Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-10-01 BOS-min October 1, 2018 Page 1 of 9 SELECTMEN'S MEETING Monday, October 1, 2018 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 1, 2018 in the Selectmen's Meeting Room of the Town Office Building. Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Pato; Mr. Lucente; and Ms. Hai were present as well as Mr. Malloy, Town Manager; Ms. Axtell, Assistant Town Manager; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Selectman Ciccolo was absent. Flu Shot Clinic Alysia Grunes, Human Services Nurse provided information about upcoming flu vaccination programs to be held in town; David Neylon, Public Health Nurse, administered flu shots to several Selectmen and Town staff. Ms. Grunes reported that last year, Lexington's flu vaccination programs provided shots to over 2000 residents, staff, and first responders. All vaccines are provided free of charge and on a first come/first served basis; residents with health insurance are asked to bring their insurance cards with them so that the Town can be reimbursed to the greatest extent possible. Ms. Barry, Mr. Pato, Ms. Hai and Mr. Malloy then received their flu shots. Selectman Concerns and Liaison Reports Mr. Lucente said an initial meeting was held regarding potential shared use of to-be-built athletic fields at Minuteman High School. More stakeholder meetings will take place over the coming months. Mr. Pato reported that two large, successful events took place in Lexington on Saturday, September 29, 2018: the 25th anniversary of the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway and the Sustainability Fair at the high school. Mr. Pato said that on Friday, October 5, 2018 at 8 a.m. in the Hudson Room in the Cary Memorial Building, the Residential Exemption Policy Study Committee will host a roundtable discussion with economists and policymakers from the private sector to talk about residential property tax exemptions and means testing. Ms. Hai reported that on Friday, October 5, 2018 at 9:15 a.m. in the large meeting room at the Cary Library, 1874 Massachusetts Avenue, a League of Women Voters First Friday program will be held with new Planning Director, David Kucharsky and Assistant Town Manager Carol Kowalski who will speak about the new Comprehensive Plan. Town Manager Report Mr. Malloy thanked the Board for naming him to the position of Town Manager and expressed gratitude to Assistant Town Manager Kelly Axtell, who served as the Acting Town Manager in the interim. Mr. Malloy reported there had been a power outage in the town center on Friday, September 28, 2018 but all systems were checked and power was restored the same day. October 1, 2018 Page 2 of 9 Mr. Malloy reported that the Fire administrative staff has moved to the temporary swing station at 173 Bedford Street. The anticipated move date for equipment and firefighting staff is Thursday, October 4, 2018, although this stage of relocation may be gradual. Application for Class II License—RJ AutoEn ing eering New owners Rick Cagnina and Jim Spinelli request a Class II License for RJ Auto Engineering d/b/a Auto Engineering located at 436 Marrett Road. This License will replace the 2018 license previously issued to Autobahn East. All application requirements have been fulfilled. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve a Class II License for R. J. AutoEngineering d.b.a. Auto Engineering, 436 Marrett Road. Approve and Sign Letter to National Grid Ms. Barry recused herself from this item as her husband is police officer employed by the Town of Lexington who could potentially benefit from additional police details as a consequence of the Board's vote. Mr. Pato, as senior member, assumed the role of Chair. Mr. Pato turned the Board's attention to a letter drafted to the President of National Grid and the President of the United Steelworkers, District 4, Local 12003. The letter asks both parties to reach a speedy conclusion of their contract negotiations. Mr. Lucente said the letter accurately reflects the Board's consensus at the last meeting and he is happy to sign it. Ms. Hai concurred. Ryan Grant, 22 Butler Avenue, Local 12003 member, asked if the letter addresses a non- emergency work stoppage as requested by the union. Mr. Pato said that the letter focuses solely on quick resolution. