with MVMH and Re-place and tried to evaluate what in-
formation they had obtained and come up with recommendations for the
selectmen. Because of insufficient data, and even with our knowledge,
we were not able to get the right kind of information that was needed
for tonight The Board agreed that it was very complex and had been
frustrating to them in the past because mf a lack of time and expertise
in these fields The committee was asked to again meet with these agencies
for an explanation of the budget requests and to evaluate the potential of
redundancy or gaps of services, and come back by February 29 with recom-
mendations The HSC agreed and retired from the meeting
Mr Cohen left the meeting at 9 35 p m
Selectmen's Meeting - 8 - January 2, 1980
Budgets Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Selectmen's operating expense budget, Account #1050, in the amount of
$6,725
No questions were raised on the following budgets
Accounts #1065-Town Manager, $7,000; #1142-Instate Travel., $10,000: Mr.
1utchiiison said he is recommending reimbursement at 17 cents a mile vs
$15 cents, and we can operate within the budget of $10,000; #1200-Town
Clerk,. $1,400; #1550-Board of Appeals, $2,430
Account #1080-Office Furniture & Fixtures, $1,200 Mr Hutchinson ex-
t plained that the Assessors have asked for $1,000 for new files and
office equipment necessary for the revaluation program On the over-
all budget, if requested funds are not needed, the money is redirected
to take care of other department requests
Account #1135-Out-of-State Travel, $6,000 Mr Hutchinson can certify
each request and will submit a list to the Board
Account #1141-Tuition and Training, $15,000 Mr Hutchinson is to submit
more information as the Board had question the funding of the cadet train-
ing program. If we make it an internship type of program, obviously we
would have some reduction in this area He had also provided some monies
in this budget for an update of the organizational development seminar which
was conducted when he first came; to track what has happened since that time
dealing with the staff internally
Account #1148-Safety Program, $770: Consistent with the insurance report,
Mr Hutchinson is to work on this budget and revise it to allow for some-
thing more comprehensive; we are expecting to work with the Personnel
Advisory Board on the design of that program
Selectmen's The Board agreed to adopt the goals and objectives, which had been
Goals and discussed at great length at previous meetings
Objectives Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adopt the following
SELECTMEN'S GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
GOALS OBJECTIVES
A Center Revitalization 1 Increase parking availability looking
specifically at the Metcalf & Eddy report
and their recommendations for improved
parking, and at reducing number of all
day parking for commuters
2 Recognizing the need for a vital center
center as the community's civic, commercial,
social and cultural focus, a plan for re-
vitalizing the center shall be prepared by
the Town, the Chamber of Commerce, Lexington
banking and lending institutions, Lexington
industries with, if appropriate, the advice
and assistance of the Executive Office of
Communities and Development
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Selectmen's Meeting - -
January2, 1980
GOALS OBJECTIVES
(Center Revitalization) completed
Such a plan shall be
by
December 1, 1980 and submitted to the
appropriate Town Boards, Town Meeting
Members, Commercial interests and citi-
zen groups for action It shall include
but not be limited to methods of achiev-
ing commercial diversity, increased social
add cultural activity, improved traffic
flow and increased parking
Specific proposals should be prepared
for the 1981 Town Meeting including
specific proposals for parking and
transit
B Increase Sources of Revenue Decrease Rel_ianee on Property Tax r
1 Lexington should take the lead in
initiating and maintaining a sus-
tained effort through the Mass
Municipal Associations and related
municipal organization or, if necessary
alone, a tax reform study with a view to
filing comprehensive legislation no later
than December, 1982
2 The Manager's office shall study and report
to the Selectmen no later than December,
1980 on ways of increasing non-tax revenues
This study and recommendations for action
should include but not be limited to the
development of an administrative process
for seeking out and aggressively pursuing
available federal and state funds for all
town services and suggestions for in-
stituting user fees and increasing town
fees for licenses, permits, etc
3 At national level encourage programs like
revenue sharing which allow for local
flexibility
Increase Tax Base
1 Establish a Selectman's Advisory Committee
to critically review the status of our ef-
forts to increase the tax base in order to
review the current situation in the antici-
pation of providing imaginative and innovative
alternatives for significantly increasing the
attraction of new and significant additions
to the tax base
A final report should be prepared by
1981
Selectmen's Meeting - 10 - January 2, 1980
GOALS OBJECTIVES
2 Review zoning and vacant land so compatible
development can taker place
C Financial Management 1 Achieve tax stabilization
2 Investigate methods of consolidating town and
school functions where possible Specific
investigating centralized maintenance, finan-
cial management
3 Consider centralized motor vehicle maintenance
a. Complete a critical analysis of current de-
centralized motor vehicle maintenance ap-
proach and test the operational and economic
feasibility of centralization by 4/1/80
b Establish an implementation schedule if
centralization is inducted by 6/1/80
c Implement centralization of vehicle main-
tenance function by 12/1/80
4 Town Manager should submit by September 1, 1980
a 5-year projected tax rate
D Employee Development 1 Commit the Town to establishing a conscious pro-
Capacity gram to identify high potential employees so as
to provide them with maximum opportunity for
personal development in order to provide a
pool of available internal human resources to
be considered as promotional opportunities
available
a By January 1, 1980, to develop a process for
the identification of employees with poten-
tial for promotion
b By March 1, 1980, to identify employees who
meet the criteria established in a above
c By May 1, 1980, to establish individual
plans for selected employees with their
input considered, a desirable career path
and ultimate target job
d By July 1, 1980, to develop an index of
the specific skills required which may be
acquired through a combination of job and
education experiences
e In the month of November each year, to re-
peat the process following the completion
of annual performance reviews
3U
Selectmen's Meeting - 11 - January 2, 1980
GOALS OBJECTIVES
(Employee Development 2 By December, 1980, expanded educational
Capacity) and in-service training programs shall be
instituted to up-grade employees' technical,
managerial and interpersonal skills
3 Develop increased awareness among employees
concerning employee relationships with citi-
zens in the community
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
10 10 p.m
A true record, Attest
gje.,„,„ (122c ae-e-0(--7
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
11 I
i
131
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
JANUARY 7, 1980 '
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, January 7, 1980, at 7 30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Crain, Mr. Kent, Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager, Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mi, Cohen, Town
Counsel; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
Bos Edsn Chairman Miley opened a hearing upon the petition of the Boston Edison
Conduit Company to install 8+ feet of conduit in Waltham Street easterly of Concord
Avenue Notices of the hearing were sent to the abutters Mr Edmund
Kelly, representing the Boston Edison Company, said that this would be
coming off a pole to service 1048 Waltham Street Chairman Miley read
a recommendation from Mr Warren Empey, Acting Director of Public Works,
that approval be granted as it would service the building at 1048 Waltham
Street No one appearing in favor or in opposition, Chairman Miley de-
clared the hearing closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
to the Boston Edison Company for the following location Waltham Street,
easterly approximately 1,550 feet south of Concord Avenue, a distance of
about 8 feet of conduit
Mr Busa said that it had nothing to do with this hearing but someone
ought to bring it to the attention of the Planning Board that manufacturing
plants are not allowed in Lexington Mr Hutchinson said that he will refer
it to the Planning Board
LEXPRESS The Transportation Advisory Committee met with the Board regarding
Mini-Bus Lexpress Mrs Sally Castleman, Co-chairman of the Committee, said that
Lexpress has been received favorably in the town and has provided needed
service to the townspeople, and Transportation Management has been pro-
viding the service we have contracted for As to the economics, when the
Committee wrote the proposal a year and a half ago, we made all our rider-
ship estimates conservatively, so we estimated 16 riders per hour and in
fact we are averaging 20; this is a 25% increase over our projections We
based our cost per hour figures from three bids that we received from trans-
, portation companies and on the most recently negotiated contracts with other
towns; so, we estimated $12 per hour when in fact the low bid is $15 39 The
rise in fuel costs and the subsequent accelerated inflation of our costs threw
our budget off by 28% We have already covered a great deal of the difference
because of our past programs and additional fares going to the Mall and from
our consistently high ridership However, we still do have a projected
deficit of 5% or $11,000 We have submitted options for your consideration
and the committee doesn't feel it is necessary to make up the entire $11,000
Some of our options could be instituted later We want to make sure that we
don't compromise the consistency and dependability of the hourly schedules
Mrs Joyce Hals said that the MBTA will definitely fund $40,000 to $45,000
After discussion, the Board voted the following
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adopt the recom-
mendations of the Transportation Advisory Committee, (1) To introduce
advertising on the buses; (2) Consideration and gearing for summer cuts;
(3) A cut of two buses between 6 30 p m.-7 00 p m ; (4) The institution
of selling transfers at 10 cents (5) Implementation on February 1, 1980
/ ter.
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - January 7, 1980
Mrs. Nancy Banks came into the meeting.
Mr John Mackey, Chairman, Ms Elaine Sullivan and Mr Daniel Lucas Insurance
of the Insurance Committee met with the Board Mr Mackey thanked the Committee
Board for the opportunity to work on the insurance issues and also Report
offered to reconvene some time in the late spring or thereafter when
the town has had an opportunity to follow up on some of the suggestions
made by the committee. There are two essential observations, (1) We
feel that a safety management program is essential and would mean the
designation of a safety manager to manage the program, whether it be
adding to the responsibilities of an existing person or making sure
that they can provide adequate attention to whatever is accomplished
by the town We feel that the essential part of lowering insurance
costs is to manage the safety with which the different programs are
being implemented The other thing we emphasize is, we feel the town
should come to an evaluation of' its liability regarding town property
As a result of the change in Chapter 258 of the Massachusetts Laws,
there is some question of the legal liability of the town putting cars
on town property that does not currently have coverage, as we outlined
in our report We believe these are the two most critical areas for im-
mediate work by the town.
Chairman Miley asked if the recommendation on an adviser is common
practice? She read the following, "The Town should consider employing
the services of a professional insurance adviser whenever insurance is
put out to bid. Such an individual can structure the information in a
request for proposal so that it is easier for insurance representatives
to formulate a bid. This might result in more bids being submitted, with
resultant possibilities for lower cost " Mr Lucas said that this is
common practice in private industry, and some of the municipalities in
the Commonwealth now employ an insurance adviser Chairman Miley said
that in this town we have so many people who are willing to give their
expertise, perhaps that might be a resource rather than having another
person on the payroll We are trying to compress rather than enlarge
at this point Mr Hutchinson said that we may have to get someone and
pay him.
Mrs Battin said that the Mass Municipal Association has filed
legislation which, if passed, would allow towns to pool their resources
to self-insure This has been referred to the Insurance Committee of
the Municipal Association. Mrs Banks, a member of that committee,
said that they are hoping to have the mechanism in place by January, 1981
Mr. Hutchinson said that the Board raised the question to him about
public officials ' liability and that area really wasn't addressed as it
is such a specialized area Mr Mackey said that the town does carry
$1 million in that regard right now; as far as having addressed it further,
if you look at our report on property, we recommend the town consider an
excess umbrella liability coverage to provide excess coverage over the
present automobile and general liability contracts, and the selectmen's
insurance would be one of the given liability contracts that we were
referring to Mr Hutchinson said we are addressing that with our
insurance carrier and we are not sure it is technically feasible as
it is a special liability Mr. Kent said that relative to the insurance
adviser proposal, how do we operate now with regard to the structuring of
information for bids on insurance contracts? Mr Hutchinson said that we
utilize the services of Brewer and Lord as an adviser in the sense of
receiving proposals and looking at various firms for us as an agent.
A
Selectmen's Meeting - - January 7, 1980
Brewer and Lord also acts as our broker We have prepared our own automobile
bids and it has been suggested that we look for some additional advice for
types of vehicles and beyond that to raising deductibles, and having more
comprehensive specifications Mr Kent asked if the adviser arrangement
suggested by the committee imports a division of those functions so that
the adviser in operating on a compensated basis solely in the interests
of the town with no interest in the insurance furnishing function at all?
Mr Hutchinson said, "Yes " The adviser can't wear both hats Mr Kent
said that this is something that we ought to look to very closely
Mrs Battin asked if the Board would be considering the committee's
thoughtful suggestions during the budget process? Mr Hutchinson said
that we are trying to move on a number of recommendations now The
question about the adviser requires more time being spent to find out
how that might be implemented We are investigating the safety program
now and trying to work with volunteer resources, and some of the companies
that are around here might advise us on how to embark upon such a program.
We will respond to each one of these in writing Mr Lucas said that the
existing insurors would be glad to offer suggestions to help on additional
safety management Mr Crain said that because of the sense of urgency and
resource regarding the safety program, he would recommend the Manager con-
sider first appointing a coordinator and he would suggest he consider
selecting someone from his existing staff to demonstrate the capacity for
additional responsibility which would be an excellent way to test that
capacity and then that person as a focus could establish a date in the
not too distant future to come back to the Board with a proposal for the
safety program Mr Hutchinson agreed to come back to the Board within
30 days Chairman Miley thanked the Insurance Committee and they retired
from the meeting
Housing Mrs Mary Shunney, Chairman of the Housing Authority, met with the Board
Author Chairman Miley read a draft of a letter from the Town Manager to Mr Marvin
Sect 8 Silflinger, Area Manager of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
stating, "The Lexington Board of Selectmen supports the position of the Lexing-
ton Housing Authority, which is opposed to the request by the Department of
Community Affairs to administer 1600 units of Section 8 housing The town
specifically supports the proposition of the Lexington Housing Authority
that town housing needs are better served when programs are administered by
a local board We would point out that Lexington is pursuing an equal hous-
ing policy and has had a very successful experience of operation under local
management, in contrast to the state's limited management capacity. In short,
most local governments, particularly Lexington, have done a better job in
operating housing than larger, more insensitive organizations such as the
State "
Mrs Shunney thanked the Board and the Manager for their support, and
the letter is to be sent to HUD
1980
Inn- Chairman Miley read an application for an Innkeeper license.
keeper Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to renew the Innkeeper
license license for the Lexington Chalet, Inc , 440 Bedford Street, which was in-
spected and approved by the Fire Department, Health Director and the
Building Inspector
l=.
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - January 7, 1980
Mr Michael Hanlon, Town Engineer, met with the Board to discuss the Inflow/
recommendations of Whitman & Howard and the results of the Inflow/Infiltra- Infiltra-
tion study He said that infiltration/inflow are two separate and distinct tion Study
types of flow Infiltration is the flow that comes from groundwater through
cracked pipes or leaky joints When the groundwater table is high in the
spring, infiltration rates are high, and it is low during the dry season
in the fall Inflow is directly related to rainfall and if it doesn't rain
you don't have inflow The study identifies relative amount of infiltration
and the inflow and, through a cross section analysis, determines the extent
of the possibly excessive amount of I/I; you can compare the cost of trans-
porting and treating I/I vs cost of removing some systems
The program consists of three phases, including analysis, evaluation
and rehabilitation. The first phase, the I/I analysis, identifies the
presence, flow rate, and type of I/I conditions which exist This phase
was approved by the 1976 Town Meeting, with the work starting in July, 1977
and completed in December, 1978 The town was subdivided into 14 mini-
systems and using the EPA criteria, mini-systems 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 12
are contributing excessive infiltration, and area 3, Saddle Club area, is
contributing excessive inflow Using EPA guidelines, the analysis indicated
that approximately 46 percent of the average daily infiltration and 37 percent
of the average daily inflow could be cost effectively eliminated The cost
to do the analysis phase was $67,000 Based on the information found during
the analysis phase, it is recommended that a compoete Sewerage System Evalua-
tion Survey (SSES) be conducted for infiltration in mini-systems 4, 5, 6, 8,
9, 10, 11 and 12, and for inflow in mini-system 3 This evaluation phase
focuses on the areas of previously determined possibly excessive I/I, and
locates the points of infiltration and inflow by a systematic examination
of the sewer system SSES will be initiated in the spring of 1980 and
Article 24 of 1978 appropriated $25,000 as the Town's share of the SSES
for inflow This year, we are recommending to Town Meeting that $75,000
be appropriated to cover the town's cost of the infiltration portion of the
evaluation phase; estimated total cost of $200,000, 18 months to complete
A separate grant, Step 3, will be sought for the rehabilitation after com-
pletion of SSES, estimated cost of $1,000,000 While the possibility of
overflows would be eliminated once the I/I rehabilitation has been completed,
the only permanent solution will be the construction of the Millbrook Valley
Relief Sewer A study has been initiated by the MDC, and Mr. Hanlon has been
talking with MDC and the Division of Water Pollution, and he will send them
a letter for their records
Mr Hanlon said that the first thing we have to decide is who is going
to do the next phase There is enough question in my mind that we want to
look for another consultant rather than use Whitman & Howard At that point
when we have selected a new consultant, they will submit a proposal to us to
do that work and we will know exactly what the cost is and exactly what we
would have to appropriate Mr Hutchinson said that consistent with the scope
of the services to be performed in moving into a new phase of this, we are
going to receive proposals from engineering firms to accomplish the rest of
the work. Effectively dealing with the project, it is $55,000 up to $75,000
I for approximately $300,000 of work to be done based upon the federal sub-
sidies Mr Crain said that a firm has done the basic building blocks
phases and would this in any way compromise another firm's coming in and
bidding the next phase? Mr Hanlon said that it would basically be a lot
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - January 7, 1980
smoother if the same firm could do the work, as they have had a lot of
experience on this project; to make a change would be ailittle bit cum-
bersome but it can be overcome
Mrs. Battin said that she had carried the I/I article last year
and the question raised repeatedly last year and is still being raised
was, with the degree of inflow/infiltration, should we be allowing
building and development in those areas? The answer that the Board
of Selectmen got, and satisfied us, was that the amount that was going
to be introduced to the system by building was so little compared to the
excess that it didn't make that much difference What is your sense?
Mr Hanlon said that is true; both the timing of the building and the
amount that you are going to get is minor compared to what the flows are
right now Mrs Frick, Conservation Commission, said the Commission is
concerned about two very extensive developments in the Tophet Swamp area
and the Whitman & Howard report says there is a problem in that area
Mrs Battin said that she raised the question as to whether we should be
prohibiting new development in these problem areas and the answer was
that any new development is not going to make that much difference
Mr Hanlon concurred, and said that that kind of development would have
a minimum effect Mr Crain said it was the decision of this Board to
stop the moratorium on building as a result of an intensive presentation
and consideration, and if the Board feels it is time to take another look
at it in light of current development, it could be done, but he did not
think it productive to talk without having specific facts
The Board thanked Mr Hanlon on the I/I presentation and he retired
from the meeting
Traffic Chairman Miley read a recommendation from the Traffic Safety Committee
Park Dr regarding a request from Mrs Coppe, President of Pre-School PTA, for
the installation of speed bumps in the circle at the end of Park Drive
and additional signing indicating that it is not a through street
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the
recommendation of the Traffic Safety Committee for the installation
of two "Not a Through Way" signs, one at Clarke Street and Park Drive,
and one at Muzzey Street and Park Drive The committee pointed out the
policy of the town against the use of speed bumps to control speeding,
but assurance has been received from the Police Department that strict
enforcement will continue in the area
Wilson The Board discussed the report from the Traffic Safety Committee
Road on Wilson Road and agreed to schedule a meeting with the Traffic Safety
Traffic Committee, Mr Bibbo, and the residents of the area for a more detailed
discussion of the traffic situation
The Appropriation Committee met with the Board for a review of the budget
Mr Hutchinson said that the critical issue is the solid waste issue, and
there is no question we have to be out of there during 1980 Proposals
wt11 be in this month for building a transfer station and a collecting and
non-collecting system There is a 13% increase in the municipal budget,
$600,000 alone in items dealing with solid waste In certain areas, such
as energy, we will come back with amended figures Mr White said that
/ amu
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - January 7, 1980
Illthe committee is meeting twice a week and we will complete our report
on Saturday, January 26 There are going to be a lot of unrealistic
issues and he hoped they could get a handle on solid waste this year
We are concerned about the energy area and we are going to have to deal
with the library using 100% over last year Also concerned about the
timing of the police communication system this year or next The
renovation of Munroe we don't think is realistic We would be in-
terested in getting your timing on Munroe We will be meeting with the
Minuteman School and we get the feeling their budget may be down a
bit At this point, that's all we can say The Appropriation Com-
mittee retired from the meeting
The Board discussed the possible additional MBTA assessment and
voted the following:
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted unanimously to MBTA
wholeheartedly support the vote of the META Advisory Board that the Assessment
Budget Committee be charged with the responsibility of expressing
to the Governor the concerns of the full board regarding his im-
proper and inappropriate takeover of the Authority, that no costs
incurred by the takeover be levied on top of the approved amount
assessed from local property taxes; the Board would take the
strongest possible action to resist payment of any such costs
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Minutes
minutes of the Selectmen's meeting of October 22, 1979
The Board agreed to schedule a meeting with the Planning Board Center
Center Revitalization Committee to discuss the committee's report Revitali-
A copy of the Selectmen's goal on Center Revitalization is to be zation
sent to interested committees
Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board award the contract Semline
for printing the warrant Warrant
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award the Printing
contract to Semline, Inc , Braintree, for printing the warrant for
the 1980 Annual Town Meeting and the Appropriation Committee and
Capital Expenditures Report, at $58 81 per page
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive
vote to go into executive session for the purpose of discussing matters Session
!• of real estate, with no intension of resuming the open meeting
After discussion, it was voted to go out of executive session.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
1000 pm
A true record, Attest 6 5� �C
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
I
VOID
7
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
JANUARY 14, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, January 14, 1980, at 7 30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk
Chairman Miley opened the street hearings on Tower Road, Garfield Street
Street, Sunny Knoll Avenue, Rockville Avenue, Sherburne Road, Kendall Hearings
Road, and Sanderson Road Notice of the hearings had been sent to the
abutters by the Engineering Department Mr Michael Hanlon, Town
Engineer, and Mr Peter Chalpin, Assistant Town Engineer, were present
Mr Hutchinson said that his recommendation is specifically for Rockville
Avenue and Kendall Road Mr Chalpin presented the following streets
Tower Road, 575 feet, 40 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, sidewalk on the odd Tower Rd
numbered side, permanent taking relevant to roundings, 12" maple tree to
be removed; $51,750 Recommended by the Planning Board Not recommended
by the Town Manager Residents in favor. Mr Hill, 32 Tower Road; Mr
Richter, 30 Tower Road; Mrs Nettleton, 35 Tower Road Residents in
opposition Mr Lees, 29 Tower Road; Mr Shaine, 37 Tower Road; Mrs
Whiteside, 19 Independence Avenue
Garfield Street, 950 feet, 50 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, sidewalk on Garfield St
the odd numbered side, takings at Reed Street and Ward Street, 12" and
6" trees to be removed; $104,500 Recommended by the Planning Board
Not recommended by the Town Manager Mr Eric Clarke, President of
Lexington Interfaith, said the street would be desirable and the fact
that the drain would be incorporated; we need that kind of an access
Mr and Mrs Richard Guest, 15 Garfield Street, were in favor of the
street but not the. sidewalk Residents in opposition Mrs Reasenberg,
16 Garfield Street; Mr Richard Crogan, 24 Garfield Street; Jerome
Garrity, 30 Garfield Street; Christy Ligor, 11 Garfield Street
Mrs Samson, owner of the property at 11 Garfield Street, asked why the
sidewalk would be put on the side where two different residents would
be adversely affected? Mr Chalpin replied that it was an arbitrary
judgment as that was the side the ballfield was on
Sunny Knoll Avenue, 609 feet, 40 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, sidewalk Sunny
on the even side, takings for roundings, 4 trees to be removed, $54,800 Knoll Ave
Recommended by the Planning Board Not recommended by the Town Manager
Mrs Claire Dean, 11 Sunny Knoll Avenue, said she and Mr and Mrs Cooper,
43 Reed Street (corner of Sunny Knoll Avenue) were in favor Mr Angelo,
3 Sunny Knoll Avenue, said he had submitted a petition in opposition,
listing the residents of 1, 5, and 9 Sunny Knoll Avenue, and 218 Bedford
Street
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - January 14, 1980
Rockville Rockville Avenue, 360 feet, 40 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, sidewalk on the
Avenue odd side, 2 trees to be removed, takings at roundings, $72,000 Recommended
by the Town Manager and the Planning Board Mr Chalpin said there would
be takings at'the Davis Road end and there would be takings from Mr Anthony C
Busa at the Philip Road end We would be reconstructing some distance
on Philip Road on either side of the school driveway and also some of
the school driveway in order to bring the grade up to a point where
Rockville Avenue is flattened Mr Anthony Busa said he owned the property
which was taken by the town at the lower end of Philip Road He was not
opposed to having the road either paved or sewered but he would like to
know the intent of the town at this particular time as to what direction
they plan to go Do they plan to put sewerage in? Do they plan to put the
street in? If so, who and when will they discuss the taking - if it is a
taking - or the exchange - if it is an exchange Whatever matters will be
arrived at so that the town will pass from Rockville Avenue over the property
he owns onto Philip Road Mr Kent said that before we decide whether we
wish to recommend the street, we ought to know whether there is a public
easement over it If not, it becomes relevant to know whether the town can
work out an agreement with Mr Anthony Busa We need to know these things
before we lay out the street The Board agreed that this information is
required before a decision is made
Sherburne Sherburne Road, 500 feet, 40 ft layout, 24 ft pavement Mr Chalpin said
Road we are proposing only to pave and increase the adequacy of the drainage in
that section We had originally proposed a cul-de-sac but that has been
eliminated Estimated cost of $20,000 Not recommended by the Town Manager
The Planning Board recommends acceptance of the layout of only the existing
paved portion of Sherburne Road and strongly opposed construction of a turn-
around, which would open an extremely wet area to further development and
would create frontage for at least three new lots Any extension of this
street should be made under subdivision control at developer's expense and
with appropriate Conservation Commission restrictions Mr Hutchinson said
this is an existing road that is bumpy; it has a surface on it There is a
question whether this is road reconstruction, and he would like more time
SII
to review it It is an unaccepted street and was paved by the developer
I Kendall Kendall Road, 415 feet, 50 ft layout, 24 ft pavement, $37,350 Mr Chalpin
Road said we acre not recommending sidewalks as this is a stretch of 415 feet in
the middle of Kendall Road and there are no sidewalks anywhere in sight
Mr Crain said he was confused as he had heard earlier that when you go in
to do roads, sidewalks are a negligible, conditional cost Mr Hutchinson
said the portion of the road that we are doing does not tie into any side-
' walk system but that does not preclude in the future that the town will not
consider a shole sidewalk going up to Marrett Road One of the concerns he
had was what are we going to do in ten or twenty years from now Mr Crain
said he had not heard anything to dissuade him, and he didn't see why we
wouldn't do it Mr Kent said that he could understand not building a side-
walk if the paved portions of the newly paved portions did not have sidewalks
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - January 14, 1980
unless one could reasonably predict that by doing this paving, one would create
an additional traffic flow not only on the newly paved portion but on the ad-
jacent already paved portion, thus necessitating sidewalks where we don't
presently have them, and then of course this strip would make more sense
as a suggestion is made in accordance with the policy to do this one now
His question is, are we tying loose ends together by doing this in such a
fashion that we are as a practical matter going to make a travel way out
of something which is at the present time only carrying local residents?
Mr Hutchinson said the answer is yes Mr Kent said in that event, Mr
Crain's query is relevant Mr Hutchinson said that we will get a cost
estimate of a sidewalk going with the existing road construction
Mrs Perkins of Foxboro, Mass said she owns all the property on one side
of Kendall Road When she had lived on the corner of Grapevine Avenue and
Kendall Road, the upper portion from Route 2A down to her driveway was
paved, just that one portion Sidewalks are there; they were installed
when the new development on the circle was put in and the builder paved
from her driveway down to his new road in No sidewalk was put in There
are sidewalks in sight up to Marrett Road As far as putting one in down
below, if you lived on that corner and had seen the traffic starting on
Marrett Road and coming down that hill to get through to Worthen Road
and this was when the road was all dirt, she could imagine what the traffic
is going to be with the road completed Children walk down from Sherburne
Road to take the school bus There will be a problem with cars coming down
that road as it is hard to see the children She believed there are six
families involved, five on one side of the street and she being on the
other side, and she wondered if they would want this Mr Richard Gilberti,
81 Kendall Road, said that all five residents are in favor and not to delay
it With respect to the sidewalk, he would not be opposed as it would be a
reasonable addition We all recognize that it is going to be a cut-through
Mr Louis Coppi, 83 Kendall Road, Mrs Marion Zimmerman, 85 Kendall Road,
Mr Paul Parr, 87 Kendall Road, said they were in favor Mrs Perkins said
she would like more information as she felt she was outvoted It was men-
tioned earlier that the cost of the sidewalk is much less if it is put in
at the time the road is put in, and if indeed this is going to be paved
anyway, she thought that a sidewalk should be in there because children are
coming down half way on a town way on a sidewalk and then they are diverted
into the street She asked how the price would change because of the sidewalk?
She recommended that the sidewalk be installed on the side where the houses are
Mr Chalpin said there would be an additional betterment of $1 50 per foot if
the sidewalk is installed Mr Hutchinson said the problem is that the sidewalk
which was not put in by the town might not be town standard design for the side
Mrs Perkins' property is on; it was not put in by the town Mrs Perkins asked
who paved the upper portion of Kendall Road from Marrett Road? That was voted
at a town meeting, and there is a sidewalk Mr Hutchinson said we can check
that information out If we ran the sidewalk on the other side of the street,
it would mean that you are asking people to walk on one side and then cross
over to the other Mr Crain suggested that the Board lmok tmthe Engineers
for clarification Mr Eric Clarke said this is one of the worst intersections
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - January 14, 1980
in the town, Marrett Road to Waltham Street and around the corner from
there; there is a considerable amount of traffic, and school traffic
would add to that One would want to think very hard before one opens
that particular layout to traffic which is much more than ordinary streets
which do not connect two important areas together We in Town Meeting
talked of extending Worthen Road to Marrett Road and it was defeated, and
he hoped that Town Meeting will reconsider that some day so that pressure
will be relieved If you open thispiece at this time,
You are goingto
get far more increasing traffic than anyone can foresee Mr Gilberti said
we recognize the traffic flow but we are also living with the kinds of
problems we are coping with, and the frustration Chairman Miley said
that the Board hears what you are saying, and it is a difficult one
We are hearing each side Mr Kent said that Mr Clarke's contribution,
if it does nothing else, underscores Mr Crain's concern about the side-
walk
Sanderson Sanderson Road, from Bryant Road to Station 13 + 50 36 on Sanderson Road
Road Mr Chalpin said this is a matter of procedure as it is a subdivision
street done by the developer Mr Kent asked when the construction is
being done by the developer, what is the situation with respect to sidewalks?
Mr Chalpin said he believed there is at least one sidewalk on Sanderson Road
Mr Kent asked if any agency of the town, including the Planning Board, has
any control over whether when this is done, there is a requirement with re-
spect to sidewalks? Mr Chalpin replied that generally in our review, we
recommend that at least one sidewalk be included Mr Hutchinson said
the Planning Board in recent years has waived the requirement of sidewalks
in a_hiimbar of subdivisions, and it is an area of concern that we probably
should address as we look to the future Mr Cohen said the Planning Board
has their rules and regulations and they include sidewalks, but they have full
power to waive them.
Adams For informational purposes, Mr Chalpin discussed Adams Street, He
Street said that we are proposing to reconstruct Adams Street from a point half
way between Westwood Road and North Street 660 feet to the Burlington
town line The layout width as it exists is 50 feet and we are proposing
to construct a 24 ft roadway and lower the hill and take some of the
curve out There would be no permanent land takings but we will require
temporary construction easements We will be building a stone masonry
wall as well as lowering the roadway This will alleviate the blindness
of the corner between North and Adams Street Mr Wathen-Dunn asked
if we would be eligible for Chapter 90 reimbursement? Mr Hutchinson
said we had investigated this before and we are not going from one com-
plete tie-in of one street to the line Chairman Miley said that we did
that at the other end for Chapter 90 for the last two years Mrs Battin
said that we weren't meeting Chapter 90 requirements and we had said we
would have to do it on our own The abutters said they did not want
Chapter 90 Mr and Mrs John Martis, 104 North Street, were present
Mr Martis asked for details Mr Chalpin said that we have a rough
profile, and in order to do the project, we would have to survey the
street He was not talking about any drastic change,but we hope to
make it as safe as most intersections in town; it would certainly
improve the current situation Mr Martis said he lived on the corner
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - January 14, 1980
of North and Adams Streets and realized it is a critical problem but he
wondered if we are being overly symplistic in the design As he under-
stood it from the Police, it is not the most dangerous corner in town and
he didn't think the safety would be improved by widening the corner, but
would increase the danger; now, they come out very cautiously He felt
the speed limit in that area should be 30 MPH and that would give braking
possibilities If you increase the sight line, you aren't accomplishing
much for $53,000 The street is being used for access to the Mall and,
with the Leahy Clinic being there, one section will not improve the
situation He would hate to see it done piecemeal and waste money,
but he did not know what the answer is Mr Kent said that this Board
was quite persuaded that the increase in traffic was going to take place
on Adams Street whether we do anything about these conditions or whether
we don't That is why this Board was very much in favor of Chapter 90
reconstruction on Adams Street, and that attempt failed on the floor of
the Town Meeting It is fair to say this was entirely due to the very
vigorous objection by a host of people living the length of Adams Street
Nevertheless, it is also fair to say that there was a consensus amongst
those people that the town ought to do something about that blind corner
at Adams Street and North Street Mr Martis has identified two issues
where the presentation has assumed one He was not really sure what the
relationship is between the widening of Adams Street twixt North Street
and the Burlington line and attempting to do something with respect to
the sight line at that corner But, at least with respect to the sight
line at that corner, this Board has felt for some time that we have a
responsibility for doing something about it If we can't re-do Adams St ,
it seems the Engineers are proceeding along the line of which we would
have them proceed However, before we give final approval, perhaps we
ought to have more in front of us than we do at the present time Mr
Frank Martin said he lived on the other corner and you have to come out
more than half way onto Adams Street The only solution would be to
cut a slice out of that hill; lowering the road is not a solution; cars
come down at 50 to 55 MPH and traffic is getting worse Mr Chalpin said
a slice would be taken out of the embankment about 12 feet with an 8 to
9 ft stonewall on Mr Martis' property, and a 5 ft sidewalk up against
the wall, and 5 percent would be of grass before you get to the end of
the road Chairman Miley asked where the sidewalk would go then? Mr
Chalpin said that there is a sidewalk down to North Street and it will
be continuing up to the Burlington town line There were no further
comments or questions, and Chairman Miley thanked all for attending
the meeting
Chairman Miley read a report from the Traffic Safety Committee regard- Traffic -
ing a request from Mr Bruce Adams, 12 Linmoor Terrace, for a Yield sign ..at Preston/
Preston Road and Simonds Road Simonds
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recom-
mendation of the Traffic Safety Committee to deny the request of Mr Bruce
Adams for the conversion of the existing Stop sign at Preston Road and
Simonds Road to a Yield sign It was the Committee's feeling that this
location does not meet the warrants for a Yield sign; specifically, the
safe approach speed does not exceed 10 MPH
114
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - January 14, 1980
Street Chairman Miley read a request from Ms Margot Shaw, 4 Upland Road,
Sale to conduct a street sale on Upland Road and to close off the ends of
the street After discussion, the Board voted to deny the request
The Board agreed to discuss the appointment to the Fair Housing
Committee at the next meeting
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
minutes of Selectmen's meetings of October 29 and December 19, 1979
Housing Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that a meeting is being arranged
Formula with the Office of Communities and Development concerning a housing
formula regarding the disposal of funds to communities We have
questions with respect to their policy and we are trying to resolve
what they mean by this formula.
FY 81 The Sewer Advisory Committee met with the Board Mr Hutchinson
Sewers said we can move the deliberation of the capital program to Wednesday
evening and we can now review the recommendation of the Engineering
Division for Chadbourne Road-$73,000; Waltham Street-$58,400; Pleasant
Street at Wilson Farm End-$45,260; Lee Avenue s/easement-$14,600;
Clelland Street-$8,760; North Street from Lowell Street to Burlington
Line-$56,575; North Street along Willards Woods-$170,820; James Street-
$55,115; Hazel Road-$23,360; Grove Street-$31,025 - Total $536,915
Concord Avenue Gravity-$96,725 and Force Main $68,985; Amherst Street
$18,250 and Easement-$48,910; Hayward Avenue-$40,150; Fairview Avenue-
$31,390 - Total $304,410
Mrs Fricker, Chairman of the Sewer Advisory Committee, said that
almost all of this is in line with what we have recommended
Concord The Board approved Mr Hutchinson's recommendation that the town
Septage of Concord be informed that their request regarding Concord's septage would
be referred to Mr Hutchinson for reports to be submitted from the
Department of Public Works and the Health Department
Council Mr Hutchinson requested approval of his appointment of Ms Pamela
on Aging Thomson to the Council on Aging
Appt Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Town Manager's appointment of Ms Pamela Thomson, 34 Revere Street
Warrant Mrs Banks said that she had gone over the modifications suggested
Format - by TMMA on the warrant format and has been working with TMMA members on
TMMA them, and they have offered assistance on the warrant Mr Hutchinson
said that we did not feel it necessary to take their suggestion on
Article 4
Housing Mr Cohen recommended that the Board sign the deed conveying
Authority Site 21 at Wood and Alpine Streets to the Lexington Housing Authority
Wood & This had been voted some time ago The Board signed the conveyance
Alpine St
Lot
i /3
- 7 - January 14, 1980
Selectmen's Meeting
The Board discussed the list of Articles for the Warrant for the 1980
1980 Annual Town Meeting Warrant
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to insert 80 Articles
Articles in the Warrant for the 1980 Annual Town Meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive
vote to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing strategy Session
with respect to litigation and one real estate matter
After discussion, it was voted to go out of Executive Session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
1100 pm
A true record, Attest
s71?- (2.* C. "re?
xecutive Clerk, Selectmen
r
r
I
VOID
/
III SELECTMEN'S MEETING
JANUARY 21, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, January 21, 1980 at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town
Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Nancy Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
Mr Louis Zehner, Town Treasurer, requested the Board's approval to Treasurer
borrow $60,00 for swimming pool construction and $90,000 for sewers He
recommended an award to the lowest bidder, Shawmut County Bank, at 5 55%
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
recommendation of the Town Treasurer to borrow $60,000 for swimming
pool construction and $90,000 for sewers from the Shawmut County Bank
of Cambridge at 5 5 percent, notes to be dated January 25, 1980 and
refunded with the proceeds of a bond issue also to mature on May 17, 1980
The Board discussed and approved a new member of the Board of Liquor
Directors of Bora, Bora, Inc and to sign new 1980 Common Victualler Com Vict
liquor and food licenses bearing new hours of operation set at a Licenses
previous Board of Appeals ' hearing Bora, Bora
IIIUpon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve Mr
William Chin as a member of the Board of Directors of Bora, Bora, Inc ,
177 Massachusettls Avenue, and to sign the 1980 Common Victualler liquor
and food licenses for the hours of Sunday through Thursday-11 00 a m
to 9 30 p m ; Frliday and Saturday-12 00 Noon to 10 30 p m ABCC approval
of Mr William Chin is to be requested
The Board discussed a letter from the Waltham Planning Director Waltham
regarding the 1d involved with the Metropolitan State Hospital and Request Re
Middlesex County Hospital, and enclosing a copy of a Waltham City Metro State
Council Order passed on December 10, 1979 as to the possibility of Mdlsx.County
Waltham acquiring title to the hospitals and directing the City Planner Hospitals
to develop some initial plans as to their alternate possible use
After discussion, Mr Hutchinson agreed to write to the Waltham
Planning Director recommending that he work with the Lexington Planning
Board regarding proposals between Waltham and Lexington Lexington
feels that any planning, particularly on property located within the
town, must consider the zoning requirements and objectives of our com-
munity Also, to point out that reports on studies made of this land
are available in the Lexington Planning Board office
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign a 1-Day 1-Day
Liquor license to the United Way for a reception an February 7, 1980 Liq.Lic
at the Museum of our National Heritage
III
1
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - January 21, 1980
Land The Board discussed a request from Mr Harold Sinclair, 590 Lowell
Purchase Street, to purchase abutting Lot 32 Lowell Street
Request Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to refer Mr
Sinclair's request to purchase Lot 32 Lowell Street to the Town Manager
for a response redommending that Mr Sinclair's attorney investigate
the ownership of the lot and again submit the request if it is found
to be owned by Lexington
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes
of January 2, 1980 and to table the executive session minutes of October 29,
1979
Appt The Board discussed an appointment to the Fair Housing Committee
Fair and Mr Buse nominated Mr Ronald S. Y Chi
Housing Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mr
. Com Ronald S Y Chi, 26 Marrett Road, a member of the Fair Housing Committee
School Chairman Miley read a letter from Mr Michael F Koehn concerning
Street traffic on School Street, particularly high-speed drivers
Traffic Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to refer Mr Koehn's
request to the Traffic Safety Committee for a report and to the Police De-
partment from a traffic enforcement standpoint School Street traffic will
be discussed when the Wilson Road residents meet with the Board
Resigna Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept with
CATV regret the resignation of Dr Peter Shapiro as a member of the Cable
Television Advisory Committee
Sewer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign Orders for
Construe Construction of Sewer for Grant Street, Robinson Road, Middleby Road
Orders Also, to sign Orders of Sewer Taking for Bird Hill Road, Carville Avenue,
Davis Road, King Street, Meadow Brook Avenue & Wellington Lane Avenue,
Rockville Avenue, Round Hill Road, Winship Road
Mrs Miley abstained on the vote to sign the sewer construction order
for Robinson Road
Express Mr Hutchinson presented the proposal from Mr Goodman, Vocell Bus Co ,
Bus Fare for a new fare structure for the Lexington/Boston express commuter bus
Increase Single ride ticket-$1 60; 12-ride book-$18 00; Monthly pass-$48 00
Mr Crain questioned the elimination of the 20-ride book for $25 00
and Mr Hutchinson agreed to contact Mr Goodman for clarification
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the request
for an increase in fares on the Lexington/Boston express bus line
Hearing - The Board approved Mr Hutchinson's recommendation to set the hearing
Honeywell date on February 11, 1980 for the request from Honeywell for a gasoline
Gasoline storage permit
1
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - January 21, 1980
I IIIMr Hutchinson recommended approval of an extra work order for the Patricia
Patricia Terrace Sewer Ter Sewer
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the 80-1-E
Manager's recommendation to issue Extra Work Order #1 under Contract
#80-1-E, awarded to Great Northern Constructors, at a cost of approx-
imately $5,000, compensation to be on a unit price basis Authoriza-
tion is contained in the appropriation under Article 20 of 1976
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the Bonds
Manager's recommendation to approve bonds for Deputy Collectors Paul E
Kelley and Ellem. M .Kelley in 'thet.amount of $5,000, each.
Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of a transfer of $2,500 to the Transfer
Fire and Police Medical Account to, pay bills on hand amounting to $4,945 06; Request
present balance of $3,652 16 in this account
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request the Ap-
propriation Committee's approval of a transfer of $2,500 from the Reserve
Fund to Account #1125-Fire and Police Medical
The Council on Aging and the Recreation Committee met with the Board Budgets
Mr Hutchinson said that the Council on Aging would like to review their CoA -
budget with you, and I believe we are all in reasonable agreement on this Recreation
They have requested $35,100 and I have recommended $34 ,425 Part of this Committee
is to bring salaries into line and an area of rental increase for square
footage of the church facilities Mrs Joan Melcher, CoA Coordinator,
presented a chart of all activities and Mr Sen, Chairman, said if we
had to make a gross estimate of what this program is, we have about
$30,000 which is used for 3,000 seniors, we get about $25,000 worth
of volunteer time,. For the $2,500 we give to Minuteman Home Care, that
replicates back to us for $40,000 We have shown you programs that
represent about $00,000, of which we ask about $30,000 Mr Busa asked
if there is any mOney from state aid? Mr Hutchinson replied that there
is no money for direct operating costs; what we are pursuing is money for
eventually rehabilitating a center or some initial staff support for
equipping a center Right now, as far as we no, there is no money avail-
able for equipping a center Mr Sen added that we do get a direct grant
of $1,200 a year for the Elder Chorus but it is a one-shot thing.
Chairman Miley thanked the members of the Council on Aging fox` their
preadntatiou
Mr Hutchinson said the only thing he did not recommend on recreation
at this time was their capital budget There are a number of items that
are worthwhile but he recommends they be deferred Mrs Uhrig, Chairman,
discussed the suggested list of playground repairs for $25,000, including
Kineens-$8,950; Garfield-$3,310; Rindge-$2,250; Baskin-$4,950; Marvin
Street-$1,370; Ivan Street-$3,220; Center-$1,150 The capital request
for $25,000 is for upgrading the neighborhood parks and tot lots; last
year, we got $15,000 for Sutherland Park and that is underway This year,
we took the remaining park areas and what they needed done and put it into
one budget This is within the scope of the master plan and also suggested
that we spend on the order of $50,000 a year for a few years We will be
asking for no more than $55,000 over three years, and if we do not have
enough money to finish Sutherland, we will come back next year for the
remainder of that We did want to get going on the others in the interim.
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - January 21, 1980
The hoard members questioned items which could be classified as
maintenance and done by town forces and after discussion it was agreed
that Mr Hutchinson is to come back at the Wednesday meeting with a
list of capital and maintenance items Mr Hutchinson added that he
did not think the parks were in bad shape and it is just a matter of
how much we are going to do at this point in time
Ms Joan Halverson, Recreation Coordinator, that the pool construction
is on schedule; the target completion date is by May 31 but might not be
until the end of June Recreation is in the process of putting together a
pool schedule for lessons, etc. The board emphasized the need for proper
fencing around the pool during construction and agreed that Mr Coscia,
Clerk of the Works, is responsible to the Permdnent Building Committee,
to the Manager, to the Selectmen Fencing should be relayed thru the
Building Committee not the Recreation Committee
The Recreation Committee and the Council on Aging members retired
from the meeting
Min.Man The subject of traffic conditions at the Minuteman Vocational School Minuteman
School were discussed briefly and Mr Busa agreed to talk with Mr Robert Jackson, School
Traffic Lexington's Minuteman School representative, regarding all pertinent back- Traffic
ground information
FY 81 Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board vote to lay out Rockville
Streets Avenue, Kendall Road and the subdivision street,Sandetson Road
Vote to Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to lay out the
lay out following streets
Rockville Avenue from Philip Road 360+ feet to Davis Road
Kendall Road from Appolo Circle 415+ feet Vine Brook
Sherburne Road from Dane Road southerly to dead end
approximately 500 feet
A decision on Tower Road will be made at a later date
Mr Hutchinson agreed to respond to a letter from Mr Hal Miller-Jacobs,
17 Swan Lane, that there are no present plans to extend Rockville Avenue
beyond the section proposed for construction in the 1981 budget There
are no plans to do the middle or upper part of Rockville Avenue
1979 Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board award the contract for
Town printing the Town Report to the lowest bidder, Semline, Inc
Report Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award the contract
for the 1979 Annual Town Report to Semline, Inc in the amount of $7,166
Center Mr Hutchinson briefly discussed the proposed location of a public
Pay pay telephone in the Cent r and pplformed the board that the Historic
Phone Districts Commissionitonit bre�iER g Called at Colpitt's or Andersons
and indicated a preference to the CVS store near the lights The matter
will again be an agenda item at the HDC meeting on January 30, and Mr
Hutchinson agreed to come back to the Board at the next meeting with
his recommendation
I �
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - January 21, 1980
Mr Hutchinsdn discussed the request of Jonathan Clarke to purchase Banks
town-owned land on Banks Avenue The original position of the Housing Avenue
Authority was that it was not a building lot and it was not included Town-
on the list of scattered sites; however, the Assessor has looked at it owned
and informs us that it is buildable Mr Hutchinson said that it is lot
his intent to pursue the idea, consistent with the Board's policy,
that the Housing Authority continue to have first crack at it
The Board agreed that the Assessor is to again evaluate the lot
before Mr Hutchinson responds to Mr Clarke
Fire Chief Bergeron met with the Board to discuss the replacement Fire Dept
of the ambulance at a cost of $38,000 and to keep the old ambulance as Ambulance
a spare to fill i{1 when the first unit is down for maintenance or re-
pairs The proposed new vehicle will have an all-aluminum box on a van
chassis; this will produce a better ride as complaints have been re-
ceived on the rough ride the present vehicle gives Other options are
to purchase a new van type ambulance and trade in the present vehicle;
cost of $27,000 Replace the existing truck chassis and transfer the
present box onto it; cost of $15,000. Defer the replacement; cost will
be a vehicle with at least 70,000 miles and 5,400 engine hours before
a replacement could be acquired in FY 82 This decision option would
be the worst possible decision for the community with a high risk of
extensive down time and vehicle failure
After discussion, the Board agreed to take under advisement the
possibility of favoring the option of having a proper first vehicle and
at some future time a back-up vehicle
Mr Hutchinsdn briefly discussed the recommendation of the Capital BAPERN
Expenditures Committee for an article this year on replacing the whole Radio
radio system withiBAPERN-Boston Area Police Emergency Radio Network System
Mr Hutchinson regommended deferral for another year The estimated
cost is $125,000; for next year, it is estimated to be $160,000 Chief
Corr also recommends deferring it for another year The Board will
discuss the matter with the Capital Expenditures Committee
Mr Hutchinson announced that the tax rate right now, even with Tax Rate
the increased school committee budget, is estimated at $4 40 increase
excluding state and county charges
Mr Peter DiMatteo, Building Commissioner, met with the Board Bldg Commr
Mr Hutchinson discussed Account 1090-Professional Services and said
that his recommendation is to retain outside inspection services
as the area has been expanded for the building department and the
liabilities have increased He recommended allowing $15,000 for
professional services Mr DiMatteo presented a report on the number
of hours required on inspection time based on current permit activity
He said that they are being asked to provide more comprehensive reviews
and are trying to avoid additional personnel costs He pointed out
that the plumbing and gas inspector has been hospitalized and they
are losing their CETA worker Mr Kent felt it should be an item
under temporary help or the building department rather than included
in the professional services budget The Board generally agreed
Mr Hutchinson said he would focus in on temporary help and Mr DiMatteo
agreed to submit additional data on permit inspections and the problems confronting him
114%
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - January 21, 1980
The Board agreed to review the budgets lat the meeting on 1
January 23
Executive Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 by rail call
Session vote - Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to go into execu-
tive session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to -
litigation, with no intention of resuming the open meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
10 30 p m.
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
II
Se)
/50
III SELECTMEN'S MEETING
-
JANUARY 28, 19ri!Sa
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room on Monday, February 28, 1980, at 7 30 p m. Chairman Miley,
Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen,
Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy,
Executive Clerk, were present Mr Busa was absent
The Board discussed a letter from Mr John Andrews, President of the Pest
Citizens f or Lexington Conservation, Inc recommending the appointment ointment Control
gPP
of a Pest Control Advisory group to investigate mosquito control options Advisory
for the town Mrs Battin said that Mr Andrews had called her and he Committee
rather hated to see a debate at Town Meeting on whether we should have
mosquito control or not Wellesley has found some more temperate ways
of handling it through the County Extension Service and they were able
to convince them perhaps not to have to use such extreme measures Mr
Andrews thinks there is some way some middle ground can be reached that
will help ahate the mosquito nuisance - to use less stringent measures
Mrs Battin felt it has some merit Chairman Miley asked if this is to
be a short term committee and not come into Town Meeting every year with
a recommendation? Mrs Battin said that the committee could look at it
III and see if there is some program that we could subscribe to that is more
moderate than the one we have had She did not see it being a permanent
committee We have received a letter on the gypsy moth problem arid the
whole pesticide thing ought to be taken into consideration, not just the
mosquito control - both the pesticiding and what we can ask citizens to
do to help Mr Crain endorsed the concept of the committee to bring
thoughtful insight to the problems but he wouldn't want the committee to
feel they are under pressure to produce anything by Town Meeting but to
begin their work in an orderly way and advise the Board as soon as pos-
sible Mr Kent said that this is the reason for sticking at this time
with the mosquito control question because we are going to have to have
someone listen to those positions and attempt to help us with them The
only other alternative is, there is going to have to be a recommendation
from this Board before Town Meeting Mr Hutchinson said that Mr Mazerall
had given him a proposed program on the gypsy moth question that doesn't
emphasize chemicals to any extent but requires a lot of assistance from
groups like this, and the Conservation Commission, with its concern about
trees, is the legitimate agency to deal with the problem and perhaps have
interaction with this group after it is appointed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to create a Pest Con-
trol Advisory Committee for a period of six, months, which would he charged
with an interim recommendation on mosquito control for the Town of Lexington
prior to Town Meeting if at all possible, and a recommendation at a later
time on the gypsy moth problem
Later in the meeting, Mr Andrews arrived and Chairman Miley explained
I1 III
the above action of the Board
151
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - 28, 1980
Legislation The Board discussed a letter from Mr John Bilafer, Arlington Town
Retirement Treasurer, regarding Lexington's position on Senate Bill No 1412-Act to
Funding provide prudent funding, and to provide financial assistance to city,
town and county retirement systems of this Commonwealth This legisla-
tion provides for 50 percent reimbursement by the Commonwealth to those
communities which have commenced to fund their retirement systems
After discussion, Mr Hutchinson agreed to respond to Mr Bilafer that
the Town of Lexington cannot support at this time this proposed legisla-
tion as it does not recognize or identify costs to the State and we find
that inconsistent with our requests of our State Legislators to propose
costs attached to additional mandates that they are passing on to comm
munities In addition, the Selectmen feel that any additional costs to
the State generated by this might wind up in the area of possible re-
ductions in other areas of aid to local communities Our thrust must
continue to be on a tax reform program for the State that relieves the
property tax burden
Traffic Chairman Miley read a request for a Stop sign at Baker/Tucker Avenues
Safety- Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to refer the request
Baker/ of Mr Neil Chamberlain, 121 Cedar Street, for a Stop sign at the inter-
Tucker section of Baker Avdnue and Tucker Avenue, to the Traffic Safety Committee
for a report
Street Chairman Miley read a letter from Mr Howard Cravis, 6 Rogers Road,
Lights regarding acts of vandalism and a lack of street lighting in the area
Mr Hutchinson said that we are recommending the installation of street
lights in a number of areas and we will arrange a meeting with Mr Cravis
and file a report in two weeks The Board agreed
Use of Chairman Miley read a letter from Mr Emanuel Goldman of the Northeast
Town Seal Trade Center in Woburn for permission to use the Town Seal on items for
sale in Lexington under the auspices of the Lexington Lodge of Elks
Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board not be involved in giving any
endorsement of the use of the Town Seat It was pointed out that the only
time permission had been granted was during the Bicentennial
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to deny Mr Goldman's
request for permission to use the Town Seal
Battle Gr Chairman Miley read a request for the Battle Green.
Minutemen Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
to the Lexington Minute Men, Inc for the use of the Battle Green on Sunday,
April 13, 1980, at 2 00 p m for the reenactment rehearsal
MMA Chairman Miley read the notice from the Mass Municipal Association
Legislatv that the 1980 Legislative Conference will be held on March 1 in the
Conference State House Chairman Miley and Mrs Battin are to attend
I
5a
Selectmen`s Meeting - 3. - January 28, 1980
111
Chairman Miley read a request from the Massachusetts Taxpayers Founda-
tion for support of House Bill -
pp 3519-Improvement of MBTA Management Mrs tion
Battin said that her reaction is to respond with enthusiastic support MBTA
Mrs Miley recommended that before any decision is made, we should go to Management
the Directors of the Advisory Board for their position The Board agreed,
and Mrs Battin is to talk with the Director of the Legislative Office of
the Mass Municipal Association.
Chairman Miley read a report from the Traffic Safety Committee con- Traffic-
cerning a letter received from Michael Koehn, 75 School Street, regarding School
School Street traffic It was agreed to invite Mr Koehn and School Street
Street residents to the meeting on February 4 with the residents of the
Wilson Road area
Mrs -Battin asked if anything had been received from the State on Marrett Rd
the widening of Marrett Road? Mr Hutchinson said that it may be that Widening
it will taken another letter from this Board He will report at the
next meeting and will have a draft of a letter for the Board's approval
Chairman Miley said that she has had several meetings with Mr Jackson,
Lexington's representative on the Minuteman School Committee, and Mr
Buse has been asked to meet with Mr Jackson Apparently , it would be
up to the State DPW Mrs Battin said that Lincoln and Concord also
agree and it would be good to get them to join us
Chairman Miley read a recommendation of the Traffic Safety Committee Traffic
to amend the Traffic Rules and Orders by prohibiting parking in the Meriam
aisles of the Meriam Street parking lot Street
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the Traffic Parking
Rules and Orders by adding to Article V, Section 2, Schedule til Lot
LOCATION SIDE FROM TO TYPE PARKING
Meriam Street Aisles Meriam Street 500' Southeasterly No Parking
Parking Lot
Approval of the State DPW is to be requested
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that Mrs Pressman, Management Intern, Center
had met with the Historic Districts Commission on January 9 to discuss the Phone
Board's choice of a location of a public pay telephone at either Colpitt's
or Anderson's Jewelers on Massachusetts Avenue. They seemed more receptive
to CVS near the traffic light Mr Crain felt that CVS was not close
enough to the mini bus terminal at Depot Square, and he suggested that a
closer location be found Mr Kent said that he could perceive no problem
in locating it across the street at the Leader Federal Bank Mr Hutchinson
said that we will pursue Leader Federal and Colpitts Mr Kent added that
if it is between Colpitts and CVS, it would be more appropriate to have it
at Colpitts Mrs Pressman is to bring this information back to the Historic
Districts Commission on January 30
I
X53
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - January 28, 1980
Revenue Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the proposed use of General
Sharing Revenue Sharing Funds in relation to the entire budget The proposed
Hearing budget totals $31,460,131, made up of $13,872,838 for town personal
services, expenses and capital improvements, and $17,587,293 for
education
Mr Hutchinson said that the purpose of the hearing is for the
utilization of an anticipated $228,341, to be appropriated in the
following areas Council on Aging Expenses $34,425; MVMH $30,853;
Community Services $37,388; Police Motor Vehicles $25,000; Street
Lights $100,000 Appropriate groups have been contacted and they
were also at the administrative hearing. There was concern expressed
about a human services center and they hoped that monies would be pro-
vided to assist in the operation of it; it is still under review regard-
ing the cost of such a facility We have been receiving in excess of
$500,000 for general revenue sharing and the President has now proposed
that the program continue and that it be level-funded; this, we assume,
would give us approximately the same amount of money There is a problem
as Congress has taken a negative position about this program. The problem
that we experience by anticipating the full $500,000+ is that we may be
anticipating money we may not get There have been proposals to cut out
a portion of the funds, they are talking about one-third, because of
state government The state has made it clear that strong consideration
be given to cutting back local assistance where this money is provided
In that context, we have recommended a rather conservative approach to
the anticipation of this money What happens with it when you receive it,
it goes into E & D and we register a larger commitment on the next fiscal
year for offsetting various operating costs Human service groups, in-
cluding the particular emphasis of the Council on Aging, support the idea
of utilizing this money in this area and recommended support be given long
range to short range to a human service center for the elderly and our
recommendation s are fairly traditional to combine human services and
operating costs We should lobby very hard to get this program re-enacted
as this is a program that is not out of the woodshed Chairman Miley said
that our representative is conscious of this because we have kept him aware
of it Mr Crain said that with this proposed approach, would we wait for
clarification on the question the Human Services Committee has posed regarding
Mystic Valley Mental Health Center? Mr Hutchinson said that while we've
advertised the intent to use this money, the Board still has the right to
change that money subject to the Human Services Committee's report There
is still time The real intent tonight is if someone has objections to
the way the money has been proposed to be used Mrs Marcia Feakes said
that the League of Women Voters is pleased to note the continuance of the
Selectmen's interest in using revenue sharing funds for human services
There were no other questions or comments, and Chairman Miley declared
the hearing closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the Manager
to proceed under the guidelines presented, subject to any additional reports
the Board may receive
I
/ 5�6
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - January 28, 1980
Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of a change in name of a company Common
with a common carrier license Carrier
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reissue a common License
carrier license, expiring December 31, 1980, to Boston & Middlesex Trans-
portation Company, Inc , formerly Hospital Transportation Service Inc ,
and now located at 339 D Street, South Boston
The Board approved Mr Hutchinson's recommendation that he respond Coircoran
to the recent correspondence from the Corcoran Ambulance Service stating Ambulance
our current emergency safety program
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that he had no intention of filing MAPC
an application for the 1980 MAPC Community Assistance Program unless other- Program
wise directed by the Board We would like to gear up in the future The
Board agreed
Mr Hutchinson said that he had met with the Appropriation Committee Budgets
on Saturday, and the Board and the Committee are in synchronization on
most of the issues All projections indicate an increase of something
under $4 00; that is an estimation of the Selectmen's hudget and the
Appropriation Committee's estimate is something else
Mr Hutchinson said that we did meet with Mr Flatley, Administrator, Housing
and staff of the Executive Office of Communities and Development to review Concerns -
the methodology that has produced their ruling that Lexington is "un- Conserves
reasonably restrictive Mr Flatley did not have available the data Funding
they said we were not in compliance with their goals Surprising, he
stated that subsidized housing was not their only concern, but housing
in general We had quite a. bit of data relative to the concerns raised,
and the meeting went on a positive note Mr Williams, Chairman of
the Conservation Commission, has called the Manager's office and it looks
as though they are going to approve our efforts, which are far more than
any suburban town in the metropolitan region Mr Kent said that he would
commend the Manager on the context and tone of the letter, dated January 24,
sent by Mr Hutchinson to Mr Flatley The Board agreed
Mrs Banks reported on the procedures to be followed on emergency Emergency
fuel calls A meeting had been held with the agencies of the town and Fuel Calls
it was decided that the Council on Aging would take the administrative
lead and administer the program through a CETA employee, who is doing
most of the work taking applications Last year, we had 48 people mak-
ing requests for assistance and to date this year, we have had 100 people
If calls are received, they are to be referred to the Council on Aging
during regular working hours and the Police Department at other times
Twenty gallons of oil will be delivered and Mr Rooney and Mrs Melcher
of the Council on Aging have set up an emergency fund and have raised
$1,000; to date, thres families have received assistance from this fund
Chairman Miley said that it is comforting to know that people are being
111 looked after
If)
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - January 28, 1980
Wild Acre The Board agreed with Mr Hutchinson's recommendation to invite a
Lodging representative of Wild Acre Inn, 50 Percy Road, to attend the meeting
House on February 11 to discuss renewal of the lodging house license. Copies of
License minutes of the last meeting on Wild Acre are to be given to Mr Crain and
members of the Board
Transfer Mr Hutchinson said that a request from Town Counsel has been re-
#1800 ceived for approval of a transfer of $5,000 from the Reserve Fund to
Acct Account #1800-Legal Expenses, for payment of services retained on the
Snyder litigation; particularly, we had to hire outside engineering
services It has been a long-term case for the town We have had a
favorable resolution for the community but it did necessitate the re-
tention of additional s-rvices In fact, it is going to cost more, but
this will give us the capacity to pay Mr Duncan for his services We
recommend approval, with the understanding that we will have several
other requests for transfers come before the Board in order to meet
legal expenses
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request approval
of the Appropriation Committee for a transfer from the Reserve Fund to
Account #1800-Legal Expenses in the amount of $5,000
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that a large pine tree went through
the roof of the Visitors' Center and we will need a transfer to fix the
roof Mr Hutchinson had already ordered the work to be done
Proclama- Chairman Miley read a letter from Mrs Patricia Hagerdorn requesting
tion the Board to designate Saturday, February 2, 1980, as Sheryl Franks' Day;
Sheryl is our 1980 Olympic competitor
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to proclaim Saturday,
February 2, 1980, at Sheryl Franks' Day in Lexington.
Vocell Mr Benjamin Goodman of the Vocell Bus Company met with the Board to
Commuter discuss a request for approval of an increased rate schedule for the express
Bus commuter bus from Lexington to Boston Mr Hutchinson said there has been
some concern about dropping the 20-ride book, and concern by the people
using the bus that these fares were being instituted prior to approval
The MBTA has suggested, and the Board encouraged, a monthly pass because
of insurance deductions The plan now submitted to the town was for
dropping the 20-ride book; originally it contained that Mr Goodman said
that the first time he had asked for approval was in November and we sent
it in to the MBTA, and they lost it When he had found that nothing had
been done, it was suggested that he put in a new request with the setup
we have now Mr Hutchinson said, apparently, the META thought a monthly
pass should be approved In December, the Board approved a single ticket
increase from $1 35 to $1 60; 12 ticket book from $15 00 to $18 00 per
book. ($1 50 per ticket); 20 ticketobook from $22 00 to $25 00 per book
(1 25 per ticket) Mr Crain said he was apprehensive about eliminating
the 20 ride book as a number of riders Ilse this and it would impact them
He asked Mr Goodman if he would consider the 20 ride book to $26 00?
