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PLANNING BOARD MEETING
Monday, Dec.14, 1953
Present: Adams, Grindle, Hathaway, Irwin, Potter, Ripley.
Meeting opened at 7:45 o'clock. Mr. Allen Benjamin was present
for discussion. The gist of his remarks follows:
No matter what the result of the referendum, the town will still
have to go ahead with plans. 1st. Permanent consulting advice. Favors
regular employee for continuity. Cost hard to say, salary of man depend-
ing`.on time spent and experience background. Should be here all the time
and ought to be pretty good. Could get a man with engineering training
plus planning training who is just getting started - salary probably
about $5,000. a year. Or could get a man with more detailed planning
training and share him with another town 50% of time. Arlington is in-
terested in such a deal. Mr. Burns needs more help, so could be split
between engineering and Planning Board. There is now so much routine
work that there should be someone here at all times to take care of
detail of subdivisions among other things. Time of the Board should not
have to be spent on those details. Major approvals, yes; but not details.
Feels that the man should not be 100% engineer but should have some
familiarity with planning. MIT and Harvard have such students. Could
take a man exclusively engineering and teach him planning, but would try
other first if possible. Lots of graduates start out as directors of
planning in communities - could get a list from the office of the N.E.
Institute of Planners.
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Full time Planning Board could have background of architecture,
but if shared with Engineering Dept. must have background of engineering
also. Such a qualified man would know when he needed to have someone
called in for expert advice. Could get a great deal of work started by
using own citizens on advisory basis. At least four top professional
people here who could give their services free on committees. Mould
probably need $500 for materials, graphic displays, etc. Air survey
would probably not have to be done again. State survey would be avail-
able at cost of printing.
Should definitely head toward a master plan - not try to do in
one year but try to complete in 3-4 years. A master plan might cost
anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 over a period of 3-4 years. If a full
time man, could deduct quite a few thousand dollars for work which would
come under his salary. Master plan would not lay out residential service
streets in undeveloped area in advance of development, but would lay out
major streets. Would designate additional school sites needed and indi-
cate when they would be needed. Master plan is what the town goes through
anyway but pulls everything together in one office thus eliminating much
duplication of work by different departments. Master plan includes re-
view of zoning text, subdivision regulations, population maps, detailed
plan of built-up area, traffic distribution, changes of sites irr:public
buildings, parks, playgrounds - all of these things into a report giving
reasons for all proposals, figures, etc. There should be takings made
very soon for major streets. Subdivisions could be part of a master plan
or could be handled separately.
Mr. Benjamin would be available as consultant after first of year
for a couple of months but does not know what he is going to do after that
time. Mould work with Mr. Stevens in drawing up regulations and adjust pro-
cedures to fit new law. State is getting out manual of procedure. Feels
as regular consultant, however, that there are very capable men of exper-
ience in town who are residents and who are .interested in the town and very
alert as to what is going on, and therefore he hesitates to get involved -
feels that ethically it might not be good. Will work with rules and regu-
lations, however,which have to be filed with registry within 60 days from
January lst.
Mr. Stevens
Advised Board to notify Mr. Palermo to wait and see what happens
at referendum before making decision tension of Grant St. OK'd request
of. Mr. DeVriss for signature of Board on redivision of land off School St,
in which several sections of three lots each were made into two lots each.
OK'd request of Anthony DiNitto for signature of Board as approval not re-
quired on land on private way.. formerly known as Shade street.
Lexington Construction Co. ,
Plans of Robinson Hill revised as of December 7, 1953 submitted
for formal tentative approval. Claims to have corrected points on which
objections had previously been made. Taken under advisement, as there was
a question on grade.
Bills
Bills presented as follows: Adams Press, advertising two hearings
December 10, 17, Blacl and Silva, $9.38. Allen Benjamin, Consulting ser-
vices, $110.00. Unanimously voted the bills be paid.
Shell Station
Mr. Ripley wished to know on behalf of the Board of Appeals how the
Planning Board feels about petition of Shell Station to build on Bedford St.
beside Coal Company. As far as general use of the land.. Board is not opposed.
However, as a traffic problem Mr. Hathaway registered as opposed. Other
members of the Board will look at it and report to Mr. Ripley.
Meeting adjourned at 10:45 o'clock.
Thomas S. Grindle, Clerk
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