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted 3-0 to approve and sign the letter as presented. Public Hearing FY19 Water and Sewer Rates Ms. Barry opened the Public Hearing at 7:18 p.m. Carolyn Kosnoff, Assistant Town Manager for Finance, provided an overview of the three separate water/sewer rate meetings that will culminate in a rate approval vote by Board on October 15, 2018. The Finance is recommending a 1.7%-1.8% increase is now recommended, depending on the usage tier. For waste water, an 8.7% increase is recommended for all tiers. Combined, the recommended rate increase is 6.2%-6.4%. For the average Tier 2 user (120 Hundred Cubic Feet), 6.3%the increase would be $96.40. Tier 1 households would increase by $33.50 and Tier 3 users would increase by $274.40. Ms. Kosnoff said that the 10-year combined rate average increase is 2.4% and noted that the proposed FYI rates are above that average. The Finance department also recommends an increase to the flat sewer rate for customers on the wastewater system who are not MWRA water customers. Currently, the flat rate is set at$94.24 annually. The proposed rate is based on an 80HCF usage, and translate to an annual sewer bill of $548.80. October 1, 2018 Page 3 of 9 The Finance department also recommended that the current message on the water bills be changed to the following: Charges are in HCF: 100 Cubic Feet which is equal to approximately 748 gallons. Water is our most precious resource,please remember to conserve where you can. Every gallon we can save today is one more gallon for the future. For more information on water conservation please visit: https://www.epa.gov/watersense Mr. Lucente said he approved of the water conservation message. About the flat rate, he asked how many accounts there are of this type and how the recommended rate increase would affect metered accounts. Ms. Kosnoff said there are only about a dozen flat rate users so the material impact to other customers would be minimal. The change is geared more toward achieving equity than providing an offset. Mr. Lucente believed the 6.3%rate increase is substantial. However, he noted that water customers can control usage and the increase may prompt more attention to conservation. Mr. Pato agreed with the flat rate increase proposal but noted that it might come as a shock to those it affects. Ms. Barry said that although the flat sewer rate will hit only a few households, the increase may difficult to absorb, depending on the demographic. Ms. Barry said that the 6.3% increased rate seems high; she asked that the Finance department review the recommendation and emphasized that Town staff and Board members should be aware of the impact of rate increases on the citizens. Ms. Barry asked if other communities have asked the MWRA to analyze how it sets rates and asked Ms. Kosnoff to see if Water Superintendent Ralph Pecora can look into the matter. Ms. Hai asked if a targeted outreach can be done to alert the flat rate customers to rate change. Ms. Hai believes census data can be used to calculate per person usage based on the number of residents in a home. Seeing no audience members wishing to speak, Ms. Barry closed the Public Hearing at 7:36 p.m. Update Battle Road Scenic Byway Committee Richard Canale, Planning Board Chair/Selectmen's representative to the Scenic Byway Committee, reported that Battle Road is a state designated scenic byway running through Arlington, Lexington, Lincoln, and Concord and the Minuteman Park. Lexington's section of the byway includes the entirety of Massachusetts Avenue to Route 2A, ending at the Lincoln town line. There are also two spur roads: Massachusetts Avenue to Bedford Street and Hancock Street, ending at the Hancock-Clark House; and off Woods Street, along Old Massachusetts Avenue, ending at Route 2A. Mr. Canale reported that a previous byway committee received a grant from the Federal Highway Administration plus a 20% match from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in order to formulate a corridor management plan. The plan has been completed October 1, 2018 Page 4 of 9 but remains to be implemented through a Memorandum of Agreement between the four towns and the Park. Mr. Canale presented facsimiles of proposed byway signage for the Selectmen's review. He noted that the word "scenic" has been dropped from the official name. Mr. Canale reported that he is currently Lexington's only Byway Committee representative (of a possible three) now that the second citizen has dropped out and a new staff member has not been named to replace former Planning Director Aaron Henry. He suggested that a staff member from the Economic Development Office be considered for that role. Ms. Barry asked whether the website will be mobile-device friendly and whether it would be translated into other languages. She asked that a tab be added to the homepage, with a title such as "Shop, Eat, Stay." Ms. Barry said that funding for the initiative within the Town's FY20 budget should be discussed. Mr. Canale said that the Town has committed to hosting the website. Every year, a continuing funding commitment will be requested. Mr. Lucente asked what the launch date of the website will be. Mr. Canale said the goal