Mr Kent suggested the 12 ride book be dropped and keep the 20 ride book
Mr Goodman was not too receptive to this proposal but later on agreed
and added that he could offer the monthly pass as well and satisfy every-
body He will talk with Mrs Banks and meet with the Board on February 4
The Board agreed to publicize the proposal in order to receive feedback
from the citizens before the next meeting
/5 eo
Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - January 28, 1980
Mr Myles Barnert, Chairman of the Capital Expenditures Committee, Police
met with the Board to discuss the police communication system article Commuunica- .c
Mr Barnert said that the committee had looked at the next five years tion System
and as they talked with the various committees, they were shocked to Article
find there were over $1 million in requests for next year We looked
at the communication system item to see if we could shift it dawn to
!83, and in discussions with the Police Chief, the feeling was that
the existing system is getting old and to wait until '83 might reduce
the quality of public safety; in '82, there was the high peak of capital
expenditures Therefore, the committee felt it should be done this year
We are quite concerned about the .FY 82 capital expenditures; $200,000
for the landfill, the I/I Phase III study has been scheduled That's
$500,000 that isn't in this year's budget Mr Hutchinson said that
in fairness to that position, there is also $100,000 in storm drains,
and the Town Engineer has taken a look at these and advised that he would
not recommend storm drains until such time that not only the storm drain
study is done but the I/I study as well It appears that the I/I study
is going to carry on even longer than we anticipate, so a number of those
demands are subject to change The other issue is, we are continuing to
hold to the estimate of the landfill closing, which is high based upon the
positive experience we are having now on fill, etc at the landfill, and
we will know better as we get into it He agreed that the numbers are
a reason for concern in the sense of their size He and the Board know
the need of trying to obtain tax stability; we don't like considering
roads and sewers, but we do that We have said that we certainly go along
for another year with the current fiscal, and on that basis he had recom-
mended it for '83 Mr. Barnert said that in terms of storm drains, it
would be zero for this year and next year Mr Hutchinson said on the
$200,000 for I/I, he could comfortably say we won't have any recommenda-
tions for implementation next year because of the time frame In the light
of What's happing with sewers, Mr Hanlon has said that it will take longer
for a permanent solution and costs are getting no better
The Board agreed that the article on the police communication system
is to remain on the warrant
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9 30 p m
A true record, Attest `moi/ `-yI,_
Executive Clerk,/✓ Selectmen
I
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VOID
N7
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
FEBRUARY 4, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, February 4, 1980, at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
Chairman Miley recommended a decidion be made by the board on the Theriault
Theriault dog hearing conducted by Mr Busa on January 30, 1980 The Dog
hearing was held on the written complaint of Mr Barry Littleton, Animal
Control Officer, against the Shepherd dog owned by Mr John J Theriault,
4 Milk Street Mr Busa said that Mr Littleton's report stated the dog
had bitten children and adults Neighbors ' complaints had been made by
telephone and are on record at the Board of Health office Four bites
were reported by a Doctor but other bites have occurred in the neighbor-
hood that did not require medical attention. In Mr Busa's opipion, the
dog is dangerous; he is not vicious The son has been warned several times
and the parents have notified him that the dog should be restrained, and it
has never happened Mr Busa recommended that the Animal Control Officer
pick up the dog as soon as possible and either the owner find a new home
for the dog or the Animal Control Officer
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue the order
that the dog owned by Mr John J Theriault of 4 Milk Street be picked up
immediately by the Animal Control Officer and held for 10 days, during
which time the owner may, if possible, obtain a home for the dog out-
side the legal boundaries of the Town of Lexington If at the end of 10
days no home is found for the dog, the dog will be under the complete
jurisdiction of the Animal Control Officer
Chairman Miley read a request from Mr Paul Borthwick, Director of Grace
Senior High Ministry of Grace Chapel, for permission to use the reservoir Chapel-
on May 16 and 17 for a special activity to raise money for refugees from "Res"
Southeast Asia, to be called the "Lexington Boat People Project " Boat
Mr Busa said he would not accept that type of dramatization and People
suggested they have a walk-a-thon, bike-a-thon, or another type of Project
project Mr Kent said the Church is asking for permission for a legit-
imate,expressive activity, and he had two questions - if it is within our
province to make a judgment to grant permission and, assuming that exists,
if the dates of May 16-17 are inconsistent with the normal use by the public,
and he felt they were not He would be in favor if it were within the
board's province to grant permission Mrs Battin agreed with Mr Kent
provided the safety requirements were met Mr Crain said in reading the
proposal, one of the tests he applied was if it would be inflammatory,
and he did not think it had any potential like that Also, as he under-
stands the By-Law, it could be granted with the permission of the board
Mr Hutchinson questioned the item stating , "we would open the activity
for our church youth only; this project would require us to use some activ-
ities and practices which some other religious folk might disagree with;
we feel that it should be kept as a closed activity (unless you prefer
otherwise ) Mr Hutchinson recommended that Mr Borthwick be invited to
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - February 4, 1980
attend the next meeting to explain the proposal Mr Cohen stressed the
fact that the safety factor is important
It was agreed to invite Mr Borthwick to attend the meeting on
February 11 for further information
The Board approved the following agenda items
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
minutes of November 5, 1979 and January 21, 1980
Com.Vict Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the 1980
Baskin Common Victualler license for the new Manager, Mark Levine d.b a
Robbins Baskin Robbins, 1729 Massachusetts Avenue
Abatements Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Water - request of Mr Warren Empey, Acting Director of Public Works, to abate
water bills in the total amount of $982 80 Also, to abate the sewer
Sewer betterment assessments on land owned by Adolph F & Alice Krol, 51
Better- Wellington Lane Avenue, in the total amount of $1,258 88; the land
ments was acquired by the Conservation Commission.
Lex.Arts Chairman Miley read a letter from the Massachusetts Special Commission
Council on the Performing and Visual Arts regarding the establishment of a local
arts council and the appointment of a 5-member committee by April 30, 1980
Appointments would be for two years, renewable twice The enabling legis-
lation defines the persons to be appointed as, "among qualified private
citizens of the commonwealth who have demonstrated scholarship or creativity
in, or distinguished service to, the arts and humanities, and who shall be
broadly representative of all fields of the performing arts, the fine arts,
and the humanities " The Board agreed to consult the "talent bank" file
for possible candidates and to write to the Lexington Theatre Co , Arts
and Crafts Society, Masterworks Chorale, and the School Department for
one nominee from each group to be submitted by April 15
Water - Chairman Miley read a letter from Mr James MacDonald, 8 Wadman Circle,
Wadman requesting a definite commitment for the approved replacement of water pipes
Circle in Wadman Circle Mr Hutchinson said that the project will be done in the
spring, and he will write a letter to Mr MacDonald assuring him that the
town has definite plans for implementation in the spring
Warrants- Chairman Miley requested the Board to sign the 1980 warrants
Town Meet Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the warrants
& Pres for the 1980 Annual Town Meeting and the Presidential Primary to be held
Primary on Tuesday, March 4, 1980
Conserva Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that Mr Zabih, Chairman of the
Self Help Fair Housing Committee, had met with Mr Flatley of the Office of Com-
Funds munities and Development and we will be receiving notice in the near
future that the self-help Conservation money that was tied up will be
available for release, based upon an understanding that they do under-
stand there is a conscientious effort going on towards housing in
Lexington The decision of"restricted"will be lifted subject to a
memorandum of understanding being executed
s �
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - February 4, 1980
Mr. Hutchinson commended the staff of the Manager's office for the
concerted effort and excellent results in the preparation and completion
of the warrant for the Town Meeting
Regarding the warrant articles, we have had to list $9,100 in the Kendall Rd.
sidewalk article as the sidewalk on Kendall Road is going to extend be- Sidewalk
yond the original parameters and will tie in with an existing sidewalk
Mr Hutchinson requested authorization to inform the Town of Concord Concord
that we would be unable to handle their septage because of (1) the high Septage
volume; (2) there are control problems on our existing disposal site System
within the community; (3) they are expecting that answer and are working
on other alternates
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the
Manager to notify the Town of Concord that the Lexington Health Depart-
ment and the Engineering Department do not consider Concord's request
to handle their septage system as being appropriate at this time
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that union local is voting on the Pub Wks
Public Works' contract on Wednesday evening He would submit details Contract
at the next Selectmen's meeting; however, it is consistent with the wage
guidelines of the town and it is a proposed 3-year agreement
Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of a proposal submitted by the LEXPRESS
' Transportation Advisory Committee for free rides on LEXPRESS on Lincoln's
birthday, February 12, at a cost of approximately $40 00
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Transportation Advisory Committee's program for free rides on LEXPRESS
on Lincoln's Birthday, February 12, 1980
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that he had notified Mr Ronald Spraying
Steffek, in response to his request, that no spraying for gypsy moths
would be done on his property at 21 Outlook Drive
Mr Hutchinson said that Mr Goodman of the Vocell Bus Company has Commuter
addressed the Board's concerns regarding the increase in the fare Express
structure and has submitted a.proposal for a single ride ticket, Bus Fare
20-ride book, and a monthly pass The 12-ride book was deleted Increase
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve an
increase in fares for the Vocell Bus Company as follows Single
ride ticket-$1 60; 20-ride book-$26 00; monthly pass-$48 00
Mr Hutchinson requested authorization to go forward on the Tax Title
request of Mrs Nancy Nielson, 7 Wingate Road, to purchase an Conveyance
abutting lot
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize
the Manager to proceed with arrangements to convey Lot 4b/Assessors'
Map 16, Hayden Avenue to Mrs Nancy Nielson of 7 Wingate Road
Mr Hutchinson is to discuss with the Board next week the re- Recreation
vised list of projects for Recreation playgrounds Playground
Projects
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - February 4, 1980
Munroe Mr Hutchinson said that the School Sites Conversion Committee will
School meet on January 7 at the Munroe School to discuss further the implica-
tions of the Hammer Kiefer and Todd, Inc report regarding a human
services center The Board will be addressing this during the period prior
to Town Meeting Members of the Board agreed to attend the meeting at Munroe
Transfer - Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of a transfer of $12,000 to
Account Professional Services in order to provide inspection services for the
#1090 Building Department and the Planning Board
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request the
approval of the Appropriation Committee for a transfer from the Reserve
Fund to Account 1090-Professional Services in the amount of $12,000
JTraffic The residents of Wilson Road and School Street met with the Board
concerning traffic conditions in the area Reports had been submitted
from the Traffic Safety Committee-minority and majority reports and
Wilson Rd the Police Department Residents expressed concern for the safety of
children, the high volume of vehicles and the speed factor After dis-
School St cussion, the Board agreed to implement several recommendations
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the
report of the majority of the Traffic Safety Committee regarding Wilson
Road, and to instruct the Town Manager to pursue approval of the School
Committee to close the Hastings School entrance on Roosevelt Road by
the installation of a chain; to see if money could be made available
in the FY 81 budget for widewalk construction in the Wilson Road area;
to have the Police Department or the Public Works Department pursue the
possibility of the installation of stop signs at Wilson Road/Roosevelt Road
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recom-
mendation of the Traffic Safety Committee regarding School Street, and to
alleviate whatever visual problems exist on School Street Also, to paint
the crosshatch and sidewalks as soon as the weather permits
Police enforcement on Wilson Road and School Street is to be provided
on an interim basis whenever manpower is available
Marrett Because cars are coming on and off Marrett Road from Route 128 into
Road the area, Mr Busa explained to the residents that the town and the Minute-
Widening man School have been pursuing the widening of Marrett Road with the state
for nine years, and nothing has happened We are pursuing it again this
year Marrett Road has been studied and it has been surveyed Mr Hutchinson
said that we rebirthed the correspondence on the Hartwell Connector with the
state and we are in the process of doing the same thing on Marrett Road
Representative Cole had informed him thatthis is a non-funding year for
public roads' projects as the state budget is designed around alternate
years for construction
Chairman Miley thanked the residents for coming and assured them that
the best possible steps will be taken to alleviate the traffic situation
in their area
1
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - February 4, 1980
Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of transfers from Article 5 of 1979 Transfer
to the personal services accounts Art 5-'79
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recom- Personal
mendation of the Manager to transfer the amount of $196, 429 from Article 5 Services
of the 1979 Annual Town Meeting to the appropriate personal services accounts Accounts
The Board discussed Mr Hutchinson's recommendation for approval of Building
the Building Commissioner's reclassification from M-7 to M-8. Mr Busa Commis-
raised questions as to whether the job description had been changed and sioner
the scope of the position had been expanded. Mr Hutchinson said that Reclassi-
it has been proposed to revise the job description essentially by refer- fication
encing the responsibilities of Adminj.ktr tive Coordinator of the State
Building Code When he was thired, [r4 D-fa'tteo was told that he was re-
sponsible for this, and this was not an item referenced in the previous
study done in 1973 by Arthur D Little Formerly, the Building Com-
missioner had responsibilities for building codes, electrical codes,
plumbing codes, and we expanded the job description to include adminis-
trative responsibilities for all the land use codes
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the
Town Manager to implement the change in classification from M-7 to M-8
for Mr Peter DiMatteo, Building Commissioner, from $23,067-M-7 to
$24,220-M-8, retroactive to January 1, 1980, subject to the interpreta-
tion of Town Counsel as to the legality of the retroactive payment
Mrs Battin discussed the request from the Massachusetts Taxpayers' Mass
Foundation for support of House Bill No 3519-Improvement of META Manage- Taxpayers
ment She said the Legislative Director of the Massachusetts Municipal Foundation-
Associations strongly endorses the bill, and the Executive Director is MBTA
asking the Directors to endorse it at the meeting on February 12 as being House Bill
extremely worthwhile and would give us many more management tools to deal with 3519
the "T " Mrs Battin recommended that the Board support the bill, subject to
the Chairman's investigation with the MBTA Advisory Board
Mrs Battin said that the Conservation Commission has raised some I/I Study
questions about the Inflow/Infiltration study, concerns about the water
table quality and quantity and to what degree can they use the I/I study
to legally justify denying developments on wetlands, etc. Apparently,
there are decisions Conservation must make.
It was pointed out that the Town Engineer had met with the Conserva-
tion Commission on the I/I study and it was agreed that he is to be re-
quested to submit a memo to the Conservation Commission answering the
questions raised
Mr Busa informed the Board that the Energy Committee has recommenda- Energy
tions for the conservation of energy in the town buildings and a full report Commission
on their recommendations will be submitted as soon as possible
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9 20 p m
A true record, Attest
/ 27/'?27c
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
V 0 I C
1
I
r6, *
A
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
FEBRUARY 11, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, February 11, 1980, at 7 30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Cohen, Town
Oounsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive
Clerk, were present
Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the application of Honeywell, Inc Gasoline
permission r rm
o ission to install two 10,000 gallon underground gasoline tanks with Hearing -
two electric gasoline pumps on the premises at 3 Forbes Road A notice of Honeywell
the hearing was advertised in the January 31, 1980 issue of the Lexington
Minute-man, and the abutters were notified of the hearing by certified mail
by the petitioner Attorney William Dailey, representing Honeywell, in-
fromed the Board that the application and plan had been submitted to the
Selectmen and we met with Fire Chief Bergeron, George Smith, Health Director,
and Clifford Prentiss, Conservation Director We propose to have two under-
ground gasoline tanks for the purpose of serving our own vehicles and to
have gasoline available for employees who are required to come in on off
days Mrs Miley said that lengthy reports have been received from the
Board of Health, Conservation Commission, and Chief Bergeron She read
a final report from Chief Bergeron stating that the Lexington Fire, Health
and Conservation departments have completed a review of Honeywell, Inc
gasoline storage license application and all regulations have been met
The applicant has also agreed to additional safeguards that the town de-
partments have recommended and the application should be slated for a
hearing by the Board of Selectmen Chief Bergeron said the tanks are as
safe as possible, in fact, they exceed the state regulations From a health
viewpoint, we were concerned because it is upstream from the Cambridge water
supply, so the Conservation and Health departments have put in very strict
regulations on securing the tanks It will be a vaulted installation where
the tanks are actually set into a concrete vault for greater protection
against leakage; other alarms have been put over and above what is normally
required for tanks because of the location of the water supply We also met
with a representative of the Cambridge Water Board and they are satisfied
that our requirements will protect the water supply Mr John Beekman of
the Cambridge Water Board said he would not speak in favor or in opposition
but would like to express his appreciation to Chief Bergeron and the other
town agencies for their efforts in the interests of the Cambridge water
supply No one appearing in favor or in opposition, Chairman Miley de-
clared the hearing closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission to
Honeywell, Inc, for installation of two 10,000 gallon underground gasoline
tanks with two electric gasoline pumps on the premises at 3 Forbes Road,
subject to the condition that the tanks are to be enclosed in concrete vaults
and compliance with the recommendations of the Fire, Conservation and Health
departments
L_ - -
I G3
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - February 11, 1980
I Dog Mr Busa discussed the hearing he conducted on January 30, 1980
Hearing- concerning the written complaint of Mr Littlefield, Lexington Animal
Muehlmann Control Officer, against the owner of a German Shephierd dog, Ms Amory F
Muehlmann, 59 Outlook Drive, stating the dog is a nuisance because of a
vicious disposition and is frequently loose in violation of the leash law
Mr Busa said the dog has bitten people, mostly children, and in listening
to the testimony of the Animal Control Officer and Mrs Muehlmann, who has
been taking great caution in restraining the dog by walking it on a leash,
he recommended that notice be served to Mrs Muehlmann that the dog should
be restrained at all times and not just when she is walking it. This ,wbtUd
abate the problem of the dog running around when the children have it out
in the yard when it is not on a leash Mr. Crain said that in the communique
to Mrs Muehlmann we should underscore that we consider this to be a very
serious matter and a recurrence would mean more severe action would be taken
by the Board
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted by order of the Board
of Selectmen that the German Shepherd dog owned and licensed to Ms Amory F
Muehlmann of 59 Outlook Drive is to be restrained by a leash or tied up
at all times If a violation of this order occurs, more severe action
shall be taken by the Board of Selectmen
State Chairman Miley read a letter,ftam "The Committee for the Responsible
Hearings Limit" requesting support of House Bills 5015 and 5016-to impose responsible
on Taxa- limits on government spending and taxes Mrs Battin said that the bill and
tion the constitutional amendment were referred to the Tax Policy Committee of the
Massachusetts Municipal Associations, which she co-chairs, and we have great
concerns about the aspects of it We have not analyzed this draft and have
great concerns about the previous one The hearings on taxation are to-
morrow, and the major thing is, it doesn't reform our over-dependence on
the property tax and the geographical disparity in the tax base among com-
munities aren't addressed at all by it, and there were other concerns that
we had She will attend the hearings tomorrow as president of ,the Selectmen's
Association, and the postures of the Municipal Associations are that we are
asking for half of the $300 million in increased state revenues to be given
as increased state local aid, and if the present tax cap extends for another
year, as it is intending, that energy costs be exempted; she is going to use
Lexington as an example of what energy increases have done to us We are
asking that we be given the ability to control the existing mandates We
pretty much have gotten a promise from the Governor and the legislature
that no new mandates will be imposed on cities and towns unless they are
funded or have local option We are asking for the means to control exist-
ing mandates We are not supporting any of the legislation as we don't think
it addresses the central issue of tax reform That is the posture of the
Massachusetts Municipal Associations Board of Directors, and she would recom-
mend that it be this Board's also Mr Crain that whenever data regarding
the town is going to be used, it would be very helpful if we all had a chance
to look at it and provide any input; that is a good process
I
/(ry
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - February 11, 1980
Mrs Miley said that she is to testify tomorrow on a bill which she, as
an individual, and Senator Rotondi have filed asking that if there is a cap
on municipalities, there also be a cap on state government, the MBTA and
county government Her idea is to let them know that all of us are con-
cerned about how we are going to operate with caps when the state govern-
ment does not have a cap Mrs Battin said the Municipal Associations
have not taken a stand but it will tomorrow; we are endorsing that they
also operate under a 4% cap Mr Crain asked if the referenced MBTA cap
related to the potential increased revenue generated by the fare increase
because, in his opinion, the fare increase is something that has to be
seriously considered to help the MBTA out of its dilemma From looking
at the MBTA budget, he did not see how it would be able to operate with
a 4% cap He suggested that Mrs Miley may want to consider how she
would present her proposal for a cap with the potential of increased
revenue. Mrs. Miley said that it might be the way to make it work
Mr Borthwick, Director of Senior High Ministry of Grace Chapel, Grace
met with the Board to discuss his request for permission to use the Chapel -
reservoir for a special activity to raise money for refugees from South- "Res"
east Asia, to be called the "Lexington Boat People Project " The dates
requested are May 16 and May 17, 1980, would involve 15-30 youths and
staff, and would be in boats for a 24-30 hour period on the reservoir,
attempting to simulate the fate of the refugees Each refugee would
raise money through people who sponsor him or her during the hours in the
boat; they would land for sanitary and health reasons One lifeguard per
boat, one on the shore and additional personnel on the shore to guard
against hecklers, would be provided They would promote the activity with
local media as well as through the international organization World Vision
'Who has agreed to help in the project They would open the activity for
their church youth only; this project would require us to use some activi-
ties and practices which some other religious folk might disagree with;
thus we feel that it should be kept as a closed activity unless the
Board prefers otherwise. Mr Borthwick said a lot of precautionary
measures that were listed were as a result of his meeting with Joan
Halverson, Lexington Recreation Coordinator, and it is our desire to
take an amount of safety measures which you would recommend Mr Busa
said he had a problem with the dramatization and the possibility of an
accident happening on the res Mr Crain had a high sense of concern
about safety in the water in the darkness Mrs Battin said she and Mr
Cohen were concerned about safety and asked the Manager to satisfy himself
Mr Borthwick said he understood thereeffghts at the reservoir which would
be on all night Mrs Banks said the Manager would recommend against the
request as we could not insure the safety of people on the reservoir and
another concern was that it was a religious organization Mr Kent said
his only concern was the safety factor With respect to the religious
aspect of it and with respect to the dramatization of it, it seemed to
him to be a matter within the purview of the people who want to do it
To grant permission for this purpose is totally consistent with the town's
philosophy and policy with respect to the dramatization by christians
which we permit to take place under the auspices of private persons every
Christmas through the creche on the Green One of the really fine features
of that policy is that it leaves us in a position to approve of reasonable
use of public' facilities for dramatization by any religious group of what-
ever persuasion and whatever particular viewpoint may be desired to be presented
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - February 11, 1980
He emphasized that his only concern was the safety factor, already expressed
by the members of the Board, and the deep water aspect of it He would be
much happier were this under lights, to conclude at a reasonably early
hour in the evening rather than going throughout the night Mrs Battin
agreed with Mr Kent regarding the policy on the Green, and added that
this is a place where people who have deeply-felt convictions can express
them, no matter what persuasion, and this is a very important heritage
that Lexington has She suggested having the project from sunrise to
sunset The Board agreed
Grace Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
Chapel to Grace Chapel for the use of the Lexington Reservoir on May 16 and
Vote May 17, 1980 from sunrise to sunset for the Lexington Boat People Project,
subject to the regulations of the Manager, the Recreation Committee, and
Police Chief Corr
Mr Borthwick agreed to contact the Manager to work out the details
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
minutes of the Selectmen's Meeting of February 4, 1980
Minuteman Chairman Miley read a letter from Mrs Ruth Wales, Chairman of the
School Minuteman School Committee, requesting the Board's assistance in gaining
Federal additional Federal Aid for the School District The letter stated that
Aid last year, the local Boards of Selectmen and Finance Committees supported
our request for a correction of an inequity in state aid and, with your
support, the matter was corrected This led to a $300,000 annual reduction
in total assessment to our member towns If we can now secure a correction
of the Federal Aid inequity, we could gain revenue of over $100,000 per year
for five years assuming a multi-year amortization schedule
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to send a letter to
the Massachusetts State Board of Education supporting the position of the
Minuteman School Committee regarding the correction of the inequity in
Federal Aid to the School District
Mystic Dr Cook, Director, and Mrs Michelov, President of the Mystic Valley
Valley Area Board of the Department of Mental Health, met with the Board Mrs
Area Bd Michelov said we felt it would be helpful to visit with the selectmen in
Emergency all areas to begin to beef up communications in some way and communicate
Shelters our policies, and to understand the towns' attitudes where residences are
concerned We have three residences here in Lexington and at one time
we ended up with two residences in one area of town One of those is the
emergency shelter and they are in the process of looking for another loca-
tion; hopefully, it will be relocated by the end of the fiscal year
Winchester, Arlington Wilmington, and Woburn have houses and we will be
building in Burlington with HUD money We have nothing being built or
envisioned in Lexington, and it is important to note that although the
Department of Mental Health has been involved in the institutionalization
process, that is slowly coming to an end and at some point will cease In
general, we would like to know what your concerns are, your recommendations,
and we would like to know how we could continue communication, perhaps even
on a higher level than in the past
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - February 11, 1980
Mr Crain said the only input he could supply is the impression we
got from some of the citizens who came from that end of town which ended
up with a concentration The manner in which the site was selected and
obtained was one where the neighborhood wasn't well aware of and would
have appreciated an opportunity for open expression and better under-
standing Dr Cook said he was here that night and there was discussion
of the fact that everyone felt the need to have a forum and they were
talking about developing an approach to that He wondered if the board
had moved along on that thought?
Chairman Miley said we are hoping to have our new Human Services Com-
mittee work with the different groups, including that one
Mr Crain added that you could have the Human Services group function-
ing consistent with this charge and it would be possible for someone to
come in and secure property without that communication ever occurring
Mrs Banks said the Building Commissioner is aware of when any residence
does come into town; it is my understanding it is not funded by the De-
partment of Mental Health and it is possible that you would not be aware
of the residence Mr Mich elov said that is correct and that has been
some of the problem We are only aware of those residences that we are
involved in; in fact, what we are looking for is a centralized system
or a contact within the town We have been very pleased because we have
worked very closely with Mrs Banks on that but never got a sense of what
the policy was going to be for the whole town, and that is something we are
looking for, for those kinds of guidelines not only the Department of Ment-al
Health but anyone that would be coming into town, you would have a central
method of knowing what is happening so you would know that two of us aren't
coming into one neighborhood concurrently without either party knowing.
Mrs Banks said we had a notification through the Building Commissioner's
office whereby he would make sure that all the abutters in a certain area
would be notified and try to tie in an alert to various committees Since
we adopted this, we have not had a request for a residence Chairman Miley
added that it would come through the Board, as well Mr Cohen said the
Board and the Manager had requested him to look into the legal aspects of
what the town can do to regulate that mechanism and the suggested procedtires
of what we can do with your application In the case mentioned, you did come
to the Building Commissioner and presented a copy of a decision with your
application; this seemed to indicate that the town can't do anything about
regulating it anyway, and that is probably not the right approach
Discussion followed on which Selectmen were unaware of the second
house on Reed Street and the breakdown in communication among the Selectmen
regarding this Mr Kent said that what we have here is an appreciation on
the part of the Mystic Valley Health Association and appreciation of a
neighborhood over-impact with respect to facilities of this character, and
a willingness to work with the community in terms of setting up a system in
which, when a proposal comes along, everybody involved will understand its
relation to conditions in the neighborhood and a receptivity to work these
things out; this is of the essence if we are going to have long-term, health
working relationships For the time being, we have agreed with the Human
Services Committee that we would not ask them to be troubleshooters with
respect to specific problem which arise; we have asked them to work out a
policy with respect to handling problems of this character As he heard
Mrs Banks, that process has been evolving to the point at which the
Manager's office is reasonably well satisfied with it Certainly again,
in fairness to the Human Services Committee, we did give them a priority
-1
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - February 11, 1980
charge with respect to evaluation of funding requests, and a question to
111
the Area Board would be their perceptions of our financial request evalua-
tion process to the extent that they have had occasion to deal with it up
to this point?
Mr Crain said as he understood the alert system described by Mrs
Banks, he was not sure it services the requests of citizens we have
listened to As he understood it, the Building Commissioner will make
sure that neighbors and abutters hear about it, but in that proposal
he saw no sponsorship of a forum, which is the word that citizens have
asked for, and that is a very serious deficiency in the process that he
now understood exists - the frustration of the neighbors in that they
never have a chance to have a dialogue and obtain better understanding
Mrs Banks said the understanding would be that the Building Commissioner
would notify the Manager's office, and because the numbers are so few
that we get, we are looking for a policy and an appropriate form. We
did get notification from Mystic Valley for a location several months
ago but they decided to locate elsewhere We would arrange on an in-
dividual basis to meet that need
Dr Cook said that he had met with some members of the Human Services
Committee and would meet with them again this evening Regarding Mr Crain's
concern, we have that concern also, which seems to be that no matter how
much advance preparation we do with official bodies, when the actual site
is selected and people suddenly realize that it's there, they become
emotionally involved We have to have some way in which they can par-
ticipate in a discussion and understanding of it; we recognize that and
try to build that in We like to do it in such a way that it could be
a townwide activity, and that's why we look to the Selectmen, as people
tend to think of them as being the central place where things are under-
stood That the Selectmen sponsor a meeting where anyone could come and
ask questions, and this would be very helpful, or some other body could
do it for the town
Mr Kent said this underscores a necessity for a somewhat more formal
process for according the forum to which Mr Crain referred than simply
having the Manager's office set up an appropriate forum as the occasion
arises, and we really need to know something about the nature of that forum
and there needs to be a rather substantial degree of official, public par-
ticipation, and probably isn't something that ought to be confined to the
Manager's office Mrs Banks said the expectation is, with the Human
Services Committee, we could come up with an appropriate mechanism Be-
cause their workload is taking longer than we had anticipated, they are
concluding their budget reviews within the next few weeks, and we expect
them to deal with this issue
Chairman Miley asked Mrs Battin to work with Mrs Banks and the
Human Services Committee Mrs Battin agreed to act as a bridge
Chairman them for meeting with the Board and members of the Mystic
Valley Area Board retired from the meeting
'
lig
Meeting ng - 7 - February 11, 1980
Mrs Jayne Gillespie Gordon, 599 Bedford Street, Concord, regarding License -
her application to operate guided tours in Lexington. Chairman Miley Guided
asked how this would conflict with the guides we have now? Mrs Tours
Gordon said the difference would be that the tours would be based on
specific themes, (1) The Revolutionary War; (2) Literary Landmarks;
(3) An Architectural tour There would be no actual competition with
the guides as there would be no soliciting for the tours on the Battle
Green. Mrs Gordon also requested permission for conducting walking
tours, which would be limited to 15 people, and the tickets would be
limited to that number At the present time, she anticipates hiring
5 or 6 people and the tours would involve one carload of people
Tours would be priced at a set fee and would be of a standard length
They would be widely advertised as an overview of the town and cover-
ing more than the chronical of events
Mr Busa had no problem with the tour itself but questioned the
conflict with the regular guides by starting on the Green; if not on
the Green, would she be originating..the tours within the historic
districts area? Mrs Gordon replied that she would need the direction
of the Board before she decides
Mr Kent said that the application for the license specifies that
tours will be by reservation only, and in terms of our participation as
the permit granting authority, that really ought to suffice; with that
involved, he had no objection to sensible places to start and finish
Mrs Gordon has indicated the different nature of these tours and by
the representation on the application that tours will be by reservation
only, of a standard length, set fee, and covering for the most part the
area around the Green He was reluctant to write in a requirement that
they start somewhere else in the light of the reservation
Mr Busa said the reason for his feeling that they start someplace
else is that this has now become private enterprise and the Town of
Lexington should not give their peoperty for a private venture on the
originating of a guided tour on the Green or the historic districts area
He had no objection if they locate some other place and then take the
tour to whatever historic spot or route they want to take when reserva-
tions are made For private enterprise to start on the Green is not in
good faith as far as the young guides we have on the Green.
Mr Kent said he would like to make reference to the fact that the
By-Law does contemplate people hiring out for remuneration with respect
to historic places and buildings, anywhere within the town It cannot
be done without first obtaining a permit in writing; the By-Law does not
indicate a bias against people engaging in this kind of venture but that
only the Board of Selectmen exercise some control He shared Mr Busa's
concern about the spontaneous tours on the Green but Mrs Gordon's specific
reference to "by reservation only" is enough for him to take care of that
particular concern.
Mr Crain said that all reservations should be to avoid conflict with
the guides on the Green. His reservation was if the business becomes
• Ill
that attractive,and consideration is given to magnifying and multiplying
this operation, it should be discussed with this Board before it happens
Selectmen's Meeting - 8 - February 11, 1980
Chairman Miley said it also is a fact that if it becomes popular,
there could be other people doing the same thing and we would have to
take it on an individual basis She asked Mrs Gordon if she would be
hiring buses? Mrs Gordon replied that she would not; they would be
using individual cars
Mr Kent suggested that the license be issued for one year, and the
Board could reconsider a year hence and take into account the possible
developments mentioned
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue a license
to Mrs Jayne Gordon to operate guided tours on the Battle Green and the
surrounding area in accordance with the outlined information submitted to
the Board of Selectmen; license to expire in February, 1981
Mrs Gordon agreed to meet with Mrs Nancy Banks to work out the
details
Innkeeper- Chairman Miley read an application from Mr Michael Hanafin for
Battle renewal of the Innkeeper license for the Battle Green Inn
Green Mrs Banks said that Mr George Smith, Health Director, has inspected
Inn the premises and has recommended granting the license subject to improve-
ments in certain areas
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the 1980
Innkeeper license for the Battle Green Inn, subject to the requirements
of the Health Director
Lodging Dr Bernard Yudowitz, owner of Wild Acre Inn at 50 Percy Road, met
House with the Board regarding renewal of the Lodging House license
License- Mrs Banks said there were some serious concerns raised at the in-
Wild spections and if the Board decides to grant it, we would urge it be done
Acre subject to them. The Fire inspector was concerned that the stairways were
open and should be enclosed, that the corridors be made airtight, and
flammable materials in the rooms be cleaned up The Health Inspector's
report stated problems with asbestos lagging on the heating systems in
the basement area, and that the kitchen and dishwashing area be re-painted
Some of these things had been discussed last year during inspections and
these are just maintenance items
Mr Smith, Health Director, said there are problems and, generally,
Dr Yudowitz would take of them One thing, some of the housekeeping
items have gotten away from them because of the change in management
A year ago, for the most part, they tried to keep on top of them. He
recommended improvement in the general housekeeping items - cleaning and
painting He has been looking at this lag for a couple of years The
Manager told me today that they would get someone in to take care of
these things within a week to 10 days, and that would take care of my
reservations Overall, he would like to see improvement in the sanita-
tion and painting areas
Mr Crain said that last year the Board took an action in rendering
only a 3-months license to underscore our very great concern about condi-
tions that existed then, and at the time the 3 months were up, we gave the
license for the rest of the year, once again focusing and underscoring
"sustained improvement of conditions " In reviewing the record, there
have been three tanagers since December of 1978, including the appointment
of a new manager this week The basic problem is if the proprietor does
not take the responsibility to assure that the quality items are taken
care of The painting of the kitchen, which is highlighted again, was
!°
Selectmen's Meeting - 9 - February 11, 1980
last accomplished because the Health Director asked that it be done Some-
one who runs a business like this thould take on the responsibility to main-
tain the premises the way they are supposed to be and not wait for a Health
Director to indicate it is time to paint the kitchen again Mr Crain was
very concerned with the way this is being run and the turnover in personnel
Dr Yudowitz said the 3 months permission was granted last year on the
condition that a sewer pump station be put in; it was, at the cost of
$52,000 The kitchen is painted twice a year but the house accommodates
20 people and there is daily use of the kitchen; perhaps it needs to be
painted twice a year Within 30 days, anything that has been mentioned
will be done
Mr Crain said the record shows the report of the Health Director on
December 20 of last year was that the sewage disposal had been satisfied
and our minutes reflect that our concerns were with the other conditions
that existed, general housekeeping, basement area and storage shed needed
a thorough cleaning, bathrooms needed renovation The Board discussed
renewal of the 1979 license for 3 months and instructed the Town Manager
to inform Dr Yudowitz that if the pattern of violations continues, the
license will be revoked So, in fact, it was not related to the sewer
Dr Yudowitz assured the Board that since that report, the kitchen
has been painted twice
Chief Bergeron said the Fire Department also visited the premises again
and we concur with the recommendations of the Building Commissioner There
is no regulation on this at the present time but Dr Yudowitz has started
to install a sprinkler system and a main has been brought into the building
We would recommend as strongly as possible that the sprinkler system be
completed Also, if the town accepts the warrant article that smoke de-
tectors be mandatory for buildings with six or more dwelling units, this
would give the town some fire regulations that would improve and strengthen
the protective systems in these types of buildings We do hope the owner
will complete the sprinkler system although there is no regulation that
he would have to
After discussion, the Board agreed to grant the license for 90 days
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the 1980
Wild Acre Inn Lodging House license for a period of 90 days, to May 12,
1980, subject to all recommendations of the Health, Fire and Building
Departments being completed within this period of time; with the proviso
that at the end of 90 days, Dr Yudowitz is to inform the Board what steps
and involvement he would propose so that the same conditions do not occur
the next time there is an inspection of Wild Acre Inn
Mrs Banks requested the Board's endorsement of the DPW contract DPW
The men ratified it this week with a little more than 10% of the member- Contract
ship voting against the agreement
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to endorse the
contract for the Department of Public Works
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recom- Bonds
mendation of Mrs Banks to approve bonds of the Deputy Tax Collectors
Patrick J Moynihan and Arthur W Degnin, in the amount of $5,000, each
il ►
Selectmen's Meeting -10- February 11, 1980
Bldg Mr Busa and Mr Crain discussed the classification change of
Commr the Building Commissioner and it was agreed to discuss the matter
of retroactive salary payment when Mr Hutchinson returns
E Lex Mr Busa asked about the East Lexington fire station being closed
Fire during training sessions for the firemen and said that it was his under-
Station standing that a policy was made by the Board of Selectmen not to close
the fire station
It was agreed to check the previous minutes and talk with Mr
Hutchinson at the next meeting.
Patriots Chairman Miley informed the Board that she had received a telephone
Day - call from Mr Fitzgerald, Chairman of the Town Celebrations Committee,
WBZ that WBZ radio would like to broddcast the events of Patriots Day,
Radio April 21, from 5 45 a m. until 12.00 Noon; therefore, he requests ap-
proval of the Board so that arrangements can be made with WBZ and our
appropriate town departments
The Board had no objection, subject to the determination of the
Manager and the Town Celebrations Committee
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9 05 p.m.
A true record, Attest
464144-17A422cC
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
71
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
BREAKFAST MEETING
FEBRUARY 15, 1980
The meeting was called to order by Chairman Miley at 7 40 a.m Those
present included. Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr
Hutchinson, Mrs Banks and guests Mrs Patricia Swanson, member of the
School Committee; Mrs Marcia Feakes, Chairman of Youth Commission; Mr
David Williams, Chairman of Conservation Commission; Mrs Ruth Morey,
Chairman of the Board of Appeals; Dr William Cosgrove, Chairman of the
Board of Health; Mrs Mary Shunney, Chairman of the Housing Authority
and Fred Friedman, Chairman of the Planning Board
Mrs Miley opened the meeting and briefly discussed that this meeting Town Meet-
was called to discuss pending items on this year's warrant She asked the ing Warrant
Town Manager to discuss the major issues Articles
Mr Hutchinson noted the major issue this year is solid waste We are run- Solid
ping out of space at the landfill and need to close the landfill this year Waste
This past week, bids for trash collection were opened These were higher
than last year There was some discussion about when trash collection
should start and it was agreed that the Manager would look at moving the
starting date past July 1, 1980 Mrs Feakes asked about the possibility
of recycling Mr Hutchinson said recycling was one component of the bid,
but the cost was very high Generally, the Town is looking at interim
solutions Mr Hutchinson said so much is happening in this field that
we do not want to tie ourselves to one solution at this time
Mr Friedman discussed the proposed citizen articles and the Planning Planning
Board stands He said the Planning Board would probably come out against Board
the office complex on Spring Street so they can study the traffic situation Rezoning
in more depth. The proposed multi-dwelling unit for Waltham Street has Articles
some problems and may not be ready this year It calls for nine units per
acre at approximately $80,000 per unit A proposal was submitted for a
site on Woburn Street It appears that the apartments will be presented
to Town Meeting with 25% for low and moderate income The Planning Board
would like to see fewer numbers There is some concern that if the Town
does not go along, the developers will pursue this under Chapter 774 The
proposal for Ridge Road has been withdrawn and the Planning Board is
opposed to the rezoning on Bedford Street
Conservation has four proposed purchases on this year's warrant and Conserva
four pieces of land for transfer One piece included the land behind Articles
Parker School which the Commission thought was the direction recommended
by the Town The Commission has scheduled a meeting with the Recreation
Commission to discuss whether the land is better held as conservation or
Town. Since all recreation land is actually Town land, it was suggested
that the Commission contact the Board of Selectmen as well
I1 o)
Selectmen's Breakfast Meeting - 2 - February 15, 1980
Housing Mrs Shunney reported on the progress of the scattered site houses 1
Author The Authority was surprised by the few numbers of town employees who
Scattrd have applied Overall response has been good and applications are still
Housing being accepted Four of the houses are nearing completion and will be
on the house tour
Parker & The Selectmen discussed the two articles dealing with schools A
Munroe new proposal is being presented for Parker and the proposals for Munroe
Schools School are still being reviewed The architect has revised the estimate
for a reduced program which will not cost $500,000 Although these
estimates are higher than expected, they are realistic
Mrs Miley adjourned the meeting
Respectfully submitted,
-7/6/14-441. )41 i6e,i440'
Nancy H. /hanks
I
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
I II/ FEBRUARY 19, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Tuesday, February 19, 1980 at 7:30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr. Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr. Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
Chairman Miley read a letter from the Department of Housing and Housing
Urban Development, dated January 21, 1980, requesting the Board's com- Authority-
ments on the application of Moore Homes, Inc to HUD for funds for two Moore
units at the Morrow Crossing condominium development for the Housing Homes/HUD
Authority Mrs Mary Shunney, Chairman of the Lexington Housing Author-
ity, was present and said that the the Housing Authority supports the
application and they are working with their attorney to solve the legal
problems. Moore Homes, Inc in its Memorandum of Understanding dated
March 27, 1979 agreed to grant an option to the Lexington Housing
Authority for the sale of not less than two units to the Authority for
a period of 18 months from the time of Town Meeting approval or final
completion date, whichever comes later The Memorandum further states
that if the Housing Authority fails to exercise its option, the developer
has the option to sell the units to either an existing non-profit organi-
zation or one he may develop This HUD application will provide the
funds for the non-profit organization to purchase said units should the
Lexington Housing Authority not be able to do so Mrs Shunney said that
this is something new and, as we all know, when working with the federal
or state it takes so much time; we would hate to see Moore Homes tied
up beyond a reasonable length of time. We are making every effort we
can to take over these units Mr Nickerson of Moore Homes was present
and had no comments .
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted unanimously to
support the application of Moore Homes, Inc to HUD for funds to pur-
chase two units at Morrow Crossing
Chairman Miley read a letter from the Cary Library Executive Com- Appts -
mittee submitting two nominees for an appointment to the Historic Hist Dists
Districts Commission.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mrs.
Ann Wallace, 8 Glen Road, a member of the Historic Districts Commission,
for a five year term of office expiring January 1, 1985, as a representa-
tive of the Cary Memorial Library Trustees
Chairman Miley recommended that appointments be made to the Pest Pest
Control Advisory Committee Control
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint the Adv Com.
following members of the Pest Control Advisory Committee for a period
of six months to August 19, 1980: John W Andrews, 22 Kendall Road;
Ann Bond, 16 Franklin Street; Raymond Gabler, 10 Boulder Road; Barbara
Green, 197 Grove Street; Paul V. Riffin, 6 Field Road; Martin K. White,
50 Bloomfield Street; ex-officio members Paul Mazerall, DPW, and
George Smith, Health Director
(15
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - February 19, 1980
Resigna- Chairman Miley read a letter of resignation from Mr Fred C Bailey
tion - Upon motion duly malde and seconded, it was voted to accept with re-
Hanscom gret the resignation of Mr Fred C Bailey as an alternate to the Hanscom
Adv Com. Advisory Committee
Dogs Mr Busa informed the Board that the Neville/Verdonne dog hearing
has been rescheduled to February 27 at 9 00 a m.
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
minutes of the Selectmen's Meeting of February 11, 1980
Traffic- Chairman Miley read a recommendation from the Traffic Safety Committee
Stop that the request from Mr Neil Chamberlain, 121 Cedar Street, be approved
Signs for the installation of Stop signs at Baker Avenue and Tucker Avenue; the
E Lex committee also recommends the installation of additional Stop signs in the
same area
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the Traffic
Rules and Orders by adding to Article VIII, Section 22, Schedule 7, the
following STOP signs Tucker Avenue-Eastbound at Baker Avenue; Tucker
Avenue-Westbound at Baker Avenue; Oak Street-Eastbound at Baker Avenue;
Banks Avenue-Eastbound at Baker Avenue; Banks Avenue-Westbound at Baker
Avenue; Tucker Avenue-Eastbound at Chase Avenue; Tucker Avenue-Westbound
at Chase Avenue; Tucker Avenue-Eastbound at Tarbell Avenue, Banks Avenue-
Eastbound at Chase Avenue; Ames Avenue-Eastbound at Baker Avenue; Bennett
Avenue-Westbound at Baker Avenue; Butler Avenue-Eastbound at Baker Avenue;
Taft Avenue-Eastbound at Baker Avenue; Chase Avenue-Northbound at Taft Avenue;
Tarbell Avenue-Northbound at Taft Avenue; Carbille Avenue-Northbound at
Oak Street; Charles Street-Northbound at Massachusetts Avenue; Bowker Street-
Northbound at Massachusetts Avenue; Taft Avenue-Northbound at Massachusetts
Avenue
Traffic- The Traffic Safety Committee recommended approval of the installation
Stop of Stop signs at North Street and Lowell Street as this intersection in-
Signs dicates that Stop signs are warranted
North St Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the Traffic
Lowell St Rules and Orders by adding to Article VIII, Section 22, Schedule 7, the
following STOP signs North Street-Northeastbound at Lowell Street;
North Street-Southwestbound at Lowell Street
Traffic- The Traffic Safety Committee submitted recommendations relative to
Brubeck- the requests received from Mrs Lois Brubeck, 12 Adams Street
Reflectors Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recom-
mendations of the Traffic Safety Committee that (1) reflectors be installed
on the small island at Massachusetts Avenue and Harrington Road to define the
location of the island; (2) Small reflectors be installed on the trees on East
Street approaching Adams Street to define their locations; (3) With the recon-
struction of Hancock Street to begin in the spring, which will include granite
curbing, the committee recommended that no action be taken to install reflectors
at the intersection of Hancock Street and Adams Street
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - February 19, 1980
Chairman Miley read a request for permission to conduct a road race Permit
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission St Brigid's
to St Brigid's Church to conduct a road race on Sunday, March 2, 1980, Road Race
at 2 00 p m. with proceeds to go to the "Boat People "
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the re- Band
quest of Mr Donald J Gillespie for the use of the Battle Green on Concert
Sunday, May 25, for a High School band concert, pending clarification
of the question raised as to whether Mr_ Gillespie would prefer to use
the bandstand at Hastings Park
Chairman Miley read a request for a change in the name on a Common Sheraton
Victualler license and an Innholder Liquor License Motor Inn
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Licenses
change in name on the Common Victualler license and Innholder Liquor
license from the Sheraton Lexington Motor Inn to Dunfey Hotels Corpora-
tion d.b a. Sheraton-Lexington Motor Inn The Board signed new licenses
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that proposals have been received Solid
on solid waste and are still under review; one form is for a transfer Waste
station and the other is for consideration of collection in the town Proposals
It looks as if, economically, the most viable proposal would be for the
collection of the town and we will address this at one of your meetings
before Town Meeting
Mr Hutchinson said that the Board has been provided with the most Munroe
recent estimate of Hamner, Kiefer and Todd regarding the Munroe School School
We are continuing to look at cost data, and looking at this recent
proposal at $518,000, his recommendation would be for the Board to
continue to undertake the renovation of the school Looking at our
debt service area, this is compatible with the capacity of the town
The actual permanent borrowing would reflect in our 1982 fiscal year
when we are dropping from our debt service the Clarke Jr High School
and some other items, We have shown that the estimated borrowing
costs, including operating costs, would be approximately $190,000
and we allowed for debt service at $165,000 His recommendation was
predicated upon the idea of having Town Meeting authorize a 1-step
process, which hasn't been done in the past In other words, to
take preliminary plans and go forward with implementation of that
project and take advantage of construction schedules The other
choice would be to get a figure for just completing detailed plans
and specifications for the building, receive bids, etc and come back
at a subsequent Town Meeting for authorized implementation of the pro-
posal The problem is that construction costs go up He has spent
time with the Treasurer and the Comptroller and they did not see any-
thing that will dramatically change our cost figures We believe that
the town should go forward on the human services center and you will
have to decide who the tenants will be Mr Busa said that this is
an improper approach to the human services problem in Lexington as
the need has not been shown A majority of them are satisfied with
the facilities at the church and so not support going into a senior
center of that magnitude The town should not be burdened with another
$750,000 The Board agreed to continue the discussion at a later meeting
after additional information is received
[- 1
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - February 19, 1980
Plan Bd Members of the Planning Board Central Business District Committee 111
Central met with the Board to discuss the Committee's recommendations for town
Business action Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr John Packard,
District Mr George Wadsworth, Mr Eric Clarke, and Mrs Jacqueline Smith were
Committee present Mr Friedman, Central Business Committee, said that the
Planning Board and the committee have been meeting over the past two
years with interested citizens and businessmen, and three different
meetings have been held to listen to concerns of the groups Last
December, we prepared a summary of a report and suggestions, and we
came up with 14 recommendations; 13 involved the selectmen and 1 cmtthe sign
by-law, which the Planning Board is working on now There had been
talk of the possibility of a parking garage and the feeling was that it
was not necessary at this time There was a comment about the tourist
sign and some people said that the season was really short, and
wondered if the April 19 parade and one or two specials really pro-
vide an impact on the community The Colonial Garage offers a lot of
potential to the town; Ms Wisotsky, a resident and business person
in the town, wrote a letter and she felt that most of the problems in
the center are not things that can be faced by the town There is the
question of diversity, and we discussed this a year ago about the possi-
bility of having special permits for all businesses in the ,town, and we
were told in rather clear terms that it was questionable for the types
of businesses We all have to face the reality that we are competing
with the Mall, and it would be better if we could accentuate the positive
in the town and maybe the sign by-law can help The committee recommends11/
that the merchants, businessmen, Chamber of Commerce, and property owners
provide a continuing effort toward marketing and promotional work to
enhance the center
Mr Friedman read the Central Business District Committee's recom-
mendations
1 Rewrite the sign by-law so as to make it easier to identify businesses
while maintaining the attractiveness of the Center
2 Develop more signs directing traffic to parking areas, and replace
those that are non-standard Mr Friedman said that he was not
aware of signs existing in the Center
3 Develop a way to direct overflow traffic from the Muzzey Street lot
to the other parking areas Mr Friedman said that it is very diffi-
cult in coming out of the Muzzey Street lot to find your way to the
other parking lots
4 Allocate a portion of each parking area for small cars
5 Put a 2-hour parking limit on the unmetered portion of Mass Ave
between Woburn Street and Harrington Road
6 Permit diagonal parking in front of the Edison building and the Post
Office There is mixed feeling on this suggestion as it would add
a few parking places but could impede continuous traffic flow into
the Edison Way parking area
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - February 19 , 1980
7 Expand the Meriam Street lot and develop another access to it; meter all
Of this lotrwith a .lihited section dedidated to all-day parking
8 Improve the design of parking areas and traffic flow in the Muzzey Street
lot and behind the Cambridgeport Bank
Mr Michelson said that the traffic flow and the Muzzey Street lot have
been topics of discussion for years He would hate to see another study
as everything;that was done in 1966 is still feasible now as far as a
study goes He was disappointed that the only action by this Town Meet-
ing is the sign by-law, and we will have another year of chaos in the
Center People are parking all day in the Meriam Street lot and taking
the bus to work.
9 Utilize the railroad right-of-way to connect the abutting parking lots in
more than one place The right-of-way might also be used as a by-pass
around the Center, for more parking or for a bike path leading to the
Center
10 Traffic circulation around the back streets of the Center should be re-
viewed for smooth traffic flow and for effectiveness in getting into or
out of parking lots
11 A review should be carried out of the impact of by-passing the Center com-
pletely by taking cars away from the Waltham Street/Mass Ave intersection
12 Obtain rights to use the rear of the Edison property for parking
13 Allocate a portion of the parking meter receipts to a specifically dedicated
fund to be used for improving conditions at the Center One suggestion is to
install business directory signs in each parking area and possibly in the
Center The information contained on these signs could be maintained and
updated by the Chamber of Commerce
14 Study the feasibility of allocating a portion of the school administration
parking area to all-day parking for postal employees
The Central Business Committee believes that implementation of these recom-
mendations would help improve conditions at the Center
Mrs Battin said that the Board of Selectmen has adopted two objectives
Recognizing the need for a vital center as the community's civic, commercial,
social and cultural focus, a plan for revitalizing the Center shall be prepared
by the town, the Chamber of Commerce, Lexington banking and lending institutions,
and Lexington industries Such a plan shall be completed by December 1, 1980 and
submitted to the appropriate Town Boards, Town Meeting Members, Commercial inter-
ests and citizen groups for action It shall include but not be limited to methods
of achieving commercial diversity, increased social and cultural activity, improved
traffic flow and increased parking. A second objective was adopted to increase
parking availability looking specifically at the Metcalf & Eddy report and their
recommendations for improved parking, and at reducing number of all-day parking
for commuters Mrs Battin said that this is in line with the suggestion of
Mr Sacco of the Chamber of Commerce, that a group get together and develop a
work plan The town is saying that it is committed to it and this is what should
be included
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - February 19, 1980
Suggestions were made on bypassing the Center by going forward with the
study on the extension of Worthen Road to Route 2; reversing the direction
of Clarke Street by going toward Forest Street; paving the end of Fletcher
Avenue to Grant Street to reach the Saddle Club Road area
Parking for postal employees was discussed and Mr Busa said that he
had met with the Postmaster of Boston, and he and,Ihis staff had approached
Edison about using the land behind their building but Edison is not interested
and does not even want to lease the land The Postmaster's office is pursuing
the proposal of four or five years ago to move out of the Center to another
area in town and to consolidate three towns The immediate solution would be
for the suggested 2-hour parking and long range planning Mr Crain said
in the report, there is an alternative suggested regarding the use of school
property The time has come for action and the Manager could consider the
report, come back to the Board and make recommendations Mr Kent said that
short-term as well as long range planning should be done Mr Michelson said
that all of the ideas have been aired at various committee meetings and he
hoped this doesn't get shelved Recommendation #7 is to meter the Meriam
Street lot with a limited section dedicated to all-day parking The town
has to realize that this is critical and you can't have a limited section
or you would have parking all along the streets; you need a larger section
Chairman Miley said we hoped that Lexpress might help your situation You
have reported it and we are all aware of it We will all work together on
the Center, and she agreed that we do not need more studies Mrs Battin and
the Manager will pull it together and work with the committee and the Chamber
of Commerce
Chairman Miley thanked all for coming and they retired from the meeting
E Lex Mr Hutchinson said that he had received a petition regarding concerns
Fire that the East Lexington fire station might be closed He will respond and
Station point out that of the shifts that are there, 99 6 percent of the hours
our people are there or responding to fires Periodically as an exception,
we do wind up holding central training at the main fire house to maximize
the advantage of instructors who are available and moving the small amount
of employees to the central fire house We think this is an effective use
of the firemen's time and not necessarily have them there waiting at the
East Lexington station for a fire to happen Because it is the exception,
and when we point this out to the residents, they should feel more comfortable.
Mr Busa said that the citizens ' greatest concern was that the station would
be closed 32 hours during the month of February and if you think E Lexington
would be adequately served, they would say to close the station completely;
you are telling them that regardless of how long a period of time, they can
be protected out of the central fire station Mr Hutchinson said that we
gear to the norm rather than the exception We have an obligation to train
the men and the minimum amount of men on an engine is three men We are
maximizing the talents of men by town inspections; we have legal obliga-
tions to provide these inspection services If the town were to decide
not to conduct joint training sessions as a policy it would require spend-
ing $12 00 per hour for an outside instructor to do the East Lexington
station The cost for 88 hours would equal $1,056; assuming that the
instructors could be made available for extra sessions in the town when
their demand is statewide Chairman Miley said that since they cover the
state, not necessarily would there be an instructor available to do both the
main station and E Lexington; so, it would be double the cost
Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - February 19, 1980
Mr Hutchinson said that there are times when we aren't going to have the
men available if we are fighting a grass fire, and we have to call another
town in under the regional agreement Mr Crain asked when was the last
time there was a critical analysis of where the fire houses should be located?
Mr Busa said that it was probably in 1968 Fire Chief Bergeron was present
and said that in the larger cities, they would use a model; in a small town,
you would look at your past experience to see if it is reasonable for the dem
mand you are getting for fires Mr Crain said that if it has been 10 years,
we should have administration take a look at all the variables and go into
them. Mr Hutchinson said that he would report back to the Board
Mr. Hutchinson recommended approval of a request received from the Use of
Girl Scouts Buckman
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Grounds
quest of the Lexington Girl Scouts to demonstrate their skills on the
grounds between the Buckman Tavern and the Old Red Cross House on Sunday,
May 18, 1980 from 130 p m to 500 p m
Mr Hutchinson reported to the Board that a meeting had been held Street
with members of the Police Department regarding the letter from Mr Cravis Lights/
of Rogers Road concerning recent vandalism in the area and the lack of Vandalism
street lighting. Mr Hutchinson had instructed the Public Works Depart- Rogers Rd
ment to increase the lighting in the area, and he will respond by letter
to Mr Cravis
Mr Hutchinson discussed the location of the telephone booth in the Center
Center The Historic Districts Commission turned us down on the proposed Telephone
location between the trees at Colpitts on Mass Avenue Mr Cohen advised
that the Selectmen have authority for the location. Mr Kent offered to
meet with the Historic Districts Commission and, hopefully, resolve the
situation The Board agreed
Mr Crain said that he had attended a meeting of the Transportation Lexpress
Advisory Committee and they are coming to grips with the fee structure
before Town Meeting He felt it advisable for the Board to address sub-
sidization or no subsidization, and if we do not get $60,000 from the
MBTA, this Board should give conscious attention to that
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive
vote + Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to Session
to into executive session for the purpose of discussing strategy with
respect to litigation and real estate, with no intention of resuming
the open meeting
After discussion, it was voted to go out of Executive Session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
10 10 p.m.
A true record, Attest
ecutive Clerk, Selectmen
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
FEBRUARY 25, 1980 '
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, February 25, 1980 at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
MAPC/ Mrs Jacqueline Smith discussed plans offered by the Metropolitan
Center Area Planning Council for technical assistance on the revitalization of
Revital- central business districts One plan would be for a full revitalization
ization study, such as the one done in Maynard, which would take about a one year
lead-in time at an average cost of $60,000 to $100,000 with the town par-
ticipating at about 20 percent This would be for design, traffic, park-
ing, market analysis and strategy, as well as trying to find a form of
grant The other way to go is that MAPC does offer technical assistance
on smaller projects for market analysis, traffic, some questions on park-
ing; this is done in-house, with no charge to the town There is a much
shorter lead time and you have to send in a letter of intent to MAPC
After discussion, the Board agreed that Mrs Battin is to draft a
letter to MAPC for the Chairman's signature, requesting technical assist-
ance in the areas of traffic,parking and market analysis for the re-
vitalization of Lexington Center
Legisla- As Chairman of the Hanscom Field Advisory Committee, Mrs Smith
tion - said that the Board had approved the idea last fall of going forward
HFAC with legislation to make HFAC a legal entity, and Senator Carol Amick
had filed the bill Because of the time element involved in filing
the bill, Senator Amick asked that the communities prepare what they
felt would be acceptable to them and she would support it HFAC has
put together a bill for the review of the Board of ,Selectmen of
Bedford, Concord, Lexington_and Lincoln The bill is in three parts
(1) the Preamble which sets forth the reasons for creating such a
committee; (2) Composition and appointing powers, which is an attempt
to give the Commission the same balance and depth as that created in
the joint agreement; (3) Responsibilities, to review and give community
reaction to Massport decisions on Hanscom, to provide a channel of com-
munication between Massport and the communities, and any other duties
assigned to it The bill will be heard by the Joint Transportation
Committee on March 5, and we request approval of this Board
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the
draft of the bill of the committee and to send an appropriate statement
to the March 5 meeting of the Massachusetts Committee on Transportation
Mr Kent agreed to alert Senator Rotondi and Representative Cole
J8.
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - February 25, 1980
The School Sites Conversion Committee and Mr Fred Todd, Architect Munroe
with the firm of Hammer Kiefer and Todd, Inc , met with the Board to School
discuss the feasibility report for conversion of the Munroe School to
human services use Chairman Miley said that we have asked representa-
tives of different groups who have been interested in the Munroe School
to come tonight to see if we can perhaps iron out some of the financial
problems that we have been concerned about, and to find out if there is
some way that this can be feasible and put in such a context that we can
bring it hopefully for all to Town Meeting and feel positive about this
Mrs Shunney, Chairman of the Housing Authority, Mr William Sen, Chairman
of the Council on Aging, and Mr. Ballou of the Children's Center are also
here Mr Busa said that he had been presented a petition from some senior
citizens who were very much concerned with the Town of Lexington going for-
ward with this project He did not want to give the names in order to in-
sulate the citizens who had signed the petition. Chairman Miley said that
Mu Tropeano,. President of the Senior Citizens, was unable to come tonight
and had told her that his members were very concerned about the figure of
$770,000, and Mrs Miley had assured him that she was concerned also - all
were concerned about it What we are doing tonight is to try and come up
with something palatable to everyone, and she had told Mr Tropeano that
she would get back to him tomorrow Mr Crain and Mr Kent expressed theshr
concern about a petition being presented but not filed with the Board, and
if some senior citizens have legitimate concerns, they would like to know
what they are and to meet with them.
Mr. Hutchinson said that we have received proposals for $777,000,
$620,000 and $518,000; obviously, there would have to be an estimate of
architect's fees added
Mr Todd said that they were asked to look at the feasibility of con-
verting the Munroe School for a human service center for elderly users,
and there was not a specific group pinpointed at that time. We talked
to a variety of agencies and they in no way were to be final tenants;
for their requirements in a general way and if it would work for small
people, elderly groups We prepared, in a preliminary way, a set of
plans and to have a checklist of items that would go into a conversion
1 What steps we need to take to comply with the state building code,
energy, and the architectural barrier code We used those provisions
of the code where we could apply them, and met with the Building Com-
missioner, for tentative agreement on what could be done and what to put
off Once you meet the code, we looked at some of the significant require-
ments of the program and to make the building function for elderly people.
On how far we were going to go, our initial assumption was not a cadillac
but a Chevrolet approach, and a $770,000 cost estimate was built up item
by item; $577,000 base price, contingency factor of 10 percent, 12 percent
inflation figure, and another 6 percent to cover inflation between our
current estimate and construction in the summer of 1980; we added 15 per-
cent for contractor's overhead and profit Adding on brought it up to
$771,000, approximately $37 00/sq ft It remains in our professional
judgment a fair estimate of what it Would cost We were asked if any
area cost could be reduced and a second memo went through with some fairly
minor changes for providing less shelving in offices, in toilet areas, a
lower quality of finish, eliminating some painting, scaling down components
ef,,thg -kittchen, and eliminating air conditioning. This resulted in the
$620,000 estimate or approximately $29 00/sq ft
115
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - February 25, 1980
Mr Todd said that in our letter of February 12, we took a different
approach as to what it would cost to do the minimum and still bring the
building up to the code We would do only the basics and let the
tenants assume the cost for carpets, etc Looking at the minimum,
we came up with an estimate of $25 00/sq ft with a base price of
$386,000, 10 percent contingency fee, 6 percent inflation, 15 percent
contractor overhead and profit; $518,000 Mr Kent questioned whether
a potential trade-off in rents existed, and Mr Hutchinson said that it
depends on who goes in there. He had deducted the rental of the Church
of Our Redeemer for the Council on Aging and there is an estimate of
$20,000 for the Minuteman Home Care We have not developed numbers on
the idea of marketing the office space Rev Shirley Goodwin, Minuteman
Home Care, said that they had moved into the Grey Nuns and have a two year
lease, and they will be looking for another place As a member of the
Council on Aging, we went to the Church of Our Redeemer because we had
to prove a need for a senior center Why do we have to prove a need?
