HomeMy WebLinkAbout1947-04-24SPECIAL MEETING
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
April 24, 1947
A ppecial meeting of the Board of Selectman was held
in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building, Thursday,
April 24, 1947 at 7:30 p.m. Chairman Paxton, Messrs. Locke,
Emery and Gay were present. The Clerk was also present.
The following members of the School
Planning Board met with the Selectmen:
Chairman, Webster H. Thomas Chairman
George Wadsworth
Thomas S. Grindle
Mrs. George P. Morey
Committee and the
Edwin B. Worthen, Jr.
Clem Ferguson
Elmer Houdette
Gordon Richards
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The Chairman explained that this special meeting has been
called together as a result of a letter received from the
Chairman of the School Committee asking that this group hold
a meeting. Mr. Thomas said that it has seemed to him for
some time.that thesethree groups should get together and discuss
problems which are to be faced in the next few years which
will involve a substantial amount of money. He said that if
the three Boards were in agreement on procedure it would
eliminate their being at cross purposes at towg meeting.
He Said that his committee would like help from the Planning
Board and the.Selectmen on a site for a new elementary school.
Mr. Thomas said that he feels that the town has taken the stand
to retain the Hancock School for the next ten years. If the
Hancock School is going to be retained the committee may have
to than[ -;e its ideas about the location of a #2 school. He said
that they have not formed any opinion on the matter feeling
that the selection of a location I hould be worked out with the
Planning Board. However, they prefer a location some where in
the vicinity of Adams Street in preference to a Grant Street
location. Pair. Emery asked if he meant the location to be
before East Street and Mr. Thomas replied in the affirmative.
He said that it would be somewhere near Baskin's greenhouses.
Mr. Thomas said the advantage of having a location in this
neighborhood would be the possibility of taking in the densely
populated district in Merriam Hill and some of the pupils now
attending Parker School. Mr. Thomas said that the 'committee
also feels it is necessary to go ahead and fix up the Hancock
School. He said he understands there is a bill in the Legislature
which would allow borrowing for repair work on school buildings
provided the town appropriated f1om available funds an amount
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equal to $1.00 on tax rate.
The C.%hairman of the Board of Selectmen said that it
seems to him that there are two things which must be
determined, both from the Town's ability to pay and also
from a political angle. First, does the town want a
High School as #1 and where does the town want a
grammar school as #2? He said that he thought it would
be difficult to sell to the town meeting members both
schools at one time. He said that he did not think it
would be possible to do any major repair work on the
Hancock School until we have a new grammar school.
Mr. Grindle said that he thought the repairs on the
Hancock School should be done during the summer. Mr. Richards
aaked if it were settled that the Hancock School is to be retained.
He asked if a proper investigation had been made to find out if -
town meeting members knew the exact cost of repairs would they still
want to keep the school.Mr. Richards asked if a real surirey and
estimate of the cost of repairing the building had ever been made.
Mr. Grindle said that they are after that now. Mr. Richards said
that he did not see how they could go ahead with repairs until
some definite figure had been obtained. Mrs. Morey said that
they Would modernize the Hancock School Building. Mr. Richards
said that he believed in order to make it a first class building
it would cost as much or more than a new bhilding. Mr. Thomas
said that three years ago he had obtained a figure of $40,000
to $50,000 for a modern heating system. Mr. Emery asked what
repairs would be made and Mr. Thomas said that they will try to
eliminate the bad features without altering the building. Mr.
Richards asked if they would keep the wooden floors and stairs.
Mr. Thomas said he didn't know about the stairways. Mr. Ferguson
asked Mr. Thomas what made him think the town was opposed to a
new building other than that they did not want to take three
houses on Parker 6treet. Mrs. Morey replied that they had been
guided by the Nichols report in trying to locate a school in that
area. She said there wasn't much point in tearing down the
Hancock School unless they were going to locate a new building
in that area. The Chairman of the Board of Selectmen asked if it
wouldn't be better to have an additional school first and then
remodel the Hancock School and Mr. Thomas replied in the affirm-
ative. Mr. (Richards asked which the town needed first, a new
grammar school or a new high school. Mr. Thomas said that
naturally a new grammar school was needed first but it is im-
possible to avoid having the two overlap. The Chairman said
that if the School Committee felt that they needed a new grammar
school then a satisfactory location should be found and the
plans under way as soon as possible and a construction appro-
priation asked for 1948. Mr. Ferguson asked if theproposed
school in the East Street area would have a capacity of probably
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400 pupils. Mr. Grindle said that they would want to start
with 400. Mr. Thomas said that they would have plans drawn up
for a 14 -loom school feeling that they do not want to construct
any more elementary schools without providing for kindergartens.