is for the launch to take place by the end of October. Mr. Pato asked Mr. Canale to send the website address to the Board so members can provide feedback. Ms. Hai said that several different websites come up when searching online for the Battle Green Byway so some work should be done to distinguish the correct URL from others. Ms. Hai also asked Mr. Canale to coordinate with the Visitors Center staff and Tourism Committee. Dawn McKenna, Chair of the Tourism Committee, offered Visitors Center resources in the form of recent photographs and asked that it be included on the website's interactive map and asked that the Byway Committee coordinate with the Visitors Center website effort. Textile Collection Agreement David Pinsonnault, DPW Director; Robert Beaudoin, Environmental Services Superintendent; and Steve Lisauskas, Waste Zero, asked the Board to approve the proposed textile collection program that was first presented to the Board in June 2018. Collected materials would include clothing, including coats,jackets, hats and shoes; leather goods;jewelry; purses and backpacks; blankets, quilts, sleeping bags, cushions, and pillows; drapes and curtains; toys; mirrors; tools; silverware, dishes, pots and pans, cups and glasses. Mr. Lisauskas said that, nationally, 85% of textiles are discarded; in Massachusetts, textiles make up 11% of the waste stream; 95% of this material can be recycled or reused but currently only 15% is reclaimed. Mr. Pato said the program seems like a great way to divert materials from the waste stream and that curbside pick-up increases overall diversion. He noted there are other existing textile drop- off sites which contribute to fundraising efforts for Goodwill and the Schools. Residents can continue to drop their materials off at these locations if they prefer. October 1, 2018 Page 5 of 9 Ms. Barry asked how many vans would serve Lexington and if it would be clear that the vans are from Simple Recycling. Mr. Lisauskas said there would be two vans per day, five days a week, which would take about 3 hours each day to make the collection; they would be clearly marked. Ms. Barry asked about public education. Mr. Pinsonnault said a mailing would go out prior to the launch date and information would be posted on the Town website. Ms. Barry and Ms. Hai asked Mr. Pinsonnault and Mr. Beaudoin to reach out to the school population to announce the program and to alert the parent-teacher organizations about a potential impact to their textile collection fundraising effort. Ms. Hai emphasized the importance of a joint effort public education campaign to promote the service. Bob Pressman, 22 Locust Avenue, asked about the potential impact on Goodwill and if the organization has been notified. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to authorize the Town Manager to enter into a textile collection agreement with Simple Recycling to commence on a date mutually agreeable to both parties. Approve Burlington Water Agreement David Pinsonnault, DPW Director; and Ralph Pecora, Water and Sewer Superintendent provided clarifications about to a previously presented water agreement proposal with the Town of Burlington. Areas of clarification included telemetry measuring; metering; shared costs; annual agreement review; and MWRA fees. Mr. Pinsonnault said that pressure readings during previous times when Lexington has provided Burlington with water show that pressure has been well above the minimum range and there would be no impact to Lexington residents' water pressure with this agreement. Compared to the similar agreement with the Town of Bedford, Burlington would draw fewer gallons on fewer days of the year. Ms. Hai, Ms. Barry, and Mr. Pato said they are now comfortable with the provisions of the agreement. Mr. Pato said that, analyzing the water pressure data, he has determined that there is a distinct 1%reduction in pressure when Burlington is drawing water but this is still well within the range required. Mr. Lucente asked that the pressure be monitored consistently when Burlington is drawing water so that the data can be captured and used in the yearly contract review. He asked that the annual contract review come before the Board of Selectmen. Mr. Lucente's overwhelming concern is cost; he wants Lexington to be a helpful neighbor to Burlington but does not want any additional burden on Lexington residents, especially with water rates going up. John Carney, 3 McKeever Drive, said he sees no clear benefit to agreeing to this contract and feels it a mistake for the Board to approve it without understanding if there are hidden costs. October 1, 2018 Page 6 of 9 Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve the Burlington Water Agreement as presented and to authorize the Town Manager to