Mr Crain asked for the approximate evaluation of the number of people
who could be serviced at the lower level? He felt it should be used as
a social center and to have a hot meal Mr Todd said that the CoA had
talked about 50 to 60 people, and they could be handled comfortably
Mr Busa said that the people who aren't going to use it are concerned
about the cost What would it cost to put it into usable service?
Mr Todd said that you could move them in and use it not painted and
not carpeted The number is between $500,000 and the first number of
$700,000 Mrs Battin spoke to the need for a senior center At the
Church, they have a variety of programs and they need a larger place
She asked if the range of proposals had been given to the Council on
Aging? Mr Sen said that they hadn't had a chance to see them, and
we have definitely outgrown the Church He discussed meals and said
that a caterer could bring in meals Mrs Miley said, then, theta is
no need to worry about the kitchen Mr Kent recommended that a formal,
written report be given to the Board in order to exercise the kind of
judgment we have to make and the kind of selling that we are going to
have to do if the Tann Meeting is to be persuaded to do this job The
Board agreed with Mr Hutchinson's recommendation to charge the Council
on Aging, working with the Senior Center Site Committee, to address
the existing programatical needs for the people to be served and the
proposed groups to be served; to address it as it relates to the study
of the Munroe School specifically, and to advise the Board of some of
the data that they did look at schools other schools Also, informa-
tion about addressing the school program and how does that fit in with
the idea of meals? And looking to the plans for the future This re-
port is to be discussed at the March 10 meeting of the Board of
Selectmen.
ig'i
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - February 25, 1980
Messrs Casendino Powers, O'Driscoll of Clark Associates met with the Parker
Board to discuss the Parker School Members of the School Sites Conversion School
Committee and Mrs Shunney, Housing Authority Chairman, were also present
Mr Casendino said that they had met with the Planning Board, Housing
Authority, and with the community, and they have modified the building
in terms of the addition Looking back into the unit mix, they are still
all 2 bedroom-1 bath units; we have widened the entrance to 30 feet The
primary change was in the roof line The units were not changed within
the structure but the Building Commissioner wanted modified stairs, and
we agreed We are very concerned with the minimal number of doors for
maximum security We want single level living. The oldest building has
two units at the lower level and storage in the old storage room The
new addition will have its own entrance system off the rear parking lot
The addition will have 5 units on a floor, and we still have 18 units in
the existing structure and 10 in the addition We meet the zoning re-
quirements We have had a traffic consultant look at traffic conditions
and we will get his report. The Housing Authority looked at the units and
they are in agreement with the 2-bedroom units and they wanted them
scattered through the building rather than totally in one block, and
we agreed There are legal questions whether they can accept the transfer
of the units Mrs Shunney asked if they are going to be sold or given to
the Housing Authority? Mr Hutchinson said that they will be given to the
town Mrs Shunney said that they do have the opportunity to possibly serve
a different group of people; there is no legal question on this Mr Smith,
SSCC, said that Clark will have to go for variances and will need an access
easement Mr Hutchinson said to make sure there is a deed restriction which
leaves the abutting land effectively as open space and to have a walking ease-
ment for people to get across Mr Kent asked if there is anything they are
doing that will raise the structure beyond the height of the existing level?
Mr. Casendino said that the new structure would be no higher than the exist-
ing structure There will be a price range of $60,000 to $80,000 for the
seven units
Chairman Miley thanked Clark Associates for meeting with the Board
and they retired from the meeting
Chairman Miley read an application for a Common Victualler license Common
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue a Common Victualler
Victualler license to Damon Enterprises, Inc d b a Bel Canto Restaurant, License
1715 Massachusetts Avenue, formerly the Minuteman Restaurant, with hours
of operation on Sunday-Thursday 6 00 a m to 10 00 p.m , Friday-Saturday
6 00 a.m to 11 00 p m. License is issued subject to a final inspection
of the Health Director
Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of the request of the Lions Club July 4th
to conduct the Annual July 4th Carnival on Sunday, June 29, through Lions Club
Saturday, July 6, on the portion of the Center Playground that was Carnival
utilized last year, subject to coordination with the Police, Fire,
DPW, and the Manager's Office Mr Kent asked that it be reviewed
with the Recreation Committee and if there are any problems, they
should come back to the Board Mr Hutchinson agreed, and added
that he would be reviewing the requested dates
114
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - February 25, 1980
July 4th Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re-
Lions Club quest of the Lions Club to conduct the July 4th carnival on June 29
Carnival through July 6, 1980 at the portion of the Center Playground which was
used last year, subject to the dates being reviewed by the Town Manager
and with the coordination of the appropriate town agencies
Gypsy Mr Hutchinson recommended that the letter from Mrs Eva Gordon re-
Moths garding the sypsy moth problem be referred to the Conservation Commission
Chairman Miley reminded the Board that the Pest Control Advisory Committee
was asked to look into the mosquito issue and then to look into the gypsy
moths We can ask the Conservation Commission to work with the committee
on the gypsy moths and have a progress report by April 1 The Board
agreed
Solid Mr Hutehinson informed the Board that he had been meeting with the
Waste Solid Waste Committee and they will meet with the Board to review the
Committee report
LEXPRESS Mr Fred Rosenberg and Mrs Sally Castleman of the Transportation
Bus Advisory Committee met with the Board to discuss LEXPRESS Mr Rosenberg
said that the committee would like to go out to contract before Town Meet-
ing and there would have to be an escalation cost He was not recommending
a change in the fare structure at this time. Mr Crain recommended that
the Board address subsidization and determine whether it is appropriate
to put it on the tax rate; in his opinion, it is appropriate because we
do it on other programs Mr Hutchinson said that we are carrying
$100,000 right now Mr Rosenberg said they would come back to the
Board, and retired from the meeting
Transfer- Mr Hutchinson requested a transfer of $20,000 to the Road Machinery
Account account to buy gasoline for DPW vehicles We budgeted last year for 94 cents
#5450 a gallon and currently we are at $1 05 a gallon, and we will wind up spending
$30,000 We have requests for $70,000 for the Library, DPW, costs for legal
fees on the Snyder case, and it is his intention to meet with the Appropria-
tion Committee regarding this We have the right to go to Town Meeting under
Article 3 with supplementary requests for the current fiscal year We are
preparing a revised estimate for F Y 81 fuel costs
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request approval of
the Appropriation Committee for the transfer from the Reserve Fund to Account
#5450-Road Machinery to buy gasoline for DPW vehicles
Mr Hutchinson said that the Board should be aware of proposed legisla-
tion to allow towns the capability to commit their free cash, if they have it
available, to offset some of these deficits He would pursue that with our
legislators
Energy Mr Buse submitted a list of projected energy costs prepared by the
Budget Energy Committee and recommended that $20,702 be included in the budget;
among the items are, $11,702 for insulation of buildings; $5,000 for repairs
to the Central Fire Station; $1,000 for fans and screens or plastic shades at
the Library We will have a pay-back on insulation of from one to four years
depending on which building it is There is the necessity to improve and
gt=
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - February 25, 1980
repair the Central Fire Station and $5,000 is a conservative figure for the
program they feel would be cost effective and an immediate pay-back on the
consumption of energy The Energy Committee has recommended door closers
for the East Lexington Fire Station Also, the purchase and installation
of three fans at the Library; with the greenhouse effect on the southwest
side of the main Library because of all the windows, the air-conditioning
during the summertime is $3,000/month, and the committee felt there
should be some screening or plastic shades there
The committee has found problems as some employees are not taking
energy conservation very seriously, and the committee would like to create
some sort of program or a tracking system where a person responsible for
the building will know whether they are conserving or increasing their
fuel costs Jim Scanlon is coming up with a program to be put into a
computer system either at the High School or someplace else, to tell you
whether you are saving day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month; it would
be very inexpensive but very cost effective
Mr Hutchinson said that the department heads have taken seriously
the issue of energy of conservation and our fuel figures have dramatically
shown a reduction, particularly in this complex and at the Fire Department
by upgrading some of the material there As part of an overall process,
Mr Hutchinson said that he would file an amended report using this data.
We would like to look at some of the items to see if there is duplication
A number of things authorized last year have been implemented and some are
being initiated now Department heads did propose energy items, such as
the fuel system at Public Works, and the Fire Department has had storm
windows installed
Chairman Miley reported on a meeting she had attended on Saturday, Middlesex
which was the annual budget meeting of the County Commissioner's people County
and the Budget Committee of the Middlesex County Advisory Board One Budget
item that came up was on 24 people who are listed under the highway de-
partment, salaries being $300,000, but no one could figure out where
those people were; they thought the Commissioners had them in their
office, and the representatives of the Commissioners office said that
they were not in their office So, nobody knows where the $300,000 is
going or who the people are Mrs Miley was concerned about this and
plans to attend the hearings on March 12 at the Committee on Counties
on their budget
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call vote
-oMrs Miley, Mr Buse, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to go into
executive session for the purpose of discussing a real estate matter,
with no intention of resuming the open meeting
After discussion, it was voted to go out of executive session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 25 p m
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
I
VOID
I
I
1 �
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
MARCH 10, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, March 10, 1980 at 7 30 P M.
Chairman Miley, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Mana-
ger; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager;
Miss Casey, Principal Clerk, Selectmen, were present
Chairman Miley opened the meeting with a hearing on the application of N E Tel
the N E Tel & Tel and Boston Edison Company for permission to install a Boston
joint stub pole on the corner of School Street and Mass Avenue Mr Pinault Edison
representative of the Telephone Company explained that the proposed work is Pole loc
necessary to support Pole 57/187 which is currently supported by a diseased Mass Ave
tree that is being removed by the Town Chairman Miley read a recommenda- School St
tion from Warren A Empey, Acting Director, Dept of Public Works, recommend-
ing approval of the request Notices of the hearing had been sent to the
abutters and filed with the Public Works Department Mr Thomas F Anthony,
one of the abutters, addressed the Board and explained that he had previously
opposed this work, but had since talked with Telephone Company, Boston Edison
and Public Works representatives and has withdrawn his objections
Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Crain abstaining, it was voted
to grant permission to the New England Telephone Company and Boston Edison
Company for the following installation
Massachusetts Avenue on the northeast side, approximately 105'±
(feet) west of School Street, one (1) Pole 57/1875
Chairman Miley read a petition from the N E Tel & Tel for permission N E Tel
to install approximately sixty-five feet of conduit in East Street necessary & Tel
to service a new condominium. Notices of the hearing had been sent to the Conduit
abutters and filed with the Public Works Department Mrs Miley read a reco- East St
mmendation from Mr Empey recommending approval Mr Stewart Taylor, one of
the abutters addressed the Board and stated that he had talked to the Tele-
phone representative and had been assured that there would be no physical im-
pairment to his property and on that basis he had no objections
Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Crain abstaining, it was voted
to grant permission to the New England Telephone Company for the following
conduit location
East Street on the southwesterly side, from Doran Farm Lane, a
Private Way, northeasterly to existing Pole 27/23, approximately
65+ (feet) of conduit
Mr Roland Pinault, Telephone Company representative, addressed the N E Tel
Board and requested that a petition for manhole locations on Massachusetts & Tel
Avenue, tabled by the Board at its meeting on September 10, 1979 be removed Manhole
from the table He explained that Mr Thomas F Anthony, had at that time Mass Ave
objected and hee has talked with Mr Anthony and explained the process to
him and Mr Anthony has now withdrawn his objections
Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Crain abstaining, it was voted
to remove from the table the petition of the N E Tel & Tel Co tabled
on September 10, 1979
\ - 2 -
Selectmen's Meeting March 10, 1980
The Chairman read the petition and the report from the Acting Director
of Public Works recommending approval f
Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Crain abstaining, it was voted
to grant permission to the New England Telephone Company for the following
location
Massachusetts Avenue on the northerly side, approximately 80'+ (feet)
west of School Street, one (1) Manhole 54/87A; also, on the northerly
side, approximately 20+ (feet) west of Paul Revere Road, one (1) Manhole
54/88C
N E Tel The Chairman read a petition from the N E Tel & Tel and Boston Edison
Boston for permission to remove two joint owned poles on Lowell Street No hearing
Edison required and approval had been given by the Public Works Department
Lowell Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Crain abstaining, it was voted
Street to grant permission to the N E Tel & Tel and Boston Edison for the following
Poles location
Lowell Street on the southerly side, approximately 23+ (feet) east of
Peartree Road, one (1) pole; also, on the southerly side approximately
54+ (feet) west of Peartree Road, one (1) pole
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve issuance of
the following licenses
Licenses AUCTIONEER LICENSES William G Marley, William Sennott, Robert N Cann
ONE DAY LIQUOR LICENSES St Brigid's Parish, RAEDACC Assoc of W R.
Grace & Co
Dog Hearing Chairman Miley recommended a decision be made by the Board on the Verdone
Neville/ dog hearing conducted by Mr Busa on February 27, 1980 The hearing was held
Verdone on the written complaint of Mr William Neville that the dog was a nuisance
running loose in violation of the leash law and destroying his property
Mrs Miley read Mr Busa's recommendation that the dog be kept within strict
compliance with the Lexington Leash Law or court action be taken by the
Board of Selectmen and a copy of the Leash Law be forwarded to Mrs Verdone
Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to notify Mrs Verdone
of the following decision by the Board of Selectmen regarding her dog
"That this dog must be kept within strict compliance with the Lexington
Leash Law or court action will be taken by the Board of Selectmen A
copy of the Leash Law enclosed "
Outer 65 The Board discussed the invitation from Paul E Means, Member, Board of
MBTA Directors of the MBTA to attend the third meeting of the Outer 65 (suburban)
invitation Communities Consumer Panel on Thursday evening, March 20 at the Scudder, Stevens
& Clark Co , 175 Federat St , Boston
Mr Crain stated that he felt that a representative should be one who
frequents the MBTA and he was unaware that people locally were having problems
He suggested to "leave it where it is" Mrs Battin stated that there was a
broad based cooalition being formed to improve the MBTA and that she would
keep the Board informed regarding it The Board agreed
Amendment The Chairman referred the Board to its copies of a report from the State
Ch 268A Ethics Commission relative to the Amendment to Chapter 268A, the Commonwealth's
Conflict Conflict of Interest Statute
of In- Mrs Battin informed the Board that the bill had been passed and signed
terest by the Governor, therefore, there was nothing that the Board could do now
I ��
- 3 -
Selectmen's Meeting March 10, 1980
The Manager referred the Board to its copies of the Town Engineer's re- Sewer
port on the Rockville Avenue sewer easement Mr Hanlon reported that he Easement
had met with Mr Anthony Busa regarding a piece of property between Rockville Busa
Avenue and Philip Road, owned by Anthony C & Beatrice E Busa to discuss
the Rockville Avenue sewer, currently under contract, as well as the proposed
acceptance of Rockville Avenue, in an effort to determine how to proceed
relative to this piece of land Town Counsel prepared a draft agreement for
Mr Busa's review giving the Town rights to construct and maintain the sewer
until the land was taken by eminent domain as part of the street acceptance
process After reviewing the draft agreement, Mr Busa stated he wished to
negotiate both the sewer and street matters as one It As Mr Hanlon's
feeling this could not be done at this_time He, therefore, in order to
insure smooth progress on the existing contract, requested a sewer easement
be taken and requested the Board vote the intent to take the easement
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted the intent to take the
sewer easement across a piece of property between Rockville Avenue and Philip
Road owned by Anthony C & Beatrice E Busa
The Manager referred the Board to the recommendation of the Building Red
Commissioner to tear down the Red Cross Building because of the unsound con- Cross
dition of the building Ms Sara Chase of the Historical Commission ex- Building
pressed the feelings of the members of the Historical Society, the Historic
Districts Commission and the Historical Commission that the building must not
be torn down The building dates from the early 19th century and is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places and is an important component of
the setting of the Battle Green She requested the Selectmen to allow ample
time for a creative solution to the problem The Chairman stated that it was
her hope that perhaps some interested groups might be able to get together
and raise same funds and save the building and restore it The Board assured
Ms Chase that the building would not be taken down until the situation had
been thoroughly investigated and requested an estimate of the cost to re-
store it
The Manager requested Board approval of bond in the amount of $50,000 Town
for his position as Manager, cost of $140 00 provided in the Town Manager's Manager
budget Bond
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the bond
for the Town Manager in the amount of $50,000
The Manager requested the Board's authorization for the Historical Com- Historica]
mission to proceed on a program in cooperation with the Massachusetts His- Comm.
torical Commission for completing the inventory and preservation plan of the B U
structures over 50 years of age in Lexington Ms Chase informed the Board
that Boston University's graduate program in Historic Preservation Studies
will offer a preservation planning field study course next year and the His-
torical Commission feels that the program would stbstantially meet its needs
Boston University has indicated that Lexington could be considered as a po-
tential site The cost of the program is under $2,000 and would be supported
Via the Historical Commission
II/ Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the His-
torical Commission to proceed on a program in cooperation with Boston Uni-
versity's graduate program in Historic Preservation Studies
hyo
- 4 -
Selectmen's Meeting March 10, 1980
Budget The Manager requested approval of an increase of $100,000, due to in-
Increases creased energy costs, in Road Machinery, Street Lights, Building Mainten-
ance, Fire and Police budgets
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to increase the follow-
ing budgets subject to Appropriation Committee approval
#5450 - Road Machinery increase $40,000 to $278,700
#5600 - Street Lights increase $30,000 to $280,000
#5250 - Building Maintenance increase $20,000 to $222,945
#4150 - Fire increase $5,000 to $98,900
#3800 - Police increase $5,000 to $160,425
Wilson Rd The Board discussed the possibility of putting sidewalks on Wilson Road
sidewalk and Roosevelt Road and the installation of a barrier at the Hastings School
entrance from Roosevelt Road and Wilson Road Mr Kent said thjs was iresented as
a very serious problem for children traveling to school Mrs Battin agreed
and suggested that the matter be tabled for a future meeting when the School
Committee and other interested parties could attend
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the matter of
the construction of a sidewalk on Wilson Road for a future meeting
Contract The Manager requested Board authorization of an additional $1,195 55 on
#80-3-E Contract #80-3-E Cold Planing and Resurfacing awarded to Sarao Bros Inc
Sarao Bros He informed the Board that favorable prices made it possible to add the
following streets to those originally included in the contract
Winter Street - 800 linear feet leveling and top
Concord Avenue - 1100 linear feet top to Belmont line
Bedford Street - 300 linear feet top at jug handle to Hartwell Avenue
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve an additional
$1,195 55 on Contract #80-3-E Cold Planing and Resurfacing awarded to Sarao
Bros Inc
CATV The Chairman read a request from William R. Page, Chairman of the CATV
Appt Committee to appoint Dr Alan Frohman to the Committee to fill the vacancy
created by the resignation of Dr Peter Shapiro
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Dr Alan
Frohman, 12 Todd Road, Lexington to the Cable Television Committee
1Munroe The Board met with the Council on Aging and the Senior Center Site Com-
School mittee to discuss the possibility of the Selectmen recommending to Town Meet-
Senior ing the use of Munroe School as a senior center
Center Mr William Sen, Chairman of the Council on Aging presented each Board
Member with a detailed report of the seniors' activities, and the need for
enlarged quarters in order to consolidate the multiple activities of the
senior citizens and also to enable expansion of some of the programs The
Board agreed that there was a real need for a senior center
Mr Smith, of the School Sites Conversion Committee felt that some money
could be spent on Munroe School now and renovate it for use as a senior cen-
ter and start the Council on Aging on the road they want to go and the Town
would have a viable building instead of an old school He felt that the de-
cision should be made now as the possibility of use of Muzzey Junior High
would cause a delay of five or six years
!9 !
- 5 -
Selectmen's Meeting March 10, 1980
Mr Zabin, former Planning Board Member, pointed out to the Board that
Munroe School is the only school that is being closed that is not suitable
for use for housing He felt that Muzzey and Adams are likely candidates
for conversion to housing His feeling was that if the Board deferred a
decision on Munroe for the purpose of seeing what could be done with Muzzey
the Board would have to consider competing uses for Muzzey and Adams that
they don't have for Munroe He felt that of the three, Munroe is the best
suided and if a decision is delayed the cost would obviously increase
Mrs Battin pointed out that expansion of the senior center use of Mun-
roe would be possible, if necessary, by taking over more of the rooms and
tenants would have to leave This would make it possible to have congregate
meals in several rooms, which was one of the question brought up at a pre-
vious meeting The Manager felt that kitchen facilities and serving of meals
should be on one floor Mrs Battin said that she was trying to figure out
if Munroe would be suitable for the next ten or twenty years by shifting
different facilities around within the building
Mr Crain felt that there was insufficient information to make such a
determination He also stated that if the Board, working with the School
Committee, could have the last year before closing as a time for planning
in anticipation of its final closing, it would give the Board more time to
formulate a decision as to its use
The subject of congregate living was discussed and Mr Crain felt that
Muzzey would provide enough space for housing and senior citizen facilities
in one building and he felt that they are not mutually exclusive
One member of the audience addressed the Board and said that this was
tried in Brighton and proven to be unsuccessful due to numerious thefts and
other inconveniences to those living there As a result, the congregate
living site was closed down
Mr Crain stated that he was not convinced that Munroe was the place
for the Senior Center He felt that more explanations and information rela-
tive to what the programs are and their growth potential is needed before
a decision is made
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that he had inquired of the architect
what the architectural cost would be and said he did not have the exact
figures with him but it would be approximately $35,000 He pointed out that
the use of Muzzey must be addressed by the Board as it seems it will be
closed soon He suggested that he work with the architects and perhaps it
might be done as a component of the study He suggested that he should go
back and talk with some of the firms and find out what it would be to look
at the plans that were mentioned for Munroe, following the traditional Town
Meeting process, and what can be done looking at a facility like Muzzey, in
particular, to get a study similar to what was done on Munroe He felt that
those two schools are the only two that would be viable for such a purpose
Mr Kent pointed out that he felt that what was important about the
appropriation of enough money to do a very substantial study represents a
Town Meeting commitment to the process He felt that if the Board simply
set up a committee to do further study without this kind of financial support it
would be ineffective He said he would like to see the community, as soon
as possible, commit itself to something, the need for which, is no longer
in doubt
- 6 -
Selectmen's Meeting March 10, 1980
During discussion, it was brought out that the study should include
expansion possibilities, clearly defined activities and functions that are
to occur and the inclusion of the Council on Aging and other interested
advocacy groups for input into the report as well as those that would be
using the facility
Mr Hutchinson is to report to the Board next Monday with a defini-
tive proposal from architectural firms
Kendall Rd The Board met with Mr & Mrs Camac regarding the construction of the
Sidewalk sidewalk on Kendall Road The Chairman briefed the Board relative to the
sequence of events regarding the sidewalk When Kendall Road was brought
up originally, it was for street construction and possible sidewalk con-
struction The Camac's, through oversight, were not notified regarding the
administrative hearing on the street construction They were disturbed be-
cause their house was the only one that would have a sidewalk in front of it
and they would prefer not to have this It was explained to them that there
was a partial sidewalk on Kendall Road on this side and it was decided to
extend it The Camac's were informed that they could take the issue before
Town Meeting, which they decided to do
Solid Waste Mr Reilly, Chairman of the Solid Waste Committee met with the Board to
discuss the Committee's comprehensive report of the summary of alternatives
of collection and disposal of solid waste and recyclable materials Mr
Reilly explained the different alternatives and pointed out that on a three
year contract there would be a 12% escalation allowances if the proposal of
BFI was accepted, This would cost the town $510,000 for the first year,
$530,000 for the second and $550,000 for the third
The Board agreed to accept the Manager's recommendation to accept the
recommendation of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee to accept the bid
of Browning-Ferris Industries, Inc
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was vited to accept the three
year bid of Browning-Ferris Industries, Inc for townwide collection of
trash with out-of-town disposal at $510,000 for the first year, $530,000
for the second and $550,000 for the third
Mystic Valley The Board met with the Human Services Committee to discuss the report
Mental Healthre quested by the Selectmen regarding monies requested from the Town for
1981 from the Central Middlesex Association for Retarded Citizens, Inc
(CMARC) , The Mystic Valley Mental Health Association and RePlace
The Chairman of the Committee, Mrs Perez, and Mrs Pressman felt that
the answers to questions that had been submitted to Mystic Valley were
inadequate and the Committee felt that there was insufficient data for
it to make an informed judgment They stated that there were internal
control weaknesses that should be corrected
Mrs Battin questioned if the Board decided to fund at all, could
the funds be withheld until this area was corrected
The Manager stated that this could be done only if there is a question
about the level of care and the quality of services He also pointed
out that the Board must make a recommendation to Town Meeting He stated
that all the reports he has received indicated a high level of service
and that they have received a substantial amount of data, but they do have
problems He felt that there is a certain high level of service coming
to the community but no overall composite tied to any goals of the town
Mrs Battin asked the Manager if the item could be deleted from Town
193
- 7 -
IIISelectmen's Meeting March 10, 1980
Meeting until other towns involved in Mystic Valley could be consulted to
see if a common problem existed
The Manager felt it more appropriate, rather than to delay the ap-
propriation, to sustain a certain level of support and if Town Meeting
wished to, it could set it back
Mr Crain asked if it would be practical for the Human Services Com-
mittee to define the kind of data that would be required in order that
level funding for Mystic Valley is appropriate He felt that Town Meet-
ing could be asked to provide level funding this year with requirements
of a certain level of data if the Town is to continue to provide funds in
subsequent fiscal years
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to provide level
funding for the Mystic Valley Mental Health Associaton for the Fiscal
Year 1981
The Manager informed the Board that he had recommended a 10% in- RePlace
crease for RePlace as against their request for 20% He informed the Board
that his office was not geared to give clerical help as requested by Re-
Place
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to provide an increase
of 10% for RePlace a total of $30,488 made up of $27,717 for RePlace, $6,600
for Mr McManus' salary and $300 00 for the Hot Line
The Committee recommended level funding for CEMARC The Manager had CMARC
not carried CEMARC in the budget and recommended no funding
Mrs Bat tin felt that any funding should be tied into a salaried
position that would help to alleviate some of the problems that CEMARC is
experiencing
Mr Crain stated that he would approve funding with the specific in-
dication that the funds would be used for this purpose
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted that the sum of
$5,000 be appropriated to be expended by the Board of Health under G L
c40x5 (40C) and a contract be entered into with Central Middlesex Associa-
tion for Retarded Citizens, Inc (CMARC) , which contract shall provide
that the funds from the Town shall be earmarked toward a contract pro-
curement salaried position for CMARC
The Chairman informed the Board that there was nothing set aside in Mosquitos
the budget for mosquito control She asked if the Board would be willing
to set aside some money for this at this time to be used at the discretion
of the Selectmen The Board agreed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appropriate
$9,000 for mosquito control to be .used at the discretion of the Board of
Selectmen
Mr Cohen asked what date the Selectmen would be assuming responsi- Adams
bility for Adams School He was advised that the motion for Town Meeting School
should read September 1, 1980
WI
- 8 -
BAPERN The Board discussed the purchase of a new police two-way system.
(Boston Area Police Emergency Radio Network) It was decided to appropriate
$125,000 for this purchase III
Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted 3-1, Mrs. Miley, Mr. Kent,
Mr Crain in the affirmative and Mrs Battin in the negative, to appropriate
$125,000 for the purchase of a new two-way radio system
NESWC The Manager asked the opinion of the Board regarding Article 29 of
the Warrant, to contract with the Northeast Solid Waste Council for the
disposal of solid waste. After a brief discussion, the Board agreed to sup-
port the article.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to support Article 29
of the Warrant, authorizing the Selectmen to contract with the Northeast
Solid Waste Council for the disposal of solid waste.
( Executive Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 by roll call vote
' Session to go into Executive Session for the puspose of discussing strategy with
respect to a matter of litigation a►d a matter of real estate transfer with
no intention of resuming open session
A true record, attest
3
Beatrice M. Casey
Principal Clerk, Selectmen
( 15
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
MARCH 17, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, March 17, 1980 at 7 00 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town
Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive
Clerk, were present Mrs Battin was absent
Chairman Miley read a request from the New England Telephone Company Conduit
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the loca- Powers
tion tion of existing conduit and manholes in Powers Court, formerly a Court
private way and now an accepted street in the Town of Lexington.
Powers Court, from existing pole 10/15 located on the southwesterly
corner of Powers Court at Paul Revere Road, sweeping easterly to
the east side approximately 124+ feet to new handhole #1, thence
southerly 134+ feet to new handhole #2, thence westerly 105+ feet
to a deadend on private property; also from new handhole #1
westerly 51+ feet to a deadend on private property, approximately
414+ feet of conduit and two handholes
The Board acted on the following agenda items
II/ Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Water
quest of Mr Warren Empey, Acting Director of Public Works, to abate the Abatements
following water bills Luis Adrover, 22 Outlook Drive, $49 95-meter
changed and corrected bill sent Federal Investment Trust, 1632 Mass
Avenue, $79 20; Edwin Cranston, 4 Westwood Road, $49 05; John McAvoy,
117 Burlington Street, $139 05; Louis Fuoco, 18 Hilltop Avenue, $90 00;
Francis Cote, 6 Bennett Avenue, $79 65; James Collins, 195 Follen Road,
$45.00; Incorrect readings and adjusted bills sent
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign 1-Day 1-Day
liquor licenses for W R Grace retirement parties on March 18 and Liquor
April 24, 1980
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to renew the 1980
Common Carrier license of John E Osborn d b a Colonial Tours, Common
44 Riverdale Road, Concord, to conduct bus tours of the Lexington Carrier
Green, Hancock Clarke House, Buckman Tavern, no admission to License
historic houses
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to designate Middlesex
Mrs Nancy H Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager, to serve as County Adv
our representative at the meeting of the Middlesex County Advisory Bd Meeting
Board on Wednesday, March 19, 1980, and to vote as necessary on
behalf of the Lexington Board of Selectmen.
19(.0
Selectmen's Meeting -2- March 17, 1980
LWV - Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Town request of the League of Women Voters to set up a table in the lobby
Meeting of Cary Hall to sell L W V publications before and during Town Meeting
The Board acted on the following items on the Manager's agenda
Greek Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Church request of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cambridge to conduct their
Road annual 10-mile race on Sunday, March 23, 1980, subject to coordina-
Race tion with Police, Fire,and Public Works Departments
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve a
change in date from March 23 to April 13, 1980 for the American Cancer
Society mini-marathon, subject to coordination with Police, Fire, and
Public Works Departments
Hastings Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Park request of Mr Donald Gillespie for a Lexington High School Band
Band Concert at the Hastings Park bandstand on Sunday, May 25, 1980, from
Concert 3 00 to 4 30 p m.
Hancock St Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize
Chairman Miley to sign the contract between the Town of Lexington
and A. R. Belli, Inc and A R Equip Corp , joint venturers, for
the reconstruction of a section of Hancock Street, subject to the
approval of Town Counsel Authorization is contained in Article 23
of 1977, Article 26 of 1976, Article 26 of 1975, and Article 25 of
1974
Bike Mr.. Hutchinson recommended that the Board execute the agreement
Paths with the State DPW for the construction of a bike path He said that
we are prepared to implement the program under the grant from the state
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to execute th'e
agreement between the Town of Lexington and the Commonwealth of Mass
through its Department of Public Works for the construction of a Bikeway
in various locations in the Town of Lexington
Hayes Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board vote the intent to take
Lane an easement on Hayes Lane in connection with the bike path Mr Kent
Easement asked if this is an easement over abutters' land? Mr Hutchinson re-
plied that it is but there appears to be no objection according to the
Engineering Division, and we ,have an opinion of damages that them are
no damages Mr Cohen added that it is on an unaccepted street *
Articles Mr Hutchinson recommended that Articles 3 and 7, dealing with sup-
3, 5, 7 plemental appropriations, and Article 5, dealing with the collective
bargaining process, be postponed until after Article 49 , which is
effectively the last article in the area of financial matters other
than the cap override We will have the data for you on anticipated
supplemental appropriations Articles 3 and 7 will basically be geared
to the energy problem, and we would hope that by the time we get to
Article 49 that we may have a Police agreement or not
* Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted an intent to
take an easement on Hayes Lane in connection with the proposed bike path
197
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - March 17, 1980
Mr Hutchinson proposed that Accounts 3770 and 3800, collective Town
bargaining payroll and expenses in the Police Department, and 4900, Meeting
5800 and 5850, because of Article 27-Solid Waste Collection, be
divided from Article 4 and brought up after Article 49-Release
Balance of Bond Authorization. Chairman Miley said that she would
make the motion at Town Meeting to divide the accounts from Article 4
and under Article 2 an explanation will be given about Articles 3, 5,
and 7
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that bids on the Cemetery build- Cemetery
ing were received and were more than double the estimates The low bid Building
was $92,929 and we have $42,000 appropriated for the work on the building. Bids
We have the problem of escalation, and there is a $16,000 escalation
factor; the underpinning of the existing structure was something that
the contractors had problems with that we didn't anticipate, and
estimates went up to $22,000; complete new electric service, which
we did not anticipate, was estimated for $7,000; supervision for over-
head and profit was $6,000 higher; labor has escalated 40 percent;
concrete 70 percent; copper wiring 40 percent He recommended, (1) to
reject the bids this evening; (2) to discuss it further at a subsequent
meeting
Mr Busa moved to reject the bids Questions were raised by the
Board and Mr Hutchinson said that he would like to bring in some of
our technical people to discuss what might be done
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the matter
of the rejection of the bids on the Cemetery building
The Board agreed to discuss LEXPRESS and the Hammer Kiefer and Todd
$38,. 00proposal for the Munroe School at the next meeting on Wednesday
evening
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 7 30 p m.
A true record, Attest
4,4,00,17 L717 fc
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
111
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
MARCH 19, 1980
A meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Wednesday, March 19, 1980, at
7 00 p m. Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain;
Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy,
Executive Clerk, were present
LEXPRESS The Transportation Advisory Committee met with the Board to discuss
Bus Bid LEXPRESS Mr Hutchinson said that only one bid was received on Friday
The contractor has proposed $16 17 an hour, which is within the guide-
lines the Transportation Committee had anticipated However, his bid
proposed for an escalated provision that would allow the base price to
increase 1 percent and based upon every 2 cents per gallon increase, it
would mean an estimate as high as 17 cents for every 2 cents of in-
crease, in gas The base would have been for the bidding date He had
met with the contractor this morning and had pointed out that this
would put us substantially in excess of what was estimated, and we
were not too sure at that time what the price of gas was going to be
To handle current services would cost in excess of $300,000 The
contractor said that he could go to 3 cents for every 1 percent in-
crease, so there is an important increase in the cost of operating
vehicles, parts, etc being charged to the cost of gasoline Mr
Hutchinson was not sure that he fully concurs with that but is trying
to find out what options are available What it really means in the
worst case scenario is, it would be $179,440 exclusive of the anticipated
subsidy from the "T" of $42,000 or $221,440 for a total, including $5,000
for the chair car would be $226,440 Mr. Hutchinson recommended that he
and .a representative of the Transportation Advisory Committee meet with
the contractor for further refinement of the numbers It may be possible
to take it up after Article 49 ; we may be ready by Monday for a report
and have it in place by Wednesday
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Manager's suggestion to recommend to Town Meeting that Article 32-LEXPRESS
be taken up after Article 49
Munroe Mr Hutchinson discussed the Hammer Kiefer and Todd, Inc estimate of
School $38,500 on the Munroe School conversion; $4,500 for programming, which is
tied to looking at the existing need and the proposed need for the office
plan; $30,000 to prepare plans and specifications, assuming that the need
is identified for the building; $4,000 for cost estimates for architectural
and engineering fees for going out for a detailed estimate based upon specific
finite plans rather than a preliminary estimate for which we have already
paid $2,000 If that were the scenario, it gives you the opportunity to
move on the project and at the next Town Meeting, or earlier, on the design
I
99
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - March 19, 1980
You could just address the needs question and if it is identified, then
you are in a situation where at a subsequent Town Meeting you can ask
for detailed plans, the specifications, and the availability to go out
to bid Mr.. Kent said that therd ,is a middle ground and there is a cer-
tain difficulty in going beyond the needs all the way to plans and
specifications Those plans would have to be related to a particular
place, and at the moment that is the Munroe School, and that amount of
money would seem to import a decision having been made if we were going
to go forward at the Munroe School He would like to seek enough money
to obtain the needs .asses.sMent and to have professional judgment as to
the suitability, strength and weaknesses of Munroe Mrs Battin agreed
and recommended that a needs assessment of Muzzey Junior High School
might also be done It was her understanding that the current program
expansion needs presumably might be met at the Church of Our Redeemer,
but we should have a needs assessment in terms of projected needs for
program requirement Chairman Miley said that we should put into focus
the fact that was brought up by many people at the information meeting
and on the bus that there was a grave concern that we should not commit
ourselves to "a" building when another one is coming along and that we
should do our best to get a dialogue going again with the School Committee
to see what can be done with the buildings as they are coming down the line
Their feeling was that there might possibly be a portion of Muzzey for the
youth of the town, with another portion to be used for something else For
us to talk with the School Committee to allow us to really look at Muzzey
from a point of view of measuring and whatever had to be done; in other
words, not just lock the door and hand us the key Mrs Battin added that
it was her understanding from the information meeting that not only did
Town Meeting want a full assessment of the needs, both now and projected,
but they also wanted the knowledge that Munroe was the best of the soon-
to-be available sites What we are saying is we are getting professional
judgment ofnlREzey at the same time, so that we have two options to be look-
ing at when we go back to Town Meeting Mr Crain thought that professional
judgment could certainly pass some floor plans at Muzzey when they quickly
look at Munroe. He had no problem with the suggestion, with one proviso
that before we spend anything on a needs assessment that we see what kind
of free help is available from the state, universities, and anyone else
Mr Busa asked how broad the needs assessment is to be, and if it is to
see what is needed for the elderly? Mr Hutchinson said that the assess-
ment would be for the needs of the senior citizens of the town, and the
assessment will be a combination of volunteer and
professional services Mr Busa said that if we find out the needs are not
of such a substantial nature to warrant that size of construction, he could
not see why we want to look into Munroe and Muzzey He did not see the crunch
or the explosive need in the next year or two when we have facilities available
to us at the Church and some of the other services that can be afforded to the
senior citizens where everything is in place He would not like to rush into
it and find we had a white elephant Mr Kent said that we are not rushing
into anything We ought to proceed apace to determine the suitability of
Munroe and Muzzey to serve this particular function, and we ought to assess
those needs If a preliminary study indicated the suitability of Munroe
then he would like to see the Board in a position of whether it wants to
go forward or not Mr Hutchinson recommended that $7,500 be requested.
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - March 19, 1980
Munroe/ Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to request under
I
Muzzey Article 33 that the sum of $7,500 be appropriated for a needs assess-
Needs ment for a senior citizens center and the determination of the suitabil-
Assess- ity of Munroe School and Muzzey Junior High School for such a facility
ment Mr Busa abstained
Mr Kent said that it is his understanding that the Council on Aging
can be taken care of to a greater extent than they are currently by the
acquisition of some additional facilities, at least on a part-time basis,
and in that event or perhaps without it, there may be some upward adjust-
ment of our contribution to the Church of Our Redeemer necessary to
achieve that goal How are we going to handle that? Mr Hutchinson
said that there is the possibility of going to the public trust fund
Rendall Rd Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that the neighbors on Kendall Road
Sidewalk had changed their minds and did not want a sidewalk at all He had talked
with the School Department and they support the idea of putting sidewalks
in. The Board was in favor of including sidewalks with street construction
Discussion was held on the possibility of putting sidewalk on the other side
of the street where all the houses are, at an estimated cost of $14,000
Mr Hutchinson said that this would cost more than the proposed $9,100 and
doesn't tie into another sidewalk Chairman Miley said that she had sug-
gested before to continue the sidewalk as we had planned by adding the
section of Worthen Road headed toward Waltham Street where there is no
sidewalk, and this would tie in and complete the sidewalk Mr Kent felt
that it was unwise for the Board to be redesigning sidewalk designs at
Town Meeting, but if there is sentiment on the floor of Town Meeting for
$4,000 more to go around the corner He didn't approve of the Board
amending upwards its own proposal at Town Meeting The Board agreed.
Wilson Rd Mr Hutchinson said that if the Board chooses to put in sidewalks on
Sidewalk Wilson Road, the motion under Article 22-Construction of Sidewalks would
have to be amended for another $45,500 The Board agreed not to recom-
mend a sidewalk on Wilson Road However, it was agreed that a safety
factor exists and the Manager was instructed to inform the Police De-
partment to have very systematic coverage of the area during the hours
in which children are going to and from the school; to pursue the matter
of the installation of a chain across the entrance to the Hastings School
on Roosevelt Road; the installation of signs far No Left Turns from Marrett
Road onto Wilson Road between 7 00 a m and 9 00 a m.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 8 00 p in
A true record, Attest
g,,,,,, :227 , : ,,,,, _,,,__ __
7 Executive Clerk, Selecen
,'t7:-)
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
11/ MARCH 24, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, March 24, 1980 at 7 00 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
Chairman Miley read a petition from the New England Telephone Company J/0 Poles
and Boston Edison Company requesting that five existing poles in North
Street, now totally owned by Boston Edison Company, become jointly owned
A report from Mr Empey, Acting DPW Director, recommended approval as
this will give the New England Telephone Company permission to occupy
these existing poles together with Boston Edison Company
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
petition for joint ownership of poles by the New England Telephone
Company and the Boston Edison Company in North Street on the southerly
side, approximately 207+ feet west of Lowell Street, five poles #178/10,
11, 12, 13, and 14; also on the northerly side approximately 353+ feet
west of Lowell Street one stub pole #178/118
The Board discussed briefly a letter from Mr Richard John regarding Guides
the position of Director of Guides Mr John is a student at Harvard
and stated in his letter that he had been Acting Director during one of
Rev Handley's illnesses in 1977 Chairman Miley pointed out that Rev
Handley did greet groups throughout the year, not only during the summer
The Board agreed to take the matter under advisement until the meeting of
March 31
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Minutes
minutes of November 19, 1979 as amended; November 26, 1979, January 14,
1980
Chairman Miley read a request from the Lexington Bicentennial Band Summer
for summer concerts in the new bandstand at Hastings Park Band
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Concerts
quest of the Lexington Bicentennial Band to conduct summer concerts in
the bandstand at Hastings Park from 7 00 p m to 9 00 p m on Tuesdays,
May 6 through June 24; Thursdays, July 10 through August 28, Sundays
from 1 00 p m to 5 00 p m on September 7, 14, and 21, subject to co-
ordination_by the Manager's office
The Board agreed that an administrative mechanism. of the scheduling
of the bandstand is to be set up by the Manager's offide and all requests
are to be handled by the Manager
Chairman Miley read a request from Mr Warren Empey, Acting DPW Water
Director, to abate a water bill Abatement
I IIIUpon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 to abate a
water bill of Vinebrook Corporation, 1700 Massachusetts Avenue, in the
amount of $22 50; account closed, billed in error Mr Busa abstained
because of a conflict of interest
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - March 24, 1980
Girl Chairman Miley read a request from the Girl Scouts
Scouts/ Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Cary request of the Girl Scouts of Lexington to sell cookies in the lobby
Hall of Cary Hall before three sessions of Town Meeting
Mr Kent pointed out that the By-Laws state that arrangements for
the Town Meeting are made by the Moderator
Tax Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that he would like to defer his
Policy recommendations on the appointments to the Tax Policy Committee; he is
Com. still talking with potential candidates and will come back to the Board.
E & D Mr Hutchinson said that he had talked with Mr Perry, Comptroller,
Article and Mr Zehner, Treasurer, about E & D Mr Zehner has some concerns,
as we all have, about what is going on with inflation, not only this
year but in future years, and his recommendation would be effectively
to commit $750,000 vs $1 million in order to have a larger warchest
for next year Right now, our estimates are that we will probably have
E & D of the magnitude of this year for next year It is a matter of
concern but in looking at the matter oft stability this year and in look-
ing at some of the variables that we have out there, Mr Hutchinson saw
nothing at this point in time to change his recommendation of $750,000
We have to remember that we have no idea of what weare going to get for
an assessment from the MBTA, County assessment for this year, and no
idea of what the revenue assessment is going to be on the cherry sheet
We are trying to find a balance of how much you want in reserve and how
much you want to use to offset the rate because we are using it as a
tax stabilization fund as a proper item. We could ask Mr Zehner in
to talk about it further The Manager and the Comptroller still feel
that $750,000 is a legitimate figure
EOCD Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board execute the Memorandum
Agreement- of Agreement between the Executive Office of Communities and Development
Housing & and the Town, and he will send a letter to them indicatjn& that they had
Self Help predicated their position on erroneous data The Board cautioned Mr
Funding Hutchinson about taking too strong a position in writing
Upon nation duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the
Memorandum of Agreement with the Executive Office of Communities and
Development and the Town of Lexington Concerning Housing Growth and
Self-Help Funding
Mr Kent is to talk with Mr Zabin about his concerns before the
document is released
Woodberry Mr Hutchinson recommended that 10 Woodberry Road, owned by John
Road and Anne White, be connected into the town's sewer system
Sewer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Connection recommendation of the Town Manager that the property at 10 Woodberry
Road owned by John and Anne White be connected to the town's sewer
system
s-, 3
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - March 24, 1980
II/
The Board acted on the following items on the Manager's agenda
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Road
quest of Symmes Hospital to conduct its second annual "Run for Symmes" Race
road races on Sunday, April 13, with a rain date of April 27, 1980.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adopt the Patriot's
guidelines for Patriot's Day permits; the normal Rules and Regulations Day
for Hawkers and Peddlers for the Town of Lexington apply except where Vendors '
specifically changed by these guidelines Permits
Mr Hutchinson said that he has filed a report with the Board on Amherst St.
the Amherst Street sewer Because of problems in the area, the Town Sewer
Engineer recommends that it be added to this year's project and, at the Project
present time, it appears that work could be started in the fall
Mr Cohen requested the Board to sign a deed conveying a tax title Tax Title
lot to. Ms. Laura L. Persily, as voted by the Board on November 19, 1979 Sale -
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to execute the deed Persily
conveying Lot 128 Sunset Street, which is also shown on Lexington Assessors'
Property Map 59 as Lot 18, to Laura L. Persily, 19 Haywood Avenue, in the
amount of $300.00
Mr Cohen requested the Board to sign a conservation easement, as Conservation
part of the Cambridge Farm Subdivision, given by Leon, Robert and Easement
Richard Burke.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the con-
servation easement given by Leon, Robert and Richard Burke, for the
Cambridge Farm Realty Trust subdivision
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive
vote - Mrs Miley, Mr. Buse, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to Session
go into executive session for the purpose of discussing litigation,
with no intention of resuming the open meeting.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
7:55 p m.
A true record, Attest:
44,--
ecutive Clerk, Selectmen
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
MARCH 26, 1980 1
A meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Wednesday, March 26, 1980, at
7 00 p m. Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain;
Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks,
Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were
present
App Com. The Appropriation Committee, the Capital Expenditures Committee, and
Cap Ex- Mr Zehner, Town Treasurer, met with the Board
penditures Mr Zehner recommended that $750,000 be committed to E & D We have
Committees been erratic and diverse in our actions in the past on free cash, fre-
quently to our regret In 1975, we had $1,617,000 and we appropriated
89 percent of that; that involved an unexpected windfall from Chapter
766 and the next year we were cut back and had to refund $566,000; in
1976, we had no free cash and no available funds; in 1977, we had
$277,000 in free cash and available funds and appropriated $261,000
or 95 percent; in 1978, we did better with $1,317,000 and appropriated
$750,000 We have $1,112,000 and we are cutting back to $750,000 We
should be thinking about laying money aside to take care of the uneven-
ness of the availability of the free cash to fill in the valleys and
trim down the hills
Mr White, Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, said that the
committee originally went along with $1 million as we would like to keep
the tax rate at a minimal increase The future appears to be uncertain
and is getting more uncertain by the hour Mr Zehner's recommendation
should be taken seriously and our committee has approved $750,000
Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board approve $750,000
E & D Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Vote recommendation of the Town Manager to commit $750,000 to E & D
Art 33 Mr White discussed Article 33-Human Services Center and said that
Hum.Sery the committee's concern is on what is the need and what are we getting
Center for the money? The numbers range from $7,500 for preliminary plans
to onward and upward to doing various things Not that we don't see
the need for a human services center but the question we are trying to
deal with from a financial standpoint is, what do we get for $7,500?
Chairman Miley said that we would search to find out if there is
a need Mrs Battin said that we really have to get a handle on the
need in terms of figures both for existing programs and the projected
need We need professional help in helping us devise a questionnaire
and in deciding how to get the information; whether we survey all the
seniors, whether we sample it, and how to analyze all the data We
have to get a needs assessment that is really valid and that we then
plan for If it turns out there is no need, that we are completely
wrong, no one plans to go ahead if there is no need identified But
once we get that need identified, we want to look at Munroe and Muzzey
and get a professional judgment to see if one or both of them are
suitable to meet this need and to be expanded if necessary to meet a
projected need We wouldn't probably even have preliminary plans
Mr Hutchinson said that the proposals we received recently allow for the
capacity to get really completed plans if the needs study said we should
.2o5
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - March 26, 1980
go forward on even a cost estimate. Capital Expenditures will comment but
they have basically said to follow the traditional town process on the program
Mr Barnert, Chairman of the Capital Expenditures Committee, asked who is going
to set up the criteria to figure what things you are going to look at for needs
Mrs Battin said that she would hope we would use the good offices of our
Human Services Committee and the Office of Elder Affairs, and we have good
people on committees on hand who would help us with this, and then tell us
what professional advice we would need This is one of the most important
things in drawing up the right kind of survey instrument We would use our
Human Services Committee, the Department of Elder Affairs, the Mass Municipal
Association, and the experience of other towns; then come up with who we need
to hire to help us with portions of it A great deal can be done with volun-
teers
Mr Barnert said that the concern of the committee is the fear that
you may be ignoring the possibility of a completely new building There is
town land that may be able to be used and whether you won't consider what
the requirements for such a new building would be
Mr Kent said that he had a somewhat different view than that which pre-
vails around this table, although he was very much in accord with this par-
ticular proposal in this particular proposed appropriation We are not talk-
ing about a human service center basically, we are talking about a center for
senior citizens We had a report submitted prior to the last annual Town
Meeting by a citizens ' committee on a senior center, expressing a view that
this community needed a senior citizens ' center The Town Meeting, to an
extent, accepted the direction of that report by directing the Selectmen to
include the possibility of use as a senior center in the Selectmen's assess-
ment of possible uses of Munroe School We came down to a point where we
believe we are not remotely ready to present to Town Meeting, namely a pro-
posal for between $500,000 to $700,000 to go ahead on this presentation
We don't start with a fresh sheet, "Do you need a senior center?" If we
did not have currently the quarters we have in the Church of Our Redeemer,
we would be in trouble on this subject That is initially a makeshift
arrangement and has the element of a makeshift about it Fortunately, it
looks as though it may be expanded in order to take care of our near-term
needs What we don't have is an assessment that includes not only present
needs but projected needs for the future which simply have to be taken into
account if we are going to engage in any substantial capital program, be it
partial or total occupation of the Munroe or Muzzey Schools; or be it as
Mr Barnert suggests, the possibility of an entirely different structure
We just don't have a sufficient handle on the data at the moment We need
to get it The $7,500 is a bit of an estimate in this regard He would
hope that we would go to the point that Mr Barnert talks about, if Munroe
and Muzzey don't work, at least what are the potentials? We don't want to
ask for more than is necessary, even if it is quite conceivable that this
money would not be all spent at this particular point We've got some
momentum on this project; we've got citizens asking us to go forward; we
have a receptive Town Meeting on the general proposition already, and not
without previous opposition We would like not to lose the momentum be-
yond the extend to which we already have to keep this thing going in essen-
tially the study phase, recognizing the dimensions of the need and
particularly the future needs We really don't have a handle on it and we have
to have it before we can fairly come to you and come to Town Meeting with any
concrete capital request
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - March 26, 1980
Mr White said that it is absolutely essential to establish the need and
his committee will probably support $7,500; they have not voted on it yet
Are we to assume we will get a report that says the needs of the town have
been assessed and here is a report that establishes the need?
Chairman Miley said she would assume that Mrs Battin said this is
what we are looking for, and then we say we have the survey, these are
the needs, these are the space requirements; that we have looked at these
two schools and this one seems much better; we want preliminary plan
money ; we have to make some sort of a judgment Or as Mr Barnert said,
neither one might be suitable We would lay out then what would be
available to meet those needs Mr White added that professional services
would be for constructing the questionnaire, seeing that it is properly
presented to the town and seeing that it is properly analyzed Mrs Battin
said there would be small additional monies to actually look at those two
schools once the needs have been established As Mr Kent said, we can't
stay forever at the Church There is obviously a need for at least that
great a facility if not some expansion Again, this does not have to be
preliminary plans Mr Gilman said he assumed the School Sites Conversion
Committee has been disbanded and you would not go through them? Chairman
Miley said that is correct Mr Gilman asked if the Human Services Com-
mittee would be involved, or perhaps set up a new committee? Chairman
Miley said that it might be a subcommittee of the Human Services Committee.
There are people on that committee who have done needs assessments
Mr Busa said that he had noP roblem with the needs assessment even though
we have had a report done by a committee in 1974 They did an indepth study
of the human service needs and a person on that committee didn't understand
why he was objecting to not going forward with the Munroe School We have
just spent $2,000 for the Munroe School and they came in with an estimate
of $777,000 and he couldn't understand why we want to put another $2,500
into more study of Munroe when he had assumed the $2,000 was to see if it
was feasible to put a human services and senior center in there, and they
came up with this figure on what it would cost us for some cosmetics to
bring it up to standards The Senior Sites Committee says there is a need,
the Board understands there is a need, and Mr Busa couldn't understand
why we want to involve the Human Services Committee or go into the state
house to get some information Before we appropriate $5,000, we should
set up a separate needs committee, professionally done, and let them
come back and have the senior citizens of the Town of Lexington become
involved, and not have a subcommittee to do the study and come back with
their report; but get out into the neighborhood and let the professional
group outside of our Human Services Committee and outside of our Senior
Citizens Committee Mr Hutchinson said that we will work this out pro-
cedurally
Mr Crain said that he certainly thought we should consider the Human
Services Committee and its resources, based on the excellent work they have
presented on budgets which they have looked at at the Board's request In
terms of elder affairs in the state house, he had no idea of what they can
supply, but it is there and it is free He would rather do that than spend
money Mr Busa said that if that is the avenue, the Board should determine
that this is the avenue we should take and not appropriate any money
Mr Crain said that it is impossible to make those determinations and as he
understands it, that is why the Board is asking for the minimal amount so
o7
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - March 26, 1980
that it is available with full knowledge that it won't be spent unless it is
absolutely necessary Mr Busa said that he had no problem with appropriating
$5,000 for a professional job being done and the $2,500 is to look at Munroe
and Muzzey Schools Mr Hutchinson said that the best estimate we can obtain
is about $4,500 for office program and layout, investigation of Muzzey and
Munroe Schools, and the best estimate we could put together here is $3,000
for working with needs assessment advice On the $4,500, we were asked to
look at what's really involved on a 10-year basis with Munroe, looking at
all the groups and the senior citizens in particular might go in there
All that was done from the old article was to look at Munroe School and say what
would it cost us if you tried to convert it into a human services center rather
than a senior center What it amounts toffs that they interviewed a very narrow
group of people for that $2,000; that's how we kept the cost down Now we are
saying, if the needs are determined, that's a separate study, that there
would be involvement again with the senior center, and all of those needs
tied to how can you lay the building out in such a way in a very detailed
basis, and the $3,000 is the study of needs
Mr Gilman said he assumed the Board would be opposed to any change in
the motion on the part of the Council on Aging in terms of added facilities
of the Church of Our Redeemer Mr Cohen said it is not really clear that
that is within the scope of the article and that is going to be something
that the Moderator will be approached on Mr Kent asked if it would be
fair to say that to the extent that additional space means some re-negotiating
with the Church of Our Redeemer that we believe we can find a way to manage
this without additional appropriation There are places that we can go to
seek some help on this Mr Hutchinson said that the answer is that we also
might not, but we will try to look at every legitimate resources, including
fund raising
Mr Hutchinson said that he and Mr Busa had met on the capping article Tax
and it looks as if, if you allow for the exceptions, we would be about 3 to Cap
4 percent on the appropriations, and we would be about 2 to 3 percent on
the levy side The intent is to protect the town on whatever actions are
taken on individual items, and it is important that what we are doing is
protecting the Town Meeting under these motions on the budget
Chairman Miley said that she and Senator Rotandi had filed a bill which
would cap the State, County, and the MBTA. The County and the MBTA have it
but you would never know it She did testify before the Committee on Taxation
and we hope it will do some good Mr White said that it would be appropriate
to alert Town Meeting to what may appear to be undue haste and let them know
that this is one of our goals
Mr Hutchinson said that he had appointed, subject to the approval of Appt
the Planning Board, Mr Robert Bowyer as Planning Director We had a screen- Planning
ing committee for 80 applicants and Mr Bowyer is the No 1 candidate He Director
understood that the Planning Board will be approving the appointment tonight
We are pleased to have Mr Bowyer a he has an excellent planning background
Mr Bowyer will be resigning as a Town Meeting member and whatever other
capacities he has been involved in on town committees
The Appropriation Committee and the Capital Expenditures Committee
retired from the meeting
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - March 26, 1980
Burglar Mr Kent said in connection with the Burglar Alarm By-Law Article,
Alarm he wanted to assure the Town Meeting that in the event the Board of
Article Selectmen has the power for this by-law to promulgate regulations
governing the issuance of permits for burglar and fire alarms, that those
regulations will only be promulgated after hearings ar which public partic-
ipation will be sought The Board agreed
Cemetery Mr Hutchinson asked if there were any problems with his recommenda-
Bids tion to reject the cemetery building bids? He said that he would rather
not, with our past track record, make another estimate on the building
without another bid being received Mr Kent said that if we are going
to do that, should we not before you actually seek that bid, go over
just what it is we are including in the proposal? Mr Hutchinson said
that he would; we have looked at the scope of the article but we would
like to review with you in greater detail the building and what we
propose to do
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
7 51 p m
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
2o9
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
MARCH 31, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, March 31, 1980, at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy,
Executive Clerk, were present
The Appropriation Committee and the Transportation Advisory Committee LEXPRESS
met with the Board to discuss Article 32-Lexpress Mini-bus Transportation
Service
Mr Hutchinson said that we received bids regarding the extension of
Lexpress and the base bid was $16 74 per vehicle My recommendation is
that we go for $180,000, which is an additional $80,000 beyond the
$100,000 that the Board had anticipated This would be for a full ser-
vice program for a nine month period of September through June We had
only one bidder and he has tried to protect himself with a fuel escala-
tion clause; the bid is less than we had anticipated but allows for an
escalation factor which was originally programmed to be for every 2 cents
a gallon there would be a 1 percent increase in the base bid We were
able to negotiate that to 3 cents a gallon€ora 1 percent increase in the
base bid We don't feel that we can do any better with the low bidder at
this time, and we don't feel that we are doing any better by going out for
re-bid, based upon discussions we have had with people, most of whom do
not have vehicles of the type that we (require Mr Zimmerman has agreed
to 3 cents a gallon and a nine months' program. Mr Hutchinson recommended
going to a nine months' program at $146,770 and dealing with an MBTA sub-
sidy of $33,000, we wind up with a net impact of $180,000 or $80,000 more
than is currently proposed within the operating budget He did not think
that the town should accept that the MBTA is not going to fund this system,
especially if we can demonstrate to the MBTA that this is the most effective
suburban transportation system in the region If we get the $33,000, we will
apply it to the operation and hopefully stay within the budget It is not
our intent to put it in E & D to raise the surplus The additional $80,000
provides for effectively the current system for September through June,
the continuation of a chair car for handicapped, and the opportunity to
assess this program for another year, especially in the light of the cur-
rent energy costs that we are experiencing This is still less than a
dollar on the tax rate We had talked about reduced service but the
Transportation Committee didn't think that was a good idea The fare
structure assumes a 40 percent increase
Mr Fred Rosenberg, Chairman of the Transportation Advisory Committee,
said that they are suggesting raising the basic fare up to 40 cents and to
sell reduced rate coupon books for $5 00 for 15 trips, which would nominally
be 35 cents a ride, a 40 percent increase from the 25 cents fare The passes
are raised accordingly and we feel there might be reduced ridership because
of that, possibly not as prices go up, and that would bring in a 25 percent
increase in total revenues It is 'proposed to charge 40 cents for 6 to 64;
20 cents for 65 and over; 20 cents for 5 and under; 65 cents to the Burlington
Mall The Board would have to act upon this by September Mr Busa said
II
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - March 31, 1980
that we have to justify better than 100 percent increase in the appropria-
tion of last year He was not in favor of subsidizing a system that doesn't
show a gain in revenue Inflation ought to be built into the fare structure
and he didn't believe that if we raise the fare to 40 or 50 cents that we
would lose that much ridership if gasoline goes to $2 00 a gallon To go
to Town Meeting on Wednesday, we must show a better return, and he hadn't
received a figure on how many people are riding the buses Mr White
said that there is the possibility that those who benefit the most be
asked to help subsidize this, and those are the people in the Mall;
somebody ought to be willing to help subsidize Mr Rosenberg said that
a member of his committee had approached the Mall and the Mall has a firm
stance that it wouldn't; it doesn't even advertise Alternatives were
discussed, including a cut in service during the hours of 9 00 a.m to
12 00 Noon after September, and Mr Hutchinson said that it is a matter
of getting more experience in the summer as we haven't even gone through
a summer yet The mini-bus systems in Winchester and Needham were briefly
discussed and Mr Hutchinson offered to get the figures for the Board's
information
Mr Hutchinson said that if the program continues, if it is funded at
this Town Meeting, we have had some private suppliers say to us that we
should probably go to multi-year bids and see what happens, and you will
certainly get more competition that we have right now Mr White asked
when will we know actually what the MBTA will do? Mr Hutchinson said
that it could probably be in August It is a grant program that you file
and you are not going to know until they are ready on their own budget
So you are not going to get a commitment if you are looking for planning
purposes for this budget You can make a decision on whether you are going
to get the funding or not Grants are supposed to be predicated on the
types of service that you are providing and he hoped when they looked to
Lexington that they remember the criterion of the grants they they are applying
Tax Cap Chairman Miley asked Mr Hutchinson to comment on the letter received
today from the Department of Revenue regarding the appropriations limit,
the levy limit and/or the budget limit applicable to the Town of Lexington
Mr Hutchinson said that with all of the numbers given to us now, there is
no way we can correlate them to anything that we have within our records;
we are working on that now and will have one or two written recommendations
for you on Wednesday Mr Perry, Comptroller, strongly recommended that
this be taken up at the last part of Town Meeting
Lexpress Mr Hutchinson requested the Board's approval of changes in the route
Route schedule for Lexpress
Change Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recom-
mended changes in Routes 5 and 7 of Lexpress in order to allow Route 5 to
go to the Mall on Saturdays and School Holidays, effective Saturday,
April 5, 1980.