Mr. Ferguson asked if the number of pupils in the Franklin
School and Adams School could.be increased. Mr. Thomas replied
that these schools are now :overcrowded-', and Mr. Thomas said
that he thought the Planning Board and the School Committee
could better locate a school site than a special committee.
He said that the Hancock School is the critical school now
and if a new building is located in the Adams Street area it
will relieve somewhat the situation in the Hancock School.
He said that the School Committee would like to have as soon
as possible the opinion of the Planning Board as to a suitable
location in the Grant Street and Adams Street Areas. Mr.
Thomas said that he wrote a letter to` the Board requesting this
meeting because he felt that if the Boards present tonight went
into town meeting with a definite plan, it would carry a lot of
weight in the town meeting.
The Chairman of the Selectmen said that as he understands
it the School Committee would like the Planning Board to meet
relative to a location and then approach the owners of the
property. Mir. Richards said that the School Committee wants
the Planning Board to select a place for new school and not
consider the Hancock School. The Board of Selectmen felt that
the School Committee would have a much better chance of building
a new school in the Adams Street area before replacing or
repairing the Hancock School. The Chairman of the Board of
Selectmen asked what the School Committee or.thePlanning Board
of Selectmen asked what the school Committee or the Planning
Board intended to do. Mr. Thomas suggested that the Planning
Board give immediate, thought to the problem and then invite the
School Committee to meet with them after the problem had been studied
thoroughly. The Chairman asked if the School Committee felt that
they would have anything definite to recommend in the event that
the town meeting was held in the fall. Mr. Thomas replied in the
affirmative. The Chairman asked if there was any money available
for preliminary plans and Mr. Grindle stated they could ask the
Appropriation Committee for a transfer. The Chairman asked how
much the preliminary plans would cost and Mr. Grindle said he
thought aboat 0,000. Mr. Worthen informed the group that an
architect Cannot make preliminary plans until he Knows definitely
the location of the building, and he reminded the group that the
land could not be purchased until authorized by town meeting.
The Chairman of the Board of Selectmen said that the town is
apparently going to have a recreation committee and in order to
*such committee have the co-operation of the School Department.
Mr. Thomas said that in the report of the temporary Recreation
Committee certain specific renommendations were made relative
* make any recreational program work it is most essential that
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Town
Painter
For
Schools
to playground areas. Mr. Thomas said he thought some
thought should be given to the tie-in of playgrounds in
school areas with the additional play areas recommended
by the committee.
Mr. Thomas said that the School Committee had been
discussing the subject of a town painter. He said they
had thought for some time of hiring Joseph Vitale as a
school painter, the idea being that the time of'the
two men be apportimned so that they could work half time
for schools and half time on town buildings. He said he under-
ttood that there is some opposition to the School Committee
hiring the town painter. The Chairman of the Board of
Selectmen said that he felt that two men would do more
work together than two men working separately. He said
it wasn't a question only of the school buildings, but also
the library and other municipal buildings. He said he
thought it should be worked out so that painters will be
working on the interior.'or the exterior of the buildings
100% of the time. The Chairman of the Board of Selectmen
explained that the town painters work on an hourly basis
rather than QQ,,lk. He said that if the Supt . Of
Public Work$,"eo out some method whereby the two
painters could be utilized to the best advantage, it
would not be necessary to have a school painter. Mr.
Grindle said that he would like the painters for June,
July and August. Mrs.Morey asked if the Chairman meant for
the painters to stay in the employ of the Public 'corks
Department and work for the School Department part time.
The Chairman replied in the affirmative.
-The Chairman said that he would like an opportunity
to disuces the subject of the town painter with the Sup't.
of Public Works. The School Committee and the Planning
Board retired at 9:20 p.m.
The Chairman explained to Mr. Locke that at the last
meeting names had been submitted to be considered as possible
appointments to the Appropriation Committee. The Chairman
said that it was the opinion of the three members of the
Board that they should contact Mr. Hoyt and ask him to
complete his term. Mr. Paxton asked if that would be agree-
able to Mr. Locke. Mr. Locke said he thought so.
The Chairman said that the three members of the Board
recommended the following individuals and their names had
been suggested as possible appointments: Robert J. Fawcett,
Jr., Douglas Gleason, Howard Patterson and Alfred Tropeano.