sign said agreement. Review and Discuss Potential 2018 Fall Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles The warrant must be voted at the next Selectmen's meeting on October 15, 2018. No Citizen's Petitions were received by the deadline. • Appropriate for Hosmer House Reuse Study Ms. Axtell asked for more information on this initiative, especially with the new Police Station moving forward. Mr. Lucente said he believes the scope should be broad and include a possible removal to another location as well as what the building would be used for. Mr. Pato and Ms. Barry agreed with taking a broader view. Ms. Hai said the Hosmer House is a piece of the Police Station puzzle and suggested it could become part of a larger Town building master plan. She recommended that the article wording allow flexibility. Mr. Lucente recommended a meeting with the Historic Districts Commission to understand whether moving the building would be allowed. Ms. Barry said she would reach out to the HDC to set up a joint meeting before Special Town Meeting. Bob Pressman, 22 Locust Street, asked if the concept is off the table to include the Hosmer House as part of the Police Station project. Dawn McKenna, Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member, said the Hosmer House had previously been discussed extensively at Town Meeting, at which time the prohibition against moving the structure off site was emphasized. • Appropriate for Crematorium Schematic Design Mr. Pato proposed appropriating funds at Special Town Meeting to be contingent upon approval of recommendations from the Ad Hoc Crematorium Study Group. Taking this step would allow the Westview Cemetery operational building not to be delayed. Ms. Barry asked how the appropriation amount could be determined. Ms. Hai clarified that Town Meeting would be allowing funds to be available for schematic design only if the Ad Hoc Crematorium Study Group recommends a combined facility and if the Selectmen approve that recommendation. If the study group does not recommend a combined facility, the funds would not be released. An alternative would be to hold a second Special Town Meeting around the time of the Annual Town Meeting so that the operational facility and the crematory projects can be aligned. Mr. Pato noted that the Westview operational building would be funded with cemetery fees but he is unsure how the crematorium would be funded. Mr. Lucente said a discussion at Special Town Meeting will provide direction which will only happen if the article stays on the warrant. October 1, 2018 Page 7 of 9 Ms. Hai asked what it would happen if Town Meeting declines to fund the crematorium schematic design this November. Mr. Pato said that outcome would leave the issue where it now stands but the discussion would be instructive. Dawn McKenna, Precinct 6 Town Meeting member, said that Westview has been discussed for some time and it was agreed that the building needs upgrading, although there has been a lack of unanimity about what that entails. She believes the crematorium concept further confuses the subject. Mr. Malloy said, from what he understands, the two projects should be separated. He believes the operational facility should move forward while the study group delves in to the questions surrounding the crematorium. Mr. Malloy believes a longer community conversation about a crematorium is needed; given the proximity of other crematoria that service the region, the goal of having a Lexington facility is unclear. Mr. Lucente said that if that projects are separated, it would mean than there would be more than one building. He believes separating the two projects points the study group in a certain direction, which was intended to be left open-ended. If the projects are separated,the Westview operational building construction funding might as well go ahead this fall. Ms. Barry called a brief recess until 9:55 p.m. Review Board of Selectmen Meeting Dates for October 2018- June 2019 The Board reviewed proposed Selectmen's Meetings, including FY19 budget, Summits, Special Town Meeting and Annual Town Meeting dates. Members agreed that Executive Sessions should take place before Regular Session meetings as often as possible. Ms. Barry posed the question of starting the meetings at 6:30 p.m. instead of 7:00 p.m. Mr. Lucente said the time should remain 7 p.m. Mr. Pato said he is willing to consider a 6:30 p.m. start but, in that case, asked to schedule housekeeping items only in the first half hour. Ms. Hai said an earlier start time would put a burden on citizens who want to participate. Discuss Possible Special Town Election for Potential Open Selectmen's Seat Mr. Barry reported that the Town Clerk has received Selectman Ciccolo's letter of resignation, effective December 31, 