U
1 )
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - March 31, 1980
The Board discussed the gypsy moth problem with Mr Paul Mazerall, Gypsy
DPW Tree Department Mrs Battin said that the question of gypsy moths Moths
had been referred to the Pest Control Advisory Committee, and she recom-
mended that the committee, working with Mr Mazerall, could work out
something that would be satisfactory Information submitted by the
State Department of Environmental Management and working closely with
what the Town of Weston developed, especially to use the biological
agent rather than a more toxic chemical, would be helpful; plus in-
formation as to how individuals can take care of infestation on their
own land Mr Hutchinson said that we continued to operate while the
committees are gearing up
Mr Mazerall said that we had an aerial and ground survey taken by
the state this summer and their information is that 90 percent defolia-
tion will occur as far as trees are concerned If we get this heavy an
infestation, they are going to move into the evergreens and if they are
defoliated they ,are not going to come back The very bad areas in town
are Spring Street, Prospect Hill, Cedar Street, Winter Street, and people
on Marrett Road have been calling up, there are sections all over town
We really don't have the money to do an accurate job as far as spraying
is concerned; we intend to do it with our own machines and to use two
applications of dipel It is very erratic and we will be lucky if we
get 50 percent control from it; if it rains within 48 hours after we put
it on, we will lose all the effect of the spraying We have no choice
and we have to do some spraying We have about $3,000 in materials on
hand and $3,000 left in the budget Wayland is talking $40,000 to do
their program by spraying the whole town aerially, and we don't want to
do it aerially During the week of April 22, we are going to all the
different neighborhoods and tell the people what to do and what to take
care of The infestation period is around May 15, and he informed the
Board •that private contractors are going to be using chemicals
Mr Hutchinson said that he will bring back a recommendation at the
next meeting, including alternatives based upon the use of chemicals
Mr Busa recommended that the Pest Control Advisory Committee be ex- Pest
panded He moved to expand the committee by three more persons in order Control
to have a better balance on the committee Questions were raised by the Adv Com
Board, and it was pointed out that a report from the committee is being
submitted at the end of this week Mr Busa withdrew his motion
Chairman Miley asked for the Board's opinion on a draft of a letter Human
to the School Department from the Human Service Committee regarding Servs Com /
Summer Workshop on Counseling She said that a vote was taken by the School
committee to send this letter, if endorsed by the Board of Selectmen, Dept
to communicate with the School Department that they would like rather
than fragmentation of human services to have some method of cooperating
through the summer workshop
After discussion, the Board agreed that an informal approach by
the Human Services Committee would be more appropriate than a formal
III letter
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - March 31, 1980
Resigna Chairman Miley read a letter of resignation from Dr Martin White
Community Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept with
Health regret the resignation of Dr Martin K. White as a member of the Com-
Committee munity Health Committee
Licenses- Applications for licenses were approved
1-Day Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue a 1-Day
Liquor Special Liquor license to W R Grace Associates for a retirement party
on April 3, 1980
Auctioneer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to renew the
Auctioneer's license to Allen C Lannom, 35 Webster Road
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes
of the Selectmen's meetings of December 10, December 17, 1979 ; January 7,
1980, March 10, 1980 (Open)
Director The Board discussed the position of the Director of Guides, and Mr
of Guides Buse recommended the appointment of Mr Neil Cronin, with Mr Richard
John as his assistant Mr Hutchinson said that we have $1,000/year ap-
propriated for this position if you want to pay $500 to each Chairman
Miley did not feel that the assistant should be on a permanent basis but
perhaps as temporary She asked if the Board would want to continue this
as a paying operation or would want to use some of the money for the guides,
or should the whole operation be on a volunteer basis with the Director and
the guides The Board agreed to the appointment of Mr Cronin as the Director
of Guides and voted the following
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request the Manager
to discuss with Mr Neil Cronin the possibility of his becoming the Director
of Guides and attempt to work out an arrangement under which this might be
accomplished, and an arrangement for working out guidelines for the conduct
of the program.
Traffic Chairman Miley read two recommendations from the Traffic Safety Committee
Signs Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the Traffic
Rules and Regulations to include Stop signs at the intersections of Wilson
Road and Roodevelt Road; Ellison Road and Rossevelt Road
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the Traffic
Rules and Regulations to include No Parking signs at Park Drive and Waltham
Street
Approval of the State DPW is to be requested
Resigna. Chairman Miley read a letter of resignation from Mr Bowyer
Assoc Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the resigna-
Board of tion of Mr Robert A. Bowyer as an Associate Member of the Board of Appeals
Appeals
Mr Crain said that in the line of questioning to him at Town Meeting
MVMH regarding Mystic Valley Mental Health, it is very important that the Manager
get back to us within a month Having worked with the Human Services Com-
mittee and established specifically the kinds of dat that they want, so,
in turn, Mystic Valley can be asked if they are going to be able to be
responsive Mr Crain said that was the commitment he had made on the
floor of Town Meeting
13
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - March 31, 1980
Chairman Miley read a letter from Mr Clifford Porter, President of Appt.
the Republican Town Committee, recommending the re-appointment of Mr Registrar
Simmons Voters
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to re-appoint
Mr William B Simmons, 82 North Street, a Registrar of Voters for a
three year term expiring March 31, 1983
Mr Hutchinson requested approval of a transfer of $7,000 to the Transfer
Fire and Police Medical Account in order to pay current bills Acct
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request the #1125
Appropriation Committee's approval of a transfer of $7,000 from the
Reserve Fund to Account #1125-Fire and Police Medical
Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of bonds Bonds
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
following bonds Town Clerk in the amount of $6,500; Town Treasurer
in the amount of $170,000; Tax Collector in the amount of $160,000
Mr Hutchinson requested approval of a road race and a parade High School
permit Road Race
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
request of the Lexington High School Senior Class to conduct a road
race on Sunday, May 4, 1980 at 1 00 p m , subject to coordination
with the Police Department
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Youth
request of the Recreation Department for a parade permit for the open- League
ing day of the youth league programs on Saturday, April 26, at 10 00 a m. Parade
Mr Hutchinson recommended that two members of the Engineering Town
Division be designated to walk the town boundaries Boundaries
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
recommendation of the Town Manager that Paul Veers and William DeRose
of the Engineering Division be designated as the representatives of the
Town of Lexington to walk the town boundaries with the representatives
of Belmont, Arlington, Winchester, Woburn, Burlington, Bedford, Lincoln,
and Waltham during the period of May 12 through May 16, 1980
Mrs Battin said that there is a report which was distributed to
the Board this evening, and Bob Kent served on the committee at the
Mass Municipal Associations, about reforming county government, and
the Board of Directors of the MMA voted to go along with the recom-
mendations of that report
EUISETISe
Mrs Battin said that according to our policies and procedures, E
we have to have a vote of the Board ahead of time for any member of tion Fee -
the Board to attend conferences On April 18, she and Mr Crain had
been asked to attend the Mass Municipal Association conference on
Pensions The registration fee is $15 each Mr Crain said that he
was not sure he would be able to attend and rather than have the town
expend the money, if he is able to make it he will take care of the fee
The Board voted to approve
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - March 31, 1980
111
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn
at 10 05 p m.
A true record, Attest
(71)C
ecutive Clerk, Selectmen
r
1>
I
5
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
APRIL 2, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Wednesday, April 2, 1980, at 7 30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were
present.
Chairman Miley read a letter from Mr P C Wong for permission to Com Viet
use the downstairs function room of Peking Garden on April 21 Ext of
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission Hours
to Mr P C Wong to use the downstairs function room of Peking Garden,
27 Waltham Street, on Monday, April 21, 1980 from 10 30 a m. to 1.00 p m
to serve food to the parade units
Mr Hutchinson discussed Lexpress and gave the Board additional Lexpress
information requested on the operation of Winchester and Needham mini- Appropria-
buses He asked the Board to act on his recommendation to request the tion
approval of Town Meeting for an appropriation of $180,000 for Lexpress
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-1, with Mr
Busa in opposition, to request that the town appropriate $180,000 to
fund a local transportation system.
Mr Busa said that he would go along with three hours a day re-
duction in service and a greater fare increase
Mr Rosenberg, Chairman of the Transportation Advisory Committee,
commented that the Appropriation Committee may go along with Mr Busa's
suggestion
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
800pm.
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
I
\
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
APRIL 7, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, April 7, 1980, at 7 30 p.m
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
Pest Con- Mr John Andrews, Chairman, and members of the Pest Control Advisory
trol Com. Committee met with the Board to discuss the interim report of the committee
Interim on mosquito control in Lexington Mr Andrews said that the committee had
Mosquito hoped it would be a final report but they now wanted to verify factors
Report Initially when we began the study of pest control, we began with the idea
we were going to have to trade off the number of mosquitoes that we have
against the concerns for the pesticide use; there seem to be conflicting
problems and in order to do that we had to understand two things, (1) What
are the pesticide problems and those concerns over the pesticide use;
(2) What benefits arrderiving from pesticide use? The real surprise of
the study came in the area of the benefits of what the pesticide uses are
We've heard effectiveness numbers quoted concerning pesticide use in the
town that it is 80 to 90 percent effective in eliminating mosquitoes,
which gave us and certain other people in town the impression that most,
if not all, of the mosquitoes would be eliminated by the pesticide which
was being applied but when these effectiveness numbers were translated in
terms of actual nuisance abatement, it turned out that the effectiveness
was much lower Primarily, the costs are only a small fraction of mosquito
breeding areas in Lexington being treated even a single time and that
pesticides were being used A lot of mosquito areas that are not in wet-
lands are not being addressed in any fashion, and the adulticiding effective-
ness has been applied only to a small fraction of the town, to only 5 percent
of the town in any given operation, and there are 7 or 8 operations per year
Since the relief that is afforded by those operations is only a few days at
the most, the average effect is very small; so the net benefits to be de-
rived appear to be quite minimal and it seems as if we've had some unrealis-
tic expectations of how much mosquito control we can get only spending a
few thousand dollars The other concern that came up and is especially
important in view of the way in which we have to decide we are goimn trse,
is the concern over counterproductive effects; the fact that certainTio-
logical checks of mosquito numbers may be destroyed or their effectiveness
decreased by the pesticide use So we might be trading off a modest perma-
nent suppression that we get from natural controls for a temporary, more
dramatic one from the pesticide use The committee felt it impossible to
quantify what benefits we were getting, if any, from the pesticides that
have been used, and we are still searching for data that enables us to
evaluate that for the future As far as pesticide concerns go, there has
been concern in two areas, (1) exposure to pesticides/possible health
effects; (2) Ecological damage The risks are probably small for
human exposure; it is impossible to be absolutely confident as we don't
have either health damage in the future or it isn't current now One
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - April 7, 1980
reason being the inadequate scientific knowledge, especially in the area
of neurological effects of pesticides upon infants and the unborn and the
chronically ill persons; there is practically no data available So, the
human exposures as a matter of acceptable risk, and do the benefits justify
the risks, obviously that's something different people will have different
judgments about. The committee felt if we are going to make a collective
decision that people would be exposed, whether they wished to be or not,
that we first have to be sure we have considered the alternatives to ex-
posure to achieve the same effects without exposing people to pesticides
The committee has recommended that we not use chemical insecticides in
the way that exposes people until we have the alternatives Since there
is no monitoring in Lexington, we don't have the data on what the damage
is or what has occurred We recommend using non-chemical approaches and
address mosquito breeding areas Areas on private property can be ad-
dressed by attempting to enlist the support of the public There are a
lot of people who are unaware of the effectiveness of things like repellents;
public education measures should be in place and should be pursued regardless
of what we do Using. town resources could be effective in eliminating spot
problems, and probably this should be done regardless of what you eventually
decide to do on mosquito control One of our conclusions is, if we are
going to use chemical pesticides in the future, we should be monitoring
what their effects are and the inadvertent effects, and we should also
look into the use of more selective materials
Within the scope of the appropriation, our recdmmendation would be the
coordination of existing County sources and our town resources could be di-
rected in a better fashion i e. , if there is a problem with a drainage chan-
nel that people have been dumping trash in., and this may be a source of
breeding mosquitoes in a neighborhood When complaints are received, rather
than sending a truck out and spraying the area with pesticides to give two
or three days' relief, to have someone go out and inspect the area and per-
haps find that source, and we might get more or less permanent relief It
is a matter of coordinating things that probably DPW om,other town agencies
could do on their own to prevent breeding mosquitoes He did not know if
this could be done with in-town resources or would need someone to come in
for the summer to inspect and coordinate; this would require some funds as
he assumed there is no one within town government to handle that Anyone
with the proper biological background could qualify to do this and get the
data if that person is able to identify the species of mosquitoes and could
put on a pair of hip-boots and walk the swamps
Wellesley is in the process of phasing out their adulticiding operation
and certain other towns are in the process of getting town meeting approval
of a mosquito control program Bedford wants to be selective about what they
do with the material Each town could tailor the program to their own concerns
Chairman Miley said maybe we could pursue this with the County Extension Service
as this is one function of the County that does seem to work.
Mr Hutchinson said that a major effort has gone forward on the report but
some of the data is incorrect and, if presented, may compromise what you are
trying to do The recommendation on the education program is an excellent one,
and bringing on staff perhaps even to run our own program without the Middlesex
control group, if that's desirable, but at the same time we have to look at what
they have been providing and they have been doing certain ditching work, etc
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - April 7, 1980
He emphasized the fact that the town has been doing a great deal on catch
basins , brooks, and we use it on a regular basis and have even coordinated
it more closely with the Conservation Commission He felt it was an unfair
characterization that the town has not been working on stagnant waters that
are effectively breeding areas The area of the report on acidic water
merits review, and we would be interested in going over our studies, which
were independently conducted in relation to our landfill, and try to corre-
late it with the data compiled by Mrs Roos Also, it would be appropriate
to reference in the report that Mr Mazerall and Mr. Smith pare ex-officio ,
members of this committee
Mr Andrews said the committee is aware of the fact that the town does
clean brooks and maintain drainage channels The problem is if an area
blocks up, mosquitoes can be coming out of it within a week or 10 days, so
it takes a fast reaction sometimes when the problem arises What we really
intended to imply is there is no one whose responsibility it is to respond
to the complaints in a way that would result in a fast action by the town
The complaints result in pesticides being sprayed rather than a check to
see what is being done You are right, and we should acknowledge the
fact that the town prevents a lot of problems by the regular maintenance
procedures
Chairman Miley read the following from the report, "Last spring, the
mosquito population levels in Lexington were extremely high and mosquito
nuisance reports were received from all sections of town This occurred
despite an ongoing mosquito control program and an increase in the rate
of adulticiding spray operations in comparison with the previous year "
She asked if someone could answer if that is the case?
Mr Smith said in going over that particular section with the Manager,
it is one section he felt was in error There was an increase in adulticiding
but the adulticiding work conducted during the last six months that the town
participated in the E Middlesex project was conducted during the last week
of the season when we had an extremely wet spring We had a lot of rain in
early May and the project worked in town adulticiding once during that period
The weather conditions were adverse to the point where they couldn't do any
adulticiding and it was put off until the end of the year In discussions
with Mr Mazerall, we felt it would be better to leave with as many dead
mosquitoes as possible We had received a superabundant number of complaints
during May and early June and the weather conditions coupled with the fact
that the town wasn't charged for the project played a part in this decision
being made A lot of work conducted earlier in the season was limited to
ditching and drainage work; we felt that the town was going to be withdrawing
from the project and it was better to leave the drains and ditches cleaned
out in the event that the town didn't seek to return to the project a year
later
The Board agreed to send copies of the committee's interim report on
mosquito control to the Library for possible citizens ' input Chairman Miley
thanked the committee members for the report and informed them that the gypsy
moth problem would be discussed at a later meeting and consideration would be
given to the Manager's request for a transfer of $4,500
1709
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - April 7, 1980
Chairman Miley read a request from Mr Warren Empey, Acting Director Water
of Public Works, for abatement of water bills Abatements
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to abate water bills
sent to Corazzini Bros , 1 Blossom Street, $27 45; June Allyn, 915 Mass
Avenue, $104 40; incorrect charges
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Minutes
minutes of the Selectmen's meetings of January 28 and March 10, 1980
executive session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant an Auctioneer
Auctioneer's license to Donald Burke, 120 Simonds Road, expiring
May 31, 1981
Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board execute the agreement Town Audit
with Arthur Andersen for the town audit Arthur
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Andersen
agreement with Arthur Andersen & Co , 100 Federal Street, Boston,
to have the Town of Lexington's accounts audited for the period of
July 1, 1979 through June 30, 1980 at a fee not to exceed $9,900
Mr Hutchinson said the Board had instructed him to come back with Lexington
a recommendation on the commuter bus service to Boston There has been Boston
only one complaint and all other comments were extremely favorable. The Express
temporary permit expires April 13 and he recommended that Mr Goodman Bus
be given a two year contract including an expansion of service to the
South Station, subject to the town obtaining approval of the MBTA Mr
Goodman is looking at several other options but at this time has not
received the necessary permits from other towns and the MBTA. The ad-
vantage to the town of a two year contract rather than one year is that
it gives a private vendor a sense of stability so that he can actually
handle his routes better and he has some sense of guaranteed cash flow,
other than the effect that if he does not meet service expectation,
we can terminate this arrangement Mr Crain commented that as an out-
growth of the cash considerations, he would be in a position to use another
approach to capitalization, which might influence new equipment Mr Busa
questioned whether the contract could be extended to two years without going
out to bid. Mr Hutchinson said it was his understanding that we can since
there are no town funds involved Chairman Miley said that Mr Goodman had
mentioned he was interested in possibly a Sunday route and one in from Lowell,
possibly on a Sunday Mr Hutchinson replied that he is interested in ex-
pansion to South Station only, but will be back to the Board
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve renewal of
the current contract with the Vo cell Bus Company for commuter bus service be-
tween Lexington and Boston for a two year period from April 13, 1980 to
April 13, 1982 Approval of the expansion of the route to the South Station
was also granted Vote is subject to MBTA approval of the contract and
routes
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that he had appointed Richard Spiers,
).Co
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - April 7, 1980
Appt Superintendent of the sewer and water division, to coordinate a town safety ,
Safety program. We are working on it consistent with an insurance report and we
Coordin- will have reports and recommendations for the Board
ator
Brief discussion was held on the cemetery building, and the Board
voted to adjourn at 7 55 p m.
A true record, Attest �,
t&44 t/ 4>i i , e"
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
f,
J
III SELECTMEN'S MEETING
APRIL 9, 1980
A meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Meeting
Room, Town Office Building, on Wednesday, April 9, 1980, at 7 45 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs. McCurdy,
Executive Clerk, were present
Mrs Angela Frick, Lexington's MAPC representative, met with the Board
Chairman Miley read a letter from Mr Donald E Megathlin, Executive MAPC -
Director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, stating that the Coun- Central
cil has reviewed Lexington's request for technical assistance e g central Business
business district revitalization plan, and has found it to be consistent District
with our program goals and objectives We suggest that you submit a final Plan
application no later than May 15, 1980 which provides a more detailed de-
scription of the proposed project, a map of the project area, and other
information you may consider germane to your request In particular, a
prioritization of issues, for example, the need for a market analysis as
top priority followed by urban design issues or parking and traffic con-
siderations Application must be accompanied by letters of support from
the chief elected official and Lexington's MAPC Representative, Mrs
Frick. We look forward to reviewing your final application.
The Board agreed that Mrs Battin, Mr Hutchinson, Mrs Jacqueline
Smith, and Mr Robert Bowyer, Planning Director, are to compile the
necessary information for the Board's approval before May 15, 1980
for submission to MAPC
Chairman Miley commented that she had read in the newspaper of the MAPC -
proposal of the new task force of the MBTA to have the MAPC be the over- MBTA
all umbrella for the cities and towns Mrs Frick said that she would
investigate that but doubted that it could possibly be under the aegis
of MAPC
Brief discussion was held on Town Meeting Articles
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 7 55 p m.
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
1
• SELECTMEN'S MEETING
APRIL 14, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, April 14, 1980, at 7 00 p m
Chairmain Miley, Mr Buse, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
S1752 Mrs Jacqueline Smith, Chairman of the Hanscom Field Advisory Committee,
HFAC met with the Board regarding Senate 1752-Act Establishing the Hanscom Field
Advisory Committee At its meeting of April 8, 1980, the Hanscom Field Ad-
visory Committee agreed unanimously to strongly recommend to the Boards of
Selectmen of Lexington, Lincoln, Bedford and Concord that they ask Senator
Amick to table Senate 1752 for this year since the bill as reported out of
the Transportation Committee and amended by the Governor does not reflect
the spirit nor the letter of the body HFAC was trying to create through
this bill Mrs Smith said that she had talked with Senator Amick, and had
heard nothing from the Governor as to whether he would remove his reqmsst to
have appointees to this advisory committee, so the recommendation stands
At the moment, we are asking the Governor not to take any role in this, and
if he agrees to that, you could then recommend that the bill go forward as
you originally wanted it in an advisory commission not with approval powers
We do not know what the Governor will do Mrs Battin moved to accept the
recommendation of the committee As she understands the way it was voted
out of the committee, it gives the communities no greater influence than
they have under the current agreement, and to keep it in might mean more
untoward side effects which would hobble us even more Mr Kent said that
he thought when this bill was submitted, we were going to go the route of
having this bill sponsored by all senators and representatives in the area,
and it ended up as Senator Amick's bill only He had talked with Mrs Smith
and shared her concern about it being a community advisory bill He recom-
mended if we go this route again, in order to get these things through, we
have to get a broader base and not have it identified as a bill of a par-
ticular senator Mrs Smith said that they would try other avenues.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recom-
mendation of the Hanscom Field Advisory Committee to request Senator Amick
to table Senate 1752 for this year since the bill as reported out of the
Transportation Committee, and amended by the Governor, does not reflect the
spirit nor the letter of the body we were trying to create through this bill
The Board approved the following agenda items
' 1980 Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to renew the Common
Com. Victualler license for Walnut Farm Trust d b a Powder Horn Golf Club,
Vict expiring December 31, 1980; hours of operation from 7 00 a m to 10 00
p m.-7 days
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes
of the Selectmen's meetings of February 19 and February 25, 1980
213
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - April 14, 1980
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to abate the water Water
bills of Lucille Magliozzi, 112 Grant Street, $14 40; John Nordahl, 31 Abatements
Meriam Street, $55 35; incorrect reading by customers C V S 1721 Mass
Avenue-,. $11 25, extra meter removed and account closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept with CATV
regret the resignation of Mr Howard Cravis as a member of the Advisory Resigna
Committee on Cable Television
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- LWV
quest of the Lexington League of Women Voters to declare April 22, 1980 Earth Day
as Earth Day
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to refer to the Traffic
Traffic Safety Committee for a recommendation on the letter received Safety Com
from the Kennecott Copper Corporation concerning an obstructed view -Kennecott
of traffic at their 128 Spring Street exit Spring St
Mr Hutchinson requested approval of three transfer requests Transfers-
A request for $20,000 to the Road Machinery account to buy gasoline DPW
and diesel fuel, repairs to equipment and other automotive parts Account
The original request was for $50,000 and $20,000 had been previously 5450
approved
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request ap-
proval of the Appropriation Committee for a transfer of $20,000 from
the Reserve Fund to Account 5450-Road Machinery
Mr Hutchinson requested $16,000 for the Fire Department, which Fire Dept
is higher than expected because of additional maintenance problems, Account
fuel costs and automotive supplies He pointed out that they have 4150
been having a positive experience with fire equipment being fixed at
the public works' barn
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request ap-
proval of the Appropriation Committee for a transfer of $16,000 from
the Reserve Fund to Account 4150-Fire Department expenses
Mr Hutchinson requested $4,500 for continued support of our DPW
gypsy moth program. Mr Kent felt that he was insufficiently informed; Account
the material from the Pest Control Committee indicated that we ought 6100 -
not to push the panic button Mrs Battin said that Mr Mazerall Gypsy Moths
would be using dipel, a bacteriological spray, and what the committee
had urged was that people not hurry and turn to chemical sprays on
their own property Chairman Miley said that in the report from the
committee at that time they felt they had no input for gypsy moths,
and had nothing to say about that particular issue; that was why she
felt comfortable about going ahead with what Mr Magerall told us at
our last meeting with him The Board agreed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request ap-
proval of the Appropriation Committee for a transfer of $4,500 from
the Reserve Fund to Account 6100-Shade Treess for the gypsy moth program.
YA
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - April 14, 1980
Munroe Mr Hutchinson requested authorization to negotiate an extension of
School the lease of space at the Munroe School to the Assemblies of God Christian
Lease Center, Inc which expires on July 31, 1980 This would be subject to our
planning studies which are going to be made It was agreed that Mr
Hutchinson is to negotiate the extension of the lease and come back to
the Board with an actual date
Bike Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of a request for a bike ride
Ride Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re-
quest of the Americal Diabetes Association to sponsor a Bike Ride for
Diabetes on Sunday, May 18, 1980 from 11 00 a m. to 4 00 p m , subject
to coordination with the police department
Treasurer Mr Hutchinson asked for the Board's endorsement of Mr Zehner, Town
Treasurer, proceeding with the bond issue in June for the pool, sewers,
and certain conservation acquisitions Mr Zehner recommends that it is
cost effective to go forward on a permanent borrowing basis, subject to
his right to reject the bids He has talked with Mr Crain and wanted
the Board to know about the volatility of the economy.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the
Treasurer to proceed with arrangements for a bond issue in June
CoA Mr Hutchinson said that the Board had discussed some time ago the re-
quest of the Council on Aging for $1,800 because of additional staff time
and higher office expenses than anticipated He recommended that the
Trustees of Public Trusts be asked to support this program.
Mr Busa said that he would like to have a more detailed breakdown
of the operation - the time schedule, amount of hours, and salaries of
the part-time employees - in order to make a better judgment Mr
Crain said that along those lines of the activities of the Council on
Aging, and based on a conversation he had this weekend with someone from
the Secretary of Aging, the increased attempt we are going to make to get
some data and to be better prepared another year to discuss the needs of
that group, it seemed to him that the Manager confronts a real problem in
deciding how to allocate from his office some managerial monitoring of
the activities It is reaching the proportions now where it needs some
managerial attention and this is something that we have got to begin to
thrust Mr Kent said that he was concerned that this particular request
comes right on top of our budgeting process to take additional steps with
respect to an operating budget that he had supposed the Board had just
finished consideration of for the current year The Selectmen and Manager
have undertaken a commitment to seek to locate funds necessary in order to
support additional rental expense at the Church of Out Redeemer, and until
that particular undertaking has been fulfilled, he is reluctant to go around
attempting to get money from sources that we may want to get money for
for other purposes Chairman Miley said that she shared the Board's concern
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the CoA
request for $1,800
Mr Hutchinson said that he would bring it back to the Board next
week
2n5
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - April 14, 1980
Chairman Miley opened the hearing on a petition of the New England Telephone
Telephone Company to install 60+ feet of conduit in Moreland Avenue Conduit -
Notices of the hearing had been sent to abutters and filed with the Moreland
Public Works Department Mr Roland Pinault, representative of the Avenue
Telephone Company, was present and explained that a portion of the con-
duit will be in the public way, and Mr Douglas Holmes, 6 Moreland Avenue,
and Ms Kay Ting, 15 Moon Hill Road, have granted us the right-of-way to
place our conduit in the underground to service three new homes in the
the area Chairman Miley read a report from Mr Warren Empey, Acting
Director of Public Works, recommending approval of the petition Mr
Holmes and Ms Ting were recorded in favor of the petition No one
appearing in opposition, Chairman Miley declared the hearing closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0, Mr Crain
abstaining, to grant permission to the New England Telephone Company
for the following location of underground conduit Moreland Avenue,
on the northerly side, opposite the northwest corner of Fern Street,
from existing Pole 160/0, westerly approximately 60+ feet to private
property right-of-way, approximately 60+ feet of conduit
Mr Cohen recommended that the Board sign a sewer easement on Sewer
Rockville Avenue Easement-
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0, Mr Alfred Rockville
Busa abstaining, to sign the taking of a sewer easement on Rockville Avenue
Avenue on land owned by Anthony C and Beatrice E Busa
Mr Cohen said that the Board had voted on November 26, 1979 to Land
sell a small tax title lot on Sunny Knoll Terrace for back taxes and Conveyance-
interest that came to $1,205 29 The check has been received, and he Sunny Knoll
requested the Board to sign the deed Terrace
The Board sign@?d the deed conveying a 25 ft wide strip of land
located on the northerly side of Sunny Knoll Terrace to Steven Miller
Adler and Elaine Pliskow Adler, for $1,205 29, subject to the re-
striction for a period of ninety-nine years that for the purposes of
building said land be combined with other lands with the buildings
thereon of the grantee known as 3 Sunny Knoll Terrace and that only
one building, together with customary accessary buildings, shall be
maintained on the combined lot
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
7 57 p m.
A true record, Attest
4/16.0.,te_e/-7 2)/ )19c --4-.1-20"(-7
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
I
V
TY
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
APRIL 28, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, April 28, 1980, at 7 30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Bpsa, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town
Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive
Clerk, were present Mrs Battin and Mr Cohen were absent
Tel Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the New England
Cable Telephone Company to install 18+ feet of cable in Spring Street
Spring Notices of the hearing were sent to the abutters and filed with the public
Street works department Mr Roland Pinault, representative of the Telephone Com-
pany, was present and said that this would provide service for a new house
of the Lexington Housing Authority at 39 Spring Street; the pole is located
on abutting 41 Spring Street We will bury about 18 feet of conduit to the
private property into the new development Chairman Miley read a report
from Mr Warren Empey, Acting Director of Public Works, recommending ap-
proval of the petition Mrs Flynn, 35 Spring Street, was present and
said that it would not affect her as her property is on the other side
of the new house Mrs Shunney and Mr Scanlon, Lexington Housing Author-
ity, were present and recorded in favor of the petition No one appearing
in opposition, Chairman Miley declared the hearing closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 3-0, Mr Crain ab-
staining, to grant permission to the New England Telephone Company for
the following location of underground cable .in Spring Street, on the
westerly side, from existing pole 90/9 located approximately 31+ ft
north of Hudson Road, northerly approximately 18+ ft to private property
#39 Spring Street
J/0 Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the New England
Pole Telephone Company and the Boston Edison Company for a joint pole location
Tarbell in Tarbell Avenue Notices of the hearing were sent to the abutters and
Avenue filed with the public works department Mr Pinault, representative of
the Telephone Company, said that the pole would bring both telephone and
electrical service to the Housing Authority's new house at #31 Tarbell
The pole is going to be located approximately at the property line and
wires will be buried to the new house Mr William Domigan, 37 Tarbell
Avenue, questioned whether the pole would be on the same side as the house
Mr Pinault said that it would be necessary so 'that the street will not be
dug up. We are going underground from the new pole location Mr Busa
added that they will be going from pole:137/6 overhead to pole.137/5 and
underground into the property at 37 Tarbell Mr Domigan was satisfied
Chairman Miley read a report from Mr Warren Empey recommending approval
of the petition. Mrs Shunney and Mr Scanlon of the Housing Authority
were recorded in favor of the petition No one appearing in opposition,
Chairman Miley declared the hearing closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 3-0, Mr Crain ab-
staining, to grant permission to the New England Telephone Company and
the Boston Edison Company for a joint pole location in Tarbell Avenue,
on the westerly side, approximately 159+ feet south of Tucker Avenue,
pole 137/5
_
aa'7
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - April 28, 1980
Chairman Miley conducted hearings on the petitions of the Boston Edison
Company at 7 36 p.m for 10+ ft of conduit in North Street; at 7 39 p m.
for 18+ ft. of conduit in Davis Road; at 7 45 p m for 14 feet of conduit
in Wood Street Mr Edmund Kelley, representative of the Boston Edison
Company presentedthe petitions Notices were sent to the abutters and
filed with the public works department Chairman Miley read reports from
Mr Empey recommending approval of the petitions, which would provide
electrical service to three new homes of the Lexington Housing Authority
Mrs Shunney and Mr Scanlon of the Housing Authority were recorded in
favor No one appearing in opposition, Chairman Miley declared the hear-
ings closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
to the Boston Edison Company for the following location of underground
conduit Bos Edsn.
North Street, northeasterly approximately 390 feet northwest of Conduit
Lowell Street, a distance of about 10 feet - conduit North St
Davis Road, approximately 103 feet north of Rockville Avenue, a Rockville
distance of about 18 feet - conduit Avenue
Wood Street, southwesterly approximately 47 feet northwest of Wood St
Wildwood Street, a distance of about 14 feet - conduit
Chairman Miley read a request from Mr Peter Chalpin, Acting Chair-
man of the Traffic Safety Committee, for approval of the establishment No Parking
of a No Parking Zone on Massachusetts Avenue across from the East Lexing- Mass Ave
ton Fire Station driveway Vehicles parked in this area inhibit the Fire Sta
movement of fire apparatus in and out of the station. If approved by
the Board, it should be forwarded to the Mass Department of Public Works
for issuance of the necessary permit.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the Traffic
Rules and Orders of Lexington by adding to Article V, Section 2, Schedule 1,
the following No Parking on Massachusetts Ave. , north, opposite Locust Ave
100' easterly
The proper forms are to be forwarded to the Mass.. Department of Public
Works for approval
Mrs Shunney informed the Board of vandalism at a new Housing Authority Scattered
home on Alpine Street There were extensive damages in the kitchen area Sites
and holes burned in the rugs She was very concerned as it appears that the
house cannot be occupied by June 1, the anticipated occupancy date
Chairman Miley assured Mrs Shunney that the Manager will talk with the
police department to have extra patrols in the areas of unoccupied Housing
Authority homes
Chairman Miley read an application from Arlex Taxi Corporation for Taxicab
renewal of nine taxicab licenses Mr Hutchinson said that a report has Licenses
been submitted by the police department after inspection of the taxis
There were problemG with one of the cabs and while the others were ac-
ceptable, the cleanliness was subject to criticism by the police department
44.
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - April 28, 1980
We plan to conduct another full investigation in the future and file another
report with the board If we have any future problems with the taxicab
11/
vendor, at the next meeting our recommendation will be somewhat different
The recommendation at this time is to go forward and approve.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re-
newal of nine taxicab licenses to Arlex Taxi Corporation d b a Lexington
Cab Company, expiring May 1, 1981, subject to the Manager contacting Mr
Tippett regarding the condition of the cabs
Abate- Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recom-
ments mendation of Mr Warren Empey, DPW Director, to abate a water bill for
the Red Cross Building, 3 Hancock Street, for $11 25; building vacant and
account closed Also, a street opening permit to Mr David Eagle,
275 Massachusetts Avenue, for $5 00; owner cancelled job
H.R.5200 Chairman Miley read a letter from U S Congressmen Wydler and Mottl
HUD requesting support of an amendment to H R 5200, which would eliminate
the HUD Court and thus the opportunity for HUD zoning decision review
The Board agreed that very little information is available on bills in
Washington Mrs Shunney, Chairman of the Housing Authority, expressed
her concern about the loss of home rule
Chairman Miley offered to contact Congressman Shannon's office for
his reaction and additional information on H R 5200
Recycling- Chairman Miley read a letter from Mrs Judy Zabin, President, and
LWV Mrs Suanne Dillman, V President for local program and action of the
League of Women Voters, stating that the League is pleased and supports
the town's solid waste collection with a recycling component The League
urges the Selectmen to have a public discussion of the various options
available. There are several issues which merit careful consideration -
the use of recycling sites at the sanitary landfill and the DPW building,
and collection containers throughout the town Many citizens and the League
would like to have input into the planning and promotion of effective re-
cycling and when the public hearing would be scheduled on this matter
Mr Hutchinson said that he planned to meet with the Solid Waste Committee
and to bring in a set of regulations on May 12 plus a full report
Chairman Miley said there has been some concernthatperhaps we can open
up the landfill again as a collection point for receptacles for cans
The Manager has given us some valuable information, and we are all work-
ing on that now Mr Buse said that people have some concerns about what
the regulations would be, and they would like to have closed containers
rather than plastic bags Now, when the trash is put out for Miller to
collect, there have been problems with dogs getting into the bags What
regulations would be put into effect to leave the trash out on the sidewalk?
Mr Hutchinson said that this will be addressed at the Solid Waste Committee
meeting Chairman Miley commented that maybe we could use the experience of
other towns
Mrs Zabin, Mrs Dillman, and Mr Jim Reilly, Chairman of the Solid
Waste Committee, were present In response to Mrs Dillman questions,
Mr Hutchinson said that we will be discussing on May 12 the regulations,
a review of recycling, and a proposal regarding recycling and how to do it
He added that Mr Reilly would be glad to have members of the League work
with his committee.
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - April 28, 1980
Chairman Miley asked the Board to discuss the implementation of Town Meeting
articles voted by Town Meeting, including Burglar Alarm Regulations, Articles
the Parker School, Recreation facilities, etc Mr Kent recommended
that a list of the articles be prepared These three are definitely
ones that we need to look to, and we hare the responsibility with re-
gard to the institution of the study of the Munroe School and the
Muzzey School in terms of a Senior Center It is important that we
get all of these things started and that we set our priorities We
need to hold a hearing on the burglar alarm regulations, perhaps after
another meeting of the Burglar Alarm Committee has been held It is
important that since. Town Meeting adopted the Recreation Committee's
recommendations with regard to improvements to recreation facilities -
something which we did not endorse - that we proceed with reasonable
promptness with respect to those
Chairman Miley said that Mrs Battin has been in touch with the
Chairman of the Human Services Committee to start the ball rolling on
needs for the seniors Mr Crain said it is his opinion that the
senior services group is generating sufficient activities and needs
for funding, and he would like to see the Manager's office find a way
to allocate some management surveillance and involvement with that
That is going to be an important ingredient of the entire package
Also, we have to formulate a data request of Mystic Valley for specifics
we required for funding Also, a committee is to be formulated to take
a look at the whole subject of pension funding Mr Hutchinson said that
the Pension Board is picking that up, and he will look into it Mr Crain
said that wasn't the intent; the specific commitment he made when the
article was covered at Town Meeting was that Mhe Board would appoint a
citizens' committee Mr Busa said that the fiscal year doesn't begin
until July 1 and we have a schedule of 1980 recreation monies for those
projects to be completed before we get into spending for FY 81 The
burglar alarm regulations and the hearing should be done before July 1
if they are going to be implemented before the end of 1980 Mr Hutchin-
son said that he has been working with the Police and Fire Chiefs and
the committee to bring in a set of draft regulations within the next
30 days On the Munroe School needs ' assessment, with the monies in
there are we going to be looking for outside help or is this going to
be in-house first? Mr Hutchinson said that he was going to spend some
time on how this is going to be coordinated Chairman Miley said there
are people on the Human Services Committee who have done this type of
thing in their work, and that is why we are going to them for advice,
and working with the Manager, etc
Mr Kent asked if there has been any further dialogue with the Church
of Our Redeemer with respect to additional space for the Council on Aging,
and how are we going to fund that additional space? Mr Hutchinson said
that the initial problem for completing their budget for the year has been
resolved internally without generating a request for money Mrs Banks
said that the CoA has met with the Church of Our Redeemer and the Church
is in the process of meeting with their own committees This has taken
longer than we had originally expected but there has been communication
It was agreed to address Burglar Alarm Regulations/Hearing; Parker
School; Recreation facilities; Munroe School/Muzzey Jr High Study; MVMH
data for funding purposes; Managerial monitoring of CoA; Pension Funding
Committee Mr Hutchinson said that he would have a complete list pre-
pared on articles for implementation
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - April 28, 1980
1-Day Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the
Liquor one-day liquor license for the Lexington Minute Men's Ball at St
License Brigid's Church hall on May 9, 1980
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
minutes of the Selectmen's meetings of March 17, March 19, March 24,
March 26, March 31, April 2, 1980
Solid Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board award the contract to
Waste the low bidder on the collection and disposal of solid waste
Contract Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
recommendation of the Town Manager to award the contract to the low
bidder, Browning-Ferris Industries, Inc , 100 Ballet Street, Boston,
for collection and disposal of solid waste as follows
July 1, 1980 to June 30, 1981 - $510,000
July 1, 1981 to June 30, 1982 - $530,000
July 1, 1982 to June 30, 1983 - $550,000
Tax The Board approved Mr Hutchinson's recommendation that he appoint
Policy the following members of the Tax Policy Committee Laurence Redgate,
Committee John McLaughlin, John Pierce, Ron Levy, Linda Wik, Christina Welch,
Stephen Politi, Robert Dodd, and Dr John Lawson, Superintendent of
Schools Mr Hutchinson said that the intent of the committee is to
look specifically at proposition 2 1/2 and come back to the Selectmen
the first week in September That will give us enough time for appropriate
discussion before the referendum takes place to consider how you would like
to advise the community as to what they should be voting on
Engineer- Mr Hutchinson said that the Board had asked him to go forward on
ing Con- the selection of consultants for engineering/public works projects,
sultant specifically the I/I study and comprehensive drainage study Mr Hanlon,
' Interviews Town Engineer, is working with representation from Conservation, Planning,
and the Public Works Department, and we are down to finalists in both
areas We would like to see if we could have Selectmen representation
on our interviewing committee for the final three or four, and would bring
back a specific recommendation to the Board
Mr Busa agreed to represent the Board of Selectmen
Dogs - Mr Busa discussed a call he had received from the residents of
Harrington Precinct 1 concerning an increased problem with dogs at the Harrington
School School Mr Hutchinson agreed to look into it and will have a report at
the next meeting
Cemetery Mr Kent asked Mr Hutchinson for a report as to the status of the
Building Westview Cemetery building Mr Hutchinson said they are reviewing
alternate plans now
231
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - April 28, 1980
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that the Transportation Advisory Transporta
Committee is holding a series of dialogue meetings with the public on Adv Com
May 7 and 8 Mr Crain commented that there are two inactive members
of the Transportation Committee and they are ready to send in their
resignations He felt it would be well to bolster that committee,
particularly with a senior citizen as the committee could use that
input
The Board agreed to meet with the legislators and the Chamber of
Commerce on May 5
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 by roll call Executive
vote to go into executive session for the purpose of discussing strategy
with respect to collective bargaining and litigation
After discussion, it was voted to go out of executive session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
905pm.
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
I
n3
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
MAY 5, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Roon, Town Office Building, on Monday, May 12, 1980, at 7 30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Grain, Mr Hutchinson, Mana-
ger; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive
Clerk, Mr Cohen, Town Counsel, were present
HFAC - Mrs Jacqueline Smith, Chairman of the Hanscom Field Advisory Committee,
Massport met with the Board to discuss the Draft Noise Rule for Hanscom Field Chair-
Noise man Miley said her recollection is that the Board reviewed our policy about
Rule a year ago and decided there were no changes Mrs Smith introduced Mr
Hearing Alan Lazarus, representing the Merriam Hill Association She said that
Massport will hold a public hearing in Cary Hall on proposed noise con-
trol rules for Hanscom Field A decision on the final rule will be made
on June 19 by the Massport Board, based on testimony received at the hear-
ing Massport has modified the original draft of the rule to reflect con-
sensus position of the HFAC It is our expectation, or hope, that they will
show the same sensitivity to the voices of the official community representa-
tives supporting the use restriction as well as the other provisions of the
rule that meet with town policy It is important that we think about other
communities as well as our own when we are thinking of restricting the use
of facilities in our area Mrs Smith recommended the Board's support
of the FAR 36 use restriction, grandfathering current users, support volun-
tary curfew through surcharges, the change in commuter definition, and
continued exclusion of air carrier service She would strongly advise the
support of the review process, urging that the question of single event
noise, which causes noise growth, be a part of the review with the goal
of controlling that, too, by the end of the review Mr Lazarus said that
the rules are a good beginning and they form a base together with the review
process To look at the noise problem and keep some control over it; it is
a typical situation for both sides
Chairman Miley and Mn Kent are to attend the hearing in Cary Hall
on May 8 at 6 00 p m.
Mr Kent asked about the status of the permanent Hanscom Field Advisory
Committee bill, and Mrs Smith said that last week it had been reported out
of committee The Governor had signed off entirely on any involvement on
the bill; it has cleared the joint Transportation Committee with a favorable
report; it is strictly advisory, not with the approval power on new things
taking place at Hanscom. It would now just go through the normal process
of being heard in both chambers and then on to the Governor.
Hayes Ln. Chairman Miley read a request from Mr Cohen, Town Counsel, to sign
Bicycle the Hayes Lane Bicycle Path easement Mr Cohen said that the easement is
Easement in an unaccepted street
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the taking
of an easement on Hayes Lane for a bicycle path with no betterments being
assessed and no damages being awarded
33
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - May 5, 1980
Chairman Miley read a letter of resignation. Resigns.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept with Traf Safety
regret the resignation of Mr John Blackwell as a member of the Traf-
fic Safety Committee
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Minutes
April 7 and April 9, 1980 minutes
Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that Mr Zehner, Treasurer, Treasurer
has received bids on two notes for $110,000 for sewers and $50,000
for the swimming pool, both to be refunded with the bond issue now
in preparation for sale He recommended that it be awarded to the
low bidder, Old Colony of Burlington
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize
the Treasurer to borrow $160,000 from Old Colony of Burlington at
4 77 percent interest, notes to be dated May 9, 1980 and mature on
June 17, 1980
Mr. Hutchinson recommended that the White and Hill families be Stratham Rd
connected to the Stratham Road sewer, which would involve an addi- Sewer
tional $17,000 to continue the sewer line During the hearings, Addition
there were objections to the sewer being extended to service that
area and the Board deleted that section In the interim, requests
have been received for the sewer line to be continued, and it is
recommended that these requests be honored. The total cost of that
project would be $80,000 and would involve the taking of an easement
We are not aware of any objection to this taking and will come back
to the Board if anything develops. The $17,000 would be out of the
$2 5 million authorization that we are working against now
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize
the Town Manager to go forward on the Stratham Road sewer project
in the amount of $80,000 to include the White and Hill properties
Mr Sacco, President, and Mr Powell of the Chamber of Commerce Chamber of
met with the Board Mr Powell said the Chamber has worked with the Commerce
retailers and 86 have signed up for promotion days which will run Promotion
from May 22 to May 25 Fliers are to be sent to every resident of Days
the town which include coupons showing photographs of individuals
who work in the stores or own them. There will be a grand prize of
$600 for one or more persons to be brought into town and spend the
$600 in the participating retailers A sidewalk sale is planned
for 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p m. on Saturday, May 24. This would be an
experiment for us And we would request approval of closing off
Massachusetts Avenue from Waltham Street to Meriam Street
Mr Hutchinson said that the police department has been working
with the Chamber to make arrangements for detour signs , and man-
ning costs would be paid by the Chamber of Commerce The Chamber
is investigating the hiring of Lexpress for the day to transport
the residents
MKent Kennt said that this is an experiment; it is the kind of ex-
periment which, if it is successful, can generate analogous requests.
Other people may perceive this, and he would point out to representa-
tives of the Chamber that if successful the Chamber has got to be
somewhat sympathetic to other requests that may come that may not
be as specifically convenient for the Chamber as this one is.
14'
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - May 5, 1980
Mr Powell said that a flea market is planned for Thursday,
May 24, in the Countryside parking lot Chairman Miley said she was con-
cerned about a flea market as the town has frowned upon people coming in
from anywhere and buying a table You may have the tables but not sell
them. Mr Busa said it had not been his understanding that Countryside
was going to sell vending space on private property as that is not al-
lowed Mr Kent pointed out a potential difficulty with respect to
the people on the Avenue using the public premises adjacent to their
establishments, and then telling other people that they cannot do
precisely the same thing There is ,a fallout of other activity of this
character that we cannot ignore, and he did not think the Board can be
expected to draw unreasonable lines when other requests come in Mr
Busa said that the operators on the Avenue or Depot Square are not plan-
ning to take vendors from outside their organization Mr Sacco agreed
that they were not He was not sure about Countryside and would check
it out; there are 15 people coming into that flea market and he did not
know if all of them are from Lexington.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
Town Manager's recommendation and to authorize him to make arrangements
for closing off Massachusetts Avenue and Waltham Street to Meriam Street
on Saturday, May 24, from 9 00 a m to 5 00 p m , subject to coordination
with the proper town departments
Cemetery Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that the cemetery building revised
Building plans are scheduled to be completed the first week of June and appropriate
Plans data will be brought to the Board at that time
Fair Mr Hutchinson asked for the Board's comments on a questionnaire of
Housing the Fair Housing Committee prior to meeting with the committee on May 12
Committee Mrs Battin said that the committee plans to meet with realty companies
and local banks, and she suggested that they meet with someone from the
Council of Churches for input The Board agreed to review the question-
naire
Tax Title/ Mr Cohen asked the Board to sign the deed conveying a tax title lot
Willow to Mr Tuttle of the Willow Ridge subdivision, which the Board had voted
Ridge previously to convey The Board agreed to sign the deed conveying Lot 199
Subdivision Hanson Avenue, including the fee to one-half of Hanson Avenue in front of
said lot, to Landsail, Inc
r Cohen asked the Board to sign the conservation restriction for
Potter's the Potter's Pond development
Pond Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Con-
Conserve servation restriction relating to land in the Potter's Pond development
Restriction The Conservation restriction was required under the Board of Appeals '
decis ions
I
.735
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - May 5, 1980
Chairman Miley welcomed Senator Rotondi and Representative Cole, and Legislators
turned the meeting over to Mr Kent, legislative liaison Mr Kent said
that it is an important time for you and thus it is an important time for Prop 211
us in relation to you We are all interested in knowing what alternatives
to Proposition 2 1/2 you envision coming out of the legislature If that
carries with it something of an implication that we think something as an
alternative to Proposition 2 1/2 is necessary, that is a fair implication.
It appears from what we read that local aid is not likely to be increased
this year even to an extent necessary to take into account inflation By
the same token, the tax capping legislation is still with us but it is not
with the legislature itself, it is not with county government, it is not
with the MBTA. These are simply to express general concerns that we have
and ask if you gentlemen would like to kick off with respect to these,
after which there are a lot of people here who have matters in this
area which they would like to bring up as well
Senator Rotondi suggested that th& Boarn . send him .a listof items for
discussion at least a week in advance of meeting with the Selectmen As
Vice Chairman of the Tax Issue Committee dealing with Proposition 2 1/2,
bill H5933 received an adverse report from the committee, and he had voted
against the proposal as it was written. Because the legislature won't be
completing action on this bill one way or another by tomorrow, additional
signatures will be needed to get this thing on the ballot; nobody doubts
that these will be obtained and it will be on the ballot The Committee
on Taxation is right now involved in an alternative bill and they have a
May 22 deadline to release publicly the so-called alternative; he will
keep the Board posted.
Together with the 2 1/2 bill was the so-called MTA petition which would
tie state taxes to percent of personal income and would also ask the state
within the next couple of years to pick up aid to local educational costs
to the point where we then bear 50 percent of the total costs The Boverini-
Collins bill of a couple of years ago had in it statutory language that would
do the same thing We just don't have the revenue to even think about pick-
ing up 50 percent of the costs That bill had an adverse report today from
the Committee on Taxation
Representative Cole said that he shared the same position on Proposition
2 1/2, which he felt would pass and get on the ballot as it is an election
year and many people are going to vote for it. He did not think they would
have to get the necessary signatures The only hope is if there is an
alternative proposition on the ballot, and the one that gets the most votes
is going to prevail
Mrs Battin said that the Mass Municipal Association is concerned
about an alternative She chairs their Tax Policy Committee and we de-
veloped what we felt were nine essential elements of any legislation and have
been talking to Representative Cohen about it One of the things we felt most
strongly about was the idea of a local option - the citizens of each community
to decide whether to cap themselves or not, full knowing the consequences of
the cap on their own community She did not know whether Rep Cohen would
incorporate the major points or not
111 Mr Buse said that if you have adverse reports coming out and both are
so strong against 2 1/2, what alternatives do you have to propose some sort
of legislation to put some sort of a cap in that the taxpayers would be able
to live within What percentage would be reasonable to put a cap on some
spending in both state government and local government?
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - May 5, 1980
Rep Cole said that you can't pick a percentage Associated Industries
of Massachusetts has a plan in here too which, on the surface, might not be
too bad They are all trying to make it as easy on the taxpayers as they
can but not to stunt growth on the state He was not as pessimistic about
the Mass economy as he was a few months ago as he feels we are being bailed
out by high technology; our economy is not in as bad shape as the rest of
the country Mr Buse said there should be some sort of legislation to
try to curb some sort of spending; Massachusetts has a history of it
Sen Rotondi said that public pressure is great on everybody as far as keep-
ing solid budgets; most likely, there will be some sort of tax cap in the
senate proposed on the ways and means side - that will probably happen;
if not, there will probably be an amendment on the floor in that area
Sen. Rotondi said he would support some reasonable cap on state spending,
but the problem is if you start capping the state spending, you start
cutting the local aid. You have to be careful what you cut He had
recommended that the sunset legislation be incorporated in the senate
ways and means side again, and we'll see what happens To take a look at
the agencies' functions and find out what is duplicative and what is
anacronistic, and see whether we can shift some personnel - all of these
things make sense in dealing with the cost of running state government
He was not sure that an arbitrary cap is the answer Personnel costs are
the major part of our state budget, and the Civil Service Commission, which
he chairs, will be recommending significant changes in the way state govern-
ment personnel systems are run, how they are managed, and inter-agency use
of personnel That type of approach makes more sense than arbitrary limits
His committee is supposedly coming out with an alternative to 2 1/2, and he
would be very careful about supporting any mandate on further limits on
cities and towns without some sort of local option pro! ision Rep Cole
said if you gave us in the state the same exclusions you have in the towns
of a cap, we might be pretty close to the 4 percent; he didn't know how it
will end up but it left the House with a 5 9 percent
Mr Crain said in regard to the high technology, he hoped that is no
false hope We are going to feel the downslide which historically this
region does slower than the rest of the country He was not persuaded yet
that we have sufficient total population committed to high tech that we are
not going to feel the recession He applauded Senator Atkins's plea today,
ae.there .are people, because it is an election year, who might have hope
that he was not persuaded is well founded He applauded the approach to
looking at personnel costs because it is a labor intensive business that we
are in servi:ding industry like state government and the kinds of changes
that the Committee on Civil Service is considering will give management
and give government a chance to appraise and to eliminate people and re-
place with better people, with full realization that the Senator is en-
deavoring to face up to establishing what the true proportion of unfunded
pension liability is - which is an insidious cost of personnel that we are
not paying for and we should be
Pensions Senator Rotondi said the state is doing all right as far as funding
pensions The cities and towns have not been doing as well4 two years
ago, we authorized by statute that the cities and towns begin to fund
pensions, and many communities have chosen not to do it, and that is a
very dangerous situation
j. 3
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - May 5, 1980
Senator Rotondi said on the issue of capping, the bill that exempted Energy
the increased energy costs from the 4 percent cap is on the Governor's Costs
desk right now The House and Senate passed it and we will see what
happens
Apparently, the local aid situation as we see it right now is at Local
the $1 6 million figure over last year Mr Kent said in practical Aid
effect, we already have a cap on local aid Bearing in mind the notions
you have about not dealing basically in percentage caps, there are per-
centage caps here; there is a de facto one with respect to local aid -
what about counties and the tremendous charges that are being imposed
upon us with respect to county government generally and with respect to
court costs specifically where we believe the state has an obligation to
fulfill its own proposition that state court costs are a responsibility
of the state and not the counties, and thus not the property tax of the
municipalities? Are we going to get anywhere with that?
Rep Cole said not too far In the budget, there was an increase on
the court costs - Mrs Battin said 6 6% - and it came to about $11 million
on the total budget The problem as far as Middlesex County when they had
jurisdiction was that they were charging about $1 40/sq ft and when they
put the bill into us, it was for $10/sq ft; this was away above what we
paid for any rental facilities all over the Commonwealth - we go $4-$5/sq ft
over the Commonwealth, and it doesn't seem right particularly to those on
Ways and Means that we should pay more to Middlesex County than anyone else
to run facilities Mr Kent asked if the ownership of court houses and all
the costs including debt service should be fairly assumed by the state and
not by property tax passing through the county form of government?
Sen Rotondi said yes, ideally; statutorily, that's the way it was created
and we never intended for the state to pick up and fee the physical court-
houses of the Commonwealth as we knew we didn't have the money to do that
We knew we would probably end up with a rental situation for purchase,
using rental as a mortgage-type thing and amortizing it over a period of
years, but we knew that nobody had the expertise at that point as far as
knowing the ownership of county courthouses and the ability of the Common-
wealth to pick up that financial burden. We created a group which had
never met from the beginning, we created a procedure by which the County
Commissioners could petition the administrative officers of the Chief
Justice to hold public hearings on the issue of the cost of court facili-
ties - and none of this was ever done. The County Commissioners were
rightfully upset and in last year's budget, the Governor gave a rediculous
sum to court rental, which was finally increased somewhat but was still
quite low; they went the political route in scaring? up the local cities
and towns instead of going the formal route, and that just prevented and
delayed any type of formal local situation. That situation has been looked
at formally now by the so-called commission, which will be giving its report
publically on May 15 and we will be hearing exactly what that commission
recommends as a fair amount of costs He hoped at that point that the
state assumes those costs County government is talking about $27 million,
the Governor about $5 million, and the legislature at this point about
$17 million; somebody is away off The Governor is totally unrealistic
of dollar per square foot and he is totally off because he has reduced
the square footage of corridor space and common passageway space in our
courthouses The pressure is going to be exercised not only to legislators
but on the Governor himself, who is really the cog in the wheel; he is the
Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - May 5, 1980
one who is most adamant about the low figure; the rest of us are willing
to put this money up He felt that this would be a severe hardship not
only In these economic times but it would be totally contrary to the
intent to lift off the cities and towns the cost of courts He would
point out that other functions of the courts have been picked up by the
state; naturally, we pay them through our income taxes but they have
been spread out to be across the board throughout the Commonwealth
These costs are not seen any mare. The administration of the courts
is better off than they ever were and court performance is a positive
thing, notwithstanding this problem which we hope to solve within the
next couple of weeks
Mdlsx. Mrs. Miley said one issue that seems to have slipped by, except for
County/ the Middlesex County Advisory Board and they are well aware of this, is
State that for many years the county has been housing prisoners of the state
Prisoners and they have never received a penny for it - in other words, the tax-
payers have never received a penny Rep Cole asked if they have billed
the state? Mrs Miley said she had heard that they have This is some-
thing she hoped both of them would look into for the Board
Mr Myles Barnert, Chairman of the Capital Expenditures Committee,
said if income goes down, income tax revenue of the state goes down;
there are already reductions in car sales so sales tax and car revenues
have gone down; there is less driving, so gas tax revenue is going down
My feeling is that one of the places that will be cut will be in local aid
How stable is the future of local aid? Rep Cole said he cannot be optimistic
about local aid in the future unless you raise more taxes What Mr Barnert
says is true and there is every possibility that these tax revenues will go
down If you are going on the whole subject of county government and all
the rest, there is a difference of opinion on the Board on the approach to
it. Ten years ago he had said that the only way you are ever going to
eliminate county government . soby taking away piecemeal, and he was speak-
ing strictly for Middlesex County as in other counties where it is run very
well, you could not talk them out of it Get the courts, and if you go
after the hospitals and jails, you take away their patronage system; once
you take that away, they lose their quality Mr Kent said that he did
not feel there is any disagreement on the Board whatsoever about our
approach to Middlesex County Sen Rotondi said that the former Governor
in his last budget did develop a county mechanism and;he tied a certain per-
centage of the increase in sales and income and corporate tax to local aid;
of course, .that is all subject to appropriation This was a local aid cookie
jar and it makes it very difficult to put your hand in that cookie jar in
these days as long as you identified it and tied a percentage to it; when
you leave it vague, you leave it subject to arbitrary political considerations
The state's funding procedure is age-old in its capriciousness, no matter
what you look at
Due to pension studies, we are going to look at in some sort of way
to tie the state into not only the cities and towns ' aspect of funding
its own state pension system, although we've got a good sum in there, since
the retirement of our commission made the report, we have really been
stumbling and trying to grab this money anywhere we can Last year, we
went to a transportation bond issue to fund pension liabilities This
shows you the condition we are in in relation to this He thought the
Selectmen's Meeting - 8 - May 5, 1980
111
Town Manager/City Manager form of government has had mostly positive re-
sults We need professional managers right in that executive branch to
do the same thing that managers do throughout the stateto put some
rhyme or reason to what we have funded and how we have funded it in
order to give some stability to the funding mechanism; otherwise, you
won't get it.
Mr Hutchinson said he appreciated the thoughtful work that has gone
on in the Civil Service reform. He has talked with Rep Cohen recently
and he knows that the taxation effort is going forward, and he under-
stands that May 21 is when we should look for an alternative Are you
saying the legislature will probably bring out an alternative to 2 1/2?
Is that a fair assessment through Rep Cohen? Rep Cole said no, but
that's what it appears Sen Rotondi said nobody wants to face this
2 1/2 head on. Leadership realizes that they are responsible and they
want to head it off somehow with a reasonable alternative Mr Hutchin-
son said that he and Dr Lawson have talked about if our unions come in,
it is an opportunity for labor and management to really look at this and
see what can be done as an alternative and maybe get to tax reform.
People have asked if, assuming the basic bill, the petition, is voted,
thelegislaturehas the right to make changes to something that has been
voted at the referendum? Sen Rotondi said that particular statute in
its implementation cannot be changed but you could pass a statute to
repeal that statute any time you wanted to Mr Hutchinson asked if we
are going to see something in this legislature on tax reform, or are we Tax
just going to see a legislative alternative? Rep Cole said he would Reform
guess that you are going to see the alternative
Mrs Battin said that her committee was concerned about the whole
issue of tax reform and they are trying to develop a complete package
as we have been negotiating with Rep Cohen particularly on the alterna=
tive sources of revenue lessening the reliance on the property tax. He
admits those are necessary and part of tax reform but he did not see it
a part of this year; he would not plan to file it as part of his alterna-
tive to 2 1/2 but they could be separate bills that could be introduced
next year, so we may be backing Into tax reform. That was his plan of
a couple of weeks ago
Sen Rotondi said there are bills that are important to many members
of this Board that deal with the power of the Advisory Board over county
budgets Those bills are being held by the Committee on Counties and he
was given the answer today by the Chairman on the Senate side that the
reason was 52011 was recommended favorably Mr Hutchinson said our
initial estimates show approximately a $300 million revenue loss, and
it may be more, and that is one of the things we are working on a
formula now The 2 1/2 percent is on your levy that you can only raise
2 1/2 percent each year, yet counties have the right to chargeus per-
cent,
g 4 pe
cent, and in looking at it it seems you can't gain anything from new
economic growth in taxable property From a business standpoint, it
seems that this would discourage towns from looking at and welcoming
industry
( 0
Selectmen's Meeting - 9 - May 5, 1980
Mr Crain said we are talking about a budget which has many fixed
items, such as the cost of our debt service, pensions, health insurance,
heat and fuel, and motor vehicles, so when you come down to the $3 million,
which would be a 12 percent reduction, where that is going to come from,
that is laying people off and that's what we are talking about
Dr Lawson, Superintendent of Schools, said that unlike California,
we don't have a million surplus, and we don't hear enough being said
about negative effects that have occurred in California to many con-
stituents as a result of Proposition 13, nor have we heard about the
effect on children He was not sure where our legislators are going
to be and whether they are going to communicate Rep Cole said he has
been vocal on 2 1/2 Sen Rotondi said that he has been also, and it
is good to look at the overview; people feel we are no longer capable
of doing it You will see a revenue tax cut statute pass
Mr Crain said that Dr Lawson has focused on a point that all of
share, and that is the emotional appeal of 2 1/2 and the proponents will
make it known It is incumbent upon us to make it known, and there is
the great difficulty that all of us will have in orchestrating a logical
campaign of information so people will truly understand what they are
voting for It is incumbent on those of us who hold office to coordinate
this orchestration; otherwise, it is going to zip through and then we are
going to be in trouble
Mr Pierce, Tax Policy Committee, asked if fees for services can be
legally substituted for taxes under the various petitions for legislation?
Can towns get around the effect by charging more for services?
Mr Hutchinson said yes, and we will have to look at doubling our
water rates, etc In talking with Rep Cohen the other day, he was talk-
ing about $700 million to almost $1 billion revenue loss to cities and
towns - that's a lot of money to make up We, through our Tax Policy
Committee with Dr Lawson as a member, will be trying to address this
impact and come back to the Board saying these are some of the things
that are happening and you are going to have to give us policy decisions
on what types of cuts you are going to institute, and it may be a more
aggressive approach in some instances
Permit Mrs Battin said to get back to the question about revenues and can
Fee we raise them other ways than taxes, one of the problems is the statutory
Increase limit on fees, licenses and permits that we have filed legislation to try
and get that eliminated because now they do not even pay the cost of the
paperwork, and we do not have the latitude to do it One of the new pro-
posals is called "Jobs for Massachusetts" that Rep. Cohen is looking at
favorably is the limitation in the total of state and local revenues
based on statewide personal income and 1979 total state and local revenues
were 17 2 percent of statewide personal income; there would be an increase
of 1 percent more to cover pension costs and total revenues would be pegged
at that level of a percentage of personal income and you have the latitude
within the community to change the mix between taxes and other sources of
revenue but you couldn't just unlimitedly go get other sources of revenue
and extend it so that there may be a cap on overall revenues
Rep Cole said when you increase fees, etc , they are drops in the
bucket compared to the overall picture
41
Selectmen's Meeting - 10 - May 5, 1980
Mrs Swanson, School Committee, said she did not hear a great deal
about places to save money in localities and she had asked about a very
specific area of when we go out on a contract for painting, we can't
just go out and take the lowest bid We have to force the bidder with
what she feels are exhorbitant salaries and build those into the bids .