Mr. Locke questioned whether or not Mr. Tropeano would help
a committee. The Chliaraan said that he is a fellow who has
come along fairly well and as far as his group is concerned
it might be too bad to by-pass him. Mr.• Paxton said that
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of coarse he was only an alternate in the event that Mr.
Hoyt refused to remain as a member of the committee. Mr.
Locke asked if Mr. Patterson knew anything about finance
and budgets. IIe said that in the past years the town has
had some men with excellent judgment and balanced experience
on the Appropriation Committee. He said that the first
qualification for a member of the Appropriation Committee
is the man and not the section of the town•in which he lives.
Mr. Locke said that he would like very much to have Kenneth
Clark serve on the Appropriation Commtttee. The Chairman
asked the Board if Kenneth Clark's name should be added to
the proposed list and there was no objection.
The Chairman said that the next problem to be considered
is the appointment of the Board of Fire Engineers. Mr. Emery
said that we have had any number of people approach one or
all of us to become a member of the Board df Fire Engineers.
He said that Roy Cook has said nothing for a long time but
a couple of Sundays ago he asked Mr. Emery to talk the matter
over with him. He would like very much to be on the Board
of Fire Engineers. He feels his ability to maintain the
morale of the Department has been imbaired because of the
title of Deputy.Chief. He also feels that his prestige and
the regard in which he is held in other towns and cities
suffers somewhat because of the fact that he has only the
rank of Deputy Chief when he is actually the operating head of
the Department. Mr. Emery, said that the Board of Fire Engineers
feel that Roy Cook should be elected Chief Engineer and then
have another member elected Chairman of the Board of Fire Engin-
eers. The Town would still have the Board of Fire Engineers as
a Board of Directors setting the policies and Hoy Cook would
have a title, prestige and promotion. Under the Statute it is
permissible to elect as many officers to the board of Yire
Engineers as necessary. Mr. Locke asked if this would be
agreeable to the other members of the Board of Fire Engineers
if they were reappointed. Mr. Emery said that he had explained
it to them and the Board is unanimously in favor if it meets
with the approval of the Selectmen.
Mr. Locke said that he felt that Roy Cook should be
recognized and given all the co-operation possible. The
Chairman said that he thought the board of Fire Engineers
would work out well but he hoped that some time the Board
might extend their powers properly so that they would be
called a Board of Public Safety at which time the Chief of
the Fire Department and the Chief of Police Department
would come under that Board and they would report to the
Board of Selectmen.
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Ap_,.
pofnRoyt
Cook as
Chief
Eng. con
sidered
Mr. Emery said that the Board has suggested 'the ap-
pointment of Lester Andrews as a member of the Board of
Board of
Public
Safety
Suggested
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Appointment
of Board of
Fire Eng-
ineers
Recreation
Committee
Appointments
Fire Engineers. He has been a regular call man for several
years and this would make it a six man Board instead of
five. Mr. Locke said in effect Roy Cook would be made a
member of the Board even though it is a six man Board.
Mr. Emery said he took the liberty of telling the board
of Fire Engineers about this and they were agreeable. He
said that in effect the siz e of the meetings.;would be the
same. Upon motion of Mr. Gay seconded by Mr. Locke it
was voted to make the following appointments to the Board
of Fire Engineers for a period of one year effective May 1,
1947.
Alan G. Adams
Thomas J. Donnelly
William H. Driscoll
Robert J. Fawcett
Roy Cook
Lester Andrews
15 Somerset Road
16 Smith Avenue
25 Winthrop Street
511 Marrett Road
23 Charles Street
1 Hill :street
The Chairman said that now the Board has the appointment
of two members to the Recreation Committee. Mr. Locke said
that those appointments according to the town meeting are
in conjunction with appointments to be made by the School
Committee and the Town Moderator. The Chairman said that
the Board understood that but he thought the Selectmen could
make their appointment and not notify those appointed uhtil
the School Committee and the Town Moderator had selected their
candidates. The Chairman informed Mr. Locke that the three
members of the Board had considered Bertram P, 9ustin and
Thomas Moon. He said the one disadvantage of appointing
Thomas Moon would be that he will undoubtedly apply for the
position of Recreation Supervisor. Mr. Locke suggested that
the Board of Selectmen defer any appointments until the School
Committee and Moderator had. made their appointments.
The meeting adjourned at 10:20 p.m.
A true record, Attest:
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