2018. Because December 31 is less than 100 days before the Town Election date, a Special Election would not take place. Ms. Ciccolo's seat would be vacant from December 31, 2018 until March 5, 2019. Ms. Ciccolo stated in her letter that she would amend her resignation date if the Board felt strongly about filling the seat by Special Election, however Ms. Barry said a minimum of 64 days is required between a resignation date and a Special Election. If Ms. Ciccolo's resignation was effective today, the Special Election would not take place until early December. Mr. Lucente, Mr. Pato, and Ms. Hai agreed that keeping the resignation date as submitted makes the most sense. Ms. Barry said she would prefer not to have an empty seat but the timing is difficult. October 1, 2018 Page 8 of 9 There is one year remaining on Ms. Ciccolo's term. Therefore, the March 2019 Town election would field 1 candidate for one year to fulfil the term; and 2 candidates for 2 three-year terms. Selectmen—Committee Appointments/Resignations Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to accept the resignation of Su Shen from the Transportation Advisory Committee to be effective immediately. The Board extended its thanks and appreciation to Mr. Shen his time and effort in serving the Lexington Community. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to appoint Vinita Verma to the Transportation Advisory for a three-year term to expire September 30, 2021. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to appoint Omar Khudari to the Bicycle Advisory for a three-year term to expire in 2021. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted 4-0 to appoint P. K. Shui to the Communications Advisory Committee for a three-year term to expire in 2021. Consent Agenda • Approve and Sign Letter to Descendants of Lexington WWI Veterans Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve and sign a letter inviting descendants of Lexington residents who served in World War I to join Lexington in celebrating Veterans Day 2018. • Approve One-Day Liquor Licenses Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve eight one- day liquor license requests from Spectacle Management to serve beer and wine at the following events being held in Cary Memorial Building, 1605 Massachusetts Avenue: Kurt Elling, Saturday, October 13, 2018, 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Tommy Emmanuel, Sunday, October 14, 2018, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Air Supply, Thursday, October 25, 2018, 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Chinese Warriors, Friday, October 26, 2018, 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Italian/Jewish/Therapy, Sunday, October 28, 2018 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Postmodern Jukebox, Thursday, November 1, 2018, 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Peter &Paul, Saturday, November 3, 2018, 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.; and the Wallflowers, Friday, November 30, 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve a one-day liquor license request from Exhibit "A" Brewing Company to serve beer at Maker's Festival at Tremont School event being held on Saturday, October 27, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Tremont School, 758R Marrett Road. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve a one-day liquor license for The Cary Memorial Library Foundation to serve beer, wine, and punch at the October 1, 2018 Page 9 of 9 Reception for Foundation Donors event being held on Friday, November 16, 2018 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Cary Memorial Library, 1874 Massachusetts Avenue. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve a one-day liquor license for Brookline Bank/LACS to serve wine at their Community Event/Art Walk event being held on Thursday, November 15, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Brookline Bank- Lexington office, 1793 Massachusetts Avenue. 0 Use of Battle Green—Flags of WWI Markers—Veterans' Day Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve a request from the Town Celebrations Committee to place flags near the World War I plaques on the Battle Green for Veteran's Day. The flags would be put in the ground on Thursday, November 8, 2018 and removed on Tuesday, November 13, 2018. 0 Water & Sewer Commitments and Adjustments Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to approve Water and Sewer Commitment Cycle 9 Billing August 2018 for $ 381,936.00; and Water and Sewer Adjustments as recommended by WSAB September 13, 2018 for($17,456.26). Adjourn Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board of Selection voted 4-0 to adjourn at 10:15 p.m. A true record; Attest: Kim Siebert Recording Secretary