She could go out and get her house painted for half of what it could
cost for the school to go out; we have to pay exhorbitant salaries
mandated by the state, and it is unfair to force taxpayers to pay more
than anybody else simply because it is from a municipal government.
The same thing applies on our transportation bids and we are forced to
pay higher salaries than bus companies do because the state tells us to
do so. While we are all worried about where we are going to raise more
money, is anybody thinking about those things that we shouldn't be rais-
ing money on in the first place? She hoped that somebody will be looking
at that. Rep. Cole said that this is true; they were mandated years ago
and it probably was the union influence that got them in there originally
Massachusetts is well known as a union state and it is difficult to change
it in the legislature As Sen Rotondi has suggested in the sunset laws
to get rid of some of the agencies that cost us money; they probably
shouldn't be in existence anymore
Sen Rotondi said the MBM legislation deals in part with finding
better ways of increased competition in public bidding, but you are
not going to get the union flavor out of those restrictions . We had
a favorable report on the bill in committee but it lost 30-2 in the '
Senate. You will not see a change in the near future and as a legisator
it upsets me.
Mrs Swanson said that people will vote for a tax cap if that is the
only way they can make things happen that should be happening because no-
body wants to come to grips with it
Mrs Battin said she had testified this morning before Senator Atkins Local
and the Senate Ways and Means Committee for increased local aid One of Aid
the things we asked for was that we get 50 percent of growth in state
revenues from the growth taxes or conversely we get some way of dealing
with existing mandated expenses - exactly the kind of thing Mrs Swanson
is talking about- the rules and regulations that it imposed additional
costs on us, the legislation that does They were very interested and
asked for specifics We had a list of the ones that required changing
rules and regulations, ones that required legislative change that would
relieve us of costs but not impose additional costs on the state, etc
They asked us to get the wording to them within the next four or five
days and they are willing to carry it through, although they doubt they
could give us more revenues.
Mrs Elaine Dratch said the problem with the Governor's budget is the Home
underfunding of the Department of Elder Affairs for the Home Care agencies Care
which are providing right now about $50 million this year and in order to Agencies
continue they need between $60-62 million. The Governor is recommending
that the budget be maintained at the same level which decreases the
amount of services that can be provided
Sen. Rotondi said he would support the $62 million limit as Home
Care presents a whole new dimention when hospitals cannot keep patients
Selectmen's Meeting - 11 - May 5, 1980
Human Mr French, Reed Street, said the neighbors have been discussing
Service human services with the town, specifically hooking to coordinating our
Facilities efforts on the Department of Mental Health at the state level, which
freely passes out advice to the various area boards and others on how to
deal with local officials to overcome objections and overcome zoning re-
quirements that are presumed to be stacked against them on such things
as community residences: There is essentially no requirement in the
policy statements or regulations they put out for coordinating with
any other agency, local or federal As a result, in our neighborhood
we have five programs, all of which are presumed to be there to soak
up the character of the neighborhood Mr Jackson said that we want a
means of creating an equity or equal distribution of programs throughout
communities rather than have one area based on land mass, lower costs or
buildable land to be the area that absorbs these programs or frankly
we want to get some money back from the taxpayers
Rep Cole said he would recommend S 1113 which addresses the problem
and deals with human services and it gives the chief administrative officer,
the Board of Selectmen, the right to comment within 30 days and if they need
more time they can get an additional 10 days; they can be overruled and
then they have the resource of the courts It gives cities and towns the
chance to participate in the problem.
Mrs Banks said a group of officials who work with human services at
the local level have had this as a priority issue, to give municipalities
the right to have some control over the community residences A bill has
been submitted to the legislature which would specifically give municipali-
ties the right to establish limitations on the number of community residences
in neighborhoods There would be an appeal of the agencies who are pro-
posing the community residences back to the state It would be similar to
the type of control we now have over our wetlands A lot of people have
participated in putting it together and there is some concern at the state
legislature because it does provide for some funding to municipalities to
offset the costs that they incur; there is some concern that the state
does not have the money to pay for this, and the Association of Local
Officials feels that regardless of the funding the issue of giving
municipalities the right to regulate the residences is such a critical
issue that the bill should be passed
Mrs Battin said it does actually say in the legislation filed
that any city or town may adopt an ordinance or by-law establishing
requirements of permits for community residences It also requires the
Executive Office of Human Services, which is more than mental health,
to keep an index of all existing and proposed community residences
that any of their departments were planning to establish, and that the
cities and towns must be notified Which again gives you the data with
which to coordinate There is an actual amount of dollars per bed which
would go to the cities and towns to help relieve us of the additional
expenses , but that may be a stumbling block.
Sen Rotondi said this whole issue is really coming to light and,
unfortunately, it takes a couple of years of bad experience before it
has come to light It came as a result of a move of deinstitutionaliza-
tion in the area of Mental Health; it came as a result of court decrees
that followed that issue and the issue of upgrading institutions like
lif
Fernald Different agencies, Mental Health in particular, developed sub-
groups that began to deal with this issue and they were not even correspond-
ing with their brother agencies - Public Health fought Mental Health on the
issue of need and the building of these facilities and the upgrading of
Selectmen's Meeting - 12 - May 5, 1980
- existing facilities There was a war on there and that was finally settled
Ill He said that he had not had the experience of the whole residential facility
thing, which he supports in concept, until it hit his town of Winchester
and the way in which it intruded itself into the community There are bills
pending now in the legislature that we are moving on which would require any
agency AO give .adequate 90-day notice to any community in writing before
anything happens, before purchase taking place There is however a counter
move in this area by the establishment and passing legislation that would
allow a board to be established to the executive branch to be able to take
care of what we call surplus property - the designated use of property
notwithstanding zoning board ordinances; that bill is now dead and we
didn't see it revived this year It is a very serious issue, as has been
expressed by these residents, and it has to be addressed this year
Mr Jackson, Reed Street, said that -hemgoing fo push: fot this If
you look at the total picture of services to the community you are supposed
to deliver, it is his feeling that a fair opportunity should exist for all
people, and some fair distribution should exist within a community so that
not one area gets saddled with it He asked if the proposed legislation
is clear enough to deal with Sen Rotondi's concerns and with his?
Sen Rotondi said yes, H 2029 deals with it but keep in mind that the
state is not now mandating the communities where those facilities go ; all
it does is allow for authorization of lease, for these respective agencies
to come into a community to lease or purchase those premises At that
point, it is up to cities or towns to deal with the issue of occupancy
permit - to deal with other type licenses which come and eminate from the
town itself In Winchester's case, there was not enough notice but there
was no question that Winchester could have prevented that thing from happen-
ing if they were involved early enough On the issue of cluster or repre-
sentation of a fair mix of those facilities in any given community, it is up to
the Board of Selectmen of that community
Mr Cohen said he agreed with what Mr French said but finds it incon-
sistent for Mr Jackson to say he was going to push on the local level In
fairness, Senator Rotondi, he did not think that the cases support what you
have said. First of all, the fact that all of this legislation has been' filed
showed there is need for legislation before localities can ciineand regulate this
Secondly, as Mr French said, the cases have gone very far in saying that there
is very little local control as far as zoning restrictions are concerned. Yes,
you can require some parking and allow certain setbacks where something like
occupancy permits, but as soon as the Building Inspector goes and finds that
everything has been met, he did not think the residents of the particular
area, as represented here, really feel that is sufficient because there is
no question that the houses can be put in order and occupied - and certainly
the houses in that neighborhood are not run down; that isn't really the issue
The issue is how you get something passed whereby the local communities can
say, as they suggested, there are five in this area and there are none in
another area, and while we don't want to exclude you from town, we do want
you to go into this other area Mr Cohen added that there is nothing on this
right now
Senator Rotondi said the state shouldn' t have to clarify the statute;
right now, local control is there most of the time
Selectmen's Meeting - 13 - May 5, 1980
Mr Cohen said that many of these come in under the guise of educa-
tional uses, and there is no way Winchester could block that
Senator Rotondi said in this case, it wasn't but because of the
multi-residence aspect, in most of these places there are ways Woburn
has a situation dealing with educational use and they don't have an
occupancy on it right now; they are handling it in their own way, pend-
ing clarified legislation.
Mr Cohen said what happens is, these agencies come in and even an
agency that is respected by the town and has worked with the town
walked into the Building Inspector and handed him the decision and said
you can' t do anything about this anyway That is their approach right
from the beginning
Mrs Banks said that we have found in talking with the Health Director
that because it is a state facility or funded through federal monies, he
can only inspect it if he is requested by the state to inspect it -
which, in fact, some of these places do From a health standpoint, we
have very limited control on these facilities The Mass Municipal
Association, working with the local officials human service councils ,
has done a tremendous amount of research on this and what has been shown
is that towns are not trying to push these places out but some communities
have been inundated with these facilities, and there is a need for some
local control over the amount in numbers
MBTA Mrs Dratch, Transportation Advisory Committee, asked for assistance
Chaircar in obtaining the chaircar for Lexington Rep Cole advised her to call
the MBTA liaison, Mr O'Brien, and he would also call Mr O'Brien on the
status of the chaircar
MBTA Mr Zabin asked for comments on H 3519 and H 3278 as the League of
Manage- Women Voters supports these bills dealing with the MBTA management
ment Senator Rotondi said they are in his committee on public services
and a subcommittee chaired by Rep Cohen of Newton The committee has
Pension already voted overwhelmingly on the bills and they will be coming out
in a re-draft form. H 3519 will be the lead bill and it does re-establish
some managerial rights; its chances of passage are slim because of the
strong presence of union and he will be supporting the bills These two
bills dealing with pension and management prerogatives will be coming out
by May 21 If you tie the pension bill to 3519 , you put the union in an
interesting position because the pension bill is much to their benefit
and the other to their detriment We are trying to cause some real
attention to trade-offs
Retire- Mr Perry, Comptroller, had i±w :questions regarding retirement
ment (1) What has happened to the Retirement Law Commission's legislation that
has been proposed for the third or fourth time for a method of funding?
Are there any other methods of funding that committees have submitted?
(2) In connection with the sick leave legislation that the legislature
passed and the Governor signed last year, what happened to that in as much
as the techers did receive a restraining order to withhold the implementa-
tion of that law?
.1 5
Selectmen's Meeting - 14 - May 5, 1980
Sen Rotondi said at this point you have given the status of the later
bill dealing with the definition of regular compensation The court has
issued a restraining order pending a hearing on the merits of that case;
apparently, that put in limbo the whole question as to whether retirement
boards will be certifying sick leaves or cumulative sick leave ,and early
retirement set of bonuses from being used as a basis for compensatid.n
Legislation never intended to interfere with those employees who had be-
gun a period of time that led to an early retirement situation if they
agreed to get out in two years instead of five and they were in that two
year period. We don't believe that legislation should controvert that per-
son's reliance in good faith upon a change of conditions in his or her life
We never intended that to happen and he did not think that the court would
allow it to happen legally But we did intend prospectively to prevent that
from happening again. We have heard a lot about state mandates today and
here's where cities and towns got us back - here's where school committees
began dealing prospectively with subtle, invisible benefits instead of
dealing with large, up-front benefits that affected in any way and in-
volved property taxes in a real way We are happy that we put an end to that
We know that public employees are upset and we can sympathize with many of
them who relied upon it They will not be prejudiced and if the court rules
that they will be, he will file legislation to make sure they won' t be
But certainly in regard to anyone who has been given the benefit of accumu-
lated sick leave, here is a situation where a person goes to work that day
is paid , doesn't take a sick day arbitrarily is paid again a figure for
that sick day It is accumulated and then it adds itself to the last year's
salary It is absolutely an irresponsible thing to do, and that's why we
did away with it
Sen. Rotondi said in relation to the retirement law commission's pro-
posal dealing with full funding, we have tried to meet that schedule as
best we could. It is haphazard and we have not defined any funding schedules
at this point different from what they have recommended They have also
recommended varying degrees of monies to better allow them to upgrade their
fund. They want the Treasurer at the beginning of that fiscal year to go
out to the market, borrow at a certain percent, give the retirement com-
mission all that money from the next year's fiscal liabilities and have them
be able to invest those funds We understand that may be illegal, and we
have legal counsel studying that right now In the area of funding, an
optimum plan has been developed by two individuals on what the unfunded
liability is and how you meet it Our commission will look to secure con-
sultant agreements with these two individuals to decide how their optimum
plan deals with the other plan Next year we will have a better idea of
how they match
Mr Kent asked for comments on the possibilities of LEXPRESS funding LEXPRESS
under Chapter 393, Acts of 1979 , Section 2-to use a designated amount of Funding
State Highway Funds to finance public transportation projects
Rep Cole said that is the budget for last year and Section 2 it the
line item under the Secretary of Transportation and Construction, and more
probably under Public Works It would take a stretch of the imagination
to try and fit it in with one of those line items but he would like to see
the back-up material Mr Kent said that we will communicate with you more
specifically and in more detail about that particular item immediately
dV
Selectmen's Meeting - 15 - May 5, 1980
Hanscom Mr Kent asked the legislators for their best efforts on the Hanscom
Field Field Advisory Commission legislation. He said that the Governor apparently
Adv showed a distinct interest in this at one time in terms of how such an ad-
Com. visory committee on a permanent basis should be peopled and appointed We
understand he has now withdrawn from that position and if the legislature
will pass the bill in the form in which it presently exists, we are in-
formed that he will sign it
Rep Cole said that the area legislators are meeting with Senator
Atkins this week.
Mr Crain said this relates to another public involvement of his,
and it is an interesting extension of the Special Commission on Building
Contracts His personal experience with the University of Massachusetts
situation is that it is an outrageous situation and there definitely
should be an extension of that commission
Rep Cole said he had no problem with extending the commission
Bills have been proposed and some bill will get through either in the
existing form or not
Mrs Jacquelyn Smith, Chairman of the Hanscom Field Advisory Committee,
said that a public hearing will be held in Cary Hall on Thursday on a draft
noise rule for Hanscom Field This is the culmination of a five months
study by Massport and the Hanscom Field Advisory Committee, and we have
been working on the mutual goals of both the communities and Massport,
which is to control noise in the communities Mrs Smith asked for
support at the hearing on HFAC's position on the noise rule, which is
to accept it and have an active 18-month review period in which to
evaluate the impact Mr Kent said that the Board of Selectmen has
already voted its support of that measure
MBM Legis- Senator Rotondi said that he and the Senate will be supporting the
lation MBM legislation as it has brought forth information which needed to be
known.
MBTA Mrs Miley spoke personally, and she hoped for the rest of the Board,
Board against the recommendation that there be a new type of META Board, as the
cities and towns would be losing their jurisdiction She felt there was
enough input from the state as the Governor is able to appoint the budget
people, who are the Board of Directors We should maintain everything
that we can in the input Rep Cole asked if Mrs Miley agreed with the
portionwhich says that the General Manager and the Chairman of the Board
should be two distinct jobs? He had opposed it when they were combined
and he was all for separating them now Mrs Miley agreed Rep Cole
said that he felt it could be won this time
Civil Senator Rotondi said that there was no discussion on civil service
Service this evening but he would like to thank Mr Hutchinson and Mrs Banks for
the tremendous help they had given the commission We are virtually using
Lexington's plan on the operation of its personnel system as one of the
alternatives in our report
Chairman Miley thanked Senator Rotondi and Representative Cole for
meeting with the Board and they retired from the meeting
) 7
Selectmen's Meeting - 16 - May 5, 1980
The next order of business was the organization of the Board Organization
The Executive Clerk conducted the meeting and called for nominations
for Chairman of the Board. Motion was made and seconded nominating
Mary W Miley as Chairman No other nominations being made, it was moved,
seconded, and voted that nominations be closed
Motion was duly made and seconded to elect Mrs Miley as Chairman,
and the Clerk cast one ballot for Mrs Mary W Miley, Chairman of the
Board of Selectmen for the ensuing year
Chairman Miley expressed her appreciation for the cooperation and
good will of the board members during the past year, and also thanked
the Manager and his staff, the Selectmen's staff, and Mr Cohen, Town
Counsel
Mrs Carol Perez, Chairman, and members of the Human Services Com- Human
mittee met with the Board Services
Mr Hutchinson said that there was some discussion by the Board Committee -
regarding a process for looking at services provided by Mystic Valley M.V M.H
Mental Health and it was our intent to invite M.V representatives to
a subsequent meeting We could talk briefly about the criteria that
should be applied to the assessment of services being provided by M.V
Mrs Perez said the Human Services Committee has made suggestions
for the kinds of questions the Selectmen may ask M.V M.H. The committee
feels that the agency appropriation should be given to them on a quarterly
basis, and before each payment the Selectmen would have some questions
The answers provided should demonstrate that the agency is performing in
an effective manner and with good financial management Should the
Selectmen determine that this has not been demonstrated, the quarterly
payment would be withheld. The committee has many concerns and the
following questions are only a beginning. (1) Would M V M.H identify
in greater detail the criteria which they utilize in evaluating benefits
such as, but not limited to, those received by pre-school, teenage, and
elderly populations (2) What resources within Lexington would the agency
advise reenforcing for these outcomes? (3) M.V.M.H must show a balance
sheet and/or operations statement (4) How much money does the agency
spend for what? (a) What portion is spent to provide direct services?
Define direct services (b) What portion is spent to provide administrative
services? Define administrative services (5) What has been done to remedy
internal control weaknesses?
Mr Marshall, Human Services Committee, said regarding #5, in our
original list of questions to the committee of M.V.M.H Association, we
had two questions concerning control weaknesses, and they did not answer
to our satisfaction What might be recommended is perhaps a follow-up
review by the CPA firm and a letter stating that the internal control
weaknesses have in fact been quantified.
Mr Busa suggested that the concerns of the Human Services Committee
be sent to M.V.M.H and have them either respond to us in toto or in part
They asked for a meeting with the Board and for us to constantly ask them for
information and ask what their performance is, it is fruitless for us to
vkcb
Selectmen's Meeting - 17 - May 5, 1980
spend our time, and he did not think the Board or the Human Services
Committee should pursue them again and again to meet the criteria or
ask the questions that the Human Services Committee has put to them.
Mr Crain said that this is exactly what we looked to the committee
to do and they have framed some good questions for us He proposed
to move along the strategy Mr Busa suggests, which is to now com-
municate this to M.V M.H , assuming they are going to respond, and
if they choose to meet with us, fine.
Mr Kent agreed
Chairman Miley thanked the members of the committee for doing so
much work in such a short space of time, and the Board appreciates
all the work that has been put into this
Summer The Board discussed the summer schedule of meetings and agreed to
Meeting meet on June 9 and June 23; July 7 and July 21; August 4 and August 18
Schedule
Upon Elation duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call
Executive vote - Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain -
Session to go into executive session for the purpose of discussing strategy
with respect to litigation, with no intention of resuming the open
meeting.
After discussion, it was voted to go out of executive session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 20 p.m
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
1
/
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
MAY 12, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, May 12, 1980, at 7 30 P M
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin and Mr Kent; Mr Hutchinson, Town
Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive
Clerk, were present Mr Crain was absent
Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the Boston Edison Conduit-
Company to install 10 feet of underground conduit in Spring Street Notices Spring
had been sent to the abutters and also filed with the Public Works Depart- Street
ment Mr Malis, representative of the Boston Edison Company, requested
that the petition be tabled as conditions at the site and the plan as
submitted do not correspond A new petition will be submitted at a later
date
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the petition
of the Boston Edison Company for the installation of 10 feet of underground
conduit to service #39 Spring Street
Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the Boston Edison Conduit
Company to install 6 feet of underground conduit in North Street Notices North
had been sent to the abutters and also filed with the Public Works Depart- Street
ment Mr Malis, representative of the Boston Edison Company, said that
this work is necessary in order to provide electric service to a new house
owned by Hall & Company Chairman Miley read a report from the Acting
Director of Public Works recommending that approval be granted
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
to the Boston Edison Company for the following location of conduit
North Street, easterly, approximately 555 feet north of Carl Road,
a distance of about 6 feet - conduit
Chairman Miley read a request from the New England Telephone Company Poles -
and the Boston Edison Company for approval of a joint pole relocation in Hancock
Hancock Street A report from the Acting Director of Public Works recom- Street
mended that approval be granted as this work is necessary due to recon-
struction work in Hancock Street
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
to the New England Telephone Company and the Boston Edison Company for re-
location of poles in Hancock Street on the southerly side, approxiimately
229+ feet west of Hayes Avenue, one pole 42/16 Two poles, 42/16 and 17
to be removed
Mr Michael Hanlon, Town Engineer, met with the Board Mr Busa said I/I
that a subcommittee met last Friday to select an engineering firm to go Study
forward with the second phase of the Inflow/Infiltration Study, to be known Phase II
as the Sewer Systems Evaluation Survey (SSES) Fifteen to eighteen pro-
posals were received and although all were similar in detail, there were
three outstanding finalists The Manager, a member of the Sewer Advisory
Committee, Laura Nichols and I recommend an award to LEA - Linenthal
Eisenberg Anderson Inc - for approximately $250,000 We have $75,000
appropriated and we have funds allocated in the vicinity of 90 percent of
the original contract, and we hope to have it awarded and go forward as soon
as possible Mr Hutchinson said the only thing that is firm is our own
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - May 12, 1980
$75,000; 75 percent up to 90 percent will be federally funded. Mr Hanlon
said that the estimate contained in the proposal for $250,000 is just that,
an estimate, and it is based on the scope of the work defined by Whitman &
Howard when they finished their I/I Study That could significantly change
upwards, partly based on the Millbrook Valley sewer; the scope of the work
may change and probably increase We have made a recommendation that LEA
is the firm to do the work. They would then find the scope of the work
but will not be able to proceed until we get the grant
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to designate LEA
Group Engineers-Linenthal Eisenberg Anderson Inc as the Consultant with
respect to the second phase of the Inflow/Infiltration Study, subject to
negotiation of the full contract and the availability of federal funding
Millbrook Mr Hanlon, Town Engineer, reviewed the proposed MDC Millbrook Valley
Valley relief sewer The MDC is preparing the Step 1 facilities' plan through
Relief their consultant, Weston and Sampson, and the last public hearing is to
Sewer be held on May 15 at Cary Hall Our Phase II Sewer System Evaluation
Survey will help us with our problem with excessive infiltration/inflow,
but also contributing to this problem is the lack of adequate downstream
capacity in the MDC interceptor system. We feel that the ultimate solu-
tion to our problems is twofold First, the Town of Lexington should
eliminate all excessive infiltration/inflow that can be cost effectively
removed; second, the MDC should construct the proposed Millbrook Valley
relief sewer to provide adequate downstream capacity
Mr Hutchinson said that we have not heard anything at this time to
make us oppose it; we all benefit and we need this as much or more than
anyone, and will help us with our problems in 'thL 'Saddle Club area
The Board agreed to write a letter to the Metropolitan District Com-
mission in support of the recommendations contained in the "Draft Facility
Plan, Millbrook Valley Interceptor Sewer, Sections 2-9, April, 1980,
Part I and Part II" and would urge the MDC to proceed with the final
design and construction phases as soon as possible.
Contract Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of awarding the contract to the
80-2-E lowest qualified bidder for sanitary sewer construction
Sewers Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award Contract
80-2-E to Charm Construction, Inc , Westwood, in the amount of $407,312 21,
subject to the approval of Town Counsel as to bid form. Authorization is
contained in Article 19, 1978-Sewer Mains
This contract is for the construction of sanitary sewers in North Street,
Maple Street, Somerset Road, Oakland Street, Meriam Street, Lowell Street,
Grant Street, Glen Road South, and Edgewood Road
80-1-E Mr Hutchinson recommended that the Board approve Extra Work Order #2
Patricia under Contract 80-1-E for the re-laying of pipe on the Patricia Terrace
Terrace sewer project According to the Town Engineer, an error had been made in
Sewer establishing the invert elevation in the existing sewer manhole in Arlington
and we are unable under current conditions to make the connection in the
manhole We have negotiated with the contractor to remedy the problem.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize Extra
Work Order #2 under Contract 80-1-E in the amount of $7,000 for the re-
laying of pipe on the Patricia Terrace sewer project
)
'r
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - May 12, 1980
Mr Neil Cronin, Director of Guides, met with the Board Mr Hutchinson
said he had talked with Mr Cronin and minor changes will be made on the ap-
plication form to conform to town standards and affirmative action standards Guides
Mrs Battin asked Mr Cronin if he had given any thought to hearing the
guides' presentations orally as this is often helpful Mr Cronin agreed
to the suggestion, and when the guides bring in the written tests, he will
spend some time with them on their presentation to the visitors Last
year, there were 21 guides and 15 were renewals We expect to have be-
tween 20 and 25 guides this year The examination covers all the spots
in and around the Green The rules and regulations for licensing and
conduct of guides are rather simple but necessary The selection of
fees is always a problem but that is the way they get paid; at the end
of the tour, the trico me hat is put down for anyone who wishes to make
a donation.
Mr Cronin thanked the Board for his appointment and he retired from
the meeting
Mr William Page, Chairman, and members of the Cable Television CATV
Advisory Committee met with the Board Mr Page said that the target
is to report to you on June 9 and we hope to get our report in to you
the weekend before that, and you will issue your report on June 23 Time
Then, we would have a public hearing on July 17 In our report we are Schedule
recommending that you ask for amendments on the original proposals to
be submitted on August 28; that gives two months from the time of
111 issuance of the report The public hearing on those amendments would
be on October 9; that gives 7 or 8 weeks before the official state man.-
dated
anndated date for a decision by the Board towards the end of November
Mr Page had talked to the State CATV Commissioner about the fact
that Lexington had been coming into the process when there was some
ambiguity between old and new regulations, and the comment was if
Lexington wishes to submit a proposal for an extension, it would
probably be well received in the light of that transition from the old
to the new In talking with Mr Buse, the timing would be good to get
this in before the budgets start
In preparing for the report by you, we have been getting the clear Report
signal from the State Commissioner that in several instances this report
had proven to be very important, and Lexington has to be very clear about
what it wants It does have a heavy influence on what the town gets,
so it isn't just a routine thing
Mr Page said that the committee is getting around to the various Input -
appropriate people to get comments and we would like to get the report Boards
to the police and fire departments and other agencies such as the CoA Agencies
so they get the flavor of what is going to be showing up To get some
of the thinking out of the way before our report gets submitted, and to
be able to pass along to us by May 29 any comments they consider to be
pertinent to the clear statement of what Lexington would like for CATV
We have three task forces to provide input to the report to the CATV
Board, a proposal evaluation group, an access center group, and a local Task
programming group; each has five to eight members
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - May 12, 1980
Key Some things to be taken into account in the Board's report
Issues On the key issues, it is obvious fram the present financial circum-
stances that we will need to consider very carefully the question of how
can there be adequate financial support for local use of CATV We have
some options to propose that would bring in income, and we have some pro-
posals from the cable companies covering the cost of operating corporate
facilities
On regional collaboration, we have shared a commission back and forth
between several cable committees and there could be sharing of information
about future plans
An important question is on how many channels can be effectively used
One of the companies proposed 104 channels available for home use and other
companies limited it to 52 If the contract is going to be let for 15 years,
as these companies are probably going to be requesting, a lot of things can
happen in that time, especially on the 2-way aspect An important con-
sideration is hOw do we provide for something we can live with for a period
of time which needs to cover a payback time to the cable companies, which
is 7 or 8 years to get their capital investment back and then some time
to make some progress
We have provided copies of the Winchester report and under duration of
license Winchester did have some way of thinking about it that is interesting
Mr Page said that he had talked to Mr Cohen and he felt it would be important
to have some legal help to review the Winchester report and point out the places
where we need to be careful in the statements in our report The committee
would like to get some guidance on a draft of their report so that it comes
to the Board in a way that is usable
On conflict of interest, we have lot two of our members because of the
concern that everyone has of there being no possibility of being accused
later on of some double interest (Winchester had some flak on it and it
turned out to be resolved ) It is a sensitive subject and the committee
would like guidance from the Board
CATV Mr Page said on the item on the advisory committee's role in the
Committee selection process, depending on what you expect from us we will proceed
Role in one way or other ways We have had seven applicants and there is a
good choice and obvious competition We have been asked by several cable
companies for an opportunity to come to the committee meetings and give
some of the background on those companies (which doesn' t appear on the
reports) , and to have the opportunity for the cable committee to ask
questions ab out the proposals We have tentatively scheduled those
for May 27 and June 3 We have cable committee meetings scheduled through
the first of September on Tuesdays evenings and we plan those on a week-to-
week basis
Mr Page said that he did not want to ask tonight for an answer to
the advisory committee's role but would put the question and then come
back on June 9 when hopefully the Board would have the committee's report
The committee would appreciate some guidance at that time about what the
Board expects from them on a selection process An option would be for
the committee to sift through the applicants and pick two or three that
they considered to be appropriate for candidates or the Board could ask
them to go further than that
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - May 12, 1980
111 Mr Page said the committee is thinking of having three or four of
the cable companies in on May27 and June 3, and the Selectmen could
mp
attend..
After discussion, it was the consensus of the Board not to attend
the committee meetings
Mr Page said that the committee's function is to serve as advisory
and they would be perfectly comfortable if board members do not attend;
however, the official representative, Mr Busa, should be there
The officially required time for the companies to be heard is after the
amendments have been submitted - after the August date
Mr Kent said that, as he understands it from the literature sent,
the standard for making a designation has got to be that approved report
and that we are .not permitted to conduct any sort of a post-report auction
amongst the companies in which they accelerate their offers as to what they
set forth in the report, and ultimately the contents of that report that
goes out to them as the standard, the ultimate responsibility for those
standards rests with the Board of Selectmen rather than with the committee.
So that when the committee submits this report, its ultimate adopted con-
tent is going to depend upon the judgment of this Board In the literature
submitted, there was a suggestion that in some communities the community
aspect of cable television had not worked well; do you plan on reporting
to us in some detail to indicate what appears to make that aspect of it
work well and what appears to be a hindrance? Mr Page agreed on all
points, and added that the chief ingredient is money
Mr Kent said that before the report is made final, the companies
would have a crack at us in terms of requesting us to eliminate certain
portions of your recommended report or add factors that you had left out
Is this within the contemplation of the scheme of things? Mr Pages said
yes, they can do that under the amendment process Mr Kent said befiore
we finally fix on that, so they do have a crack at us independent of these
meetings which your committee is having Mr Page said it has to be in
writing by August 28
Mr Busa said that there is a public hearing after rafter the .report
has been received from the Selectmen The cable companies have three
opportunities for input (1) At the hearing in July after the Board has
issued its report; (2) once in the amendment process ; amendments are
done the last week in August; (3) an opportunity at the public hearing
in October
Mr Busa said that the Board should give the committee some guidance
on the;,selectien parotess,, although they are not looking for the final one
now He had informed Mr Page that the Board of Selectmen usually forms a
committee and it reports to the Board as it is the license granting authority
to accept their recommendations on 1, 2, and 3; then, we will make a final
judgment on the committee's recommendation of the finalists
Mr Kent said it was his understanding that we do everything in open
session and not in executive session We have found it useful to have
them here so that we may ask them questions about those recommendations;
unless there is a difficulty, he would like to hold that open as a rather
attractive option
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - May 12, 1980
Mr Page said that they had inquired about executive sessions and
the State Commissioner couldn't think of any good reasons, and we did
check with Town Counsel It just has to be an open process - even though we had
some things we wanted to compare notes on - what we had heard from other
towns and what other town officials had said about other companies - but
there is no way that Mr Cohen could see that we have it in executive
Mr Page said, regarding the selection, if you were asking us for
a recommendation, if we have to select three of the seven, would you
want any ordering of the recommendation or strictly that these are the
three? Would you want pros and cons from the committee?
Mrs Battin said that if not actually ordering them, we would want
the pros and cons Mr Kent said that he would like to leave the answer
to that question until a subsequent meeting at which all the members of
the Board are present He would be interested in Mr Crain's reaction
to both questions, particularly the ordering The Board agreed
There were no further questions from the Board or the audience
and Chairman Miley thanked Mr Page and his committee for the work in-
volved in cable television
Reed St Residents of Reed Street met with the Board Chairman Miley said
Residents we are all concerned about the bill S 1113 which we hope will be going
through Mr French said that he had asked for Town Counsel's legal
opinion and he wanted it in writing Mr Hutchinson said that he had
written to Mr French that Town Counsel has been instructed by the Board
to deliver an opinion regarding the impact of the Harbor Schools v Board
of Appeals of Haverhill and the opinion that tthe tawnowould_give would
be supportive of the residents Mr Jackson asked if the town would be
prepared to stand its ground and say we will not grant occupancy for
those residents; a reasonable guarantee that the town would have some
say, and that there be a program developed by the town that would see
to that Now we have no tools and rules to work with, and that we might
want to more adequately define the Haverhill case. Mrs Battin and Mr Kent
said that we would work to get that law changed and would hope you are
working as hard as we are Mr Jackson said that Sen. Rotondi made it
clear that there are many things a town can. Chairman Miley said that
Mr Cohen was pretty definite that weihave .no legal means whereby we can
do that Mr French said that they could deal more effectively with ego et1:dny
Sen. Rotondi if they had a statement from the town The promise of the 41,., ,,; ..
town is open-ended.
Mr French said that the residents have asked questions of the Housing
Authority and they have indicated they would like to open up a dialogue
We have written to Dr Harris of MVMH telling him, that we do not feel
that management of M V M.H. lives up to its promises In the letter we
also said that we will make it clear to the Selectmen that we cannot
negotiate with M.V M.H and we will seek an immediate moratorium on any
and all funding which the town provides to M.V M.H. ; we will recommend
that this moratorium be continued until such time as the town arrives at
an equitable plan for the coordination and distribution of institutionalized
housing throughout the town Also, we will recommend that any and all build-
ing permits taken out by M.V.M.H for the expansion of any existing structures
owned by M.V.M.H be denied
/r
Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - May 12, 1980
Mr French said on December 18 we had attended a meeting of the Human
Services Committee and we formed the opinion then that the committee was
basically an advocacy group and therefore not obviously appropriate for
considering issues for the potential negative impact on the continuing
growth of human services We asked for time on the committee's agenda
specifically to reach a decision whether they felt the issue was appro-
priate for its action The reason being if they did not, we would come
back to the Manager or Selectmen and ask for a different approach We
did in fact provide another summary of the total issue to the Chairman
of the committee on December 21 and we have heard from the committee
requesting yet another summary, which we have provided Mrs Perez,
Chairman of the Human Services Committee, said that the committee will
consider it at the meeting tomorrow evening
Mr Busa said regarding Mystic Valley funding, we sent a letter re-
quiring further information on their procedures and management, and asked
for answers to questions of the Human Services Committee before we allo-
cate any more money We asked M.V to meet those qualifications and if
they do not, we can take steps at that point in time not to appropriate
any more money In his opinion, that is the only time we could hold up
the money appropriated by the last town meeting They will respond to
the Board of Selectmen on a quarterly basis before we advance funds to
them; that was the recommendation of the Human Services Committee
Chairman Miley said that was the qualification at Town Meeting when
that money was voted
Mr Kent questioned a statement in the neighborhood summary report
on events leading to the issue of saturation of a residential neighborhood
with institutionally supported dwellings, "As of January 1, 1979 our
neighborhood included 6 dwelling units owned by Interfaith Churches,
4 units administered by the Lexington Housing Authority and 1 unit owned
by the MVMH which is itself located on a thoroughway between Bedford St
and Reed St In addition to those presently located, the town plans to
locate 6 of its 17 scattered site locations in this neighborhood; and
when the Parker School is converted, 25% of its units will be subsidized
housing, again all in our neighborhood These dwellings all represent
different housing programs " Mr Kent said said that he •was aware of a
total of 6 units at Interfaith and he was not aware of 6 Interfaith and
4 Housing Authority units Mr Scanlon, Director of the Housing Authority,
said that 2 of the Interfaith units are under the 707 program; 1 unit is
under Section 8 Federal; 1 unit is under the 707 subsidy in that area
Mr Kent said that basically these 4 units with which the Housing Authority
has a connection are included in the 6 units that belong to Interfaith;
making a total of 6 not 10 units
Mr French agreed it was an error in the statement Mr Jackson said
that in the process of talking about these numbers, we are losing sight of
something that felt very strongly about and that is we are already over-
burdened in Precinct 8 whether we are subtracting or adding
Mr Kent said that the precincts are a necessary division of the town
into units for purposes of conducting elections He thought they had
legitimate concern in relation to the proliferation of two facilities
was an apparent lack of communication sensitivity by M V M.H , which the
Board has to get into, but they have tied that into something he found
troublesome, and that is there is no reference to Greeley Village, which
is three times as close to Reed Street as the Parker School Mr Kent
did not understand the emphasis upon these geographical lines.for holding
elections
r'
9
Selectmen's Meeting - 8 - May 12, 1980
Mr Jackson said we are alluding to some program on the part of the Board
of Selectmen or whatever body it is within this town that basically tries
to create an equity base, based on the taxes that one pays; to recognize
some means or some formula of spreading the involvement of the total town
not just in dollar contribution but in actual participation Mr Kent
said he would suggest that he not make that case stronger by alluding to
subsidized units in the Parker School which is six-tenths of a mile away
from Reed Street
Mr Kent referred to a statement in the neighborhood proposal "which
was created to head off saturation of any part of the town with institution-
ally supported housing We do not distinguish between programs with dif-
ferent purposes " Mr Kent felt that there is a difference between single
family residences, multi-family residences such as the Interfaith housing,
and the kind of housing that is represented by the two facilities which
are in proximity in this particular neighborhood Mr French said you
jump from deferentiating between programs to deferentiating between types
of housing They are single family residences vs condominium complex.
Mr Kent said that those are different things, and Mr French said that
he would not argue with that Mr Kent said that the nub seems to be
that you are talking about any form of supported housing, be it single
family housing, multi-family housing, or anything else It seems that
you do not want us to distinguish, for example, between single family
housing units and the institutional type of arrangement such as the two
Mystic Valley related houses represented in the community These are
very distinct, separate things With respect to the scattered sites
houses in the area, this took place at the end of an exhaustive process
involving the fullest kind of community hearings and at the end of a
policy developed and articulated by the Town Meeting relating directly
to the subject of tax title lots Mr Kent said that they are lumping
separate things into the same barrel and he found it difficult to deal
with it on those terms Mr French said that one of the reasons they
lumped those things together was although they may be distinguished one
from the other in several ways, they turn out to have certain acquisi-
tion powers that are above and beyond the ordinary individual, yet they
are competing with the ordinary individuals for space, for titles, etc
He would not have the privilege of getting a tax title lot and putting
a house on a sub-size lot, and he would not have the same type of privilege
as the Deptartment of Mental Health enjoys under the current court case
toward entering a body of unrelated people into a single family dwelling
So they do have certain privileges accorded to them that are not given to
an ordinary individual We felt strongly that there was a wide open avenue
for abuse of the privileges, and in the Mystic Valley cases, they had over-
stepped and that was the issue we are trying to address Mr Kent said
in the last respect, he was very much in agreement with their concerns
With respect to the Parker School, even if it were directly in the im-
pacted neighborhood (whish he had trouble with assuming that it is)
the Parker School designation of those units to be transferred to the
Housing Authority was made at the end of a painstaking process, with
public hearings and ultimately a vote of the Lexington Town Meeting
The process has been completely open. Mr Kent agreed that on the other
matters to which they have been referring, it has not been, and it is
incumbent upon this Board to take things into account in determining 11,
whether we support M.V.M.H He was prepared to take up the responsibility
S 7
Selectmen's Meeting - 9 - May 12, 1980
of having a dialogue with M V.M H with a view to suggesting that there are
needs for community sensitivities here whether they have the legal right to
go ahead without our permission or not; he would be surprised if they are
not somewhat responsive to that kind of dialogue
Mr Mackay said the question is at what point does a community no longer
become a community It is not a matter of being for or against a particular
program.
Mrs Feakes said when Safehouse was going to be set up, they went to
the Board of Selectmen and there were very specific needs that were written
We thought it would be good to have it in Lexington and the youngsters could
go to school easily from there Safehouse is meeting a tremendous need
Legalities aside, we felt they have been open and have gone to the community
Mr Busa said that we should make it very clear that the neighborhood is
not objecting to houses put there but the satuaation In Precinct 1, we have
the largest saturation of nursing homes We don' t have an immediate solution
Mr Jackson said that he had counted, including the 28 units of the Parker
School, 335 mailingaddresses 28 of which are institutionally supported; that
is 7 7% of the neighborhood, and to him that constitutes saturation enough
We hear you saying let's kick it upstairs and hope that the legislature does
something for us What are you going to do for us?
Mr Kent said at the moment, all we can do is exert an element of suasion
with respect to people who want to open institutional arrangements over which
we have no legal control In terms of your request of the Manager that there
needs to be served advance notice of programs planning to enter the town and
provide time for coordination to the element that we are talking about our own
programs, and that includes scattered sites housing, we have that procedure
in place and we intend to keep it in place What we intend to do in that area
is listen to you with respect to specific proposals that may come before this
Board We can't do any more than that
Mrs Battin said on the permit granting proposal that you made to us,
you felt that a permit granting authority would be developed and then you
had what it would do to serve advance notice of programs; insure the
plans set forth are properly carried out with a reasonable balance of dis-
tribution of programs throughout the town. We are saying, at least from
Town Counsel verbally, that we do not have the authority now to establish a
permit granting procedure We have the power of moral suasion; we have the
power of coordinating; Mystic Valley I'm sure hears us and is going to notify
us as they have in the past of things they are planning, and we are going to
try and coordinate it informallLbyt we cannot now set up a formal procedure
until those statutes, at leastuthe community siting one is passed; then, we
have the the power by by-law which would have to be passed by Town Meeting
There are two important ingredients - the Human Service Committee and one of
the things we gave them as a charge is to develop processes for handling
things such as this There is also a new Planning Director We have two
groups and once we have the authority to develop processes probably together
we are going to be able to develop one that is going to take care of future
situations The problem is, as you said, those that are about to be signed
now Mrs Banks said that the process exists for us now to identify them
in that they do go through the Building Commissioner's office and through
the Manager we have worked out a system whereby we are notified when an
application under this law has come in; in fact since this, to her knowledge,
none have come in
Selectmen's Meeting - 10 - May 12, 1980
Mr Hutchinson said it has been done in writing by a written order to
the Building Commissioner but to ask that we create a special permit
process internally, the answer is we did not; we have no legal right based
based upon our Counsel's advice to do so Your question is legitimate of what
are you doing for us? These meetings are not an exercise in happiness some-
times In addition, the legislators have been asked and the Board has sup-
ported this We are not buck passers here but there are some times, as we
have said, that we administer many laws that we have nothing to do with
There is a problem throughout the Commonwealth about this saturation question
and we should ask our legislators, as this Board has done, is this bill going
to make it or not, so we can institute the procedures that you want But in
the interim, to ask us to do something that would bring potentially a suit
or to treat somebody in a discriminatory way, that is something that we
cannot be a party to
Mr Scanlon said that the Housing Authority would like to have a better
definition of the phrase institutionalized use and subsidized We consider
ours as subsidized and we have the rent subsidy available throughout the
Commonwealth available to those people who need it, with no regard for the
location; it is the need.
Ckai `man:Miley said_that Mr. Scanlon had explained to her that the
Housing Authority does not assign the locations to the people; the person
either has or finds a rental and then the subsidy comes after that So it
is not a case of finding something in a certain location - they are all over
town.
Mr French said that the Housing Authority program is a program by sub-
sidy, and to them it is an institution.
Mr Jeff Strahfi, Associate Minister of the Church of 'Our Redeemer, said
that he is concerned with people falling through the cracks Again and again
we have heard that it is not a quarrel with the program, Safehouse as a most
recent example One of his parishioners lives next door and they are one of
the biggest supporters of the "institution" and have said that they are
better people than lived there before What concerns him is that pressure
be brought on Mystic Valley which would cause them to withdraw their support
and the program will fall apart or they will have to find some other place
in the interim. An abutter of Safehouse said that there should be some con-
trol of placement by Mystic Valley because they have not been honest with the
neighbors, but if Safehouse gets closed down because of these discussions,
it is a crying shame. You should be careful that this doesn't become a factor
Ms Althea Korde, M.V M.H Board of Directors, said she was concerned about
what she had heard and that the integrity of a lot of people is being discussed
As a Lexington resident, she was concerned about institutions in neighborhoods ;
however, she sensed here that in many cases with their dealings with us that
they have not been dealt with honestly She was not sure that they hear .every-
thing that is being said, only what they want to hear You really have to
hear the whole story about what was said, what was not said, and what actually
was passed in the resolution; not what I thought or what was implied She
thought that has to be dealt with at some other time
The residents of Reed Street and other interested persons retired from
the meeting
59
Selectmen's Meeting - 11 - May 12, 1980
IIIMr Zabin, Chairman, and melbers _of the, Fair Housing Committee met Fair
with the Board Mr Zabin said that the committee has prepared a question- Housing
naire as one of the first issues we are required to address as part of our Committee
agreement with MCAD is to determine if any discriminatory practices exist
in Lexington and if any practices do exist, the extent and nature of such
practices The committee is then charged with recommending actions to
the Selectmen which they feel will reduce and eliminate future discrim-
inatory actions The committee proposes as one means of assessing this
issue to do a survey of minority residents in Lexington, utilizing the
resources of community groups such as the Lexington Concerned Black
Citizens In addition, the committee plans to meet with the realty
companies and local banks
Mrs Battin said that the clergy seems a good source as they often
identify problems before other people do and she would suggest to the
Manager that they be included Mr Hutchinson and Mr Zabin agreed
Mr Zabin said that when he met with the Board before Town Meeting,
he raised the possibility of a resolution before Town Meeting and the
Board felt it would be better to put it off to 1981 We understand the
charge that we are to develop a fair housing plan for the town, and the
problems we dealt with are basically in two areas, the public housing
area and the private housing area To give some idea of the dimention 3
of the problem, in public housing if we exclude St. Brigid's and Inter-
faith subsidized housing, there are only two black families in subsidized
housing in all of Lexington, no Spanish, 2 orientals, no Asians In
private housing, according to 1970 census figures, school statistics
have not changed very much In greater Boston, the number of black
families is 4 6 percent and in Lexington 9 percent; I don't know why
this is so because of no supporting data but we can speculate We
thought it would be useful to try and get a handle if we can on the
cause of these disparate statistics, to find out from minority families
who do live in Lexington what problems, if any, they have had in order
to give us some clue to the problems for others who are looking for
housing in Lexington who have not been able to come in So at least we
have a starting point to attempt to address the problems and if there
are problems, that they can be handled on the local level
Mr Busa asked him where he thought the problem lies? Mr Zabin
said that it is his guess that the problem is primarily economic but
ha Would avoid pre-judging the actions before we have asked the right
questions of the right people He hoped there aren't patterns of racial
Segregation and discrimination carried out either privately or publicly
or by private realtors or others, or by any public authority, and he
would suspect that is the case. If we are going to come up with any
answers that we have credibility either with your Board, with the town,
or with state and federal agencies We have to do as good a job of re-
search as we can Mr Busa said that he had never seen that problem in
Lexington of definite patterns of shutting out people from coming into
town, and he would be surprised if that happened; if it did, it happened
n the last decade
Ill Mr Kent recommended that Mr Zabin proceed Mr Busa said that he
had no problem
The Board agreed that the Fair Housing Committee is to proceed as
Mr Zabin recommended
Selectmen's Meeting - 12 - May 12, 1980
The Board approved the following agenda items
1-Day Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue a 1-Day
Liquor Liquor license an. June 7, 1980 for a fund-raising dance at the Lexington
License Armory for Mr Thomas Larkin, candidate for Misslesex County Commissioner
Resigna Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept with regret
P.A B the resignation of Mr John Butler as a member of the Personnel Advisory
Board
Town Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept with regret
Celebra. the resignation of Ms Margot Tutun as a member of the Town Celebrations
Com. Committee
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes
of the Selectmen's meetings of April 14 and April 28, 1980
Permit Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
Elks of the Elks Lodge #2204 for the use of the Battle Green on June 11, 1980 at
Flag 7 00 p m for the Flag Day ceremony
Day
Chairman Miley said that we have receivedy.Tcorrespondence from the
Appts Massachusetts Special Commission on the Performance and Visual Arts re-
Arts garding the appointment of five qualified private citizens to a Local Arts
Council Council We have received applications from ten persons who are interested
in serving on this council Mr Kent recommended that the Board appoint
the ten applicants
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint the fol-
lowing members of the Lexington Arts Council for a two year term to
May 31, 1982
Molly Nye, Tine Nemiccolo Forbes , Marion Colette, Donald Gillespie, Jr
Nancy Gordon, Judith S Greenwald, Yvette Kaplan, Ann M. Parks, Judi Ozuransky,
Natalie Warshawer
liO#Transfer Mr Hutchinson requested approval of a transfer of $5,000 to Professional
#1090 Services for consulting services for a resolution of the Cary Library stucco
Prof es, problem.
Servs Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request approval
of the Appropriation Committee for a transfer from the Reserve Fund to
Account 1090-Professional Services in the amount of $5,000
Senior Mrs Battin said that she had referred the question to the Human Services
Center Committee for professional guidance in developing a needs assessment for the
senior citizens center Most of the committee members have connections with.
the various universities and people on their staff and they should be able
to come up with names and suggestions on how to proceed with professional
guidance That is well under way
Proclama- Chairman Miley informed the Board that Dan Fenn requests approval of
tion the issuance of a proclathation encouraging the preservation, restoration
and reuse of our historic houses
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to proclaim the week
of May 11 through May 17, 1980 as Preservation Week in Lexington.
'
Selectmen's Meeting - 13 - May 12, 1980
Mrs Battin discussed the Center Revitalization Plan She said that Center
the plan to revitalize the Center was to include methods of achieving Revitaliza-
commercial diversity, achieve social and cultural activity, improve tion -
traffic flow and increase parking We said that we wanted a plan to be MAPC
completed by December 1 She pointed out that previous studies sup-
plied some of the data that is needed; however, there really are im-
portant pieces missing and some data is out of date We are not plan-
ning to study it completely again but will try and fill in where there
are missing pieces and updating the data To date, there has been no
attempt made to critically analyze what exists, identifying discrepan-
cies, fill in the missing pieces and update in terms of what the com-
munity wants and would support in the Center So what we have done is
to start and establish the Planning Committee The Selectmen specified
who they would like to see on it and it was also elected by the Planning
Board and the Chamber of Commerce that there be such a committee to
develop a plan, establish goals and then short and long-term strategies
for achieving the goals Committee members to date are Mrs Battin,
Mr Sorenson, and Mr Sacco and two members Of the Chamber representing
Banking and Industry The committee has aot convened yet as we have to
have the two members from Mr Sacco
We did review the possible technical assistance available and we did
establish the fact that MAPC appears to be capable
of carrying out the missing study piece which we feel was crucial in the
market analysis to have some proven experience and staff in the area;
in it an area in which we have no in-house capacity Based on that, we
wrote the letter of intent to MAPC and of the 23 applications received,
only 8 were invited to file formally with MAPC Five will be approved,
whole or in part, three will get the total package for what they do for
center revitalization and two communities will get a partial We have a
pretty good chance of getting what we are looking for The Manager has
given the lead responsibility for carrydng out this application to Mr
Bowyer and he is naw preparing the proposal to MAPC, which will be given
to the Board for review
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 50 p m
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
( n �i
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
MAY 19, 1980 1
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, May 19, 1980 at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain (8:O3•p.m.)
Mrd Hutchinson, Totan_Managei Mr.? Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs McCurdy,
Executive Clerk, were present
Valley Mr. anddKrs.. Casey of 22 Valley Road and residents of Valley Road
Road met with the Board to discuss the properties abutting a brook in the area.
Brook Mr David Williams, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, was present
Mr Hutchinson said that the issue has been raised by the neighbors
that they have been having an erosion problem caused by the brook He
and Town Counsel had reviewed it last year and looking at the advice
that we had, it appears that erosion is going to take place It has
been attributed to development The town has spent considerable money
in that area and he had sent a letter to Mrs Casey suggesting that the
neighbors pool their own resources for engineering advice We have this
problem along a number of brooks We have no provisions in our capital
budget for remedying the situation; it would be expensive and would take
appropriate engineering expertise to look at the problem We are in-
volved in a drainage study and are in the process of selecting a consultant
Between town forces and consulting services, that could be available at a
price
Mr Williams said that as the brook comes through conservation land,
the land is flat From Revere Street to 128 there is a pitch and the
velocity caused by the pitch causes the problem. When the pond is en-
larged on conservation land this summer, it may hold back some of the
water
The residents had comments Mr Casey said that he likes to use the
backland for a garden and he has had to have the bridge over the brook
fixed many times Mr Zimmerman said that the brook has been widened
almost double because of erosion A woman said that ten years ago erosion
was occurring and the town felt it was responsible and came out and did
the work
Mr Busa said that this goes back to 1971 and the former Town Manager
and DPW Commissioner showed that it was part of a town problem. From his
knowledge, it is part of the town's responsibility because of development
which was a town project in back of Lexington Lumber Company He did not
feel that it is fully the responsibility of the neighborhood and his
advice is to block it off This has been going on since 1969 and some
assurance was given by Town Counsel that the responsibility lies with
the town
Mr Zimmerman, 28 Valley Road, said that the brook is part of the
town's drainage system and there are many other pipes coming in. In
10 to 15 years because of development, all the water that was formerly
trapped now comes down and causes erosion; there is increased run-off
I
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - May 19, 1980
Mrs Battin said that she would like to know what other areas we
have problems with brooks
Mr Kent said that he would like to see this general subject ad-
dressed as part of that drainage study, and would like as much informa-
tion as possible Mrs. Bat tin agreed
Chairman Miley asked Mr Williams if he had recommendations from a
conservation standpoint to help the neighbors' point of view
Mr Williams said that he did not However, iherdasingsth.g size
of the pond will hold back the water during the peak periods of ground
water but on the deep slopes, erosion always occurs by just nature
There is a pond on the Tropeano land and Conservation has plans to
double the size of the pond. Mr Busa asked if a dam could be con-
structed to hold back the Water? Mr Williams said the pond itself
will hold that water He was there two weeks ago during the worst
rain storm we had this spring and that whole stretch from Brigham Road
to Revere Street was very placid because it is very flat It is only
when it starts going downhill that it increases the velocity and picks
up all the speed that causes the erosion It is more the speed than
the water that is causing the erosion because it is going downhill at
such a great extent Mr Busa said he understood that part of the en-
gineering problem The point is, if you dam it then you can only let
out a certain amount of water at a time on a smaller field, and then
you won't get the erosion that you would have now Mr Williams said
that Conservation will consider it in the design of the pond; we will
look into that
Mr Crain said that it is important not to give false hope to the
people who are here but if we intend to get costs we should define for
the Manager the rinds of costs, the parameters and extent of costs re-
lated to this one section that we are talking about
Mr Hutchinson said that he would obtain that information Mr Busa,
as your representative, is working with me and others on the drainage
consultant interviews which are scheduled to take place within the next
couple of weeks We can talk with them prilvattly to look at the parameters
of the study and find out what is involved On the public policy question,
there is a legitimate issue here that at the same time we will be enhancing
private property when we go to do work like this
Mr Hutchinson is to report back to the Board on June 9 or June 23
Chairman Miley informed the residents that the Board members are
very much aware of the problem and perhaps we could all come to a con-
clusion together When we have something to report, we will let you know
The Valley Road residents retired from the meeting
Mr Laing and Mr Weiner of the State DPW District #4 met with the Min.Man
Board Mr Laing said that the Board had written a letter in February School -
to the Central Transportation Planning Staff for traffic relief on Route Rte 2A
2A from Route 128 to the Mass Avenue extension, and this is an ongoing State DPW
problem that goes back to the actual site plan of the school itself We
were involved in this on the site plan for the school and at that time
it was felt that the reconstruction of Route 2 would materialize and as a
result the footprint of the building was adjusted to accommodate the re-
construction of Route 2 with a driveway from the school itself on a
'l Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - May 19, 1980
temporary basis to the junction of Route 2A adjacent to the Mass Avenue
extension The School Building Committee did the studying of this to
determine what type of traffic controls were needed and it was determined
at the time that a full set of traffic signals would solve any problems
that would develop as a result of the traffic generated by the school
Unfortunately, it did not solve the problem and we have had meetings over
the last five years DPW was reluctant to accept the signals as it would
then become our responsibility,and we could see there was a problem In
the last year or two, the school did add another entrance to the back sec-
tion and whether this has relieved the problem at that intersection did
not know as they have not met with representatives of the town for the
last two years The last meeting we had was with the Traffic..Committee
and it was thought that possibly the abutters to the roadway- and we
all know that the problem is the width of the roadway just will not accom-
modate the traffic - namely the Honeywell Corporation, Spaulding & Slye,
and the Motor Inn, would participate in a traffic study to determine what
should be the corrective measures that should be taken. We could program
this as a project, the only problem being we have so many projects ahead
of it that it would be many years before it would be in the designing
stages We encourage municipalities that are really interested in correct-
ing problems that they participate at least in the designing stage, as once
the design is completed, to go to construction through funding that we have
Chairman Miley asked if he had contacted Honeywell, etc ?
Mr Laing said the last meeting we had was with Honeywell, Spaulding
and Slye, and the business on the corner of the vacant lot, and they were
receptive to that not only to relieve all traffic traveling through there
but particularly to the abutters Honeywell has to have a full time officer
out there every morning
Chairman Miley said so you really don't have anything new for us at all
Mr Laing said no This comes up every year or so
Chairman Miley said we have been working with the school and Mr Jackson,
our representative, has been in communication with us and we told him and the
School Superintendent that the only solution for us would be the Department
of Public Works So that is why Mr Hutchinson wrote to you and we were
hoping that something was in the works
Mrs Battin said she would like to clarify that the bottleneck is the
actual design and if we wait for you to do it, it will be years
Mr Laing said perhaps more years that you,_have already waited
Mrs Battin said if we somehow with the abutters, the town, and con-
ceivably Lincoln and Concord, if somehow we can get the design done, the
actual work then would proceed?
Mr Laing said there is a very good possibility he could not give a
positive answer this evening When these projects are ready for advertising,
the funds are available at that time; then the project will be advertised,
and awarded, and constructed We never make a commitment in advance that
we will reserve any funds for any of those types of projects; you can
program them and in the past from experience, when they reach the stage
of advertising, funds have always been there
Mrs Battin said in getting the design done, would you go along with
whatever the design engineer came up with?
Mr Laing said not necessarily; the state plus the federal highway
which participated in 75 percent of the funding of this project would re111
-
view it on a conceptual stage, which is 25 percent; we would review it again
at the 75 percent and finally at the 100 percent stage So there are three
separate reviews plus a public hearing on this So, no matter what you come
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - May 19, 1980
up with, if you come up with a very elaborate design, it is not likely that
the agencies would approve it; but with usually two or three conceptual de-
signs i e. widening to four lanes or just making a left hand storage, it
would depend on how the traffic is today and what is anticipated.
Mrs Battin asked how long does the review process take if we are
going through the design process?
Mr Laing said it usually takes about a year; in other words, from
the very beginning when the design consultant comes on board, by the time
he submits a conceptual plan and it goes through various agencies within
our department and the federal highway, comes back again with a public
hearing and then proceeds to the 75 percent We did have a 50 ft layout
within that area.
Mr Weiner said that is correct The layout, in other words the property
that is dedicated for highway purposes, is 50 ft wide The present roadway
is 24 ft , so there is some room for limited widening but not enough for
four full lanes there; some lanes-taking would have to be made
Mr Crain asked where would one go for the alternative resources to do
a design like this?
Mr Laing said if you have gone through the proper procedure, in other
words it has reached our department, the next step is to go to the Project
Review Committee
Mr Crain said his question is because of what you have illustrated
is the bottleneck; if we could do design work rather than wait for it to
become a top priority in your group, where would one go?
II/ Mr Laing said you either go in-house, your own engineering staff,
or you would engage a consultant, preferably one that has had prior approval
of the department as far as any review committee
Mr Crain said if one takes that course and it became approved, and if
highway funds were there, would we be reimbursed for what we had incurred at
that stage?
Mr Laing said usually the procedure3 that municipalities follow through
is, with a general idea of what they are looking for and an approximate idea
of cost, and the Project Committee will approve it subject to availability of
funds and the community doing the design work. That seems to be the stumbling
block - any community that we have dealt with that is willing to do the design-
ing moves more rapidly
Mr Jackson asked what Peter Murphy's department (CTPS) been doing on
this?
Mr Weiner said he wasn't sure; he knew they have been involved in a
study of the Northwest Corridor, which takes in the whole segment between
Route 2 and Route 3 and that area does fall in there All they determined
is that this particular problem merits further study; that was the conclu-
sion
Mr Busa said seeing that the Commonwealth is involved in the layout
and the footprint of the Minuteman School, what is the disposition of Route 2?
Where does that lie?
Mr Laing said we were indirectly involved; it was led to believe that
Route 2 would be constructed and as a result the footprint of the school was
oriented to accommodate that Then, there was a period of "no build" de-
' termination made and it is his understanding that that study has been re-
activated and is actively being pursued - but he was not aware of where
it stands today
Mr Busa said then there could be a possibility that Route 2 could be
instructed before we finish our study
Mr Laing said he wouldn't go so far as saying that, because by the
time we study something Route 2, they have done a lot of environmental
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - May 19, 1980
study and there were at the point where they were getting to the conceptual
plan as to which of the alternatives — that is where it stopped; but if is
necessary to go back and reevaluate some of these studies that have been
made, he didn't know A member of the department, Mr Gallagher, was
actively pursuing that and it looks promising, and it may be revitalized
as far as the study and the actual construction
Mrs Battin said she had a question of the Manager of the State
DPW How much of a design study are talking about? What is the cost?
Mr Hutchinson didn't know He said we are dealing with one or two
alternatives, (1) is to check the cost to do it ourselves working with
firms or whomever And the second question is, I hear you saying this
isn' t in the state priority system for design work - that you have other
things that are more important But that remains a policy question as
well from the standpoint that one of your bosses might come in and say
now go out and design this So in one sense there is the option that one
could approach the appropriate legislative officials
Mr Laing said if we were told that this were more pressing than
others, why naturally we would be told this
Ch 90 Mr Weiner said that Mr Crain asked the question about reimbursement
Funds of the costsof engineering design There is the possibility under Chapter 90
program that the town receives a certain amount of money allocated within an
annual basis for improving local roads Some of the money could under cer-
tain circumstances which he was not prepared to go into because he was not
an expert on it but he knew that if such a thing does take place, you could
be paid for engineering services out of Chapter 90 funds
Chairman Miley thanked for this information about Chapter 90
Mr Cohen alkedaif there are examples of having reimbursement within
a state highway? This is not a town road
Mr Laing said there are certain funds that are appropriated each year
under Chapter 90 and some municipalities have used that money for the design -
for the seed money - of state highways, and they get back $10 to $12 for
every $1 they invest It falls under the urban system. The way the federal
government grants money, sometimes it is on priorities, sometimes it is on
urban, and sometimes it is on secondary We happen to have urban systems
Chairman Miley said she always thought it was for a road between two
roads within a county
Mr Hutchinson said we can report back to you on the sense of the cost
for this and what alternatives are involved
Chairman Miley asked Mr Hutchinson to pursue the Chapter 90 very
vehemently
Mr Jackson remarked that although the second road has helped, it
doesn't help much with the westbound traffic in the morning, which is
something like 1900 vehicles between 7 15 and 8 15 a m.
Chairman Miley thanked Mr Laing and Mr Weiner for meeting with
the Board and they retired from the meeting
Recrea- Mr Robert Eby, Recreation Committee member, and Miss Joan Halverson,
tion - Recreation Coordinator, met with the Board regarding the center pools renova-
Center tion project and asked for guidance on (1) the use of the John J. Garrity
Pool plaque; (2) creation of a new plaque with appropriate inscription; (3) dedica-
Project tion ceremonies 111After discussion, the Board agreed (1) The John J Garrity plaque
should be installed on the bathhouse at the instructional pool; (2) the
dedication ceremonies are to be delayed until completion of the entire
project, including landscaping, and until the determination of a suitable
name for the project It was the consensus that a plaque indicating the
history of the pool would be inappropriate
DC7
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - May 19, lg80
Chairman Miley read an application for Limousine licenses. Limousine
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Licenses
renewal of Limousine licenses for ten station wagons owned by Trans-
portation Management, 1668 Massachusetts Avenue, expiring May 1, 1981.
Upon notion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant a 1-day 1-Day
liquor license to St. Brigid's Parish on May 30, 7 00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Liquor
in Keilty ]all License
Chairman Miley read a letter from the Traffic Safety Committee Center
stating that the committee has discussed the possibility of updating Street
the street lighting in the Center to provide better illumination Light
In looking into this matter, it was felt that sodium vapor linai,res
would be an alternative worth investigating, and in order to evaluate
this alternative, we would like to replace one of our existing lights
with a low pressure sodium light in the Depot Square area The Police
Department has received many calls from drivers complaining that they
have diffi:ulty seeing the police officer at that location in the evening
We feel that testing a single light at this location will help us to
evaluate the overall lighting in the Center as well as possibly improv-
ing the vi;;ibility of the officer We would like to have a light in-
stalled this summer and test it over six months At the end of that
period, we will issue a report to the Board with a final recommendation.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
II/ recommendation to replace one of the existing street lights in the Depot
Square area with a low pressure sodium light for a period of six months,
subject to reconsideration by the Board if for any reason the light b e-
oomes unsua_tabie during this trial period.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the orders Street
for street acceptance, as approved by the 1980 Annual Town Meeting, for Acceptance
Kendall Road, Rockville Avenue and Sanderson Road
Mr. Httchins on requested approval of requests for transfers . Transfer
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request approval Requests
of the Appropriation Committee for thtansfers of the following amounts from
the Reserve Fund to
Account 1775-Legal Fees - $20,000; 1800-Legal Expenses - $5,000;
2935-Copier & Supplies - $1,000; 5450-Road Machinery - $10,000
The Board approved the following items on the Manager's agenda:
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission Sign
to the Rotary Club to set up two free standing signs advertising a straw- Permit
berry festival at Hastings Park. on May 25; one to be placed at Hastings
Park and one on the Visitors Center law Signs to be removed after the
festival on Sunday afternoon.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the permit Bos.Edsn
for Boston Edison to hook up power for the Center pools Center
Pool
Power
Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - May 19, 1980
DPW
Contract Mr Hutchinson recommended authorization of the additional sum of
78-6-E $3,247 13 for extra work under Contract #78-6-E for street, drain and
sidewalk construction The original contract bid price was $157,367;
an extra work order #1 in the amount of $7,430 was authorized by the
Board on October 23, 1979 for a water main on Banks Avenue This brought
the contract total to $164,797 It was necessary during the project to
build an additional stone masonry wall on Tucker Avenue As a result, the
final contract price is $168,044 13 In order to meet our current obliga-
tion under this contract, an additional authorization in the amount of
$3,247 13 is required
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the
additional sum of $3,247 13 for extra work under Contract #78-6-E The
total amount is now $168,044 13
Trash Mr Hutchinson discussed a draft copy of the rules and regulations
Collection on trash collection and the recycling component
Recycling Mr Donald Glennon, 199 Bedford Street, and Mr Wallace Weisinger,
193 Bedford Street, were opposed to establishing the recycling operation
at the Public Works Building on Bedford Street Mr Glennon said that
public works is wide open and unless it is fenced in, he could see it
all over Bedford Street, and he mentioned the problem of vandalism
Mr Weisinger said that his property is next to public works and it is
a mess all the time; kids break bottles, etc What is going to happen
when recycling starts? There will be broken bottles and papers blowing
over to my property
Mr Hutchinson said their concern is legitimate but we felt it better
to give the barn a try Mr Buse said that we have had quite a bit of
vandalism both on the building and equipment Mr Kent asked if it is
possible to obtain covers for dumpsters during hours when not in operation
Mr Warren Empey, Acting Director of Public Works, said that the onntainers
are open as they are looking for volume; the only way to raise money is by
volume. He had said that he had raised the same questions at a meeting
regarding vandalism, and the messy area, etc Also, if we continue with
the recycling and the materials are contaminated and that paper is burned
then we have to look for a place for disposal of this once the landfill
is closed down There are going to be problems with the recycling program
Chairman Miley said that other towns have gone on with their recycling pro-
grams after the landfills have been closed down, and we could find out how
dealt with it Wellesley has one Mr Empey said that Wellesley has quite
an extensive recycling area going If we run it on a part-time basis, which
has been suggested for two days a week at the public works building, once
it is open it is a 7 days a week affair, as there are no gates, no fences
Fences don't stop the vandalism Mu Hutchinson said that any program we
would run we would not provide manpower Chairman Miley said we are going
to have to make a decision Mr Hutchinson said he would have a report
for the Board on the a&ats .andswhat other towns are doing.
Discussion was held on the hours for trash to be put out and it was
agreed not to change the hours specified that containers are not to be
placed at the curb before 5 a m. ; all containers must be placed at the
curb prior to the start of collection at 7 a.m
Mr Hutchinson is to report back on June 9 regarding the fthal de-
cisions on trash collection and recycling.
X4, 9
Selectmen's Meeting - 8 - May 19, 1980
11
Chairman Miley informed the Board of an alert from Sheila Cheimetz
to write to the legislators to get H6253-Community Residences out of
committee The Board agreed ed that Chairman Miley is to write to Rep
Cole
Mr Crain agreed to represent the Board at the Elks Flag Day
Ceremony on the Battle Green at 7 00 p m on June 11
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll Executive
call vote - Mrs Miley, Mr Buse, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - Session
to go into executive session for the purpose of discussing strategy
with respect to collective bargaining and litigation, with no intention
of resuming the open meeting
After discussion, it was voted to go out of executive session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
10 20 p m.
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk, Selectmen
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
JUNE 9, 1980 1
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, June 9, 1980, at 7 30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; Mrs McCurdy, Executive Clerk, were present
Conduit- Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the Boston Edison
Moreland Company for the installation of 68 feet of conduit in Moreland Avenue
Avenue Notices of the hearing were sent to the abutters and filed with the Public
Works Department Mr Edward Kelley, representing Boston Edison, said
that this work is necessary in order to provide service to three houses
in the Wilson Farm Subdivision Chairman Miley read a report from Mr
Empey, Acting Director DPW, recommending that permission be granted
No one appearing in favor or in opposition, Chairman Miley declared the
hearing closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
to the Boston Edison Company for the following location of conduit
Moreland Avenue, opposite and southwesterly from Fern Street, a distance
of about 68 feet
Conduit- Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the Boston Edison
Wood St Company for the installation of 12 feet of conduit in Wood Street Notices
of the hearing were sent to the abutters and filed with the Public Works
Department Mr Edward Kelley said that this petition is necessary to pro-
vide electric service to L H. Hewett Company A report from Mr Empey
recommended that permission be granted No one appearing in favor or in
opposition, Chairman Miley declared the hearing closed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
to the Boston Edison Company for the following location of conduit Wood
Street, southwesterly approximately 10 feet southeast of Wildwood Road, a
distance of about 12 feet
New Two new Patrolmen, Cleveland Coates and Ronald Wells, met with the Board
Patrolmen and were sworn to the faithful performance of their duties by Miss Mary R
McDonough, Town Clerk Board members welcomed them and wished them success
as members of the Police Department
The Board approved the following agenda items
Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes
of the Selectmen's meetings of May 5, May 12, and May 19, 1980
License- Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Entertainment
Entertain- license for Chadwick's Ice Cream Parlor, 903 Waltham Street, for June 18,
ment 19 and 20, 1980 from 7 00 p m to 11 00 p m
Sign Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
Permit to James J Lima, 40 Vaille Avenue, to erect three temporary signs on town
property advertising for a garage sale to be held on his property on Sat
June 14 and Saturday, June 21 Signs to be erected on the day of the sale
and removed immediately thereafter
Selectmen's Meeting - 2 - June 9, 1980
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Orders Sewer
for Construction of Sewers on Edgewood Road, Glen Road South, Lowell Street, Orders
North Street, Oakland Street, Saddle Club Road, Maple Street, Meriam Street,
and Somerset Road
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept with regret Resigna
the resignation of Mr Barry Marshall as a member of the Human Services Human
Committee Services
The Board agreed to meet with the Human Services Committee on
June 23, 1980 to discuss the committee's proposals regarding Reed Street
Mr Zehner, Town Treasurer, met with the Board regarding the $1,050,000 Treasurer
bond issue which was floated on June 4 Twenty-three bids were combined
into eleven individual bids, and the bids ranged from 5 10 percent to 5 50
percent Mr Zehner recommended approval of the award to the low bidder,
continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Co of Chicago at 5 10 percent
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recom-
mendation of the Treasurer to award the $1,050,000 bond issue to the lowest
bidder, Continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Co of Chicago at 5 10
percent
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amthorize the
Treasurer to cause facsimiles of the signatures of the Board to be en-
graved or printed on the bonds; to approve the certification by the Clerk
of the Board of the vote approving the sale of the bonds; to sign the
No Arbitrage Certificate for the bonds, and to approira thecdocument
certifying the sale of the bonds and that no litigation is involved
The Board approved the following items on the Manager's agenda.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve Mr Hutchin- Acting
son's appointment of Mrs Nancy Banks as the Acting Manager during the period Manager
of June 16 through June 20, 1980 when Mr Hutchinson is to attend the School
on Management Control Systems at M.I T
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the Lease-
Manager to negotiate the extension of the lease to the Assemblies of Munroe
God Christian Center for space in the Munroe School for six months School
Mr Hutchinson said that he would come back to the Board with in-
formation on the proposed sublessor of the Assemblies of God Christian
Center
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Chamber
Manager's recommendation to grant permission to the merchants of the of Com-
Chamber of Commerce to use musical groups in the Center on Friday merce
evenings Mr Hutchinson said that no problems are anticipated as
we had previous experience with the musical groups during "Lexington
Discovery Days "
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign Contract Contract
80-2-E awarded on May 12, 1980 to Charm Construction Inc for sanitary 80-2-E
sewer construction in the amount of $407,312 21 Sewers
X
Selectmen's Meeting - 3 - June 9, 1980
Comp Mr Hutchinson said that after an extensive review and selection
Drainage process, it is recommended that the firm of Camp, Dresser and McKee, Inc
Study be selected to perform the comprehensive drainage study in the Tophet
Phase III Swamp and Simonds Break-North Lexington Brook Drainage areas We feel
that CDM has the necessary technical expertise to perform the study
and will be responsive to the needs of the town The appropriation
is contained in Article 16 of 1979 and Article 15 of 1980, total of
$68,000
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award Phase III
of the Comprehensive Drainage Study, which includes the Tophet Swamp and
Simonds Brook-North Lexington Brook drainage areas , to Camp, Dresser and
McKee, Inc , One Center Plaza, Boston, subject to negotiation of a con-
tract not to exceed $68,000
Ch 90 Mr Hutchinson recommended approval of Extra Work Order #1 in the amount
Hancock of $4,925 for the Hancock Street Chapter 90 project, which would include
Street gutter inlets to be added to the new catch basins to provide adequate
clearance between the catch basin grates and the underground telephone
duct line; also, sod is to be used in lieu of loaming and seeding on
Brigham Road as this would eliminate the long-term disruption of the
affected properties and would ensure a. match with existing lawns in
the area The total contract price was $198,892 25, additional work
order of $4,925; total of $203,817 25 The cost of the items included
in this extra work order will be reimbursed to the town by the Mass
Department of Public Works as part of the contract agreement.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve Extra
Work Order #1 for the Hancock Street Chapter 90 project, in the amount
of $4,925
Water Mr Hutchinson requested approval of lowering the water main on
Main - Rockville Avenue, which is tied into the street construction of Rockville
Rockville The review of the profile for the proposed street construction shows that
Avenue the existing water main will lack sufficient cover and a high possibility
of freezing could occur; therefore, it is proposed to lower the main by
about 2 feet while concurrently installing the sewer This will allow
time for the trench to settle before beginning street construction work
Great Northern Constructors, Inc is constructing sewers in this area
and at our request has submitted an estimated price of $14,000 to lay
the 400 feet of water main and the necessary contingencies, and it is
recommended that this work be paid for out of Article 18, 1980-Street
Construction
After discussion, the Board approved the request
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recom-
mendation of the Manager to lower the water main on Rockville Avenue at an ap-
prdximatd cost of $14,000 Appropriation contained in Article 18, 1980-
Street Construction
7 ‘?
Selectmen's Meeting - 4 - June 9, 1980
Mr Hutchinson advised the Board that the Transportation Advisory LEXPRESS
Committee recommends variations in Routes 2, 3 and 5 to accommodate
summer needs Also, the recommendation to cancel summer Saturday ser-
vice, with the understanding that the authority could be held in abeyance
until they have had an opportunity to evaluate the experience The con-
tract runs until September and the committee has been working very hard
to stay within the budget Mr Hutchinson felt they should have some
flexibility of initiating a change, and with schools closing and vaca-
tions, they should 'have the capacity to move forward very quickly
During discussion, Mr Crain pointed out that he had attended meetings
of the committee and there is a possibility of a shortfall of $3,000,
and when one analyzes what would be the best options and alternatives
to explore what would have the least impact on the citizens, Saturday
looms as the most logical alternative It is rather the chemistry of
those facts Cather than saying Saturday isn' t producing enough income
Also, in the May 27 memo from the Transportation Advisory Committee,
reference was made to using revenues for F Y 81 in F Y 80, and he
felt that careful consideration should be given as to whether we want
to mix those kinds of monies The Board agreed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the
Manager to discontinue LEXPRESS service on Saturdays, subject to an
evaluation period and notification of the proposed action to the Board
and the public The recommended LEXPRESS route variations were also
approved.
Mr Hutchinson said that the regulations regarding curbside collec-t Curbside
tion have been updated since the last meeting, and he recommended that Regs
they be adopted Collection days are on Monday for Precincts 1 and 2;
Tuesday-Precincts 3, 4 and 5; Wednesday-Precincts 6 and 7; Thursday-
Precincts 8 and 9 The sanitary landfill closes on July 1, 1980
The Belmont Board of Selectmen rejected our proposal for small private
businesses be allowed. access to the Belmont facility on Concord Avenue
We will continue to work on the transfer station, and we are listing
private landfills and private contractors' services that are available
for individual businesses that have been using our landfill
Regarding the recycling center, we are proposing, and still need
guidance, that the landfill be made available on Tuesdays and Thursdays
from 8 a.m. to 12 00 N We are in a position, subject to the Board's
authorization to provide the facility, the site, and also to provide
some administrative and staff support to that effort These dates are
subject to change a little bit
In response to questions, Mr Empey agreed to ask the contractor
for a definition of how large a container is considered bulk size of
spray chemicals
Discussion was held on enforcement of the restriction on placing
of materials at curbside before 5 a m. on collection day Mr Hutchinson
said that we look at appropriate notice provisions and experience factors
and we are saying it can be enforced Mr Kent said that there is a re-
lationship to the dog leash law and in theory at least if the leash law
is obeyed, the dogs don't get into the material Mr Cohen pointed out
that there is a by-law which does have a penalty of $50 and in some way
that could prevail Mr Busa suggested reviewing that and have a lesser
penalty the first go-around.
Mr Hutchinson said that we are sending out an information sheet
and would say that a penalty and notice provisions are currently under review
) 7t
Selectmen's Meeting - 5 - June 9 , 1980
Recycling Chairman Miley discussed Concord's recycling program with a private
organization and the proceeds are used for different environmental ands
Of the $2,000 profits, they gave the Minuteman Vocational School $500
for a solar greenhouse We may not be able to get something similar
to this in place by July 1st but we might be able to work on it for
the future; that would more or less take it out of the hands of the
town and yet it would satisfy many of us who feel that we should re-
cycle to the ultimate We can go ahead with Mr Hutchinson's recom-
mendations for now Also, we would like to continue with the help
of the former ad hoc committee, and we appreciate all the work they
have been doing
Mr Hutchinson said that the landfill would open on Tuesday and
Thursday with some minimum manning support at that time, the intent
being that we would work with these recycling groups so that they mould
form a private non-profit corporation to utilize the town's facilities
as a whole and they would effectively man it Ideally, we would expand
the hours so that we could get into a revenue generating system We are
not going to be picking up anybody's recyclables but just going to be
checking on how our operation is running and insuring that people aren't
abusing the system. There is nothing budgeted for recycling but we do
have the money budgeted from the standpoint that we can take existing
operating people to check on the facility and we will have a man working
on the slopes, etc ensuring that people don't come up and dump all their
trash That is why it is necessary to get another vehicle in place to
manage this thing By September 1, we should have a non-profit organize-
tion in place running effectively the recycling program for the town
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adopt the
Rules and Regulations Governing the Combined Curbside Collection of
Rubbish, Garbage and Ashes and the recycling component, with the
proviso that recycling be reevaluated on September 1, 1980
Stratham Mr Hutchinson discussed the Stratham Road sewer project and recom-
Road mended that the Board vote to go back to Solution A, which is the original
Sewer sewer program suggested by the Board Apparently, those people who sent
letters and petitions for additional consideration of the sewer extension
have changed their minds based on information they have We would like to
get on with the rest of the program on bidding for the rest of the towns-
people as well as this particular area This does not mean that adminis-
tratively we do not feel again that sewers will eventually be needed in
this area, but would like the record to reflect that these people are
against sewers in this area, so that people who do come into the area later
on know that it has been discussed and debated We now recommend that we
now go forward with our original program and delete the extension of the
sewer
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to delete the exten-
sion of the Stratham Road sewer and proceed under Solution A which is the
original sewer program for Stratham Road
175
Selectmen's Meeting - 6 - June 9, 1980
Mr. and Mrs. Casey and residents of Valley Road met with the Board Valley
Mr. Hutchinson said that the residents' concerns regarding erosion had Roal
been discussed with the consultant that this be reviewed for a proposal Brook
Right now, there is no money within the municipal budget to do any work
in this area. Out of the proposal (1) We might take a look at what can
be done in this area and other areas (2) There will still have to be
a public policy decision on what level of assistance, if any, the town
is going to be involved in regarding programa like this
Mr Hanlon, Town Engineer, said that one alternative is basically
do nothing, which means the property owners involved will have to make
any repairs they feel are necessary Realistically, there is an erosion
problem there; however, he did not think it is a severe erosion problem
at this point and no immediate need for some remedy, whatever that remedy
is Access to that area of the brook is very difficult, and he had
looked at it from each end of the spectrum. Starting at Valley Road
to the the bed of the brook all the way to Bedford Street, the brook
should be cleared as it is fairly well overgrown; to clean it out and
line it with rip-rap to permanently control the erosion problem. This
would require extensive disruption to equipment and would mean that the
existing vegetation would be completely removed The resulting rip-
rapped channel may be aesthetically unacceptable to the town and the
property owners The estimated cost to do this work is between $80,000
and $100 ,000 At this point, he din' t think it is a severe problem and
it is best left for the consultants to do a comprehensive drainage study
and let us take a good, hard look at it and make some recommendations
Then, have a lot of input from the Conservation Commission and the Plan-
ning Board and we will find out exactly what is acceptable and what is
to be done for the residents
Mr. Hutchinson said for the residents ' information, this will be tied
into the next budget process for any requests to be made and any public
policy decisions that the Board is going to make as well as Town Meeting
concerning projects of this nature That ties in with all the fiscal
restraints that the Board is going to be addressing next year relating
to the normal budget process with or without Proposition 2 1/2 The
survey would shake from 6 to 9 months and we can have available for the
Board our best efforts and reasonable solution on alternatives
Mr. Kent said that if we are going to have a public policy, to are
going to have it not directed specifically to this kind of a problem but
to problems in which our brook policies and developmental practices
impact on citizens with properties that a1tut brooks We will make every
effort as the study takes place and as the various town boards get in-
volved to keep these neighbors informed tO that they may have an opportunity
to listen and be heard
Mr. Hutchinson said that we have done so and will do so in the future
as this issue comes up
Mr Buse said that he sat on a review board with the engineers and
they are going to look into into it The Town Engineer might not think
it is a serious problem but the neighbors whose land is eroding through
II/ each storm have very serious problems as the brook was only 2 feet wide
and is now 4 to 6 feet wide He didn't think it would take $80,000 to
$100,000 and we could curtail the erosion by taking other means of trying
to contain the water in its rapid flow down there He was sure the people
are satisfied that we are taking it under consideration and they will be
informed Hopefully by next March, we might have something more concrete
and some dollars in the budget to at least abate some of the problems there.
The residents retired from the meeting.
-)-
Selectmen's Meeting - 7 - June 9, 1980
CATV Mr Page, Chairman, and members of the Cable Television Advisory Com-
mittee met with the Board to discuss an addendum to the CATV draft report
Mr Page said that between now and the time of finalizing the options , the
committee would like to explore an option of organizational interface, a
cable TV council, committee, or however it gets labeled, with functional
reporting ties not only to the Board of Selectmen but also to the Cary
Library Board of Trustees and the School Committee It could report
administratively to the Town Manager
There are several parts of the Selectmen's report which will need
legal surveillance and advice; the committee would like to add advice
from the Comptroller because of the terms of the budget arrangements be-
tween cable companies and the town on support of local use
The advisory committee should probably provide information on the
public hearing on July 17 The date for amendments' submission should
appear in the Selectmen's report This report should be made available,
by state regulations within seven days after its issuance, to cable
companies A date by which amendments are to be submitted from the cable
companies is tentatively August 28
One of the things that was not stressed in any of the proposals sub-
mitted by cable companies is about the equipment that will be needed by
the institutions organizations facilities in towns which will be con-
nected under the institutional network How that equipment will be needed
has to be more specifically spelled out in our report and we will be working
on that
People in the Hanscom Field apartment area would like to be connected
in, and the committee will be commenting on that in our report
June 23 was the date for the Selectmen to issue the report but you
do have spare time. The Board agreed it would not be ready for the
Selectmen's CATV Report to be completed by June 23 and would take more
time.
Mr Page said that another issue is the possibility of revenue from
advertising, and part of this could go towards support of the local use
of CATV
It was agreed that arrangements will be made for a meeting to be
held with Chairman Miley, Mr Buse, Mr Page and members of the cable
committee to discuss the selection process and information for the
Selectmen's CATV Report
Pest The Pest Control Advisory Committee met with the Board to discuss
Control the majority and minority reports on mosquito control Mr Andrews,
Advisory Chairman, said that he didn't think the objectives and goals are dif-
Committee ferent but there was some disagreement on how to get there and what
the priorities should be What we are proposing begins immediately
with public education programming with the source reduction techniques
for eliminating mosquito breeding sources The way to do it is to re-
contour the breeding areas We feel we need more information to do effec-
tive larviciding and one of the reasons that we recommend is to define
where we want to go that would be advantageous The committee had
questions of laviciding that has been done in the past and it is im-
portant to begin using the safer materials - non-chemicals; they don't
raise questions of trade-offs The minority report seems to give
the impression that we were saying that the Lexington program should
not be conducted by a mosquito control project on any kind of regional
organization That was not our intention; we specifically avoided
making a recommendation about ultimately who does the work We do
07 7 7
Selectmen's Meeting - 8 - June 9, 1980
think the important thing is a more effective citizen input in review of
what's being done, both the reference to the materials that are used and
where they are used We feel that a structure would be needed eventually
if we are going to use chemical lavididing or if we are going to a mos-
quito control project We are not recommending against the use of a
mosquito control project at the time you decide to do that We think
we need more information before we make that decision We need to
establish a base line deduction in the mosquito population so that
when we do apply the techniques, they are applied only where they are
needed
Mr George Smith said that he and Mr Paul Mazerall disagreed with
the majority report and the findings and the methods they propose to use
to combat mosquito problems We need a formal on-going program and you
would have to write to the State Reclamation Board for approval of your
project If you do that tomorrow, it could start in July
Mr Hutchinson said that the amount of money we have is $9,000, but
that is not available until July 1
Chairman Miley asked if we did go to East Middlesex, would we have
any control over anything they would do?
Mr Smith said that the town has always had control over the project
and you could outline the program.
The Board agreed to delegate the Manager to come back with a program
on June 23 for discussion and final decision to be made on mosquitoes
Mr Hutchinson said that he had received a request from Mr Robert Farm Land
Cataldo to lease four acres of land on Marrett Road for agricultural pur- Marrett
poses The Conservation Commission has recommended that this be deme : Road
and they have drawn up a lease structure for all properties to be farmed
Subject to that, Mr Hutchinson recommended that he be authorized through
the Conservation Commission to go forward and make a lease It is not
Conservation land Chairman Miley said that people in the area should be
notified of the intent Mr Hutchinson agreed to notify the residents
and bring it back to the Board on June 23
Mr Crain expressed concern about how long the process is taking to Traffic -
alle*iate the traffic problem in the Wilson Road area. Mr Hutchinson said Wilson
that the center lines have been painted, the striping has been done, hedges Road
have been cut and stop signs installed The gate is only thing that hasn't
been done and we have to talk to the school system about it
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive
vote - Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to
go into executive session for the purpose of discussing strategy with
respect to litigation and collective bargaining
After discussion, it was voted to go out of executive session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
11 30 p m.
111 A true record, Attest
G
Executive Clerk, Selectmen /�)
C� � )
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
June 23, 1980
111
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the
Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Office Building on Monday, June 23, 1980
at 7 30 p m. Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, and Mr Kent; Mr
Hutchinson, Town Manager, Mr Cohen, Town Counsel, and Mrs Banks, Assistant
to the Town Manager were present
Transfer Mr Hutchinson requested the Board to authorize the transfer of funds
from the Reserve Fund Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to
approve and request approval of the Appropriation Committee for a transfer
from the Reserve Fund to account 5700 - $15,600 to cover unanticipated energy
and repair costs and to account 2525 - $1,700 to cover the monthly computer
service charge, which has been higher than anticipated
Reevaluation The Board of Assessors met with the Selectmen to update them on the
status of reevaluation Mr Willard Grush introduced Mr Vern Gardner of
Patten- Appraisal to give a status report Mr Gardner informed the Selectmen
that 80% of the properties are measured and listed They anticipate completing
the real property review in early September During the fall Patten Appraisal
will send each property owner a mailer listing their findings All owners will
have an opportunity to notify Patte] , of discrepencies or errors The first
values will be generated January 1, 1981 and property owners will be advised
of the value which Patteul will be recommending to the Board of Assessors
During March and April, owners have an opportunity to appeal the proposed
values to PatteX Appraisal and finally to the Board of Assessors when the
official rates are sent in August as part of the tax bill
The Board of Selectmen discussed presentation of the FY82 Budget
It was agreed that the equalized tax rate must be used in considering
the new budget, even though the Board of Assessors will only have rough
estimates in December
Transpor- Mrs Sally Castlemen, co-chairman of the Transportation Advisory
tation Committee and Mrs Sara Arnold, Transportation Coordinator met with the
Selectmen to review proposed fare changes
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sell monthly
passes during July and August at a cost of $6 00 per month
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
following fare structure for the period September 1, 1980 to June 30, 1981
Unlimited pass, September - June - $40 00
6 month pass $30 00
3 month pass $20 00
single ride - Age 6-64 40
single ride - Age 65 and over 20G
single ride - 5 and under 10C
transfers 10C
Burlington surcharge 25
Book of 14 tickets $ 5 00
Mrs Miley thanked Mrs Castleman and her committee for their hard
work
Selectmen's Meeting n2e, June 23 1980
Mr Fred Bailey, Chairman Burglary Alarm Committee and other members Burglary
of the Commmittee met with the Selectmen to discuss their recommendations Alarm
for regulations Mr Kent asked if the regulations should reference the Regulations
fact that only dialer systems will be permitted The committee agreed to
review the regulations and add the reference The Board decided to
hold a public hearing on the regulations as recommended by the committee
in July
Mrs Miley read two reports from the Traffic Safety Committee, the Traffic
first recommended a stop sign on Brookwood Road at Saddle Club Road Safety
and a second report recommending a stop sign on Theresa Avenue at Committee
Cliffe Avenue
Mr Kent asked if the neighbors had been contacted Mr Busa
responded that the sign on Theresa Road was being recommended after
a request from the neighbors No reference was made in the report to the
neighborhood reaction to the sign on Brookwood Road
Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to table approval
of the stop sign on Brookwood and approve the stop sign on Theresa Avenue
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve a request Interna-
from the U S. Conference of Mayors to proclaim 1981 as the International tional Year
Year of Disabled Persons of Disabled
Persons
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve
-Entertainment license from Daman Enterprizes Inc Licenses
d/b/as Bel Canto Restaurant
-Auctioneer License for Stephen W Kreide
Mr Busa reviewed the Estow/Smoske dog hearing held June 18, 1980 Dog
He recommended that the dog be removed from the neighborhood within 15 Hearing
days Ms Smoske has claimed that she does not own the dog, although
Town records do show that she is in fact the owner
The Board also noted on the hearing minutes two corrections
On the first page last paragraph and on page three first paragraph
in which Estow is incorrectly refered as Smoske
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to have the dog
removed from the neighborhood within 15 days and further that the notice
to Mrs Smoske include the license number
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Minutes
minutes of May 29, 1980 and June 9, 1980
Mrs Miley informed the Board of a request for use of the Battlegreen Request for
by American Lifestyle Company to film the life of Paul Revere Mrs Use of
Battin asked whether the film was for commercial or public service Battlegreen
purposes
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table this
item. Mr Hutchinson was asked to review the request to determine
if the film was for commercial or public service use and report back
to the Board
7,
J
Selectmen's Meeting -3- June 23, 1980
Cable TV Mr Bill Page, Chairman of the Cable TV Committee and Mrs
Martha Wood met with the Board to continue discussion of the draft
Cable TV report
The Board raised two concerns First the Board felt the requirements
for elderly programming were too stringent and recommended language
which would allow for more flexibility Second the Board expressed
concern about the community use of cable TV It was agreed that the
committee would review these sections and present their revisions
to the Board
The Board further agreed to hold a public hearing July 17, 1980
and establish September 11, 1980 as a deadline date for receipt of
amendments to applications
Pest Control Mr John Andrews, Chairman of the Pest Control Advisory Committee
Advisory met with the Selectmen Mr Andrews introduced the members of his
Committee committee
Mrs Miley reviewed the recommendations prepared by the Town
Manager's Office, which called for rejoining East Middlesex and
conducting a program of lavaciding, ditching and draining work
Mr Andrews was asked to comment He said that he was concerned
about the resources available for survey work He felt that even
if part of the proposed program had to be cut, it would be worthwhile
because of the base line information which would be developed for use
in the long-term. Mr Hutchinson recommended the program be adopted
as recommended and funds from temporary help be utili£ized to do the
survey work
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adopt the
recommended program including
-rejoining East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project
-participate in spring and summer lavaciding
-ditching
-Increased review of program by Conservation Commission
and further that the Manager investigate the use of temporary help
monies to conduct a survey of breeding areas and second that the Manager
review the overhead costs of the East MiddleSex,CcntrOl 'Project
Mr Andrews discussed the control over East Middlesex Control
Project and recommended additional controls The Board agreed that this
would be done as part of motion just passed Mr Busa said he hoped the
Board would consider adulticiding in the future particularly if recommended
by East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project or the Health Office
(Human Mrs Ruth Butler, Chairman Human Services Committee and the members
Services of the committee met with the Board of Selectmen to discuss their work
to date and their future directions She briefly discussed their activities
to date and their current effort to develop a framework, from which
they can evaluate and deal with issues A major component of this framework
they are proposing is the concept of prevention Under this concept,
agencies would be held accountable for a particular outcome This type
of approach would force agencies to think in terms of prevention The
Board did not feel the committee's approach was in conflict with their
own, but felt it was important for the committee to focus on prevention111
in terms of the charge to the committee
Selectmen's Meeting -4- June 23, 1980
II/
The committee also discussed a workshop they are proposing for the
fall The Board asked that the committee put their ideas in a written
report The Board also agreed to communicate back to the committee on
actions it takes in response to the committee's recommendations In
response to the committee's recommendation to have the planning department
map out the institutional facilities, the Selectmen have done this
Section 8 family housing is not being included since its location is
subject to change as recipients move
Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to accept the Employee
Town Manager's recommendation to approve Boston Mutual's request Insurance
to sell additional life insurance to employees at group rates with
the understanding that soliciting would not take place in Town
time
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve Road
the Town Manager's recommendation to award the street resurfacing Contract
contract to Starrett Paving Corp in the amount of $101,265 75 The
contract will cover street resurfacing on the following streets
Winthrop Road
School Street
Pleasant Street (from Lawrence Lane to Concord Avenue)
East Street (from Adams Street to Frant Street)
Eldred Street
Baker Avenue
Blueberry Lane & Tyler Road Intersection
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Curbing
Town Manager's recommendation and deny the request from Mr and Mrs
Horigan of 30 Wyman Road for curbing in front of their property Mr
Hutchinson reported that this recommendation is consistent with the
Town policy to install berm only where there is erosion. There is
no sign of erosion in this case
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize Lions Club
the Lion's Club 4th of July Carnival to move in Sunday, June 29 at 4th of July
7 00 p.m. and to operate on: Carnival
Wednesday, July 2 from 6 00 p.m. to 11 00 p m.
Thursday, July 3 from 6 00 p.m. to 11 00 p.m.
Friday, July 4 from 12 00 Noon to 11 00 p.m
Saturday, July 5 from 12 00 Noon to 11 00 p.m.
and to move out on Sunday, July 6 at 1 00 a.m.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve Request to
Mr Cataldo's request to farm four acres of town owned land on Marrett farm Town
Road, subject to working out satisfactory arrangement with abutters owned land
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Salaries
pay plan for FY81 with the exception of the Police Mechanic which
will be reviewed at a later date
7-2
Selectmen's Meeting -5- June 4, 1980
FY81 SALARY RANGES I
CLERICAL
Classification Minimum Midpoint Maximum
S-1 Clerk 8,096 9,199 10,302
S-2 Clerk/Typist 8,540 9,704 10,869
S-3 Senior Clerk 8,908 10,238 11,568
S-4 Account Clerk 9,397 10,801 12,205
S-5 Principle Clerk 9,893 11,503 13,133
S-6 Administrative Clerk 10,461 12,308 14,154
MANAGEMENT
M-1 Engineering Aide 11,475 13,500 15,525
M-2 Assistant Comptroller 12,623 14,850 17,077
Recreation Coordinator
M-3 Budget Administrator 13,885 16,335 18,785
Executive Clerk
Supt Building Maint
Electrical Inspector
Engineering Assistant
M-4 Supt Cemeteries 15,274 17,969 20,664
Tax Collector
Building and Gas
Inspector
M-5 Civil Engineer 16,802 19,766 22,731
DPW - Office Manager
Police Lieutenant
Dir Conservation/
Recreation
M-6 Supt Parks and Trees 18,482 21,743 25,004
Supt Water
Supt Highways
Supt Mechanics
Town Clerk
M-7 Asst Town Engineer 20,330 23,917 27,505
Health Director
Town Assessor
2-3
Selectmen's Meeting -6- June -9, 1980
Classification Minimum Midpoint Maximum
lir
M-8 Building Commissioner 21,837 26,309 30,782
Manager-Admin and
Planning (DPW)
Manager-Operations (DPW)
Town Engineer
Planning Director
Police Captain
Assistant to the Town
Manager
M-9 23,152 28,940 34,728
M-10 Comptroller 25,468 31,834 38,201
Police Chief
Fire Chief rt qV
M-I1 Dir DPW/Engaring 4� 28,044 35,017 42,020
SPECIALS
Custodians 10,914 12,266 13,617
Head Custodian 11,928 13,452 14,975
Animal Control Officer 13,185 14,623 16,060
Fire Dispatcher 9,649 11,425 13,200
Police Dispatcher 10,721 12,461 14,200
Mr Hutchinson briefly discussed the Council on Aging's request Council
for additional space It was agreed to invite the Council to the on Aging
Board of Selectmen's July 7th meeting to discuss their request, and
the status of a nutrition program.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 by roll call
vote, Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin and Mr Kent to go into Executive
Session with no intents of resuming the open meeting, for purposes of
discussing land acquisition and strategies for collective bargaining
After discussion, it was voted to go out of Executive Session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
11 00 pm
A true record, Attest
III
Assistant (4 the Town Manager ,
\/ -
VV
-`
I
VOID
cA(50\'
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
JULY 7, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, July 7, 1980, at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Buse, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Mana-
ger; Miss Casey, Principal Clerk, Selectmen, were present
The Chairman convened the meeting at 7 30 and the Board discussed the
1980 annual committee appointments
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to make the following
appointments
COMMITTEE/PERSON TERM EXPIRATION DATE
BOARD OF APPEALS
Irving Mabee 5 years May 31, 1985
BOARD OF APPEALS (ASSOC)
William Hays fill vacancy May 31, 1981
Robert M. Gary 1 year
Eric T Clarke "
William J Scouler TTClarence D Turner
Robert V Whitman " "
PERSONNEL ADVISORY BOARD
Joanne G Small, Chairman 3 years May 31, 1983
Richard Daggett fill vacancy
TOWN REPORT COMMITTEE
Erna S Greene 1 year May 31, 1981
Raymond J Culler "
Robert B Sawyer "
Patricia Kaczmarczyk fill vacancy "
Robert Morrison
Patricia Rosenthal "
Louis A. Zehner
POLICE MANUAL POLICY
COMMITTEE
Robert B Kent 1 year May 31, 1981
William C Hays
Alexander J Cella " "
Hugh M. Chapin
Irving H Mabee
Gerald L McLeod " "
Chief James F Corr "
SEWER ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Katherine G Fricker 1 year May 31, 1981
Gordon E Barnes, Jr " "
David Laredo
George F McCormack
Kenneth W Nill "
Richard J Rycroft
TRUSTEES OF PUBLIC TRUSTS
Frederick B James 6 years May 31, 1986
BRIDGE CHARITABLE FUND
Frederick B James 3 years May 31, 1983
CAMEL LEGACY INCOME TRS
Helena Butters 1 year May 31, 1981
Leona W Martin 1 year "
SCHOOL SITES CONVERSION
COMMITTEE
Mary W Miley 1 year May 31, 1981
Roland B Greeley iv "
William P Kennedy it
Joseph 0 Rooney " "
Arthur C Smith
William T Spencer " "
Robert M Hutchinson, Jr it " r.
HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
John Mackey fill vacancy May 31, 1981
YOUTH COUNSELOR
Charles H McManus 1 year May 31, 1981
TOWN CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE
William P Fitzgerald 3 years April 30, 1983
Raymond J Flynn
Robert C Jackson
Marion H Snow / " /4S/
DanielW Murphy 3 " 513
C Jean Coates 3 "" sP3
After discussion, the Board agreed to table the appointments to the Cen-
ter Revitalization Committee and Fence Viewers
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table appointments to
the Center Revitalization Committee and Fence Viewers
The Board also discussed the vacancy on the Sewer Advisory Committee and
agreed to table the appointment
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the appointment
to fill the vacancy on the Sewer Advisory Committee
The Board discussed the appointments to the School Sites Conversion Com-
mittee and Mr Busa suggested that the present committee members be reappointed
to handle the Munroe School only He stated that he felt that it was too much
work to handle the disposition of all of the schools that would be closing
The Board agreed and that it would not preclude overlapping members and that
the separate committees could coordinate their thinking when the committees '
for the other schools have been formed
- 3 - 2 C
Selectmen's Meeting July 7, 1980
The Board discussed a letter from Janice L Harrington, Director of Pub- Clean
lic Information, of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, stating that the Air Day
Council, in conjunction with the U S Environmental Protection Agency, is MAPC
promoting September as "Clean Air Month" MAPC requested that Lexington ap-
point a local "Clean Air Day" coordinator and make "Clean Air Day" an official
event in Lexington
After discussion, it was decided to table the request until the Directors
of the Board of Health and the Conservation Commission are contacted
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the request of
the MAPC to appoint a "Clean Air Day" coordinator and make "Clean Air Day" an
official event in Lexington
The Board met with Mr Page, Chairman, and members of the CATV Committee CATV
to discuss its final report to the Board submitted in accordance with the Pro- Report
cedural Regulations for Granting Community Antenna Television Licenses promul-
gated by the Massachusetts Community Antenna Television Commission ("Massachu-
setts Cable Commission") pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 166A,
Section 16; licensing regulations now found in Section 3 00 of Title 207 of
the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (cited as "207 MCR 3 00")
Mr Kent moved to adopt the Lexington CATV Committee report in the form
of a general letter in draft form dated July 7, 1980 attached to the report
Mr Kent read the letter in its entirety
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adopt the Lexington
CATV Committee report in the form of the general letter in draft form attached
to the report
The Chairman, on behalf of the Board, thanked Mr Page and his committee
for the time and effort expended on behalf of the Board and the people of
Lexington for the years devoted to the project
Mr Page and members of his committee retired from the meeting
The Chairman referred the Board to its copies of a letter from the MBTA META
Advisory Board requesting Lexington to join other communities in a suit being
prepared by the MBTA Advisory Board to be filed to contest the assessment
of charges included in the State's cherry sheets incurred during the Governor's
unauthorized takeover of the MBTA in December, 1979
After a brief discussion, Mr Kent moved to table the request for Execu-
tive Session since it involved litigation
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the request of
the MBTA Advisory Board for Lexington to join other communities in a suit being
prepared to contest assessments included in the State's cherry sheets incurred
during the Governor's unauthorized takeover of the MBTA in December, 1979
The request will be discussed in Executive Session
The Board discussed a "Newsletter" fron the North East Solid Waste Com- NESWC
mittee relative to its opinion that the New England Power Company had reneged
on the "gentlemen's agreement" covering the purchase price of electricity pro-
duced by NESWC Mr Crain felt that it would be difficult to make a proper
judgment as to whether or not there was any violation, based solely on the
information in the "newsletter" The Board agreed and it is to be referred to
the Solid Waste Committee for a recommendation
- 4 -
,
Housing The Board discussed a letter received from the Chairman of the Housing
Authority Authority relative to a request from a citizen who wished to purchase a lot
Letter of Housing Authority land It was the opinion of the Board, Town Manager
re re- and Town Counsel that the lot should remain in the ownership of the Housing
quest to Authority Notification to this effect will be sent to the Chairman of the
buy land Housing Authority
The Board approved the following agenda items
Warrant to Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to sign the warrant to
Animal the Animal Control Officer relative to 1063 unlicensed dogs in Lexington
Cont Of-
ficer Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to approve the minutes
Minutes of the Selectmen's meeting of June 23, 1980
Water Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to abate the following
Abate- water charges
ments K Virgilo, 6 Albermarle Ave , $9 90-incorrect reading,customer;
Mr Rsung, 6 Peachtree Rd , $133 65-July '79 bill abated-corrected
charges committed on July '80 billing
George Wolf, 38 Peacock Farm Rd , $94 05-incorrect reading, customer,
January '80 bill abated
W Sanborn, 32 Burlington St , $11 25-estimated charge adjusted
N Papantonis, 6 Brown Rd , $75 15-incorrect reading July '79 charges
abated Corrected charges committed on July '80 billing
E Washburn, 7 Berwick Rd , $228 60-incorrect reading/customer
Jan. '80 charges abated Corrected charges committed on July '80 billing
J Petrasek, 9 Sherman St , $147 15-meter reading mix-up
A. Nutt, 45A Ridge Rd , $166 95-Defective meter
E Hammond, 8 Constitution Rd , $124 20-Incorrect reading/customer
July '79 charges abated Corrected charges committed on July '80 billing
F Cooke, 2 Stratham Rd , $68 85-incorrect reading/customer Jan '80
charges abated Corrected charges committed on July '80 billing
R. Thorpe, 1 Oxbow Rd , $61 20-incorrect reading/customer Jan '80
charges abated Corrected charges committed on July '80 billing
M. Bello, 447 Bedford St , $29 25-incorrect reading Jan '80 charges
abated Corrected charges committed on July '80 billing
D Charlantini, 67 Valley St , $74 25-incorrect reading/customer
Conzanelli, Heritage Drive #21, $146 25-Incorrect reading/customer
Jan '80 charges abated Corrected charges committed on July '80 billing
The Chairman read a request from Mr Niles Schelgel of Kennecott Copper
for the installation of a mirror at the entrance of its property and Spring
Street to aid the traffic flow and safety at that location
A review of the Traffic Safety Committee report, which the Chairman read
in its entirety, indicated that the Committee felt, that after reasearch into
such installations, effectiveness is limited, at best, and they are affected
by weather conditions and are an irrestible target for vandalism It was the
- 5 -
Selectmen's Meeting July 7, 1980
opinion of the Committee that morrors should not be used unless there was no
other feasible alternative The Committee felt that a feasible alternative
would be the clearing of the site on the left as one was leaving the complex
A similar request had been received from a homeowner on Concord Avenue and a
solution was arrived at by clearing and removing an embankment
During discussion, it was brought out that there might be some question
as to just where the trees were located Mr Chalpin informed the Board
that there are some trees within the layout of Spring Street and some within
within the State right=of-way
Mr Kent indicated that he felt, from the tone of the letter of request,
that Kennecott Copper was somewhat reluctant to take down the wall and the
trees because it forms an attractive entrance to the complex He was reluc-
tant to take a "never" position with respect to the installation of a mirror
The Board agreed with Mr Kent that a further investigation of the prob-
lem should be made and Kennecott Copper officials should be notified when the
Board will make the final decision and be given an opportunity to appear be-
fore the Board at that time
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the request
from Kennecott Copper for the installation of a mirror at the entrance and
exit of the Kennecott Copper complex on Spring Street
The Board met with neighbors of the Follen Hill Area regarding their Follen
concerns for their children going to Bowman School as a result of the clos-
ing of Adams Bowman
The Manager summarized the situation regarding the children walking to School
Bowman where there are no sidewalks in the area A request had been made in
March for sidewalks on both sides of Follen Road; crossing guards at two in-
tersections one at Dawes and Follen Road, Locust and Follen Road; continua-
tion of sidewalks Philip Road to Buckman Drive and stop sign at the inter-
sections of Daws and Buckman, and police patrols of the entire Follen Hill
area between 2 30 and 4 00 p m. to deter high speed traffic
He stated that he had met with residents of the area requesting the side-
walks and said that they would be a budget item; whether or not they would be
installed would be subject to budget consideration Past experience indi-
cates that they would be on one side rather than both Police patrolling will
done to the best ability possible and special consideration will be given
during the transition period He indicated that the School Committee should
consider a crossing guard at the intersection of Locust and Follen where the
largest number of children will be crossing rather than Dawes, and two would
not be recommended as there is some question, from past experience, of the
desirability of crossing guards at all where there are no sidewalks There
are 28 children from the Locust Avenue section and 6 from an other section
During the discussion with the parents who attended the meeting, it was
brougt out that the parents are concerned with a long term solution to the
problem One of the parents expressed concern about the children walking to
Dawes to cross because of the lack of visibility and that the children would
have to walk a greater distance to get there She felt that crossing the
thjl4ren_at,Dawe$ Road was_.the_safer,_appxoath, but noted it is a blind corner
It is much wider and open at Locust, but would require the children to walk
a longer distance and be beyond the one mile limit before bussing is required
g�1 - 6 -
It was brought out that with respect to crossing guards, the Board has
no responsibility in this regard as it rests with the School Committee The
Manager indicated that the School Committee is expecting a report from the
Traffic Safety Committee
Mr Kent brought up the question of painted crosswalks He felt that
the purpose of a crosswalk was to alert the motorist as well as to channel
the pedestrian across the street
Mr Chalpin indicated that it is not a State or Town regulation, but
a policy that the Board of Selectmen has used for years
Mr Crain pointed out to the parents that the Board of Selectmen does
not have the authority go ahead and build sidewalks, but can only recommend
it to Town Meeting who makes the final decision
Mr Kent indicated to the parents that if they want sidewalks they must
submit a written petition to the Board stating exactly where they wish the
sidewalks installed and be on record before town meeting begins
Mr Cohen pointed out that all of the abutters where the sidewalks are
going to be constructed should be contacted because of the betterments that
will have to be assessed
Mr Crain suggested that the Chairman call the Chairman of the School
Committee and have a further discussion about the situation before school
begins in September
Mr Busa pointed out that, although he felt that there is a safety
situation here, it should be pointed out that the people on Follen Road are
going to have to pay the betterments and that there has been reaction in
the past where people not involved in the sidewalks are very reluctant to
have sidewalks constructed because of the betterments involved He felt
that the parents present should be aware that just because they request the
sidewalk does not mean it will automatically be constructed, It was brought
out that the betterments must be paid by the abutters and not by the ones
who might be benefitted by the sidewalk, such as this case
The Chairman thanked the parents for attending the meeting with their
input and reassured them that every possible means would be taken to insure
the safety of their children going to school
Council The Chairman breifly reviewed the request of the Council on Aging for
on additional rooms at the Church of Our Redeemer which had been tabled at a
•
Aging previous meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to remove from the
table the request of the Council on Aging for additional rooms at the Church
of Our Redeemer
The Manager explained that the additional rooms were needed for expan-
sion of programming needs which is not tied in with the food program
After discussion it was agreed that the need for the additional space
was necessary and had been recommended by Mrs Phear in her report
Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to grant the request of
the Council on Aging for additonal space at the Church of Our Redeemer and
turn to the Trustees of Public Trusts for the needed $2,000
Arlex Taxi The Board discussed a request from Arlex Taxi for a rate increase I t
request was ageed that the request was for a substantial increase and that more in-
rate in- formation is needed before an intelligent assessment can be made
crease Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the request
of the Arlex Taxi Corp for a rate increase pending additional information
- 7 -
Selectmen's Meeting July 7, 1980
11 The Chairman read the request to sign the warrant to the Animal Control Warrant
Officer relative to unlicensed dogs in Lexington to
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the warrant to Animal
the Animal Control Officer relative to 1063 unlicensed dogs in Lexington Control
Officer
The Chairman read the request for approval of the minutes of the Se- Minutes
lectmen's Meeting of June 23, 1980
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minu-
tes of the Selectmen's Meeting of June 23, 1980 Approval of the Executive
Session was voted pending correction of the word "abatements" to "betterments "
The Board discussed the request of the Transportation Advisory Committee LEXPRESS
for permission to change some of the routes and service on LEXPRESS and to
request to have permission to ask merchants to sell books of LEXPRESS tickets
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
of the Transportation Advisory Committee with respect to changes on Route 3,
Route 5 and Route 7 of LEXPRESS Permission was also granted to request the
Lexington merchants to sell books of LEXPRESS tickets
The Board discussed the "Right Turn on Red Law" and Mr Chalpin updated Right
the Board regarding the warrants in this regard turn on
Presently, there are six signs in Lexington that prohibit "right turn on Red
red" and it was the recommendation of the Manager and the Traffic Safety Com-
mittee that they remain so as they are equipped with an exclusive pedestrian
phase
The Chairman requested Mr Busa to update the Board relative to the Har- Hartwell
well Avenue Connector He informed the Board that last spring he, the Town Avenue
Manager and Mr Chalpin had gone into the State House to see if they could Maguire
get the Hartwell Avenue project moving It was determined that the Connector Road
was not on one of the prime lists of the Commonwealth He referred to a
letter from the Traffic Safety Committee to the Board recommending that the
Board look into the Maguire Road traffic statement to see if some of the traf-
fic congestion could be alleviated He stated that an officer of Itec has
contacted him and informed him that a group of businesses in the area were in-
terested in a solution of the traffic problem in the area They suggested,
that, as a civic program, the corporations in the area would fund the monies
for a design and engineering study for Maguire Road and probably take into
consideration Hartwell Avenue and Bedford Street jughandle He stated that
after talking to people at District 4, they felt that money would be avail-
able and could probably be funded under one of their programs
Mr Busa explained that the potential would be for lights at the inter-
section. It was also brought out that the bicycle path would also be going
in that direction and some redesigning would have to be done on Bedford
Street so that the riders could turn into the area This proposal would be
considered a temporary solution until the Hartwell Avenue Connector pro-
ject is undertaken
Concern was expressed that this might be considered a solution to the
whole problem and the State would drag on the Connector project Mrs Miley
felt that, as far as the citizens were concerned, the Bedford Street/Eldred
Street problem was more important
It was agreed to go forward with the proposal of the corporations in
the area and work with the State to see what money could be used also
O
- o
Cemetery Mr Coscia and Mr Sweet met with the Board to update them on the re-
Bldg vised plans for the cemetery building with respect to the underpinning
section. Mr Coscia pointed that the only areas that would be affected by
the revised plans would be the parking area and garage
The Board agreed to accept the plans and request additional funds from
the Special Town Meeting
Visitors' The Manager updated the Board regarding the problem with the Visitors'
Center Center roof He stated that some concerns had been raised by the Historic
Roof Districts about using asphalt shingles They prefer wood shingles After
discussion reviewing samples of asphalt shingles with Mr Coscia the Board
agreed to use the asphalt shingles
Center The Chairman brought up the question of where the telephone in the Cen-
Phone ter of town would be located
Mr Kent stated that he felt that there was a relationship between the
location of the phone and the ultimate location of the LEXPRESS stop and
there is a trial period involved on the stop and there was difficulty about
it previously
The Manager will have an answer about the stop at the next meeting
The following items of the Manager were approved
Appoint- Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to approve the Manager's
ments appointment of Martin Gilman to the Historical Commission for a term of
three years
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re-
appointment of Herb Grossimon to the Permanent Building Committee
Lex Food Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the request
Co-op of the Lexington Food Co-op for the use of a room in Munroe School one day
per week when public schools are in session from 8 30 a m until 2 30 p.m
for $9 00 per week for approximately 38 weeks per year
Christian Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
Assemblies from the Assemblies of God Christian Center for expansion of use of facil-
of God sties at Munroe School at a rate of $350 00 per month
Burglar Upon motion duly made and seconded it was voted to approve the request
Alarm for a hearing of the Burglar Alarm Committee regulations on July 21, 1980
Hearing at 8 00 p m.
The Manager informed the Board that he had investigated the film com-
pany that had requested permission to do filming on the Green and it does
have an educational program and they will be filming on the Green at 7 30 a m
He also informed the Board that progress on the swimming pool continues on
a day to basis Hopefully it will be ready in within the next two weeks
Mass Mrs Battin requested approval of the Board to make reservations for -the
Municipal 1980 Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Municipal Association at the end of
Ann Meet October in Springfield
Mrs Upon motion made and seconded, it was voted to authorize Mrs Battin to
Battin make reservations to attend the ;Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts Muni-
cipal Association in Springfield The fee for attendance is $124 50
r ^
al
- 9 -
I
Selectmen's Meeting July 7, 1980
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call vote - Executive
Mrs Miley, Mr Buss, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to go into execu- Session
tive session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to collective
bargaining and discussing real estate negotiations with no intention of re-
suming the open meeting
After discussion, it was voted to go out of executive session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 55 p m
A true record, Attest
i
S
c2-47
Beatrice M. Casey
Principal Clerk, Selectmen
jilt/`t 1
1
VOID
1
1
V^�
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
July 21, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, July 21, 1980 at 7:30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent; Mr Hutchinson, Town Mana-
ger; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Miss Casey, Principal Clerk, Selectmen were
present
Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the Boston Edi- Boston
son to install approximately forty six (46) feet of conduit in the follow Edison
ing location Spring Street northerly, approximately five (5) feet north Spring
of Hudson Road, a distance of about forty six (46) feet - conduit Street
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the petition
of the Boston Edison Company for permission to install approximately forty
six (46) feet of conduit at the following location Spring Street north-
erly, approximately five (5) feet north of Hudson Road, a distance of about
forty six (46) feet - conduit
The Chairman read the petition of the New England Telephone Company N E Tel
for permission to install underground conduit on private property at the & Tel
rear of #11-13 Muzzey Street This request does not require a hearing Muzzey St
Mr Busa questioned the diagram on the plan as to just which lots
were Town owned
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the peti-
tion of the New England Telephone Company to install underground conduit
from a manhole on private property rear #11-13 Muzzey Street, across from
the Town of Lexington parking area in the rear of Cary Library, to private
property rear #1844 Massachusetts Avenue, subject to a review by the Public
Works Department to clarify ownership of lots #69 and. #71
Mr Neil Cronin, Guide Director, met with the Board requesting appro- Guides
val of licenses for two new guides and eighteen renewals He introduced
the new guides, Sharon Fray and Stephen Greim, who received congratulations
of the Board
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve licenses
for the following guides
Stephen Bertolini Edward Ford David Hamburger
David Harrington Melissa Hart John Hayden
Judd Levingston Andrew Macey Dan McGrath
John Nordahl Peter Ostrow Kamala Soparkar
Charles N S Soparkar Nathaniel Taylor David A. Wasserman
Peter Wasserman Richard John James Lyons
Sharon Fray, Stephen Greim
The Chairman read a request for an Auctioneer License for one day from Auctioneer
Robert J Virtue, 19 Lois Lane Mr Virtue has been a resident of Lexington License
111 less than the required six months and, therefore, would not be eligible for R.J Virtue
an annual license, but iseligible for one day licenses
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant a license to
Robert J Virtue, 19 Lois Lane for a one-day auction to be held on August 7,
1980
l
Bond The Chairman read a request from the Town Clerk for approval of the
Asst Town bond in the amount of $2,000 for the Assistant Town Clerk.
Clerk Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the bond
in the abount of $2,000 for the Assistant Town Clerk.
EOER The Board discussed a letter from EOER announcing the establishment of
Grant Energy Audit and Energy Conservation Improvement Programs for the Common-
Applica- wealth (as defined in regulation 850 CMR 2 00 and authorized in Sections 6
tions and 11 of Chapter 25A of the General Laws) A total of $15 million dollars
in grant monies will be available to eligible applicants for the purpose of
energy audits and energy conservation improvements
The Manager informed the Board that he is contacting the EOER regard-
ing the applications that they have and he will also discuss it with the
Energy Committee as to the relevancy of the the program to Lexington.
The Manager will report back to the Board with a summary of his meet-
ings with the Energy Committee
Mr Busa informed the Board that he has information from the DOE
announcing a program being set forth by the Federal Government that if the
Town applies and qualifies, it can get to up ten electrical vehicles plus
$150 to $200,000 in parts and maintenance He was requested by the Energy
Committee to.-request the Transportation Committee and Mr Crain to look in-
to the proposals to see if it could fit into our bus service or some of the
vehicles that go around town
The Manager and Mr Busa will review the application process and check
into the matter
House Bill The Chairman read a letter from Angelo Cataldo and Richard, T.-Moote,.
4876 State. Representatives relative to House Bill No 4876 - Establishment of 111
Energy Energy Resources Commission which places local government in a partnership
Resources with state and federal agencies dealing with energy matters under a statu-
Commission tory basis for local energy activities The letter requested council or
town meeting approval of this new commission
Mr Kent suggested that the matter be referred to the Manager for
his recommendation as to the approach the Board should take
The Manager will report back to the Board
Center Re- Mrs Battin requested the Board to appoint the remaining members to
vitalize- the Center Revitalization Committee
tion Comm Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint the follow-
Appts ing to the Center Revitalization Committee Mr Bernard DeKant from the
banking division; Mr Thomas K Dyer, from the industrial division; and
Mr Chris Venier, from the retail division The complete committee membership
is Margery M Battin, Thomas K Dyer, Christopher Venier, Laura Nichols,
Robert Sacco, Karsten Sorenson, Joseph Trani, Bernard DeKant and Robert
Bowyer and Jacquelyn Smith as staff members. Appointments are for one year
Gift - Mrs Mr Busa informed the Board that Mrs Bertha Nickerson was most pleased
Nickerson with the gift of a Minute-Man plate presented to her on the occasion of her
100th birthday
I
- 3 - i71S
Selectmen's Meeting July 21, 1980
The Manager requested the Board to execute the agreement and sign Cataldo
the lease with Robert Cataldo for the farming of land off Marrett Road Lease
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the lease Marrett
which constitutes an agreement between the Town of Lexington and Robert Road
A. Cataldo for use of a parcel of land, a portion of Town of Lexington
known as Open Land off Marrett Road, as described on Assessor's Map #31
as Lot 90, abutting tenants Lot #60A on Map 31 for the period of July 4,
1980, through November, 1981 The rental fee for use of said 4+ acres
of land will be $120 00
The Manager requested approval of the Board of his appointment of Acting
Nancy Banks as Acting Town Manager for the period of August 4 through Town
August 17, 1980 Manager
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Mana-
ger's appointment of Nancy Banks as Acting Town Manager for the period of
August 4 through August 17, 1980
The Manager requested approval of the Board relative to the expan- Recycling
sion' of hours requested by the Public Works Department for recycling at Hours
the landfill Landfill
Mrs Miley stated that the request was made by Mr Empey because of
the response of the citizens in using the facility for that purpose
The Manager pointed out that the program must depend upon the peo-
ple who are volunteers and not just upon the town for running the program.
Mrs Miley pointed out that there is an employee at the landfill
during the time requested by Mr Empey so that there isn't any extra man-
ning involved
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to amend the hours
for recycling at the landfill to 8 00 a m until 3 00 p m Monday through
Friday
The Board met with the Burglar Alarm Committee regarding the pro- Burglar
posed burglar alarm regulations Mr Kent stated that the record should Alarm
indicate that this is a hearing on the proposed burglar alarm regulations Committee
and has been advertised as such in the Lexington Minute-Man which had Rules &
been promised to Town Meeting last May when the By-Law was adopted Mr Regs
Kent read the notice in its entirety
During discussion of the proposed rules and regulations, it was
pointed out that voice dialers now in use will no longer be permitted
Mr Kent pointed out that, as to existing equipment, voice dialers are not
rendered illegial under the regulations but simply must change to use a
specific unlisted telephone number, and that the regulations, insofar as
they require additional equipment, would only apply to installations com-
ing into effect after the effective date of the regulations
Mr Bailey stated that basically, voice dialers are not necessarily
illegal, but there are other parts of the regulations thatmay well make
them illegial
Mr Kent pointed out that they must comply with these regulations
as to length of message, coded number and the number they access as the
emergency departments
In answer to a question from a citizen, it was pointed out that the
enforcing departments in the town would be the public safety divisions -
the Chiefs of the Fire and Police Departments
a�L - 4 -
Mr Kent raised a question on regulation_#6 "All installations
compoeted after the effective date of these regulations shall access the
Police and/or Fire Departments only with signals on encoded in digital form
in a format compatible with departmental receiving equipment" He stated
that during a prior discussion, prior to the adoption of the By-Law, it
was recognized by the Advisory Committee, that there would be additional
expense to the home owner occasioned by the use of this equipment, over and
above what is required by the existing equipment using the voice dialer
system.
Mr Bailey stated that with the proliferation of these systems, the
voice dialer is really a 1960 solution to the dilemma As there are more
people in town, there must be more people at the other end of the telephone
to pick up the phone and listen to the recorded message coming over He
felt it was a very poor situation to have, particularly if there are other
emergencies coming in at the same time The Committee felt that the Town
should position itself with the technology that is currently available to
handle the problem effectively and reduce the manpower demands on either
end
Mr Cravis stated that the committee estimated in its report using
figures that were available that it would cost in the range of $34 00 to
$60 00 per year for each digital dialer which would be the service fee to
the vendor who would install the equipment at the station and also main-
tain the terminal equipment for receiving the digital dialer signal There
would also be a one time cost to the home owner who would purchase the
digital dialer equipment which is something like $40 00
Mr Busa pointed out that this cost is just for the equipment, but to
bug doors, windows etc it would cost thousands
Chief Corr informed the Board that a survey had been conducted by the 111
committee and found that there were two major systems being used in the
Greater Boston Area During the poll, he stated that they were asked what
they were charging at the present time, and the numbers previously given
were verified The Keltron System charges no installation charge to ex-
isting subscribers - new subscribers $65-70 and a yearly fee of $30-40 00
The Veritex System - their change over, $25 00 new subscribers $60 00 and
a yearly fee of $35 00
Mr Kent asked the Chief if the systems contained in the poll meet
the regulations proposed by the committee The Chief responded in the
affirmative
Mr Markey from the audience, stated that he would like to point out
that all the installations that Chief Corr named in the different towns,
do have..digita ._eapability..but as yet, are not being. used ta_that extent,
They are being used with the direct wiring alarms that are presently in4
stalled in the police station in the enunciating boards Used with lines
that come, for instance, directly from a bank into the police station
It takes that signal and turns it into a message rather than something that
a police officer has to respond to immediately It does have the capability
to be expanded to a digital communication device which doesn't require a
direct telephone line.
Mr Kent asked the Chief if the communities surveyed required this
type of arrangement or at the option of the homeowner
The Chief replied that he did not know if they did, but did know that
the Town of Burlington does require it
- 5 -
Selectmen's Meeting July 21, 1980
Chief Bergeron informed the Board that there are only two in the im-
mediate area right now who are on a digital system and they are Waltham
and Burlington He stated that he sees the need for specifications so that
false alarms could be reduced
The Chairman asked if the installation of the equipment will be put
out on bid
The Manager responded that it would be bid on specification and will
be and/or equal and he would expect that he would have the advice of a
technical committee to advise on the selection of a firm. In answer to a
question from Mr Kent, Mr Hutchinson informed the Board that he would be
the awarding authority
After further discussion, Mr: Kent stated that he felt that the Com-
mittee and the Board had accomplished what had been required by Town Meet-
ing and thanked the Committee who retired from the meeting
The Board discussed the request of the Waldorf School of Belmont to Adams
lease the Adams School and have the use of the playing field behind the School
school for gym and recess They would use the building from 8 00 a m Lease to
until 3 00 p m for classes and occasionally in the evening or week-ends Waldorf
for special meetings and activities They offered $1,000 per month rent School
and assume the utility and everyday maintenance costs The -Tvwu_would
assume the responsibility for any major repairs or replacements not re-
sulting specifically from Waldorf School occupancy The request was for
a two-year lease
After discussion, it was agreed to authorize the Manager toonegatiate
a lease for one year with the Waldorf School
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the leas-
ing of the Adams School to the Waldorf School, subject to negotiation of de-
tails by the Manager This lease is to be for one year, termination date
of July 31, 1981
The Manager and the Board reviewed the budget for LEXPRESS for the LEXPRESS
remainder of the fiscal year, which included a cut of two busses at 6 30 Depot Sq
p m effective July 21 through August 31
The Transportation Advisory Committee would like to continue the
bus stop at Depot Square as it has worked out well
During the discussion regarding continuation of the location for
a bus stop, it was brought out that the Transportation Advisory Committee
has not looked at alternative locations The main problem at the loca-
tion is the removal of snow during the winter months It was also brought
out that the business people in the area should be contacted again re-
garding the use of Depot Square as a permanent bus stop as it was first
presented to them as a temporary location
The question of installing curbing in the area was brought up and
Mr Busa suggested that the right-of-ways should be looked into before
any curbing be installed
Mr Kent stated that he felt that, through the Manager and the Trans-
portation Committee, the business people in the area should be contacted
to get their reaction of continuation of the spot as a permanent location
Alterations in the landscape in connection with it should also be presented
and reactions taken into considerattion when the final assessment is made
The Manager agreed and is to pursue the matter and report back to
the Board
Walnut Farm The Manager informed the Board that he had reviewed with the Town
Trust Engineer the request of Walnut Farm Trust for permission to construct a
Sewer manhole and open Walnut Street to make a sewer connection to the Potter
Pond Trust sewer being constructed to service the condominiums now undeg
construction This easement would provide sewer connections for the Walnut
Farm Trust property and others on Walnut Street who wished to utilize it
The Manager explained that the situation is a town sewer tying into
a private development and to a town sewer again The ultimate maintenance
responsibility of the extension of the line is in question He recom-
mended that it be extended and that the long term problem of maintenance
be reviewed by Town Council and the Planning Board
Mr Kent felt that the Board should not make any decision regarding
the request until it has heard further regarding the problem
The Manager is to take the matter back to Town Counsel, Public Works
Department and the Planning Board and report back to the Board
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the request
of the Walnut Farm Trust for permission to construct a manhole to make a
sewer connection to the Potter Pond Trust sewer now being constructed
Streets The Manager suggested to the Board that it might be worth while to
discuss the whole policy of accepted and unaccepted street He would like
to arrange a meeting with the Planning Board to meet with the technical
staff relative to the long range basis regarding marginal streets and the
street policy as a whole
It was agreed to review the matter some time in September
Mr Cohen pointed out that there are a lot of legal implications
involved, other than the feelings of the Board of Selectmen and the Planning
Board He pointed out that any developer of individual who wants to come
and build a house next week has every right to go the Building Commissioner
and request a building permit He felt that the idea should be left that 111
there will be a meeting and out of that meeting it will be clear as to
whether or not every single lot in town can or cannot be built upon
Garrity The Board met with the Historical Commission to discuss the question
House of the disposition of the Garrity Building
Mr Jaquith informed the Board that early in the year the rumor had
started that the Garrity House and the barn would be condemned and demolished
As a result of this some members who have worked in the area of preservation
of historical buildings, of the Historical Commission, Historic Districts
Commission and Historical Society formed an informal committee under the
auspices of the Historical Commission to study the problem. They have been
meeting since February and have tried to delve into it on a rather planned
scale all the problems they could find as to their future preservation and
use They requested direction from the Board of Selectmen as to its in-
terest in the matter and how far they should go and what sort of direction
to take as the property is owned by the Town
He pointed out that the architectural significance of the house is not
as great as the historical and that it is one of three remaining buildings
, Buckman Tavern, Garrity House and the barn, of the Meriam estate, a large
farm. It is representative of similar buildings which characterized early
Lexington as a farming community
He stated that the ultimate question is whether or not the Town wants
to preserve the buildings and, if so, money must be raised for that purpose
as they cannot remain much longer in their present condition
Mr Jaquith also presented to the Board a detailed report as to sug-
gested future uses of the house and the costs involved
99
- 7 -
Selectmen's Meeting July 21, 1980
The report presented five optional uses of the building, the least
disruptive of which would be for office space for some town agency and
the barn be used for storage as it is now This option requires that
the buildings be structurally repaired but not thoroughly rehabilitated
from top to bottom Option #2, next simplest disposition, would be as a
residence at market or low-income rate Costs would be higher than for
option #1 as it would have to be liveable as well as structurally sound
The land is currently zoned for residentail use Option #3 would be for
a place of business such as for the sale and exhibition of arts and crafts
with the serving of refreshments To increase the feasibility of these
plans, it may be necessary to construct a new addition to the house, such
as a connection between house and barn Option #4 suggested the refresh-
ments/crafts proposal with the operator living in the house Costs and
benefits are substantially the same as option #3 but building code
standards require a barrier to separate the two use areas against the
spread of fire Option #5 suggested the converting to a "hands-on
children's museum" The museum would exhibit materials of the Lexington
Historical Society Such use would require high rehabilitation costs
and the most stringent code compliance because the house would be des-
ignated a place of assemblage
Mr Jaquith also informed the Board that Temple Scanlon, Executive
Director of the Lexington Housing Authority had called him to state that
he had talked with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Community De-
velopment and had been advised that the LHA could apply for funding for
a single-unit project such as the Garrity House He stated that funds
are presently available for single-unit projects but should be done in
the near future before funds run out He pointed out that if the funds
were attained, title of the property would have to be conveyed to the
Housing Authority and the Town would lose a large share of its control of
the property along with a reasonable amount of land He pointed out that
if the Housing Authority applied for the grant and it was approved, the
Housing Authority could then decide whether or not they want to accept it
By that time the Board could have pursued the matter further and have
decided in which direction it wished to go
Mr Kent stated that he felt that the Board should formalize the
committee studying the problem, with a review of the names of the com-
mittee in light of its possibly being augmented with respect to other
places being represented on it as requested by the committee
Mr Kent stated that there were many questions in his mind with
respect to the problem that he would like the advice of the committee
One of which was the matter of whether the title should be kept in
Town or in public hands as in the Housing Authority's as contrasted
with selling the building The Board agreed
Mrs Battin requested from the Town Manager information as to
what other town agencies might be able to use the building in addition
to the Credit Union
During further discussion it was brought out by Mr Hutchinson and
Mrs Miley that if a committee is made up for conversion of this build-
ing and possibly others, this committee could recommend future uses and
inform the Board and ultimately go to Town Meeting such as the School
Sites Conversion Committee has
- 8 -
Uo
The Board agreed that the Housing Authority should pursue the appli-
cation
for the grant and then the Board of Selectmen will decide what
disposition should be made of the property
The Chairman thanked Mr Jaquith and committee for their report on
the Garrity House and they retired from the meeting
Executive Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 by roll call
Session vote - Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin and Mr Kent - to go into ex-
ecutive session for the purpose of discussing matters of possible liti-
gation, with no intention of resuming the open meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
11 00 p m.
A true record, attest
Beatrice M. Casey (J617
Principal Clerk, Selectmen
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SELECTMEN'S MEETING
August 4, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, August 4, 1980 at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr. Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mrs Banks,
Acting Town Manager; Miss Casey, Principal Clerk, Selectmen were present
The Chairman opened the meeting at 7 30 p m. and called upon Mr Zehner Treasurer
Town Treasurer relative to the bond for the sewer construction
Mr Zehner requested approval of the Board to borrow $300,000 for the
sewer construction as follows
$100,000 First National Bank of Boston @ 3 99%
150,000 Old Colony of Middlesex Cty @ 4 17%
50,000 New England Merchants @ 4 25
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recom-
mendation of the Town Treasurer to borrow $300,000 for sewer construction
to the lowest bidders as follows
$100,000 First National Band of Boston @3 99%
150,000 Old Colony Bank @4 17%
50,000 New England Merchants @4 25%
The Chairman thanked Mr Zehner for the work that he has done for the Town
for so many years and he retired from the meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted the following items
To set the polling hours for the State Primary on Tuesday, State
September 16, 1980 from 7 00 a m to 8 00 p m. and to sign Primary
the Warrant for the State Primary
To grant permission to the Lexington Fire Fighters for use Fire
of. .Emery Park, Friday, August 29 from 10 00 a m until Fighters
4 00 p m for its annual "Fill the Boot" fundraiser for Muscular
muscular dystrophy Dystrophy
To approve the minutes of Selectmen's Meeting of Minutes
July 7, 1980
To sign Auctioneer License for Robert J Virtue for one Auctioneer
day, August 16, 1980 License
To sign State and Town Sunday and Weekday Licenses for Lex- Theatre
mil Theatres - Cinema I and II Licenses
To appoint forty-four Democratic and thirty-five Republican Election
Election Officers for terms of office expiring Sept 1, 1981 Officers
1
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To abate the following water charges
Diane Rosenberg, 20 Pifer Lane, $45 45 - bill adjusted
to include final reading
E F Klostermann, 22 Hamblen St , $19 80 - Estimated
charge adjusted
Robert Wells, 19 Grove St , $45 00 - Incorrect reading -
meter reader's error
George A Carlson, 45 Ridge Rd , $85 05 - Incorrect reading
customer's error
Ernest Gilbert, 17 Sherman St , $34 65 - recording error
Vivian Reed, 72 Lowell St , $11 25 - Meter out in November
Harry Bakow, 80 Baker Ave , $11 25 - Est chg adjusted
Curt Sauter, 8 April Lane, $11 25 - Est chg adjusted
Complaint - The Board met with Mrs. Jean S Comstock, 33 Ledgelawn Avenue regarding a
Noise - complaint she had registered about the constant noise coming from the work-
DPW equip- yard of the Public Works Department She presented a written complaint and
ment a petition from the neighbors in the area The complaint was primarily with
regard to the "beeping noise" as the Public Works vehicles back up She also
presented a tape recording taken inside her sunporch recording the noise She
explained that this has become a problem only since early spring and summer
and stated that the noise usually begins around 7 00 a m. and exists all day,
with some breaks
Mrs Banks explained that the 7 00 a m. starting hour was part of the
negotiated contract and that perhaps the 5 15 a m. mentioned by Mrs Com-
stock might have been an emergency of some sort
It was explained to Mrs Comstock that it is a requirement of the State
that all heavy municipal equipmentbe equipped with back-up alarms
Mr. Crain suggested that a critical analysis be made of the situation
to see if something can be done to alleviate the noise in the area
The Chairman assured Mrs Comstock that such an analysis will be made
and she will be notified of the results Mrs Comstock thanked the Board
and retired from the meeting
Mini-bus The Chairman informed the Board that Mr Cole had been informed by
Funding Secretary Locke that funding for the mini-bus will be on a month-to-month
basis until the funds run out
The Lexington Housing Authority has filed for funding on the Garrity
House Mrs Shunney had informed the Chairman that she felt that it would
be wise to apply for the funding without a decision having been made be-
cause of the length of time needed to complete the funding process
Hearing- Historic Districts will be holding a hearing on the type of shingles
New Roof to be used on the new roof of the Visitors' Center on Wednesday, August 6
Visitors' Mr Crain volunteered to attend the hearing to represent the Selectmen
Center
I
- 3 - 2 . 17
Selectmen's Meeting August 4, 1980
111 Mrs Battin informed the Board that she has been asked to be interviewed Mrs
for a radio program on the problems of Proposition 2 1/2 She has gathered Battin
information relative to its effect on Lexington from the Manager's office Speech
and stated that she did not plan to mention Lexington unless questioned Proposi-
She stated that she would be speaking as Trustee of the Mass Municipal tion 21/2
Association and President of the Mass Selectmen's Association and not as
a Lexington Selectman.
Mr Crain asked about the present status of the situation on Parker Parker
School Mrs Miley informed the Board that there was going to be a meet- School
ing on Wednesday and will be going to the developer from there to get it
moving faster Mr Crain stated that the neighbors have been complaining
about the unsightliness of the school and felt they were justified The
developer has withdrawn the plans and will be submitting new plans within
a few days
The Board met with Chief Bergeron of the Fire Department to review Ambulance
the Town's Ambulance Transportation Policy. It was his understanding Policy
that up to now the Fire Department has had no policy regarding which hos-
pitals patients would be transported to. He stated that it had created
some problems for the crews with patients and also with some of their
physicians as to which hospitals should be used Also, to keep the ser-
vices as available as possible for other emergencies
11/ Mr Busa stated that he recalls that he has sat on the Board when the
matter has been discussed It was his recollection that transportation
would be to the nearest hospital in the area, which would be Symmes in
Arlington, Choate, and Emerson He stated that anything beyond that would
have to verified by a doctor on an emergency basis He stated that if a
revision is necessary it could be taken from there
During discussion of the policy presented by Chief Bergeron, it was
brought out that four doctors in the area had recommended, Symmes,
Emerson, Choate, Waltham, Winchester, Lahey, Mount Auburn, Sancta Maria,
Bedford Veterans and Childrens Hospital The Chief stated that there
were some doctors that would like to use more distant hospitals
Mr Busa stated that he felt that there was an area of liability for
the Town by not transporting a patient to the nearest hospital
Mrs Miley pointed out that different doctors has suggested the hos-
pitals to be used and she felt that doctors might, as a matter of course,
prefer the hospital of which he is a staff member She felt that people
should be sent to hospitals that are-nearer for emergency and then, if a
doctor wants the patient transferred it can be done from there
After further discussion, it was agreed to table the matter and Miss
Casey is to look into the files obtain information on the previous policy,
if any A comparison of surrounding towns is also to be made
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the request
of Chief Bergeron for approval of the Town's Ambulance Transportation Policy
The adoption of the Rules and Regulations for Burglar and Fire Alarms Burglar
was discussed and it was pointed out by Mr Kent that it would be pre- Alarm
mature until the By-Law is published in the newspaper Regs
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J
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve, informally,
the Rules and Regulations for Burglar and Fire Alarms to become effective
September 15, 1980
Brookwood Rd Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re-
Stop Sign quest of the Traffic Safety Committee to apply to the Department of Public
Safety for permission to erect a Stop sign on Brookwood Road at Saddle
Club Road
Grant Ap- Mrs Banks requested from the Board a resolution authorizing the Town
plication Manager to file applications on behalf of the Board for a grant application
(SSES) for the inflow infiltration study (SSES)
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the Town
Manager to file application on behalf of the Board for a grant for the in-
flow infiltration study (SSES)
Elderly Needs Mrs Banks referred the Board to its copies of press release and draft
Assessment questionnaire to be sent to Lexington residents assessing needs of the
Question,- elderly Mrs Phear will be collecting comments during the week and would
naire welcome comments from the Board It is hoped to complete the questionnaire
and sending it to the printer in the middle of August and sending it to the
residents in September The Elderly Needs Assessment Task Force would
like to present the final form to the Board at its August 18 meeting
Proposi- Mrs Battin asked the pleasure of the Board relative to releasing to
tion 2 1/2 the press Representative Cohens letter explaining the effects of Prop-
osition 2 1/2 on the revenue of the Town if it passes in November
It was agreed to give a copy to each of the newspapers represented at
the meeting
Executive Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call vote -
Session Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to go into ex-
ecutive session for the purpose of discussing matters of possible litiga-
tion, with no intention of resuming the open meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9 55 p m
A true record, attest
fga 511 ow.C.{�
Beatrice M. Casey U
Principal Clerk, Selectmen
I
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P
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� � SELECTMEN'S MEETING
cy\� August 18, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, August 18, 1980 at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Buse, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent; Mr Hutchinson, Town Mana-
ger; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; and
Miss Casey, Principal Clerk, Selectmen were present
Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the Boston Edison Boston
to install approximately six (6) feet of conduit in the following street Edison
Reed Street, southerly, approximately 100 feet northwest of Laurel Street, Conduit
a distance of about 6 feet - conduit
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the petition
of the Boston Edison Company for permission to install approximately six
(6) feet of conduit in the following location Reed Street, southerly,
approximately 100 feet northwest of Laurel Street, a distance of about six
feet - conduit
The Board approved the following agenda items
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to forward a check in MBTA
the amount of $372 00 to the MBTA Advisory Board for the Town's share of the Advisory
legal fees in connection with suit against Governor's takeover of the MBTA Board
in December (Suit)
Upon moiton duly made and seconded, it was voted to abate the following Abatements
water bills Cosmo Percoco, 8 Ingleside Rd , in the amount of $46 60 - Water Bills
estimate charge adjusted Bob Foss, 8 Spencer Street, in the amount of
$40 95 - Meter not working, reading in error Noel Wolber, 30 Calvin Street,
in the amount of $11 25 - Estimated charge adjusted
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant a One Day One Day
Liquor License to RAEDACC Association of W R Grace for September 4, 1980 Liquor
License
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes
of the Selectmen's Meeting held on July 21, 1980 Minutes
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request Stop Sign
of the Chafi'man of the Traffic Safety Committee tostudy the request for Kendall Rd
the installation of a Stop sign at Kendall Road
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request "No Parking
of the Traffic Safety Committee for "No Parking" zone for handicapped park- Center Pool
ing at the Center Pool and amend the Traffic Rules and Regulations accordingly
b4 — 2 -
Taxi Fare Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the request
Rates of Arlex Taxi Corp for a fare increase and amend the Town of Lexington
Rules and Regulations Governing Hackney Carriages, Taxicabs, and Other Pub-
lic Vehicles for the Carrying of Passengers for Hire as follows
$1 00 for the first one-seventh of a mile
20 for each one-seventh of a mile thereafter
10 00 per hour waiting time
Sewer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the request
Connection of Dr Anne T Kastarizas to provide sewer service to her home at 36 Oakmount
Oakmount Circle as part of the current sewer contract in Meriam Street
Circle
Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve Town Manager
Appts committee appointments as follows
Mr George Harris to the Council on Aging
Mrs Janet Clark to the Council on Aging
Mr James Lambie reappointment to the Board of Health
Mrs Pauline Spagnolia to the Recreation Committee
The Board met with members of the Personnel Advisory Board to discuss
its report to the Board on its proposed Employee Development Capacity Program
as part of the Selectmen's Program of Goals and Objectives The particular
goal addressed was "to establish a conscious program to identify high po-
tential employees so as to provide them with maximum opportunity for personal
development in order to provide a pool of available internal human resources
to be considered as promotional opportunities become available "
The proposed program would provide 1 ) Identification of Career Paths
in Town Government Career paths would be re-evaluated looking not only at
traditional paths, but in terms of knowledge and skills required to do the job
and of conditions under which the job must be done New paths to be identi-
fied on the basis of comparable skills, knowledge and working conditions
Once identified, a package would be prepared and made available to all em-
ployees with training about opportunities for career advancement Specific
training to be offered to Supervisors to help them understand the role they
play in encouraging employees to seek out new and possible non traditional jobs
2 ) Skill Inventory This would allow the Town government to look at its own
jobs, identifying current and future skill needs. Needs will be evaluated to
determine which can be met within the current work force and which will re-
quire new personnel 3 ) Self-assessment and Career Management This will
provide an opportunity for employees to participate in career self-assessment
A specific training program in career self-assessment will be developed so
employees will have an opportunity to assess their present and potential skills
and develop career goals based on a realistic and sound basis
Mrs Small explained in depth the program and pointed out that cer-
tain limitations exist in the Town government which must be considered She
explained that the Committee felt that the Town would benefit from the pro-
gram because it will be open to all employees and also demonstrate to the em-
ployees the Town's commitment to them as individuals
I
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07
Selectmen's Meeting August 18, 1980
A specific plan for implementation will be completed by November
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the Proposed
Employee Development Capacity Program presented by the Personnel Advisory
Board and authorize the Committee to proceed with a specific plan
The Chairman thanked the Committee for the work done on the proposal
and they retired from the meeting
The Board discussed the request from the Town Celebrations Committee for Lex
transportation funding for the Lexington Minutemen to represent Lexington in Minute
Boston's Jubilee 350 men
It was the opinion of the Board that funding should not be provided by Funding
the Town as the Lexington Minutemen is a private organization and should
assume the responsibility itself The Chairman of the Town Celebrations
Committee is to be so notified
The Board met with the co-chairmen of the Arts Council to discuss its Arts
functions and responsibilities Maria White, intern from the Manager's Council
Office, had contacted the State Arts Lottery Council and determined that
local arts councils are charged with allocating Arts Lottery revenues among
deserving arts organizations, arts ventures, and artists as determined by
the local Arts Council It was also determined that this should not be the
sole function of the council, but leadership should be taken to support and
nuture arts activities in the community with private or other public funds
During discussion, the Board felt that the local Arts Council seemed
to have a broader function than than mandated in the legislation Ms Tina
Forbes, co-chairman of the Arts Council stated that there was considerable
confusion among the members as to what its specific role particularly as
it is unpredictable as to what is going to happen to the Arts Lottery
The Board agreed and requested the Arts Council to define what they
think its role is and to submit, in outline form, items which interest
them and they feel might be of interest to the community In this way, the
Board will have more information on which to base its charge to the Council
Ms Forbes is to look into the matter further and report back to the Board
The Chairman thanked members of the Arts Council present for coming
and they retired from the meeting
The Chairman read an invitation from MAPC for representatives of Lex- MAPC
ington to attend inter-community groundwater planning meetings The Mana- Ground-
ger informed the Board that the Planning Board and Conservation Commission water
were interested in representing the Board and would designate one of its Meetings
members to attend The Board agreed to this arrangement
The Board again discussed the matter of the concerns expressed by the Follen
parents of children in the Follen Hill area who will be walking to Bowman Hill
school crossing Follen Road It was the feeling of the Board that immediate Signs
action should be taken. Cross-
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to install "Go Slow walks
Children" signs and paint crosswalks in areas to be designated by the
Manager who will consult with appropriate departments before school starts
0% - 4 -
J
LEXPRESS The Board discussed the request of the Transportation Advisory Com-
Depot Sq mittee to designate Depot Square as the permanent stop for LEXPRESS
During the discussion, it was brought out that all of the abutters in the
Depot Square area had not been notified that the matter was going to be
discussed at this meeting The Board agreed to defer its decision until
the Transportation Committee had notified the businesses in the area that
would be affected by this arrangement
Gypsy Moth The Board discussed the report submitted by Paul Mazerall for the
Program Gypsy Moth Control Program which consisted to two applications of Dipel
(a biological control material) In the areas sprayed, control was ef-
fective for the trees on the streets Total cost of the program was
$10,000 The effectiveness of Dipel is limited because it can only be
sprayed in areas accessible to the spray vehicle and is only effective dur-
ing one stage in the caterpillar's life span Three alternative proposals
were presented for the Selectmen's consideration It was decided to dis-
cuss the matter again in September when more information is available
United Way The Manager requested the approval of the Board for the appointment of
Coordinator George Smith, Health Director to be the Coordinator for the United Way Drive
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint George Smith
to be the Coordinator of the United Way Fund Drive for 1980
Visitors Mr Crain informed the Board that he had attended, as the representative
Center of the Board of Selectmen, the meeting conducted by the Historic Districts
Roof Commission relative to the new roof on the Visitors Center He stated that
he had voiced the objections of the Board to the use of wood shingles be-
cause of the high cost estimates
He stated that the Commission were more or less adamant in its deter-
mination to use the wood shingles over the objections of the Board
After discussion, it was decided to postpone a final decision on the
matter
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the decision
on the appropriation of funds for the new roof on the Visitors Center until
further study is made
Executive Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call vote
Session Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to go into Ex-
ecutive Session for the purpose of discussing real estate litigation, with
no intention of resuming open session
After discussion, it was voted to go out of Esecutive Session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 20 p m.
A true record, Attest
Principal Clerk
Selectmen c,
'L.
SELECTMEN'S MEETING 9
SEPTEMBER 8, 1980
II/ A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, September 8, 1980 at 7 30 P.M
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Mana-
ger; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel and Miss Stith, Acting Clerk, Selectmen were
present
The Chairman opened the meeting at 7 30 P.M. and called upon Mrs Angela MAPC
Frick who updated the Board on MAPC activities and in particular the A95
application requests reviewed by her since January, 1980 The Board thanked
Mrs Frick for her work as Lexington's representative to MAPC
Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted the following items
To sign order for construction of sewer on Concord Avenue, Sewer
Chadbourne Road, Pleasant Street and Maple Street and to sign Constr &
orders of sewer taking on Amherst Street, Fairview Avenue, Taking
Hayward Avenue and Sunset Street and Colonial Avenue
To approve a bond in the amount of $43,000 00 for Doris Barclay, Tax Coll
Assistant Town Treasurer Bond
To approve a one-day Auctioneer License for Robert J Virtue of Auction-
19 Lois Lane, Lexington for September 19, 1980 and September 26, eer
1980 at Heritage Hall, 177 Bedford Street, Lexington, from 6 p m License
until midnight
To sign one-day liquor license for St Brigid's Parish, 2001 Mass 1-Day
Avenue, Lexington on September 26, 1980 and expiring at midnight Liquor
License
To accept the recommendation of Mr Busa and table any final deci- Maddox/
sion concerning the Maddox/Douglas dog hearing Douglas
To accept the recommendation of Mr Busa and order Mr Papierski of Killilea/
27 Rangeway Road to remove his mixed St Bernard dog from the Papierski
boundaries of Lexington and find a nice home in a less congested Dog
area
To grant permission to the Lexington Minute Men to use the Lexington Lex
Green on Sunday afternoon, September 28, at approximately 2 00 P.M Minute -
for their annual Installation of Officers Ceremony Men
To approve the minutes of the Selectmen's Meeting of August 4, 1980 Minutes
To award the contract for sewer construction to Charm Construction, Sewer
Inc of Westwood, MA. in the amount of $464,023 08. Contract
To award the contract for standpipe to John D Ahearn Co , Inc of Standpipe
Melrose in the amount of $79,670 00 Painting
To approved an extra authorization under Article 25 of 1974, in the
amount of $18,320 28
An intent to take a sewer easement from Woodpark Circle to Amherst Sewer
Street, and Milliken Road (off Pleasant Street) Easement
-2-
Clean Air To proclaim the week of September 28 as Clean Air Week in Lexington
Week
Tax Title Not to sell Lot #52 Valleyfield Street at this time to William G
Valleyfield Hooper as the Lexington Housing Authority has expressed an interest
St in the lot as a possible scattered site
Koehn Mr Hutchinson brought up the matter of crosshatching and crosswalks
Letter on School and Wilson Streets He said that this had not been done; how-
ever, the Board urged that it be done as soon as possible as the Board had
made a previous commitment to the neighborhood Mr Hutchinson indicated
that the work would be done within the week
No Parking Mr Hutchinson said he was reviewing the matter of no parking signs
Signs at the end of Carriage Drive with the Engineering Department He indi-
cated he would have more information for the Board at its meeting on
September 15
MBTA Bus Mr Hanlon, Town Engineer, showed the Board a map locating the areas
Stop where the MBTA bus stop signs would be going He indicated that the posts
Signs have been put in place at legitimate stops and the signs are ready to be
placed on the posts He indicated that the MBTA says areas where the
signs are not posted would no longer be bus stops He indicated that
Engineering had reviewed all the areas and had recommended to the MBTA five
or six areas where they would be taken out
Tax Mr Hutchinson asked that the Board authorize the abatements requested
Collector by the Tax Collector in her memo of August 1, 1980 Mr Crain asked that
Abatement this matter be tabled and that •the Manager come back with more information
as to which audit brought this to the Town's attention, last year's or
this year's
House Bill Mr Hutchinson brought up House Bill No 4876 and recommended that
4876 the Board not create a special commission He said the Energy Committee
was doing an excellent job and that his office would be completing an
application relating to an energy audit
Gypsy Moth Paul Mazerall briefly reviewed his recommended gypsy moth program
for next year and its cost implications He said he was attending a
meeting with the State tomorrow and would have a complete report for the
Board after this meeting. He said some parasitic work was being done on
the gypsy moth clusters Mr Hutchinson said they could come back to the
Board at its next meeting with more information Board members asked that
Professor Williams be invited to come and that further discussion of this
matter be made before the full Board as Mr Kent would like to be present
Executive Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0 by roll call vote
Session - Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin and Mr Crain - to go into executive
session for the purpose of discussion of a matter of litigation, with no
intention of resuming the open meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 9 00 P.M
A true record attest
Ph 1 is m$6�
A •ting Clerk, Selectmen
\ft\
'7//
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
September 15, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, September 15, 1980, at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager, Mr Cohen, Town
Counsel; Miss Casey, Executive Clerk, were present
Chairman Miley, convened the meeting and called upon Mr Fred Rosen- LEXPRESS
berg, Chairman of the Transportation Advisory Committee Mr Rosenberg
informed the Board that it was the first anniversary of LEXPRESS
The problem of parking in the Depot Square area was, again, discussed
Mr Rosenberg stated that Mrs Arnold had talked with the abutters in the
area and the only ones that had objections to the bus parking were Ski and
Sport and the Depositors Trust He said that they objected because of the
narrowing of their parking spaces in front of the bank and the use of its
spaces by other people He stated that there was congestion in Depot
Square
Mrs Miley stated that it -was het observation that the busges did hot
create the congestion and that it was an excellent place for the bus
terminal
Mr Busa felt that it was too congested and that it was becoming very
dangerous and felt that the patrons of the busses were boarding and leav-
ing the busses on the wrong side He felt that the busses should be moved
into the B & M right of way in the area He felt that ridership would not
suffer from this move He stated that the bank was willing to donate the
parking spaces to the Town that they now lease for $1 00 per year if the
bus stop was moved
Mr Kent stated that he felt that the Town was not in a position to
assume usage of the land over the railroad tracks in backof the bank
immediately to the right, because it still remains a right-of-way of the
Boston & Maine He asked if the Transportation Committee had considered
Mr Busa's alternative or the possibility of putting the bus stops out
in Mass Avenue along the border of Emery Park?
Mr Rosenberg said the the Emery Park location presented a problem
with the turning around of the busses on Mass Avenue He stated that
the railroad way location might be possible to get four busses in, but
it caused a problem of turning around in a narrow space He felt that
having large foot traffic in the area was, in fact, good for the busi-
nesses in the area
Mr Kent asked if the businesses in the area had been notified of
the discussion and decision to be made this evening
Mrs Arnold stated that she had mentioned to the business people in
the area that it would be discussed in September but gave no specific
date
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table a decision
on the permanent location of the LEXPRESS busses until all of the busi-
' ness people in the area were informed of a specific date when the decis-
ion would be made by the Board
- 2 -
Mr Rosenberg informed the Board that part of the increased cost of
operating LEXPRESS was the cost of the vehicles He felt that it might
be possible to obtain Federal money through the State to purchase vehicles
and then contract out the operation of them There is such money available
that has never been used in the State for this purpose
Mr Kent felt that, even if the money were obtained, it presented sub-
stantial difficulties to the town in maintaining and replacing them in the
future
It was agreed that a letter should be prepared requesting such a grant
and the Chairman would sign it subject to further study
Mr Rosenberg requested permission to prepare a transportation guide
listing all the transportation services, public as well as private, in the
town and the availability to transportation that people might have such as
Red Cross, Medicade etc He stated that the Committee would like permis-
sion to contact the providers of such services and get it through the news-
papers of the availability of such services and for funding for the print-
ing The Board agreed
Mr Rosenberg informed the Board that figures for the annual report
were not complete because of the fact thatthe closing date was on Saturday
and the total was not available It will be a few weeks before it will be
ready He stated that ridership was considerably higher than expected and
the money appropriated in `79 had not been fully expended
The Chairman thanked the Committee for the work that had been done
during the year and they retired from the meeting
Executive The appointment of the Executive Clerk to the Board of Selectmen was
Clerk made
Appt Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Beatrice
M. Casey as Executive Clerk to the Board of Selectmen effective August 25,
1980 to
Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted to approve the
following items
Permit- March Request from the March of Dimes to conduct a Walkathon through Lex-
of Dimes ington on Sunday, October 19 (to be coordinated with the Police Chief)
and to proclaim Sunday, October 19, 1980 as "March of Dimes Sunday in
Lexington".
Water Request from Warren A Empey, Acting Director, Public Works/Eng to
Abatement sign water abatement for Cary Hall in the amount of $4 05, account ad-
justed to deduct minimum charge
Sewer Request from Warren A Empey, Acting Director, Public Works/Eng to
Commitments sign Sewer Assessment Commitment sheets for Boulder Road, Lowell Street,
Middleby Road, Moon Hill Road and Moreland Avenue
Permit- Request from Arlington-Lexington Hadassah to conduct a "Walkathon"
Arl/Lex on Sunday, October 26 from 1 30 to 4 30 p.m route to be coordinated with
Hadassah the Chief of Police
- 3 - : 3
Selectmen's Meeting September 15, 1980
Request of Town Manager to approve request of Tax Collector to abate
the following betterments recorded between the years 1957 through 1968,
beyond the statute of limitations for collections originally town owned
and since sold without making the buyer aware of recorded betterments
STREET BETTERMENTS
Map/Lot Street (old Lot #) Charges Date
Committed
21/95 Theresa Ave (152 - 153) $450 00 12/07/59
24/3 Valleyfield Street (166) $500 00 05/20/68
24/3 Valleyfield Street (167) $500 00 05/20/68
32/38A Grapevine Avenue (38) $315 00 12/31/57
58/109A
58/110A
58/110B Asbury Street (243-258 and $2,400 00 02/06/61
58/263 238-242)
58/264
58/264A
58/110A
58/110B Asbury Street (238-242) $750 00 02/06/61
58/110B Freemont Street (234-242) $930 00 11/06/64
58/136 Freemont Street (631 - 634) $800 00 11/06/64
84/16A Ivan Street (59) $378 00 12/31/57
84/16A Ivan Street (60) $378 00 12/31/57
WATER BETTERMENTS
13/149 Tarbell Avenue (146-147) $ 90 00 11/07/50
58/103
58/110A Freemont Street (234-237 and $150 00 9/14/59
58/110B 238-242)
58/109A
58/110A
58/1108 Asbury Street (243-258 and $480 00 9/14/59
58/263 238-242)
58/264
58/264A
58/109A
58/110A
58/1108 Asbury Street (243-258 and $150 00 9/14/59
58/263 238-242)
58/264
58/264A
58/136 Freemont Street (631-634) $120 00 9/14/59
58/103
58/110A Freemont Street (234-237 and $150 00 9/14/59
58/110B 238-242)
I
- 4 -
lq
Selectmen's Meeting September 15, 1980
Map/Lot Street (old Lot 4P) Charges Date
Committed
8/39 Off Pleasant Street (7A) $609 58 6/18/62
24/3 Valleyfield Street (166) $258 76 11/28/66
24/3 Valleyfield Street (167) $258 76 11/28/66
25/162
25/164 Spring Street (217) $160 18 09/12/55
33/18 Marrett Road (131) $248 49 10/14/52
33/19 Marrett Road (132) $142 81 10/14/52
51/1 Mass Avenue (4) $267 09 2/17/58
51/1 Mass Avenue (5) $230 87 2/17/58
58/109A
58/110A
58/263
58/264 Asbury Street (243 - 258) $1,593 66 10/19/59
58/110B Asbury Street (238 - 242) $498 02 10/19/59
58/183 Hamblen Street (69 - 72) $506 26 09/28/59
58/184
58/185 Bellflower Street (64. - 68) $562 50 09/14/59
72/1 Garfield Street (23) $137 25 12/21/59
72/187 Reed Street (19) $113 36 11/03/58
72/191A Reed Street (7) #113 36 11/03/58
72/350 Reed Street (1 & 2) $175 00 03/04/57
72/506 Reed Street (Block D - Lot 78) $ 20 40 11/03/58
MAPC A95 The Board discussed the MAPC A95 application relative to the Boston Prop-
application erties Proposed Office Park Development on Bedford Street
Boston Prop- Mrs Battin informed the Board that she had met with Mrs Frick, MAPC
erties representative from Lexington and Mrs Nichols of the Planning Board as
Mrs Frick felt that there were areas that had not been adequately des-
cribed in the environmental impact statement particularly traffic,noise
and air polution and she would rather have the Board of Selectmen and the
Planning Board should make the decision They felt that it was important to
bring to the State's attention the problem of traffic on Bedford Street
The purpose of the form is to get information for the DOEA and if there is
sufficient concern by various interested parties they then will request a
full environmental impact statement
Mr Kent expressed concern that this might countermand the decision of
the Board of Appeals that had already granted a permit He felt that this
might create a roadblock that another agency had authorized to go forward
After further discussion it was decided that Mr Hutchinson will get
in touch with the MAPC to determine what is expected from the town on this
particular proposal and have the information for the next meeting
Street Open- Upon moiton duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
ing Com- of Warren A Empey, Acting Director of Public Works/Eng to sign commitment
mitment per- sheet for street opening permits for the month of August, 1980
mits
Chapter 90 The Board discussed the list of streets submitted by the Town Engineer
to be included in this year's designated list for Chapter 90 It was agreed
that East Street, from Lowell Street to the Town Line 775+, Hancock Street,
from Adams Street to Burlington Street 2800+, Woburn Street from Mass Avenue
to Lowell Street 6,400+ and Marrett Road in the vicinity of the Minuteman
Regional Vocational School be submitted
- 5 -
Selectmen's Meeting September 15, 1980
The Chairman opened the hearing at 8 00 p m on the petition of John R. Parker
Clark & Associates for a Special Permit under Section 9 3 of the Zoning By- School
Law for the conversion of the Parker School into 28 condominium units Hearing
Representing John R Clark & Associates were Attorney Russian;
Mr Dennis O'Driscoll and Robert E Powers, Contractors; Mr Anthony
Casendino, Architect
Report and recommendations on the application were submitted to the Se-
lectmen by the Planning Board There were twelve areas of concern reviewed
by the Planning Board i e placement of buildings, major topographic changes,
provision for waste disposal, surface and groundwater drainage, protection
against flooding and inundation, prevention of water pollution and environ-
mental damage, erosion control, parking areas, loading area, maneuvering
areas, driveways and location of intersections of driveways and streets The
Planning Board felt that there was insufficient information on several im-
portant facets of the proposal, and recommended that the Selectmen require
the developer to submit the missing information in a timely manner to the
Planning Board for review so they could issue a supplementary report to the
Selectmen before they issued the special permit
During the discussion that followed, the representatives of John R
Clarke & Associates addressed some of the items and Mr Russian explained
that there were some conditions the developer was not prepared to totally re-
solve at that point as they would have to be addressed in the field
II/ The Town Manager recommended that the permit be granted subject to
Building Commissioner and Town Engineering approval of the plans He stated
that he had talked to the developer who felt that this was the way toIpro-
ceed as some things have to be resolved in the field even with the best of
plans
Concern was expressed as to further delay of the project by Planning
Board recommendations that the developer submit the information to them for
review and compilation of a supplementary report to the Selectmen
Mr Kent raised the question as to what relationship there was between
the granting of the special permit and the deeding of the property by the
town to the developer
Mr Cohen stated that a special permit can be granted with conditions
and then convey the property at that time, and the conditions in the special
permit must be adhered to
Mr Kent suggested that the developer draft proposed conditions based
on the Planning Board requests and submit them to the Planning Board as soon
as possible, the Selectmen would review it and decide what conditions should
be written into the special permit without waiting for a supplementary re-
port from the Planning Board
Mr Russian is to have the draft ready for the Planning Board by Wed-
nesday and the Selectmen will review and make a decision at its next meeting
The Manager informed the Board that Mr Hanlon, Town Engineer has Garrity
agreed to serve on the Garrity House Conversion Committee when it is formed House
He suggested that the Historical Commission and Building Committee be re- Committee
presented and that the Housing Authority is making an effort to see if it
can be used for housing
- 6 -
Draft Policy The Manager informed the Board that he is still working on the "Draft
Streets - Policy on Streets of Adequate Grade and Construction" and will be meeting
Grade & with the Planning Board regarding the issue as it ties in with the long
Const range development and planning concerns of the town He will have the docu-
ment upgraded and present it to the Board at a later date
The Manager reported to the Board on the following items
Tax Rate The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Revenue, has certified
the tax rate for the Town as submitted by the Board of Assessors at $92 00/
$1,000 or approximately a 5% increase over the current $87 60
Gypsy Moths Mr Mazerall has attended a Gypsy Moth Program and is getting additional
information on the types of chemicals to be used for control He is to re-
port back at a later date with more details The State reports that the
gypsy moth damage is expected to be much worse next year
School St / The crosswalks are in at School Street/Wilson Road area and crosshatch-
Crosswalks ing has been completed
Police Sen- Mr Hutchinson has been interviewing officers who have been involved in
sitivity the Police Sensitivity Training and has received more positive information re-
Training garding the program than initially perceived He suggested a meeting with
Dr Beck and Officer Flynn to review this
Pension Mr Alan Fields has agreed to serve as the Selectmen's representative
Committee on the Pension Committee
Visitors Plans are to proceed, consistent with the direction of the Historic
Center Districts Commission, with the recommendation it made on the installation
Roof of the new roof on the Visitors Center
Traffic The Board discussed the make-up of the Traffic Safety Committee and
Safety agreed to accept Mr Kent's draft
Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the following
Charge "There shall be a Traffic Advisory Committee, advisory to the Board of
Selectmen, consisting of seven (7) members The Police Chief or his designee,
the Superintendent of Public Works or his designee, the Planning Director,
four (4) citizens appointed by the Board of Selectmen The Board of Select-
men shall designate the Chairman
The Committee shall study problems relative to traffic and report thereon
its recommendations to the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager
Items shall be placed on the agenda of the Committee
a By reference from the Board of Selectmen
b By the Town Manager
c By vote of the Committee
The Town Manager shall report to the Board of Selectmen itesm placed
by him upon the agenda The Committee shall report to the Town Manager and
the Board of Selectmen the vote of any item to its agenda prior to institu-
tion of a study thereon
In the selection of personnel for this Committee, consideration shall
be given to the acquisition of experience and expertise in traffic control
and safety 1
- 7 -
Selectmen's Meeting September 15, 1980
The Manager requested, and received, the approval of the Board to Tax Bills
insert in the tax bills a letter to taxpayers outlining where the tax
dollar goes as he did last year
Mrs Battin reported to the Board that the Center Revitalization Com- Center Re-
mittee will not be able to have its definite plan until March because the vitalize-
economic analysis and market analysis will not start until then It has tion
defined its charge and identified the problems It intends to critique Committee
all the past studies of the Center and the Planning Director is getting a
list of short-term parking measures that may be taken and then come to
the Board with a recommendation
Mr Busa reported that the Energy Committee had met last week and Energy
through the Manager's Office had put in an application for technical Committee
assistance in the evaluation of the town office building, public works Report
building, police station and Cary Hall The School Committee has sub-
mitted an application for four of the elementary schools for a computer
system to control the heatad a#rco£td%ting systems through the
schools If the grant is eived, tbi ge ral government can tie into
the same system He reported that literature had been received from the
Department of Energy of Massachusetts that the bulk of the approximately
$3,000,000 went to private schools and little, if any, went to towns or
cities that applied He felt that the municipalities were not receiving
a fair share of the grants
After discussion, it was agreed to have a breakfast meeting on Breakfast
October 10 with the chairmen of the Town boards and committees to discuss Meeting
the Selectmen's goals Oct 10
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive
vote - Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to go Session
into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing collective bargain-
ing with no intention of resuming open session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
1015 p m
A true record, Attest
OC(A-P-Ad_
Executive Clerk
I
I
VOID
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
September 22, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Select-
men's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, September 22, 1980
at 7 30 p m. Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain;
Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel, Mrs Banks, Assist-
ant to the Town Manager and Miss Casey, Executive Clerk were present
Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the N E Tele- N E Tel
phone Company and Boston Edison Company for a joint pole relocation on & Boston
Marrett Road on the northerly side, approximately 8' (feet) easterly of Edison
its existing location, one (1) pole #193/38, one (1) pole to be removed Pole Re-
Mr Boudreau of the Telephone Company was present and explained that this location
work was necessary in order to provide service to Malt Lane (Cambridge Marrett Rd
Farms subdivision
The Chairman explained that a public hearing was required and that
notices had been sent to the abutters A recommendation from the Public
Works Department approved the relocation
The Chairman called upon Roy C Papalia, attorney for Mr Elio C
Sgrosso, 215 Marrett Road request the Board to consider Mr Sgrosso's
objections to moving the pole 8 feet because he felt that the service
to Malt Lane could be accomplished by moving the pole 2 feet, thereby
having the pole less to the middle of the Sgrosso property
Mr Kent requested that the Board have a further recommendation from
the Acting Director, Public Works/Eng that this request is approved by
him.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Crain abstaining, it was
voted to table the request until it has been reviewed by Mr Coscia and
the Board has received his recommendation
The Chairman read the request of the N E Telephone Company for per- N E Tel
mission to install conduit in Walnut Street on the easterly side, ap- Conduit
prox 230' (feet) from existing pole #110/10 to driveway entrance of Potter Walnut
Pond Estates necessary to service Potter Pond Estates Street
The Chairman explained that a public hearing was required and that
abutters had been notified A recommendation for approval had been re-
ceived from the Acting Director, Public Works/Engineering
Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Crain abstaining, it was
voted to grant permission to the N E Telephone Company requested con-
duit in Walnut Street on the easterly side, place approximately 230'+
(feet) of underground conduit from exisitng pole #110/10 in a southerly
direction to driveway entrance of Potter Pond Estates
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Sidewalk,
quest of Mr Empey, Acting Director Public Works/Eng for the Board to Street
sign betterment assessments as follows Sewer
SIDEWALK BETTERMENTS Wood Street Betterment
STREET BETTERMENTS Banks Avenue, Cushing Street Tucker Avenue Assessments
SEWER BETTERMENTS Pleasant Street, Summit Road, Swan Lane
III Wadman Circle, Allen Street, Waltham Street
- 2 -
Selectmen's Meeting September 22, 1980
Sewer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to abate the following
Assessment sewer betterment assessments on Summit Road
Abatements Marjorie E Ingham, Ruth E Doran, Amt $1245 32 Reason Land
Exec , Dorothy W Montague, George acquired by Con-
B Wilson, Eleanor Barnett, Jean servation Comm
Wilson, Ethel M Couette
George S & Harriet Silverman, Amt $914 62 Reason Previously
h/w assessed on Fern St
Minuteman The Chairman read a letter from Mr Ron Fitzgerald of the Minuteman
School Regional Vocational School asking if the Town could arrange with the State
2A/Mass officials for temporary improvements in the traffic lights at the 2A/Mass
Ave Traffic Avenue intersection to help with the safety problem in the area
The Manager is to pursue the matter and see if the area can be included
as a Chapter 90 project The Manager is to report to the Board at its next
meeting further information including data indicating how many times there
has been an officer there during critical times
Hazardous The Manager requested that the Board's appointment of a community haz-
Waste ardous waste coordinator requested by the Executive Office of Environmental
Coordinator Affairs be tabled
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the request
of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs for the Board's appoint-
ment of a hazardous waste coordinator
MAPC The Manager reported to the Board relative to the MAPC environmental
Environ- review request for Boston Properties proposed office park development
mental He stated that he had talked with Mr Megathlin and was informed that this
review is a standard request Because there were highways and wetlands involved
Boston plus access to state highway, they were required to submit the request
Properties He said that Mr Megathlin stated _that the MAPC was going to comment that the
whole area traffic problem should be addressed working with the State, Town
and Regional agencies and suggested that the Town's answer be the same
He recommended that a letter be sent supporting the MAPC request and point-
ing out that the Town has already been studying the traffic problem in the
area Mr Hutchinson is to draft a letter to this effect
LEXPRESS The Board met with the Transportation Advisory Committee and Mr Rosen-
Bus Stops berg updated the Board regarding the bus stop at Depot Square He reviewed
Depot Sq the Committee's report which stated that several members had looked at the
area of the parking area to the east of Station Way, owned by Depositors
Trust and leased to the Town for parking, which was suggested by Mr Busa
The Committee's concerns were 1 The parking spaces required 2 The
method of approach and departure and the time required for the busses to
include the change 3 The safety of the area 4 The cost to the Town
to make the necessary changes The Committee recommended that the LEXPRESS
bus stops remain in Depot Square
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-1, Mrs Miley,
Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain in the affirmative, Mr Busa in the
negative, to approve the request of the Transportation Advisory Committee to
have the LEXPRESS bus stop remain in Depot Square
- 3 -
Selectmen's Meeting September 22, 1980
The Chairman requested the vote of the Board relative to approval of Minutes
the minutes of the Selectmen's Meeting of September 8 Mr Busa requested Sept 8
that the Executive Session be tabled
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the min-
utes of the open session and table the executive session of the Selectmen's
Meeting of September 8, 1980
The Chairman read the request of Mr Lloyd D Taylor to have yellow East St
dividing lines painted on East Street and suggested that it be referred Yellow
to the Traffic Safety Committee Lines
The Manager informed the Board that he recommended the Board vote to
have the work done as he had spoken to the appropriate departments and
they had 'agreed that the work should be done
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the request
of Mr Lloyd D Taylor to have yellow dividing lines painted on East Street
The Manager informed the Board that he had discussed with the Comp- Bikeways
troller additional sources of funding to make up the deficit in the con- Contract
tract cost for the bikeways He felt that it could be implemented by cut-
ting back on the contract and recommended that the contract be awarded
He explained that a small portion would be unpaved
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award the bicycle
path contract to D J Mabardy Washed Sand & Gravel Inc in the amount of
$92,900 Although the low bid was $94,057, the Board instructed the Mane-
ger to put in a change order reducing the amount of pavement or earth ex-
cavation by the sum of $1,157 and keep the Board informed of its progress
The Manager requested the Board to sign Chapter 90 Memorandum of Chapter
Agreement 90
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the two Agreement
memoranda of agreement between the State and the Town for Chapter 90
The Manager referred the Board to previous discussion relative to No Parking
the request for "No Parking" signs on Carriage Drive He recommended Sign
that the request be denied because he pointed out that perhaps at a later Carriage
date people in the area might want the area for parking purposes Drive
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to deny the request
for "No Parking" signs on Carriage Drive
The Manager referenced the Board to his previous notification that he Dir of
had appointed Mr Walter Tonaszuck to the position of Director of Public Public
Works/Engineering for the Town of Lexington Works
He informed the Board that Mr Tonaszuck was previously Director of Appt
Public Works for the Town of Winchester and has almost 17 years of engin-
eering and managerial experience in the private and public sector
Mr Tonaszuck was chosen from 90 applicants and has accepted the
position at a salary of $37,000 per year
Mr Hutchinson expressed his indebtedness to Mr Warren Empey, as the
Acting Director of Public Works during the period of transition and com-
plemented his for during a herculean job He also expressed his apprecia-
tion to Mr Coscia and all the men and women of the Public Works/Engineering
for their support during this period
/ 1 - 4 -
Selectmen's Meeting September 22, 1980
The Board also expressed its appreciation to those involved and also
to the screening committee involved in applications received
Hazardous The Manager requested the Board to appoint Mr Walter Tonaszuck as
Waste its hazardous wastecoordinator for the Town of Lexington
Coordinator Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mr Walter —
Tonaszutk as the Hazardous Waste Coordinator
Acting The Manager requested the Board to appoint Mr Richard Perry, Comptroller
Manager as Acting Manager from September 29 through October 1 while he is attending
the ICMA conference in New York
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mr Richard
Perry as the Acting Manager for the period September 29 through October 1
Cary The Manager informed the Board that the library renovations are in the
Library process of being completed and it is expected that it will be secured for
the winter shortly
Charles The Manager informed the Board that Charles McManus, Youth Advisor, for
McManus the Town had submitted his resignation Mr McManus stated that he felt
Youth Advi- that current inhouse agencies are adequate to handle the work now Mr Hut-
sor-Resig- chinson requested that a letter of appreciation be sent to Mr McManus
nation
Mr Empey Mr Kent requested that a letter of appreciation be sent to Mr Empey
Mr Coscia and Mr Coscia for their work and dedication during the period of time
that the Town was without an appointed Public Works/Engineering Director
Proclamation The Chairman read a request to proclaim October, 1980 as Massachusetts
Mass PTSA PTSA Membership Month
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to proclaim October,
1980 as Massachusetts PTSA Membership Month
Prop 2 1/2 The matter of a meeting to be conducted by the League of Women Voters
relative to Proposition 2 1/2 was brought up by Mr Busa Mr Hutchinson
and Mrs Battin, who will be attending the meeting, reassured Mr Busa that
they will not be speaking for the Board but as individuals The Manager
informed the Board that the final report on Proposition 2 1/2 will be finished
this week. Mr Busa has reserved making a statement until the report is
received
Executive Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted by roll call vote 5-0
Session -- Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain -- to go into
Executive Session for the purpose of discussing strategy with respect to
collective bargaining, and litigation and to discuss a matter of real estate,
with the intention of resuming the open session After discussion, it was
voted to go out of Executive Session and resume the open meeting
- 5 -
Selectmen's Meeting September 22, 1980
IIIThe Board met with the Planning Board at 9 00 P M relative to the Par,- Parker
ker School hearing that had been adjourned last week School
Mrs Wheaton informed the Board that the Planning Board felt that the Special
Parker School as a development project is no different than any other that Permit
comes before the Town where certain construction standards have to be met
its recommendations were based on staff recommendations She stated that
the Committee still felt that the developer be required to submit the miss-
ing material
The Manager stated that the draft of the special permit had been drawn
up with the recommendations of the Planning Board incorporated and he recom-
mended that the special permit be issued as outlined
The question of requiring a bond to ensure satisfactory completion of
the project and conveyance of the 7 units to the Town was discussed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted by roll call vote 5-0
Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - that the Board
declare its intention to grant a special permit in connection with the Par-
ker School along the guidelines provided in the draft submitted by the Mana-
ger and that the language be worked out including provision for adequate se-
curity for the Town with respect to the easement project
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to remove from the Executive
table the minutes of the Executive Session of the Selectmen's meeting of Session
September 8, 1980 Sept 8
IIIUpon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Ex-
ecutive Session minutes of the Selectmen's meeting of September 8, as
corrected
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
10 55 P M.
A true record, Attest
ig,,e6.--tte:t-R- L7-17 ( 47...,
Executive Clerk
r
pr
III
I
VOID
2 -
CA SELECTMEN'S MEETING
04
October 6, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, October 6, 1980 at 7 30 p.m
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson
Town Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager, Mr Cohen, Town Coun-
sel; Miss Casey, Executive Clerk, were present
The Board discussed the recommendation of the Traffic Safety Committee Traffic--
to install a "No Parking" provision (curb be painted yeallow in lieu of Hancock St
signs) at Hancock Street/Bedford Street requested by Mr Cohen Bedford St
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the reco- Yellow
mmendation of the Traffic Safety Committee to paint the curb yellow at Han- Curb
cock Street/Bedford Street
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Sewer
quest of the Acting Director Public Works/Engineering to abate the following Betterment
sewer betterment assessment: Carl E & Mary Jo Peterson, 62 Fern Street in Abatement
the amount of $2,462 94 - land transferred to Conservation Commission --
Article 39 of the warrant for the 1978 annual town meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the request One Day
of the Symmes Hospital Community Relations and Development for a One Day Liquor
Liquor License on October 19, 1980 for a benefit buffet and art auction at License
the Museum of our National Heritage
The Board discussed a letter from Linda Roemer relative to making Cary
entrance and exit to Cary Hall moreaccessible to the handicapped and to Hall
the elderly
The Manager informed the Board that he had discussed it with the Pub-
lic Works Department and will be receiving proposals from them relative to
a solution to the problem He pointed out that there is a problem with
grade going into the building He is to report back to the Board and will
contact Ms Roemer
The Board discussed Question #5 which will be on the November ballot-- Election
a Constitutional Amendment which limits the power of the Legislature to im- Nov 5
pose additional costs on cities and towns This amendment will increase lo-
cal control over city and town budgets by limiting the power of the Legis-
lature to pass state mandates concerning municipal employee salaries and
benefits
Mrs Battin explained that the Mass Municipal Association was suc-
cessful in getting the item on the ballot and that it was now up to the
local governments to take a stand and urge the voters to pass it
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recomen-
dation of the Mass Municipal Association that the Lexington Board of Select-
men urge the citizens to vote "Yes" on Question 465 on the November election
ballot
I
/ F 1
Hartwell Ave The Board discussed the Traffic Safety Committee's report relative to
Bike Pro- Recreation Committee's Hartwell Avenue Bike proposal
posal It was the feeling of the Board that the matter should be taken up at
II/
a later date after more input has been received from people that are par-
ticularly interested in biking Mr Busa pointed out that a traffic study is
being made of that particular area and this proposal might well be incorporated
in one warrant article
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the matter of
the Hartwell Avenue Bike proposal until further information is obtained The
matter is to be discussed again at the second meeting in November
Tax Policy The Town Manager introduced Mr John McLaughlin, Chairman of the Tax
Committee Policy Committee that has been meeting since May and has devoted an extensive
Prop 2 1/2 amount of time and work into its report on its Evaluation of Proposition 2 1/2"
Mr McLaughlin stated that, given the composition of the Committee, it
had proven to be a very interesting challenge He felt that the Committee
represented a broad range of views and political philosophies, including a
number of members that were in favor of some kind of tax limitation The
feeling was that the Massachusetts tax structure was in need of some kind of
reform. The Committee tried to address the problem by taking a very narrow
view of what was best for the citizens of Lexington The Committee con-
cluded and urged, unanimously, that voters of Lexington vote against 2 1/2
as not being in their best interest
The Board complimented the Committee on the outstanding job that it
had done in developing a most comprehensive report
Mrs Battin presented a motion to accept the report of the Committee
and that the Board oppose Proposition 2 1/2 and urge the citizens to also
Mr Busa objected to the motion because he felt that the proponents
of the bill had not presented their side
After discussion, it was agreed to take the vote; Mr Busa abstaining;
he will make a public statement at the next meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0, Mr Busa ab-
staining, to accept the report of the Tax Policy Committee relative to Prop-
osition 2 1/2
Transfer The Manager requested a transfer of $8,000 from the Reserve Fund to
1 Reserve Fund the Fire and Police Medical Account He is give the Board an updated report
on the progress of the two policemen and one firefighter on the injured list
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
1 of the Town Manager for a transfer of $8,000 from the Reserve Fund to the
Fire and Police Medical Account
LEXPRESS Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Service
Agreement by and Between the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and
the Town of Lexington extending the contract through October 31, 1980, fund-
ing for LEXPRESS
Bike Paths Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the contract
Contract with C J Mabardy Co for the Bike Paths, contract # 81-4-E
Gulf Oil Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
Marrett Rd of the Gulf Oil Corp to remove existing gasoline tanks at the gas station
located at 324 Marrett Road and install four tanks for gasoline and diesel
fuel 111
7 5
- 3 -
Selectmen's Meeting October 6, 1980
The Manager informed the Board that bids for securing the library Cary
for the winter, which involves taking off the stucco panels and water- Library
proofing it, had been received He also informed the Board that a transfer Repairs
request of $25,000 will be needed because of expenses involved in the con-
sultants report that will be involved in the litigation and for architect-
ural services for preparing specifications He also stated that a $2,000
contingency factor on the project would be required
Mr Busa that an updated report, including possible costs for liti-
gation, will be given to the Board at its next meeting and the following
was voted
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award the con-
tract for temporary repairs and securing Cary Library for the winter to
Commercial Construction Co of Medford in the amount of $17,983 00 subject
to review of the contract by Town Counsel The contract is to be signed
by at least three members of the Board immediately after Town Counsel's
approval in order to facilitate ryypairoconstruction without further dealy
t
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to transfer $5,000 Transfers
into the Professional Services account and $20,000 into Building Mainten-
ance Account
II/ Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Overruns
request of the Town Engineer for the expenditure of $36,672 00 to cover the Sewer
cost of overruns on Sewer Contract #80-1-E awarded to Great Northern Contract
Constructors, Inc
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Grant
quest of the Town Engineer for the expenditure of $4,500 00 from Article Street
16 of the 1977 Town Meeting -- Drain Construction -- to install new drain- Drains
age system in Grant Street
The Manager informed the Board that he will contact the Mayor of CETA
Newton relative to his request concerning the CETA program and let him know Program
that work is being done on the request, but no definite decision has, as
yet, been reached
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the deed Hinchey
conveying property on Hinchey Road to Mortimer Zuckerman, Trustee of the Road
MBZ Trust
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call Executive
vote -- Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain -- to go Session
into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing a matter of litigation
and a matter of the reputation of an individual who has been notified of
this, with no intention of resuming the open session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 20 p m
A true record, Attest
aa,c---m e
a4-4ii_i_
Executive Clerk vV
VOID
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Ifu
" ' SELECTMEN'S MEETING
October 20, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, October 20, 1980, at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager, Mr Cohen, Town
Counsel; Miss Casey, Executive Clerk, were present
Mr Louis Zehner, Town Treasurer, requested the Board's approval to Treasurer
borrow $300,000 for construction and reconstruction of sewers and $66,000
for the bicycle paths He recommended that the awards be made to the
lowest bidders, Old Colony, New England Merchants and Shawmut County Bank
of Cambridge
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recom-
mendation of the Town Treasurer to borrow $300,000 for sewer construction
and reconstruction as follows $150,000 from Old Colony at 5 18% and
$150,000 from N E Merchants at 5 49%; $66,000 for the bicycle paths from
Shawmut County Bank of Cambridge at 4 90% to be repaid from the proceeds
of bond issues to mature June 16, 1981 and February 6, 1981, respectively
The Board met with Chief Bergeron and several Lexington physicians to Ambulance
discuss the ambulance policy guidelines Copies of the guidelines had Policy
been distributed to the physicians in the area
II/ The primary conflict centered around the question of whether or not to
go to the nearest hospital, in most cases this would be Symmes, or go a
longer distance to a hospital where the patient had been before and had
his records
Mr Kent felt that the restrictions on where to take patients should
be made more flexible, without the guidelines being totally open-ended
It was decided to table the discussion until the November 3 meeting
The Chairman thanked the physicians for their input and they retired
from the meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the dis-
cussion and adoption of the new ambulance policy guidelines until the
November 3 meeting
The Town Manager introduced Mr Walter Tonaszuck, the new director Director
of Public Works/Engineering The Chairman extended a welcome and best Public
wishes to Mr Tonaszuck Works
The Board met with theCATV Committee The Chairman thanked the CATV
committee for its many years of work on the project and turned the chair Hearings
over to Mr Busa
Mr Kent requested that it be made clear that he was disqualifying
himself from participation in the hearings and any role in the making of
a decision in the award of a cable television franchise He stated that
his decision was based on his very close personal relationship with
counsel for one of the applicants He stated that he had sought the ad-
vice of Town Counsel concerning the proper course of action, not so much
to avoid conflict of interest but to avoid the appearance of conflict of
interest Mr Cohen felt that, in his view, Mr Kent ought to disqualify
') (1 - 2 -
1
CATV himself, which confirmed Mr Kent's own opinion
Hearing Mr Busa expressed the regret of the Board that Mr Kent's legal and
technical advice would be sorley missed
Mr Kent left the meeting room
Mr Busa explained that the Board would now proceed to conduct the
first of two public hearing sessions in connection with the issuance of a
cable television franchise for the Town of Lexington He stated that the
hearing was held by the Board of Selectmen in its capacity as issuing
authority under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 166A, Section 16 and
Section 3 of Title 207 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations, as re-
vised on September 15, 1980, including the new section on local ownership
disclosure and general licensing rule changes
Mr Busa explained the rules of the hearing and proceeded to call upon
Mr Thomas Bird of Rollins Cablevision of Massachusetts, Inc to make his
company's presentation
Mr Micahel Isaacs made the presentation for the Greater Boston Cable
Corporation/Colony Communications Company
The third company listed for the hearing, Lexington CATV/Acton cor-
poration did not send a representative, therefore, no presentation was made
After the presentations were made, Mr Busa adjourned the hearing at
9 20 p m to be reconvened on October 27 at 8 00 p m. in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room.
Mrs Miley resumed the chair and continued the Selectmen's meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted the following items
Sheraton/Lex Approval of change of manager for the Sheraton-Lexington Motor Inn from
Mgr Jeff Brown to Robert Savio
Mass Dept Request of Mass Dept of Public Health to declare the week of Novem-
Pub Health ber 9 "Emergency Medical Services Week"
One Day Confirm poll vote of issuance of One Day Liquor License for October 20
Liquor Lic to Minuteman Chapter of the American Red Cross
Sewer Approve abatement of sewer assessment of Joseph F Alibrandi on Lot H
Abatement Lowell Street in the amount of $2,214 80 -- sewer not extended to service
this lot
State Elec- Confirm poll vote to sign the Warrant for the State Election on
tion November 4, 1980
Warrant
One Day Approve request for One Day Liquor License for October 25, 1980 by the
Liquor Lic 94th U S Army Reserve Command
Gypsy Moth The Manager updated the Board on the Gypsy Moth problem and he referred
Program them to reports from George Smith on discussions he had with three experts
in the chemical field which indicated that everyone was opposed to the use of
chemicals The staff is now reviewing how an expanded program can be run
with the use of dipel
- 3 - 1 8
Selectmen's Meeting October 20, 1980
The Manager requested the Board's signature for the MBTA-LEXPRESS LEXPRESS
agreement Contract
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Service
Agreement By and Between the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
and the Town of Lexington, Effective September 1, 1979 under article IV
extending the contract through October 31, 1980
Mr Busa issued a statement on his position relative to Proposition Prop 21/2
2 1/2 He stated that, while he sympathized with its proponents and their Mr Busa
objective to cut property taxes, he felt that Proposition 2 1/2 in its
present form was not a good piece of legislation and he could not sup-
port it He cautioned those that would vote for it to expect increases
in such things as user fees and cuts in services
This made it a unanimous decision that the Board of Selectmen would
oppose Proposition 2 1/2 a ! f"*N
The Manager updated the Board relative to the problem of the traffic Minuteman
light at the Minuteman School They are looking into additional signing School
in the area, additional lighting, subject to cost and an overhead tem- Traffic
porary light subject to cost He stated that they will try to get the
school to share some of the cost He stated that all these things are
II/ only temporary and partial solutions of the problem
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
1055pm
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk
I \iL/
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VOID
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j4
} SELECTMEN'S MEETING
October 27, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, October 27, 1980 at 7 30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town
Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel;
Miss Casey, Executive Clerk, were present
The Chairman read a request from the Appalachian Mountain Club for a One Day
One Day Liquor License on November 8, 1980 Liquor
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- License
quest of the Appalachian Mountain Club for a One Day Liquor License for
November 8, 1980
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint the follow- Garrity
ing to the Garrity House Committee House
Mrs Barbara Primiano, Mr Donald Wilson, Mr Michael Hanlon, Town En- Committee
gineer, Mr Richard Morehouse, and Mrs Anne Grady
The Manager requested the approval of the Board in the expenditure Birdhill
of $3,490 to cover the increased cost of the paving in the Birdhill Road Road
sewer project, Contract #80-1-E Sewer
Mr Busa questioned why this is necessary when the cut for repaving Contract
was anticipated when the bid was submitted
Mr Busa, Mr Hutchinson and Mr Hanlon are to go over the request
again and have the information for the next Selectmen's Meeting
The Manager requested the Board's approval of a request for a sewer Sewer
betterment deferment from Robert J Gartside, Jr Betterment
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the re- Deferment
quest of Robert J Gartside, Jr for a deferment of the sewer betterment Gartside
charge of $922 71 assessed on lot #51, Loring Road This deferment is
for three years or until the lot is built upon If the lot is built upon
in the future the betterment should include all interest charges
Mr Cohen requested the signatures of the Board on the Orders of Orders
Taking for the Amherst Street sewer easements of Taking
Amherst St
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Orders Sewer
of Taking for right-of-way called Milliken Road and from Woodpark
Circle to Amherst Street
At 8 00 p m. the last of the public hearings on CATV was held CATV
Mr Busa explained the rules of the hearing and stated that the three Hearing
companies presenting proposals were Continental Cablevision, Inc ,
Sammons Communications, Inc and Adams Russell, Inc
a '3° - 2 -
i `4
Messrs Amos Hostetter and Robert Sacks made presentations for Contin-
ental Cablevision
Mr William Headley made the presentation for Sammons Communications, Inc
Attorney Stephen Russian made the presentation for Adams Russell, Inc
The Chairman requested a vote to adjourn the regular meeting before
opening the CATV hearings at 8 00 p m There will be no Executive Session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 7 45 p m
A true record, Attest
deOZZ"--;-221 °(4'."(j--
Executive Clerk
A'‘/
1
D\ V SELECTMEN'S MEETING
November 3, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, November 3, 1980 at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Buse, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson,
Town Manager, Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town
Manager; and Miss Casey, Executive Clerk, were present
Chairman Miley convened the meeting at 7 30 p m. and read a request Sewer
from the Town Engineer to sign sewer betterment assessments for Betterments
Patricia Terrace Patricia
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the sewer Terrace
betterment assessments for Patricia Terrace
A request from Donald D Wilson for abatement of sewer betterment Sewer
assessment on Parcel "C", Pleasant Street was read by the Chairman Betterment
The Manager informed the Board that the request was still being investi- Assessment
gated and requested the matter be tabled Donald C
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the re- Wilson
quest of Donald C Wilson for abatement of a sewer betterment assessment
on Parcel "C", Pleasant Street
The Chairman read a request from the manager of Brigham's (1777 Brigham's
Mass Avenue store) to open at 6 00 a m instead of 7 00 a m. Hours
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Changed
request of the manager of Brigham's (1777 Mass Avenue store) to open at
6 00 a m. instead of 7 00 a m
Town Counsel requested the Board to sign deed conveying tax title lot Tax Title
to Benjamin H Golini B H
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the deed con- Golini
veying tax title lot to Benjamin H Golini
The Chairman requested the Board to sign the agreement for LEXPRESS LEXPRESS
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Service Contract
Agreement By and Between the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
and the Town of Lexington, Effective September 1, 1979 under Article LV
extending the contract through November and December
The Chairman read the request of the Lexington Elks for renewal of Elks
its Beano license Beano
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the renewal License
license for the Lexington Lodge of Elks #2204
The Board discussed the Annual Town Election and Annual Town Meeting Annual
Upon motion dulymade and seconded, it was voted to call the Annual Town
P
Town Election Day on Monday, March 2, 1981 and set the polling hours Election
from 7 00 a.m. to 8 00 p m.
- 2 -
Annual Town The Manager requested the Board to delay a decision on calling the
Meeting Annual Town Meeting on March 16, 1981 due to the fact that a vote will be
taken on November 4 on Proposition 2 1/2. More_£inanciaL information
would be available at that, time, for the, Selectmen's review
Town Counsel pointed out that the Town By-Laws states that the first
Monday in March shall be the beginning of the annual town meeting which
means the election and the business session The General Laws states that
if an annual meeting is called more than 35 days after the election, a
separate warrant is required
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to delay a decision on
calling the Annual Town Meeting on March 16, 1981
Warrant The Chairman requested the Board's vote on the closing date of the
12/29/80 warrant for submission of articles
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to close the Warrant
for submission of articles on December 29, 1980 at 4 30 p m in the
Selectmen's Office
Ambulance The Manager briefed the Board relative to the prior discussion of the
Policy ambulance policy as submitted by the Chief and the concern generated by
the Board which dealt with commuter traffic conditions
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adopt the ambulance
policy with the following additional language at the beginning of para-
graph #3 "Except upon request of a physician made upon the basis of an em-
ergency", during commuter traffic conditions, et
Gypsy Moth a Mr Mazerall breifed the Board relative to the Gypsy moth control He
II/
Program showed maps indicating areas where spraying had been done and the control
effects by the use of Dipel He said he hoped to get two sprayers out
next year - one a hydraulic and two mist sprayers
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted, subject to the
availability of funding, an expanded program of Gypsy moth control using
Dipel only
Birdhill The Manager informed the Board that he and Mr. Busa had reviewed with
Sewer the Public Works personnel the overrun of $3,490 00 on the Birdhill sewer
Overrun construction
Mr Busa informed the Board that after this review he would accept the
explanation and recommended approval of this overrun
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
of the Town Engineer for the expenditure of $3,490 00 to cover the cost
of the overrun on the Birdhill Sewer Contract #80-1-E
Street The Manager presented the time sequence schedule for FY'82 Street
Acceptance Acceptance
FY '82 After discussion, it was agreed to accept the schedule as presented
Schedule Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the time
sequence schedule for FY '82 street acceptance subject to revision by
the Board as necessary
X33
- 3 -
Selectmen's Meeting November 3, 1980
The Board discussed the regulation of horse back riding on school Horse Back
property The Manager recommended that horses be specifically refer- Riding
enced and the public be advised that this will be voted on November 24 Schools
The Board agreed
Mr Crain suggested that Martin Gilman and Wilbur Jaquith be Garrity
appointed to the Garrity House Committee House
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Martin Committee
Gilman and Wilbur Jaquith to the Garrity House Committee
Mr Busa reported to the Board that the CATV Committee would be CATV
meeting on Wednesday and they would like to know if the Board would Committee
like to have the number of applicants reduced to less than five
They would also like to have an extension of 30 days before the closing
of the hearing to compile a questionnaire - The closing date is the 28th
of November and if the extension is granted it would be December 28th
After discussion, the Board agreed
Mr Kent took no part in the discussion
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0, by roll call Executive
vote, Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain to go Session
into Executive Session, with the intention of resuming the open session,
to discuss matters of collective bargaining and the sale of real estate
After discussion the open meeting was resumed
The Board met with Attorney Francis W K Smith relative to his Illegal
letter to the Chairman in which he stated that be has become aware of Housing
a number of illegal housing units existing in Lexington He stated that Units
these units are serving a worthwile housing need, but were put in with-
out building permits and in violation of the zoning by-laws He stated
that it was his understanding that the assessors who were doing the re-
valuation of the Town had cataloged all of the multiple family dwellings
in town If this list were turned over to the building inspector he
would be obliged to enforce the zoning by-law and hundreds of these units
would have to be closed down and the illegal use abated Mr Smith felt
that this would not be in the best interest of the Town and after discuss-
ing it with the Planning Director, suggested that some form of a mora-
torium or "amnesty" under which the existing units as of a certain date
after a hearing with notices to abutters and inspection by the building
commissioner and health inspector, could be given a special permit by the
Board of Appeals This procedure would enable the owners of such units
to legalize the existence of these units. He suggested that the Board
appoint a committee to study the problem who could recommend a warrant
article for Town Meeting for these units to be legalized
There was considerable discussion about the problem and the proposed
solution Mr Kent felt that he did not see how a zoning by-law could
be adopted giving the Board of Appeals permission to permit uses of this
type that already exist but not new ones
The Manager informed the Board that information now coming in indi-
cates that there may be as many as 100-200 or more now in existence In
some cases neighbors do not object but in others they have
..; -
Mr Crain stated that he felt it was a very complex problem and the
Board must address it He felt that more time was needed for the Board
to study the problem and requested that the matter be tabled
The Chairman pointed out that a motion had been made and seconded to
appoint the committee
Mr Kent suggested that the tabling motion take precedence over the
original motion He suggested that the reaction of the Planning should be
sought before any decision of the Board was made
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the appoint-
ment of a committee to study the problem of illegal housing units in the
Town
The Chairman thanked Mr Smith for bringing the matter up and he retired
from the meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0, by roll call vote,
Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent .and.Mr Crain, to return to Exe-
cutive Session for the purpose of discussing collective bargaining, with
no intention of resuming the Open Session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10 05 p m
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk
III
P 35
( (
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
November 17, 1980
A special meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building on Tuesday, November 17, at 7 30 p m
Chairman Miley, Mr Buse, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager and
Miss Casey, Executive Clerk were present
Chairman Miley opened the hearing on sewers for consideration in the Sewer
FY '82 Sanitary Sewer Program and called on Town Engineer, Michael Hanlon Hearing
Mr Hanlon informed the Board that the Engineering Department held
an administrative hearing on the sanitary sewer proposals for FY '82 on
November 5 Questionnaires and cover letters to all the reisdents affected
by the proposals were sent out There were twelve streets listed for con-
sideration He explained that Wood Street, Bellflower Street, Harbell
Street, Balfour Street and Jean Road were the last streets remaining from
the original "Category A" 2 5 million dollar bond issue; Blake Road and
Westview Streets were listed under "Category B" but were included because
of written requests for sewerage; Earl Street, Grant Place and Spring
Street were also "Category B" but it was decided to include them to get in-
put from the residents; Whittier Road and Redcoat Lane were in the original
"Category A", but were not recommended for construction in previous years
and it was decided to review them again
The Wood Street proposal extends from Conestoga Road to Hartwell
Avenue and is designed in three separate sections Residents at the Con-
estoga Road and Bates Avenue end are in favor; residents at Hartwell
Avenue end are opposed Vote at hearing on November 5 four in favor;
four against; three not sure Estimated cost $175,500
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee Hartwell Avenue end
much of the land is due to be developed, residents did not want the sewer-
suggest that the town wait and let the developer put it in Bates Road
section Should be sewered eventually, but no immediate problem exists
Conestoga Road section Should be built now There is a health problem
and most residents want the sewer
Bellflower Street, 90 feet, estimated cost $5,850 would service
only one resident who is not sure he wants it
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee Will be needed eventu-
ally but could be postponed until needed
Harbell Street, 685 feet, estimated cost $44,525 Sewer proposal
will require an easement down to Constitution Road Residents also re-
quested a drain to alleviate the storm water runoff problems that exist
between Harbell Street and Constitution Road
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee Sewer should be built
now as there is a health problem Solution to the drainage problem should
be coordinated with the sewer
Balfour Street, 230 feet, estimated cost $14,950
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee Sewer will be needed
eventually, but there is no immediate need None of residents answered
the questionnaire or attended November 5 hearing Might be more economical
to build the sewer at the same time as the one in Harbell Street
1i(' - 2 -
Jean Road, 530 feet, estimated cost $34,450
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee Although the Health Dept
mentioned a possible failing system, none of the residents contacted knew
of any problems -- none were particularly anxious for a sewer No one
attended the sewer hearing on November 5 Sewer will be needed here eventu-
ally (lots are fairly large) no immediate need
Blake Road, 155 feet, estimated cost $10,075
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee The one family which would
be served by this sewer wants it very much However, the lot is large and
the committee wondered about the possibility of the resident making his own
connection either downhill to Williams Road or uphill via a private force
pump to Blake Road
Westview Street, 1080 feet, estimated cost $70,200
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee None of the residents
showed up at the November 5 hearing It seems like a lot of sewer for so
few residents and the committee would like to hear more about the health
problem
Earl Street, 200 feet, gravity, estimated cost $13,000
390 feet, force main w/pumping station, est cost $25,350
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee Sewer is too expensive,
none of the residents seem interested
Grant Place, 405 feet, estimated cost $26,325
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee The houses are on a hill-
side with small lots and there is a health problem The sewer is needed
here, but there will be a problem as the road is not built upon the right-
of-way
Spring Street, 2080 feet, estimated cost $135,200
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee This sewer is too ex-
pensive - maybe the next developer will offer to build it
Whittier Road, 390 feet, estimated cost $25,350
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee Definitely No
Redcoat Lane, 110 feet, gravity, estimated cost $7,150
160 feet, force main w/pumping station, est cost $10,400
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee A pumping station that
requires a lifetime of daily inspections by two men is too expensive We
think the Engineering Department can help the reisdents come up with pri-
vate alternatives
Abutters present who wished to be recorded were as follows
Wood Street Kevin Roffi, 259 Wood Street, in favor; James Cosgrove,
307 Wood Street, opposed; Judith McNamara, 197 Wood Street, in favor;
Ellen Einstein, 207 Wood Street, in favor; John LaPointe, 227 Wood Street,
in favor; Bulent Kastarlat, 221 Wood Street, in favor
Bellfower Street No one spoke in favor or in opposition
Harbell Street Albert Landers, 15 Constitution Road, wants proper
drainage guarantee; Liz Myers, 11 Constitution Road, wants proper drainage
and sewer or none at all
Mr Busa explained that this was a sewer hearing and that drainage was
another subject to be taken up separately
Balfour Street No one spoke in favor or in opposition
Jean Road John C Bowman, 10 Jean Road, stated that a developer is
planning to run a sewer line to Lincoln Street and suggested that it might
be more advisable to run in that direction rather than toward Mass Avenue
Mr Hanlon stated that it was a possibility but it would mean going through
private property and obtaining an easement
- 3 - X37
Selectmen's Meeting November 17, 1980
Blake Road, 155 feet, estimated cost $10,075
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee The one family which would
be served by this sewer wants it very much On the other hand, the lot is
large, and we also wondered about the possibility of the resident making his
own connection either downhill to Williams Road or uphill via a private force
pump to Blake Road Joseph Mendola, 127 Blake Road spoke in favor of the sewer
The Chairman read a letter from the Health Director stating that there is
a health hazard at the location, the system is approximately 40 years old and
was not maintained properly
Earl Street, 200 feet gravity, estimated cost $13,000
" It 390 feet force main w/pumping station, est cost $25,350
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee This sewer is too expensive
and none of the residents seem interested No one spoke in favor or in
opposition of the sewer
Grant Place, 405 feet, estimated cost $26,325
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee These houses are on a hill-
side with small lots, and there is a health problem. A sewer will be needed
here, though there will be a problem as the road is not built upon the right-
of-way No one spoke in favor or in opposition of the sewer
Westview Street, 1080 feet, estimated cost $70,200
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee None of the residents showed
up at the November 5 hearing It seems like a lot of sewer for so few resi-
dents, and we would like to hear more about the health problem No one spoke
in favor or in opposition of the sewer
II/ Spring Street, 2080 feet, estimated cost $135,200
Recommendation of the Sewer Advisory Committee This sewer is too ex-
pensive Maybe the next developer will offer to build it No one spoke in
favor or in opposition of the sewer
Whittier Road, 390 feet, estimated cost $25,350
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee No No one spoke in favor
Wayne Solomon, 4 Whittier Road spoke in opposition
Redcoat Lane, 110 feet gravity, estimated cost $7,150
" " 160 feet force main w/pumping station, est cost $10,400
Recommendation by Sewer Advisory Committee A pumping station which re-
quires a lifetime of daily inspections by two men is too expensive We think
the Engineering Department can help the residents come up with private al-
ternatives The Chairman read a letter from Louis R Vitiello requesting the
sewer system to be constructed No one spoke in opposition
The Chairman declared the hearing closed of 8 25 p m. and stated that
the Selectmen will take all statements under advisement when the decision is
made during the budget process
The Chairman resumed the regular meeting with a request from the One Day
Recreation Committee of W R. Grace for a One Day Liquor License for Novem- Liquor
ber 19, 1980 License
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant a One Day
Liquor License to RAEDACC Association of W R. Grace for November 19, 1980
23t) - 4 -
Battle Green The Chairman read a request from Mr Jacques Helman, producer, French
National Public Television for permission to film historic sites in Lex-
ington including the Battle Green between November 20 and November 22
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission to
Mr Jacques Helman, producer, French National Public Television to film
historic sites in Lexington including the Battle Green between November 20
and November 22
Appt Garrity Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mr Lawrence
House Comm Whipple to the Garrity House Committee
Police Con- The Manager informed the Board that a tentative agreement with the Police
tract Union has been reached that goes back to July, 1979 It will necessitate
a Special Town Meeting in January
Manager's The Manager presented the five-year projected tax rate and stated that
Items Proposition 2 1/2 has changed the estimates considerably He had spent
the morning in the office of revenue trying to get guidelines on what is
a definition of fair cash value He feels that the State will be coming
out with a definition soon, and that the budget process will be more com-
plicated because of the passage of Proposition 2 1/2
The library addition work has begun and remain a very difficult problem.
Permission was given to the High School Music Department's Concert
Choir to go Christmas Caroling in Lexington Center on Saturday, December 13
and Saturday, December 20
111
There was no executive session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 8 40 P M
A true record, Attest
I 24-7-
6- ,
Executive Clerk
64-7-4
A\)
3"
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
November 24, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in Estabrook Hall
on Monday, November 24, 1980 at 7 30 p m Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs
Battin, Mr Kent, Mr Crain; Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town
Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager and Miss Casey, Executive
Clerk were present
Chairman Miley opened the hearing on the petition of the Gulf Oil Com- Gulf Oil
pany for permission and license to remove existing six (6) 3,000 gallon Gasoline
underground gasoline storage tanks and the installation of fear (4) 10,000 Hearing
gallon underground gasoline storage tanks and one (1) 10,000 gallon under-
ground diesel storage tank on the premises at Marrett Road and Waltham St
The Chairman read a report from the Fire Chief stating that an in-
spection had been made of the premises and all regulations had been met and
recommended approval by the Board
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
to the Gulf Oil Company to remove existing six (6) 3,000 gallon underground
gasoline storage tanks and install four 10,000 gallon fiberglass under-
ground gasoline storage tanks and one (1) 10,000 gallon underground diesel
storage tank on the premises at Marrett Road and Waltham Street
Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Busa abstaining, it was voted Liquor
to renew the following liquor licenses for the year 1981 Licenses
Renewals
PACKAGE GOODS STORES
Berman's Market, Incorporated 1775 Wine & Spirit Shop, Inc
Vinebrook Corporation Busa Bros Liquors, Inc
Lexington Liquor Mart, Inc
RESTAURANTS
Bora-Bora, Inc Peking Gardens
LeBellecour Yangtze River Restaurant
INNHOLDER
Sheraton-Lexington Motor Inn
CLUBS
Lexington Golf Club Lexington Lodge #2204 Elks
Knights of Columbus Council No 94
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to renew the Entertain- Enter-
ment License for the Sheraton-Lexington Motor Inn for the year 1981 tainment
License
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Minutes
minutes of Selectmen's Meetings of August 18, 1980 (open and Executive
Session)and Executive`Session of September 8, 1980 (as corrected)
J .) - 2 -
Traffic Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request the recom-
Safety mendations of the Traffic Safety Committee relative to complaints from citi-
zens on safety problems on Bow Street, Walnut Street and Lawrence Lane
CATV Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Kent abstaining, it was voted
to close the CATV hearings on December 1, 1980 at 4 30 p m.
Auctioneer Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the issuance
License of an Auctioneer License for one day, December 4, 1980, to Robert J Virtue
Boston Chairman Miley opened the hearings on the petition of the Boston Edison
Edison to install 8 feet of conduit in Walnut Street and 54 feet of conduit in Con-
cord Avenue Notices of the hearings were sent to the abutters Mr Robert
Malis addressed the Board explaining the necessity for the conduit
The Chairman read the report from the Director of Public Works/Eningeering
which recommended approval of the requests
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the petition
of the Boston Edison Company for permission to install 8 feet of conduit in
Walnut Street, southerly, approximately 1,230 feet southwest of Concord
Avenue
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the petition
of the Boston Edison Company for permission to install 54 feet of conduit in
Concord Avenue, southwesterly, approximately 1,725 feet southeast of Chad-
bourne Road
Hearing was opened on the petition of the Boston Edison for the reloca-
tion of pole 110/12 in Walnut Street
Notices were sent to the abutters
Mr Malis explained that the work was necessary to clear driveway of
new house
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the petition
of the Boston Edison Company for permission to relocate pole 110/12 in
Walnut Street
N E Tel & Hearing was opened on the petition of the Boston Edison and N E
Tel Telephone & Telegraph Company for joint pole location on Washington Street
Boston Notices were sent to the abutters
Edison Mr Robert Boudreau represented the Telephone Company and Mr Robert
Malis represented the Boston Edison
It was explained that the proposed pole was needed as owner of new home
requested removal of wires across property, consequently said pole was needed
to properly service several other customers
Upon motion duly made and seconded, Mr Crain abstaining, it was voted
to approve the petition of the Boston Edison Company and the N E Telephone
Company for a joint pole location on Washington Street, one pole 108/lA
The Chairman declared the hearings closed and Mr Malis and Mr Boudreau
retired from the meeting
Revenue The Manager informed the Board that he had received a letter from Rep
Sharing Shannon stating that H R 7112, General Revenue Sharing bill, had been passed
H R 7112 by the House of Representatives Under the bill cities and town will be
eligible for $4 6 billion a year in revenue sharing funds for the next three
years It also authorized $2 3 billion for state participation in revenue
sharing
c/ '
— 3 —
Selectmen's Meeting November 24, 1980
The Manager informed the Board on the following items
The Massachusetts Firefighter's Academy will be using a vacant house Manager's
at 76 Concord Avenue for training firefighters The house is boarded up, Items
vacant and has been vandalized It is owned by the State and Met State
Hospital Training has been scheduled for November 24, 25, 28 and 29 and
all neighbors have been notified It will be burned as part of the training
Representative Doran has contacted the Manager and he suggested that
Rep Doran be requested to consider filing legislation that calls for
The abolishment of Middlesex County Government or enabling legislation
to allow towns to decide whether or not they want to participate in County
Government
The Manager feels that the Governor's legislation relative to the META
does not provide managerial rights that are necessary to run the MBTA. He
feels that the Cohen/Barrett bill does not address binding arbitration for
the Carmen and_should be changed
Under Chapter 41, Section 111F -- Off Duty Pay for Work Related In-
juries -- he feels that this statute has become a matter of abuse by many
He referenced recent incident with two firefighters It is his opinion
that if the town pays the money, it should be the one to determine the
level of incapacitation He would like the statute amended, not to com-
promise legitimate injuries, but to provide the capacity to question the
' injuries and encourage people to go back to work
The Mass Municipal Association has taken a stand on Local Aid/Tax
Reform and he feels that its position of getting off the property tax and
allowing for expansion of local aid, cost constraints should be supported
Mrs Battin informed the Board that a meeting of over 300 selectmen,
managers and mayors and the Mass Municipal Association was held on Satur-
day The Tax Policy Committee, which she chaired, had been directed by
the Board of Directors to come up technical corrections to Proposition
2 1/2 to make it possible to work administratively She stated that the
Municipal Association is trying to help the communities deal with 2 1/2
rationally and responsibly and has printed a booklet givingideas for
dealing with the problem A long range tax reform property tax relief
proposal was adopted by the Association and legislation is going to be
filed
Mr Kent reopened the question of off duty pay for woxk_related in-
juries to public employees and suggested that the Manager be authorized to
contact Sen Rotondi and Rep Elect Doran regarding the Board's position
in this matter The Board agreed
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the G_b. Ch 14
Manager to communicate with Sen Rotondi and Rep elect Doran the Board's Sec 111F
desire that a bill be filed to enable the Legislature to deal with the
question of determination of injuries of public employees under Chapter 41,
Section 111F
The Board met with Mr George Wadsworth, Chairman of the Appropria- Appropria-
tion Committee regarding the Committee's report in the town warrant It tion
was the opinion of the Committee that this procedure, as has been followed Committee
in the past two years, was unsatisfactory because of incomplete financial
L _
3u -
information for. Committee members to vote on due to the fact that the :Se-
lectmen determined what they will request by the middle of January when
the warrant must go to be printed They take a Committee vote before the
report goes out and then have to vote again on items possibly two or three
times more He felt that it was unfair to ask a Committee member to vote
on specific item without knowing what, in general, the budget is going to
be
The Board discussed the matter and the Chairman informed Mr Wads-
worth that they would take it under further advisement and inform him
of its decision.
The Chairman thanked Mr Wadsworth for bring the matter to the Board's
attention and he retired from the meeting
Police The Manager informed the Board that he had concluded an agreement with
Contract the police union and that the law provides that within 30 days of the sign-
ing of the contract (which has not been signed yet) and he would request
that the Board call for a special town meeting in January He recommended
the week of January 12 for Town Meeting to pass on the contract
Prop 2 1/2 The Board met with Town Boards and Committees and citizens of the town
Meeting to discuss the impact of Proposition 2 1/2 on the town budget
The Manager addressed the Board and the audience and presented a pre-
liminary budget and explained that the figures were only projections and
subject to change He explained that the immediate problem is an estimated
loss of $900,000 in revenue during the year He suggested appropriate
measures to absorb some of the loss including cutting back on non-essential
costs and controlling overtime and delaying capital construction He pointed
out that State and County assessments were unpredictable He also stated.
that he anticipated about a $400,000 loss in receipts area but has been made
up somewhat in the expense area because Clarke Jr High is now paid for
Offsetting expenses will be experienced but there is a revenue loss in the
sense of the Cherry Sheet because it is made in the expense area He feels
that overall it will be a help
Further reductions presented by the Manager for consideration were
the periodically closing of the East Lexington fire house based upon avail-
ability of manning, cutting of the detail rate for Itek, cutting out the
afternoon parade on Patriots day, deletion of private contractors for snow
removal, and reduction in printing of the town report, if legally possible
He pointed out that the Board of Selectmen are the major fee setting authority
in the town including sewer, rubbish and water fees and can be adjusted to
generate revenue He stated that based upon a 55%/45% sharing of the schools
tax, he hoped that Dr Lawson and he would have some direction, for addi-
tional planning purposes, that they could go forward on the assumption that
if there has to be rollbacks it would be on a 55%/45% basis just for plann-
ing purposes which is subject to change Chairman of the School Committee,
Otis Brown, said his department would like to cooperate, but he had his doubts
that it could be accomplished Dr Lawson, stated that the School Depart-
ment has eliminated 150 positions in the last five years and that they could
be near the "bottom of the line" Upon questioning from Mr Crain, Dr Lawson
stated that the student-teacher ratio hasn't changed because the eliminated
positions were mainly administrative, secretarial, payroll and accounting
positions '
Ii
- 5 - y�
Selectmen's Meeting November 24, 1980
Theues io
q t n of user fees was discussed and the Manager explained that
the proponents of Proposition 2 1/2 have pointed out that towns under utilize
the use of fees for raising revenue He will be recommending a water, sewer
and refuse fee
Mr Crain asked the Manager if the schools generate some fees did he
propose that they have the management of the funds Mr Hutchinson stated
that, at the present time, he felt that the municipal budget was in .better
shape than the school budget, and while it is a policy decision, he would
recommend sharing with the school system the benefit of all of the revenue
Mr Crain stated that serious consideration should be given to the
schools retaining the fees that they generate
The Manager stated that regarding service reductions and layoffs,
reducing service would also mean reduction in help and that school was
more payroll and he did not see any layoffs due to service reductions He
stated that he will not be recommending any substantial professional lay-
offs
Mr Crain stated that one of the things to be looked at is that the
span of supervision, which in good times, can be very rich but in times
like these, there is an obligation to look very critically at, not only
laying off the workers, but supervisors
Mr Hutchinson stated that there will be some professional and tech-
nical staff reductions but he is trying to avoid that this fiscal year
Policy making relative to service reductions would have a bearing on the
layoffs
Mr Hutchinson stated that his approach to the "free cash" was to
see what cost containment can be made now to save as much as possible
and utilize the $3,000,000 "free cash" to absorb the difference
Mr Crain cautioned that a reasonable to retain a "reasonable free
cash" in order to get the best rates possible in funding He stated that
he felt that it was very fallacious to reduce the "free cash" and spend it
on long term borrowing
The Manager stated that he felt that existing services should be cut
back now in order to make up some of the revenue loss by the excise tax
He felt that if all the agencies could generate new fees some of the impact
of Proposition 2 1/2 can be rolled back He expressed his concern about
the State budget situation and felt that it was time for cities and towns
look. to tax reform in the State
Mr Grush, Chairman of the Board of Assessors, informed the Board
that revaluation is going as scheduled and the report will be in to the
Board and the assessors in May
Mr Kent asked what date the property owners would obtain the infor-
mation of what is the valuation of their property
Mr Grush stated that the impact notices that will set forth the
values for individual properties will go out about a month prior to the
completion of the contract
Mr Cohen informed the Board that relative to bonding, the rating
agencies have not, as yet, made a decision on what they are going to do
III as far as Massachusetts municipalities is concerned However, as for new
debt, unless there is some Legislative changes, they won't be able to have
opinions anymore which say that our bonds will be made from unlimited
z4 - 6 -
J
taxation because it will be limited by the 2 1/2 legislation and that it
will affect the rates which will be much higher
Questions from the audience were answered by the Manager who stated
that all agencies were going to be asked to cut back where possible in order
to help offset the $900,000 revenue loss
The Chairman thanked all Committee representatives and others in
attendance for taking part in the meeting and resumed the rest of the Select-
men's meeting
The Manager requested the Board to discuss his suggested cutbacks and
stated that more information would be needed on the East Lexington Fire
House recommendation and requested direction on the snow removal suggestion.
He stated that he had received no objections from Chief Corr or Chief
Bergeron This referred only to pick-up in the center
Snow Removal Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the
Center Manager to delete the services of private contractors for snow removal in
the center
Police The Board discussed the Manager's suggestion to cut out the police
Itek detail at Itek
Mr Kent stated that he was reluctant to vote on this without first
sending notification to Itek
Chief Corr suggested that Itek be notified that the detail was going
to be cut out by the town, but if they wanted to pay for it it could con-
tinue
The Manager is to notify Itek that this police detail would be cut
out unless they wanted to pay for it and is to report back to the Board on
December 8
Town Report Reduction in the printing of the town report was discussed and the
Manager is to come back to the 'Board at the Deceniser 8 meeting with. infor-
mation as to how far, legally, it can be cut back
Patriots' The Patriots' Day parades were discussed and Mr Crain suggested com-
Day bining the youth parade with the afternoon parade as .a means of cutting
expenses It was the feeling of the Board that some means of providing
pleasure for citizens should be retained, if possible, during this time
Mr Kent felt that the youth parade in the morning was a tradition and that
the Town Celebrations Committee should be consulted about it and that per-
haps the Committee could come up with suggestions of cutting back on the
afternoon parade without cutting it out altogether
The Manager suggested that at the next meeting public works projects
be discussed to see where delays can be implemented
The Chairman declared the meeting adjourned at 10 30 p m
A true record, Attest
Yde66,e--a L-727 Od
Executive Clerk
3 (\i1
11 SELECTMEN'S MEETING
December 8, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Select-
men's Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, December 8, 1980 at
7 30 P M Chairman Miley, Mr Buse, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain;
Mr Hutchinson, Town Manager; Mr Cohen, Town Counsel; Mrs Banks, Assist-
ant to the Town Manager and Miss Casey Executive Clerk were present
The Chairman convened the meeting and called upon Mr Louis Zehner, Treasurer
Town Treasurer, who requested the Board's approval to borrow $236,000
for payment on sewer construction and conservation purchases He recom-
mended that the awards be made to the low bidder, Shawmut County Bank at
an interest rate of 7 75%
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the
recommendation of the Town Treasurer to borrow $100,000 for payment on
sewer construction from Shawmut County Bank of Cambridge at 7 75% and
$136,000 for conservation purchases from Shawmut County Bank of Cambridge
at 7 75% Bond anticipation loans dated December 12, 1980 and are due
June 16, 1981
Mr James Russell of Arthur Andersen & Co met with the Board to Audit
report on the annual audit
Mr Russell stated that in 1980, as in previous years, there are
basically three products of the audit (1) a set of financial statements
as of June 30 with an auditor's report as to the fairness of presentation
of the account balances, (2) continuation of a practice that was started
in 1979 of providing a two page topical outline that summarizes signifi-
cant observations that might be derived from a review of the financial
statements of the Town, (3) a management letter outlining suggestions for
improvements in controls in procedures etc
He stated that the auditor's report, which is the one page financial
statement that his firm gets (basically the town's) has two qualifications
as in previous years and is typical of many cities and town in the Com-
monwealth dealing with the funding of the pension costs on an actuarial
basis The Town is one of 21 towns in the Commonwealth that has provided
supplemental funds, but it still falls short of what one was providing if
spreading the pension cost over the useful life of the individual's em-
ployment. The second point referenced was the failure to include fixed assets
of the Town in its books of accounts or financial statements He stated
that these qualifications are fairly typical of a city or town with the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Mr. Russell stated that the format of the financial statement are
comparable to previous years, with minor modifications, and comparable to
reporting that will be required as of July 1, 1981 under the new Massa-
chusetts Statute Accounting System. This is a forerunner of reports that
will be received starting in fiscal 1982 He stated that statistics and
ratios indicates that Lexington makes good use of its economic resources
He explained that the management letter was a by-product of the
L
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audit process and summarizes the observations that were derived at as the
result of testing procedures and controls, departmental visits that were
made during the course of the audit and results of review of account bal-
ances
After a brief discussion of the report, the Chairman thanked
Mr Russell for his presentation
Mr Russell expressed his appreciation to Mr Hutchinson, Mr Zehner
and Mr Perry for their cooperation and assistance during the audit pro-
cess and retired from the meeting
N E Tel The Chairman read a request from the N E Tel & Tel and Boston Edi-
Boston son for permission to install 16 ft of conduit in Marrett Road
Edison Mr Boudreau of the Telephone Company was present and Mr Kelley rep-
Marrett Rd resented the Boston Edison.
The Chairman read a recommendation from the Department of Public Works
stating that it was a public hearing and that notices had been sent to all
abutters The recommendation approved installation of the conduit which
is necessary to service a new subdivision on Malt Lane The connection must
be made from a joint owned pole on Marrett Road
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
of the N E Telephone & Telegraph Company and the Boston Edison Company for
permission to install 16 feel of conduit in Marrett Road to service a new
subdivision in Malt Lane
Lex. Com- The Board met with Mr William R Page and Mr Jacob B Gardner of the
munity Lexington Community Health Committee relative to its request to amend the
Health charge to the Committee
Committee Mr Page and Mr Gardner gave a brief presentation of what the Committee
is doing now and why the request was being made
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the request
of the Lexington Community Health Committee to amend the wording Charge A
and Charge B The amended charge to the Committee is as follows
1 It was agreed by the Board that it would be a Committee of
five people reporting, for the time being, to the Board of
Selectmen
2 It is to be charged with the following assignments
A. To participate, with Human Services Committee in draw-
ing up a charter for a permanent community health com-
mittee, structured appropriately under the Human Ser-
vices Committee umbrella
B Collect information on medical and other health services
available to the citizens and as reviewed with the Board
of Health at its June 18 meeting, and publicize informa-
tion on these services
C In defining a charter, this Ad Hoc Committee will take
into account the proposed charter contained in the
January 10, 1979, memorandum to the Board as endorsed
by the American Association of Retired Person Executive
Committee, the Lexington Council on Aging and The Health
Legislation Sub-Committee of the Lexington Forum on Aging
L
- 3 - 7 1/7
Selectmen's Meeting December 8, 1980
The Board met with Mrs Kate Fricker, Chairman of the Recycling Recycling
Committee relative to the draft proposal submitted by the Committee Committee
Mr Busa stated that he supported the concept of the recycling, but
brought up the question of liability of the Town in regard to those who
would be working on this project at the landfill on a voluntary basis
Mr Hutchinson stated that the liability does exist and that the
Town would absorb it
Mrs Fricker suggested that in other towns such as Acton these volun-
teers are covered under the town's liability policy
Mr Kent felt that this was a serious matter and that information as
to whether or not coverage is provided by the Town's liability policy should
be obtained before any further action is taken on the matter
Mr Hutchinson is to have a report at the next meeting
The Chairman thanked Mrs Fricker and the Committee and they retired
from the meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the request Sheraton
of the Sheraton-Lexington Inn for an extension of hours under its liquor Liquor
license to 1 00 a m. on New Year's Eve License
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the renewal Common
Common Victualler Licenses for the following Vic Rens
Sheraton-Lexington Motor Inn Chadwick's
Lexington House of Pizza Baskin Robbins Store #1723
Mario's Restaurant Lexington Golf Club
Yangtze River Restaurant Bora-Bora, Inc
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Enter- Entertain-
tainment License for 1981 for the Sheraton-Lexington Inn ment Lic
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the re- Knights of
quest of the Lexington Council #94 Knights of Columbus for an extension of Columbus
hours under its liquor license to 1 00 a m. on New Year's Eve An exten- Liq Lic
sion of hours to 2 00 a m was requested but denied
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the resig- eshogyation
nation of Arthur C Smith from the School Sites Conversion Committee Sites Com
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve_the Minutes
minutes of the Selectmen's Meeting of September 15
The Board discussed the list of recommended F Y 1982 streets Streets
Mr Busa brought up the question of the Manager's intention to cut F Y '82
back on construction costs due to the financial constraints of Proposi-
tion 2 1/2 He pointed out that some of the streets may have been voted
by last year's Town Meeting and felt that these should be dealt with be-
fore dealing with new construction Mr Kent felt that all the streets
in question should be considered before any decision was made
tA4t - 4 -
It was also pointed out that sub-division streets could be voted on as they
did not cost the town any funding It was decided to table the matter.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the vote
of the intent to lay out streets recommended for F Y 1982
CATV The Board met with the CATV Committee regarding the issuance of a
CATV license
Mr Busa, the Selectmen's representative, on the CATV Committee addressed
the Board and extended appreciation to Mr Page and the rest of the Committee
for eight years of study and work in compiling statistics to complete the pro-
posals now before the Board
Mr Page presented the Committee's evaluation which represented the con-
sensus of the Committee that several excellent proposals were submitted The
Committee recommended that the Board vote to proceed with the issuance of
a provisional license He cautioned that issuance of the license would im-
pose an obligation on the leadership of the Town to devote time and energy
to getting effective local use out of the system IC was made clear to the
applicants that local use was a primary consideration in Lexington He
stated that they have responded positively to this in their proposals
Mr Page pointed out that if the Board goes ahead with the issuance of the
license the ball is in the Town's court and that two-way CATV is a very
powerful medium and could enhance the quality of life in Lexington
The Chairman stated that the hearings for CATV closed on December 1
and any material submitted to the Board after that could not be considered
Mr Kent left the room while deliberations and voting was conducted.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the report
of the CATV Advisory Committee
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award a provisional
license for CATV in Lexington
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to award a provisional
license to Adams-Russell Company, Inc to provide CATV in the Town of Lexington
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mr Busa
and Mr Crain a committee of two, to draw up the public statement of the
Board of Selectmen containing in detail the reasons for the approval or
denial of each application for a license to construct and operate a cable
television system in Lexington
Dog Hearing The Board discussed the minutes of the Broussard/Sussman dog hearing
Broussard/ held December 3, 1980
Sussman Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to notify Mr Martin
Sussman that the Board of Selectmen has determined that the dog is a
nuisance by reason of running loose in violation of the Lexington Lea41 Law
and orders
"That this dog be removed from the legal boundaries of the Town of Lex-
ington within fifteen (15) days If at the end of the fifteen days the dog
is not removed, it will be picked up by the Animal Control Officer and be
under his jurisdiction
- 5 -
9
Selectmen's Meeting December 8, 1981
II/ The Board met with the Planning Board and the Conservation Commis- Planning Bd
sion relative to what measures will be taken to offset the impact of Conservation
Proposition 2 1/2 in the acquisition of land by the Conservation Commis- Commission
sion and its use and growth by the Planning Board
The possibility of a building moratorium was discussed and Mr Hut-
chinson stated that asking the town to absorb the cost of additional sewer
and water services generated by new development is,unrealistic under 2 1/2
restrictions and he would consider a building moratorium. He felt that
the anti-growth consequences that many believe are indicated by the impact
of 2 1/2 were not the original intention of the statute
Planning Board Chairman, Iris Wheaton questioned type of building that
would be affected by the moratorium - commercial, residential or low and
moderate income housing
Mrs Battin stressed that this was just a discussion and not a final
determination of the issue She felt that the position paper developed by
Planning Director Bowyer, attempting to explain the consequences 2 1/2
might have on the town's decision to rezone land made sense. However, the
planning board had refused to adopt the statement at its meeting last week
Mr Cohen pointed out that for the 1981 Town Meeting probably only
judgments will be made as in the past He stated that a developer can't
be prevented from presenting an article
Mrs Laura Nichols of the Planning Board stated that its housing
commitment must be considered
David Williams, Chairman of the Conservation Commission, informed the
Board that his committee is preparing to raise fees for those applying for
wetland protection hearings under the local wetland bylaws He suggested
that the Selectmen become involved in the disposition of land on the Metro-
politan State Hospital property of which ninety-six acres is located in
Lexington He stated that much of the land is leased for farming and the re-
mainder is low and wet
Mr Kent stated that he felt that two separate issues were being dis-
cussed -- one the question of rezoning which he felt Town Meeting was per-
fectly free not to pass any rezoning if they did not want to The second
issue was the building moratorium he felt that more information was needed
as to the constitutional limitations before it could be discussed intell-
igently
The Chairman thanked the Planning Board and Conservation Commission
members for their input and they retired from the meeting
The Manager informed the Board that the Transportation Committee had LEXPRESS
recommended cutting out the two busses that run from 6 30 to 7 00 p m. on
LEXPRESS at a savings of $2,200
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the
Transportation Committee to cut out the two busses that run from 6 30 to
7 00 p m.
The Chairman called on Mrs Jacquelyn Smith, Chairman of the Hanscom Hanscom
Field Advisory Committee She addressed the Board and stated that in the Field
Spring the Legislature had passed legislation under Chapter 290 establish- Advisory
ing the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission at Laurence G Hanscom Field Commission
This gives permanence to the group that is now in place of the four-town
regional advisory committee through the boards of selectmen She referred
the_Board to its copy of a list of persons recommended by the Committee
- 6 -
for membership on the new committee She pointed out that the names of
many people on the original committee were recommended because of the in-
volvement of the committee in the 18 month review period on the noise rules
at Hanscom Field The Committee felt that continuity was important on the
committee during that period She pointed out that the staggered terms that
are part of the new legislation will allow for a more orderly transition to11/
new people She informed the Board that Massport agreed to take care of the
clerical and mailing expenses and is putting on a staff person who will be
overseeing the Noise Rule at Hanscom and will work closely with the committee
giving assistance with statistical matters
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Mrs
Jacquelyn Smith as Lexington's designee to the newly formed Hanscom Field
Advisory Commission
The Chairman thanked Mrs Smith for all the work and time she has put
into the Committee in the past and her willingness to continue to serve the
town Mrs Smith retired from the meeting
Town Report The Manager referred the Board to its copy of a recommendation from
the Town Report Committee in response to the constraints of Proposition 2 1/2
The Committee suggested the elimination of all non-essential text and pages
possible (2) publication of only one edition -- combined Parts I & II, and
(3) Publication of only 1500 copies discontinuing the practice of Town-
wide distribution
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the recom-
mendations of the Town Report Committee for the publication on only one
edition combining Parts I & II, elimination of all non-essential text and
pages and discontinuance of the practice of Town-wide distribution
E Lexington The Manager reported to the Board that he had contacted ISO and could
Fire not get a formal response from them relative to the Board's questions re-
Station garding the Fire Department Overtime in relation to the closing of the
East Lexington Fise_ sts,tion He stated that it would be unlikely that there
would be any insurance changes for residences or businesses unless the ex-
perience changed dramatically
Mr Busa asked if the E. Lexington station was closed down and bring-
ing the personnel to headquarters would this not mean that one less piece
of equipment would be available in case of a fire
The Manager replied that it would mean that an engine would be taken
out of service He stated that the minimum is 12 He also stated that
the Town can now bargain by piece as to what was a reasonable amount of
manpower to have on a piece of equipment He stated that this enabled the
Town to make cost decisions of this type and it was decided to have three
men to an engine
Chief Bergeron stated that with this set-up and putting all of the
people in the headquarters, it gives more flexibility as to which pieces
will be manned
The Manager stated that he was not recommending, at this time, that
the firestation be closed, but right now there is a fiscal problem dealing
with overtime He said that it was a legitimate alternate. going below
minimum to man the main firehouse and gives the option of saving possibly
$20,000
Mr Kent felt that the Board was making basic fundamental decisions
about the make-up and operation of the Lexington Fire Department by taking
this step He felt that it was a matter of concern and legitimate par-
Selectmen's Meeting December 8, 1980
ticipation of the citizens through the Town Meeting process He also ex-
pressed concern that cuts were being made on an item by item basis with-
out-comparisons
The Manager said that he understood his concerns, but that he felt
that each day a decision was delayed meant spending more money He said
he understood the problem about the level of service to the community,
but felt that no group should be considered exempt from considering cuts
Mr Crain stated that the frustration is that a budget was built
and a piece of legislation was passed that carves that budget in a very
serious way It presents a difficult management problem and if cuts are
not made now people will have to be laid aff and he felt that he didn't
want any part of that this time around
Mr Smith, Town Meeting Member, who lives on the other side of the
E Lexington firehouse asked how long it takes to get from the Center
firehouse to the E Lexington firehouse and what proportion of time is
it expected that manning would go below the minimum.
Chief Bergeron stated that it takes approximately 2 1/2 to 3 minutes
from the Center firehouse to E Lexington depending on weather, traffic
and what __is perceived to be the seriousness of the call It is ex-
pected to go below the 12 almost every shift in December primarily because
of longevity vacations That brings it down to bare minimum and then
there are injuries and illness that have to be considered Again in June,
because of vacations, there would be a manpower shortage The Chief
also pointed out that of the 12 men of the 15 man shift, there is one
non-firefighting position, the dispatcher, who is actually one of the 15
It was decided to table the matter until further information is
available
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the
recommendation of the Town Manager to close the E Lexington Firehouse
periodically until further information is available
Other rollback items suggested by the Manager were discussed and
the following votes were taken
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to cutout the Police
police detail at Itek Itek
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the DPW
Manager's request for DPW cuts relative to Rockville, Kendall, Adams Cuts
and North Streets, sidewalk construction, Westview Cemetery Development
and holding back on the Sanitary Sewer Program with certain exceptions
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted cut back, ef- Mystic Valley
fective immediately, on Mystic Valley Mental Health Center Association,
Inc and recommending zero funding next year
A tentative date of January 26, 1981 was set for Town Meeting Town Meeting
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,5-
(Executive Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call
Session vote -- Mrs Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain -- to
go into executive session for the purpose of discussing a matter of
litigationwith no, intention of resuming the open session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at
11 15 p m.
A true record, Attest
Executive Clerk
I
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53
" SELECTMEN'S MEETING
December 22, 1980
A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's
Meeting Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, December 22, 1980 at 7 30 p m.
Chairman Miley, Mr Busa, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent, and Mr Crain; Mr Hutchin-
son, Town Manager; Mrs Banks, Assistant to the Town Manager; Mr Cohen,
Town Counsel; Miss Casey, Executive Clerk, were present
The Chairman read a request from the Acting Chairman of the Traffic Stop Sign
Safety Committee requesting the pleasure of the Board relative to present- Kendall/
ing a request for a STOP sign at Kendall and Marrett Roads Marrett
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to request the recom-
mendations of the Traffic Safety Committee relative to the request of
Lawrence E Labadini for a STOP sign at Kendall Road at Marrett Road
The Chairman read a request from the Lexington Housing Authority for Lexington
the Board's support df its application for housing assistance under Section Housing
8 Section 8
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to support the Lexing-
ton Housing Authority's application for housing assistance under Section 8
The Chairman read the list of applications for license renewals for' Common the year 1981 Victualler
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to renew Common Licenses
Victualler Licenses for the following
Pine Meadows Country Club, Friendly Ice Cream Corp (1060 Waltham
St ) , Lexington Enterprises, Inc d/b/as Peking Gardens, Muffin
House of Lexington d/b/as Pewter Pot, Gracie's Restaurant, Inc
d/b/as Gracies, Bernie & Claude Donuts, Inc d/b/as Dunkin Donuts,
Mang Corporation d/b/as Kentucky Fried Chicken, Berkhout Corp
d/b/as LeBellecour, Marno's Inc d/b/as Arno's, Howard Johnson's,
Alexias Panagiatou d/b/as Alexander's Pizza, Denny's Establishment,
Daman Enterprises, Inc d/b/as Bel Canto Restaurant, Bellino's
Bakery, Inc , Brigham's, A Division of Jewel Cos , Inc (Mass
Avenue) , Louis J Carbonaro d/b/as Brigham's (Bedford Street)
Friendly Ice Cream Corp (Bedford Street), Ruth Benoit d/b/as The Kitchen.
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to renew Innkeeper Innkeeper
Licenses for the following Licenses
WHH Company d/b/as Battle Green Inn, Lexington Wild Acre Inn
Lexington Chalet, Inc
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to renew Common Common
Carrier Licenses as follows Carrier
Bedford Local Transit, John E Osborn d/b/as Colonial Tours Licenses
1"1 -
Common Car- The Chairman read a request for a Common Carrier License from Dee Bus
rier Lic Service of W Concord to provide commuter service for Lincoln Lab employees
The route as follows proceeding into the Town of Lexington on Massachusetts
Avenue (Route 2A) to the access road of Hanscom Air Force Base to the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory Facility, where the
route shall terminate for the pick up and discharge of passengers
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the appli-
, cation of the Dee Bus Service for a Common Carrier License to provide com-
muter service for Lincoln Lab employees along the route specified
Auctioneer The Chairman read a request for an Auctioneer License from Jennett
License Mael, 67 Fottler Avenue
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
of Jennett Mael, 67 Fottler Avenue for an Auctioneer License
CATV Com. The Chairman read a notification from the Town Clerk that the resigna-
Resignation tion of Sandra Small from the CATV Committee was filed in the office of the
Town Clerk on December 11
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the resigna-
tion of Sandra Small from the CATV Committee
STOP Signs The Chairman read a recommendation from the Traffic Safety Committee
Kendall Rd /for the installation of a STOP sign at Kendall and Marrett Roads
Marrett Rd Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recom-
mendation of the Traffic Safety Committee for the installation of a STOP
sign at Kendall Road, southwestbound at Marrett Road and Kendall Road
northeastbound at Marrett Road
STOP Sign The Chairman read a recommendation from the Traffic Safety Committee
Walnut St / for the installation of a STOP sign at Walnut Street and Concord Avenue
Concord Ave Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the recom-
mendation of the Traffic Safety Committee for the installation of a STOP
sign at Walnut Street, northbound at Concord Avenue
CATV The Board discussed the public statement on CATV issued by the Board
jPublic in compliance with the licensing regulations of the Massachusetts Community
Statement Antenna Television Commission (207 CMR 3 04 (2)
The statement incorporated the information that the Board of Selectmen
at its December 8, 1980 meeting voted to approve the application of the
Adams-Russell Company and to deny the applications of Continental Cable-
vision, Greater Boston/Colony, Rollins Cablevision and Sammons Communica-
tions of Massachusetts for a license to construct and operate a cable tele-
vision system in Lexington, stating reasons for approval or denial of each
applicant
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 4-0, Mr Kent ab-
staining, to sign the public statement of the Board of Selectmenrelative
to applications received for a license to construct and operate a 'cabl;e
television system in Lexington
- 3 - = 55
Selectmen's Meeting December 22, 1980
The Chairman read a request from St Brigid's Parish for a One Day One Day
Liquor License for New Year's Eve Party Liquor
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue a One Day License
Liquor License to St Brigid's Parish for December 31, 1980
After a brief discussion, the Board decided to table the following
items
AppointMentsto the Traffic Safety Committee Tabled
Policies and Procedures Items
Request for membership on Middlesex Turnpike Improvement Committee
submitted by Fred Friedman
The Board discussed the rules and regulations for burglar and fire Burglar
alarms Mr Cohen explained to the Board that these rules and regula- & Fire
tions were never formally adopted because we were waiting for the approval Alarm
of the Attorney General of the By-Law Regs
Mr Crain requested that item 4-G be clarified to be more specific
relative to the stipulation that the superintendent be advised if there
has been maintenance to the system It was agreed by the Board that item
4-G should contain the additional wording "on a form to be furnished the
user by the Department Head"
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adopt the rules
and regulations for burglar and fire alarms as follows
Pursuant to Section 28 of Article XXV of the General By-Laws of the
' Town of Lexington The following Rules and Regulations for Burglar and
Fire Alarms are hereby adopted, effective September 14, 1980
1 No alarm device shall be installed for connection so as to dial
the Fire and/or Police Department unless a permit has first been obtained
Devices in existence at the time of the by-law enactment have 60 days to
comply
2 The fee for a permit will be $20 00 Permits may be obtained
from the Chief of either the Fire or Police Departments after an applica-
tion has been filed and approved
3. All installations will be inspected and tested prior to the permit
being validated Upon validation the installation may be connected
4 All devices shall meet the following requirements I' ti
A) Devices may dial only a special unlisted telephone number for
this purpose or be connected to terminal equipment supplied to
the Town by an alarm company
B) Devices shall be F C C registered for telephone intercon-
nection
C) Devices shall have light .ng surge protection
D) Devices shall not activate on account of Boston Edison power
interruptions
E) Voice message shall not exceed 15 seconds in duration and
shall contain a coded number as issued on the permit as a loca-
tion identifier
F) Devices shall not dial more than twice for the sam alarm
G) Equipment shall be serviced by a competent serviceman at
least once every two years Report of such service shall be made
to the Department Head on a form to be furnished the user by the
Department Head
- 4 -
H) Installers will provide instructions in writing to the user on
how to prevent false alarms
5 Any device failing to meet the above specifications or which causes
an undue number of false alarms must be disconnected upon order of the De-
partment Head
6 All installations completed after the effective date of these regu-
lations shall access the Police and/or Fire Departments only with signals
on encoded in digital form in a format compatible with departmental receiv-
ing equipment
Hartwell The Board met with Mr Tonaszuck, Mr Hanlon and Mr Chalpin to discuss
Ave the Engineering Traffic Report on Hartwell Avenue requested by the Board
( Traffic The area covered in the report included the area west of Route 128 to the
i Report Bedford/Lincoln town line from Bedford Street (Routes 4 and 225) on the north
to Marrett Road (Route 2A) on the south The report indicated that much of
the commercial-industrial development in Lexington since 1950 has occurred
in the area west of Route 128 resulting in the present traffic problems
It was recommended that a system of car pooling be initiated by the major com-
panies in the area, not only among their own employees, but between companies
It was also recommended that a system of staggered work hours be initiated by
the companies to be coordinated by the Town The report further recommended
that existing traffic details be maintained, additional detail be added at
the intersection of Marrett Road and Massachusetts Avenue, the cost of these
details to be borne by the companies affected These efforts could reduce
the traffic problems in the area on a short-term basis at no cost to the
Town. The long-term solutions to the traffic problem were dealt with in the
report and it was recommended that the Town pursue with the appropriate
State and Federal agencies the recommended improvements to the major road-
ways
in the area
The Chairman thanked Mr Tonaszuck, Mr Hanlon and Mr Chalpin for the
presentation and they retired from the meeting
Center Re- The Center Revitalization Committee met with the Board to present its
vitalize- report relative to the parking problem in the center
tion Comm Mrs Battin, Chairman of the Committee introduced the members present
Mr Robert Sacco, Mr Joseph Trani, Mr Thomas Dyer, Mrs Laura Nichols,
Mr Karsten Sorensen Unable to be present were Mr Christopher Venier,
Mr Bernard DeKant and Mrs Jacquelyn Smith Mr Robert Bowyer, Planning
Director, who prepared the report was present also
Mrs Battin explained that the Committee had delayed the complete plan
which was due in December until after the economic analysis be the MAPC
which will not take place until March
Mrs Battin described the committee's work to date 1) A listing of all
the problems in the Center brought to the committee's attention 2) Analysis
of all previous Center studies, much of which is still relevant 3) The prepa-
ration of a Center parking plan which addresses current center parking prob-
lems Mrs Battin briefly summarized the issues, particularly the conflict
between the parking needs of employees and all day parking and of customers/
clients for short term turnover parking She described the committee's policy
recommendations
The use of the money from the parking funds was discussed and it
was agreed that the Manager will investigate the areas of possible distri-
bution and discuss it with department heads such as th e puline chief He
will report back to the Board by February 15
- 5 - X5'7
IIISelectmen's Meeting December 22, 1980
Mrs Battin requested the Board to accept the report and adopt the
eight policies as presented The 1981-82 action steps outlined to be
referred to the Manager for review for cost and timing, a work plan and
time table
Mrs Miley explained that the policy of the Board was to accept the
reports of committees and then at a later date discuss it and adopt if
so agreed She stated that a place on the Warrant could be reserved for
it The Board agreed and felt that copies should be made available for
people who live in the Center area
The Chairman thanked the Committee again and they retired from the
meeting
The Manager requested the authorization of the Board for permission Sewer Line
to extend the existing sewer line on Hartwell Avenue requested by Dupree Dupree Assoc
Associates, Inc
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant permission
to Dupree Associates, Inc to extend the existing sewer line on Hartwell
Avenue to serve the proposed building at 131 Hartwell Avenue, known as the
Kiln Brook III Office Park, expenses to be borne by Dupree Associates
The Board discussed the request of the Knights of Columbus to purchase Knights of
a portion of land to the rear of the D P W premises on Bedford Street Columbus
The Manager recommended that the request be denied Mr Busa stated that Land
he felt that some time in the future they might come back and request to Bedford St
least the property and that this option should be left open
The Manager is to respond to the request so wording his letter that
the option is open to the Knights of Columbus to come back to the Board
if they wish to try to pursuade the Board to sell or if they wish to
discuss possible leasing of the property
The question of traffic detail at the Honeywell office was discussed Special
Chief Corr has raised objections to the use of Honeywell employees for Police
private traffic detail The Manager supported his objections Honeywell
Mr Kent pointed out that if the Town is going to request the indus-
tries requiring special traffic detail to pay for it themselves, the Board
should look carefully at the possibility of arranging for appointment of
Special Police Officers who are qualified He stated that if the indus-
tries feel that their employees can do the work less expensively than pay-
ing for a Lexington Police detail the possibility of these appointments
should be considered by the Board
The Manager suggested that a note be sent to Honeywell now stating
that the Town will provide the additional manning He feels that this
matter should be a part of the whole traffic discussion because of
the fact that other firms may want to tie into this He pointed out that
that there liability problems that will have to be investigated also
The Manager briefed the Board relative to the request of Representa- Rep Doran
tive Doran for office space in the Town Office Building After discussion,
- 6 -
it was agreed that the Manager and the Chairman will discuss the matter with
Mr Doran
Uponmotionduly made and seconded, it was voted to table the ±equest of
Representative Doran for office space in the Town Office Building
Standpipe The Manager informed the Board that he had a request from the Town En-
"Hatch gineer for authorization from the Board for an additional sum of $450 00
Hinge" under Contract #81-3-E - Standpipe Painting for the installation of a new
"Hatch Hinge" on the 1 2 million gallon steel standpipe
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request
of the Town Engineer for an additional $450 00 under Contract #81-3-E
Standpipe Painting for the installation of a "Hatch Hinge" on the 1 2
million gallon steel standpipe
Budget The Board discussed the cutbacks recommended by the Manager for FY 81
Cutbacks Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to table the decision
on Town Celebrations and Fire Department overtime
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to delete Article 17,
Kendall Road; Article 28, Rockville Avenue; Article 22, Sidewalks; Article 26,
Westview Cemetery Development
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the cut-
backs for #1760, Town Report; 3310, Mystic Valley; #3800, Police (Itek
detail), #5500 Snow Removal; #7550, Library, LEXPRESS
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted eliminate Article 26,
('79) Westview Addition from the recommended cutbacks
Budget The Manager reviewed his proposed budget and pointed out that the
Review passage of Proposition 2 1/2 necessitated cutting back and cutting out of
many requests He suggested that all future sidewalk and drain construc-
tion be deferred at this time and that no hearings be held until a better
assessment of the financial picture is available He also suggested a
revision in user fees to generate more revenue Mr Hutchinson requested
authorization to cancel street hearings that the D P W has scheduled for
January until a better idea of the money situation
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize the
Manager to notify the D P.W to cancel the street hearings that involved
construction.
Special Town The Manager informed the Board that the police contract had been exe-
Meeting cuted and asked that January 26 be the date for the Special Town Meeting
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to set the date of
January 26, 1981 as the Special Town Meeting and the closing date for the
submission of articles be December 29, 1980
Order of Town Counsel requested the Board's signature, for the Order of Taking
Taking of the Trinity Covenant Church property
Trinity Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign the Order of
Covenant Taking for the acquisition Of conservation land voted by the 1980 Annual
Town Meeting
U
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Selectmen's Meeting December 22, 1980
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted by roll call vote Executive
5-0, Mrs Miley, Mr Buss, Mrs Battin, Mr Kent and Mr Crain - to go Session
into Executive Session to discuss matters of litigation and negotiations
with no intention of resuming the Open Session
Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 11 10 P M
A true record, Attest
/C.,26,-,ttex-e(717 °6--tet
Executive Clerk
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