Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1962-12-17-BOS-min70 SELECTMEN'S MEETING December 17, 1962 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held in the Selectmen's Room, Town Office Building, on Monday, December 17, 1962, at 7:30 P.M. Chairman Adams, Messrs. Richards, Cole, Burnell and Brown were present. Mr.Legro, Town Counsel, Mr. Carroll, Super- intendent of Public Works, and Miss Murray, Executive Clerk, were also present. Mr. Legro referred to an offer made by Bingham, Dana & Gould, attorneys for the Globe Newspaper Company, He stated that he thought the $200 offered by the Board is lower than what they will settle for. The Chairman said the Town may become involved in a suit on this and it would mean having an appraisal made. Mr. Legro said the land is wet and totally inac- cessible. He reported that Mr. Travers, from whom the Town took lots 50-56, Block L16 Ward Street, has made an offer through his attorney, Daniel Lynch, of $750 which is something over $100 a lot. In his opinion this land is a little better than the Biobe Newspaper land. He stated that, in his opinion, the Globe Newspaper does not have any evidence of a bona fide offer of $1200. He recommended offering $100 Refuse site a lot on each group. lots Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted not to make any change in the original offer to the Globe Newspaper Company of $50 per lot. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted not to make anychange in the original offer to Henry J. Travers of 50 per lot. Mr. Legro referred to the matter of Silvio Ponte selling Christmas trees at 11$ Lowell Street and re- ported that he had applied for a Board of Appeals' permit. There was a hearing and he was so notified. Within a day before or a day after, he received some $900 worth of trees, according to the report. An attorney from Waltham called the Board of Appeals and asked about it. Mr. Legro said he received a call on Friday from Mr. Pellegrini who was quite upset. Mr. Legro reported that he told him if Mr. Ponte sold the trees, it would be a violation and the Town would enforce it. They did start selling Saturday and Sun- day, and Mr. Legro prepared a bill of complaint. He it it is unlikely that the Court would issue a restraining order. The Chairman said, as far as he was concerned, this is a matter of principle and the Board would have to go through with it. Letter from Holtz,Sullivan & Zonderman, with refer- ence to the balance of monies due B & R Construction Co., Inca and Albert E. Lucchetti, on Sewer Contract No. 3 of 1961, was held over. Sewer Mr. Legro advised that the Town should not become Contract involved. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the request was denied. #3 The Chairman read a letter from William L. Barnes, M.D. and Bertha L. Barnes requesting the Board to make an offer in settlement of damages for taking lots 9-12, Refuse site inclusive, block 77 Valley Road for a dump site. lots Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to authorize Mr. Legro to make an offer of $50 per lot. Letter was received from Mr. Snow, Planning Director, with reference to T. H. Reenstierna's appraisals for Moreland Avenue School sites. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to take the land by eminent domain as outlined in Mr. Snow's letter. Mr. Legro reported that Mr. Stevens called him today and stated he has numerous items to complete and does not anticipate that he will be able to finish by the end of the year. He will continue beyohd the end of the year if it is agreeable to the Board and desir- able to him, Mr. Legro. He said the volume of the work is such that he thought there was no other choice, as since he took over the duties of Town Counsel in Septem- ber, the hours devoted to Town work have been steadily increasing. He said it is very difficult to know where to draw the line between retainer and special fees. The Chairman said the subject should be considered very carefully by the Board and asked the Clerk to put it on the agenda for the next meeting. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to hold the next regular meeting of the Board on Thursday, December 27, 1962, at 7:30 P.M. Mr. Charles Cole, architect, met with the Board, and said he wanted to speak about thepossibility here School sites Moreland Ave. Town Counsel Meeting Cz; in Lexington of a very high-class project which in- volves a change in zoning. He has an interest in the project as an architect, and said it would be high-level apartemnts. The land in question is in the area now zoned for residences, 15,000 foot lots bordering on Worthen Road between the Boudreau land and the Catholic church parking lot. The land is owned by Mrs. Whalen, approximately four and a half acres. He stated that the type of development would be Georgian Colonial and would run over a $1,000,000 worth of development cost and would return a sizable income in taxes. He said he wanted the Board's reaction, and said that Mrs. Whalen has not agreedto sell but has shown interest. The Chairman said the Board would discuss the subject a little later in the evening. Mr. Cole retired at 8:30 P.M. The Board had no objection to the proposed change in zoning. Letter was received from Carmine N. Ciriello, 4 Stedman Road, requesting relocation of two utility poles. Mr. Carroll explained that this is a private Utility matter. poles It was agreed to advise Mr. Ciriello that due to the fact Stedman Road is a private way, he will have to take the matter up with the utility company as it is not one in which the Town can become involved. The Clerk reported that a Mr. Ames, member of the Grace Chapel, called to inquire about street lights. for Worthen Road. Mr. Carroll said there are no lights between Massachusetts Avenue and Bedford Street, but there are poles to service the Grace Chapel. He said the question becomes one of shall the Town put in 1,000 lumen lights or think of the overall problem. He asked if the Board wanted to consider the lighting from Bedford Street to Massachusetts Avenue, which he said would be expensive. He said the Boston Edison Company would make recommendations, but there will still be an excessive annual cost of about $1,000 a year to light the road, reducing the estimate by half. It was agreed to have Mr. Carroll obtain a recom- mendation from the Boston Edison Company. The Chairman rad a letter from Mr. Sanborn Brown, Chairman of the School Department, with reference to insurance coverage for burglary and/or theft for school buildings. Mr. Brown volunteered to investigate the subject and discuss it with Mr. Carroll. Mr. Carroll retired at 8:14$ P.M. Mr. Carl Blake and Dr. Melvin Rosenthal, Mystic Valley Mental Health Association, Inc., met with the Board. Mr. Richards referred to the letter to the School Committee, requesting funds, dated November 29, 1962, and said no indication was made as to how much money was received from Lexington residents. Mystic Vallq Mr. Blake said he had the clinic as a whole, which Mental Heal$i was about $5,000, and he thought one could say about $2,000 would have come from Lexington people. The Chairman asked if the clinic was public, and Mr. Blake replied that there are no limitations imposed except in staffing and staff time. He said it was not strictly a school function. Mr. Richards asked how this was paid for now, and Mr. Blake replied that it is not paid for. It can be a telephone call from a teacher or a meeting or could be tied in with a member of the Clergy. Mr. Richards said the figure for school consult- ations does not then mean schools. Dr. Rosenthal said that is the number of hours given to the school administrators, teachers and having to do with school children problems. Mr. Richards asked how this was paid for. Dr. Rosenthal said the clinic supports itself. The staff is paid out of funds from the Commonwealth. He said the United Find has indicated that it will no longer contribute. The Chairman said this is a very late date for new additions to the budget, and asked if the other four towns have included this in their budgets. Dr. Blake replied in the affirmative, and ex- plained that some of them will have it in the School budget, some in the Board of Health budget, and some by putting an article in the warrant. Mr. Richards asked where additional funds would come from assuming all towns contribute, and Mr. Blake said it was assumed that the Massachusetts Mental Health Association would help. Mr. Richards asked if there was any possibility of getting help from the United Fund, and Mr. Blake replied they would not like to see it discontinued. Mr. Richards asked if the $12,000 would be used for expenses and overhead. Mr. Blake replied it would be administrative and clerical. 74 Mr. Richards asked how the money would be paid to the Clinic if included in the school budget. Mr. Blake replied he assumed it would be paid at the beginning of the year. Mr. Richards asked how they would be paid if the Board of Health administered the funds, and Mr. Blake replied it would be the same way. Mr. Richards asked who checked the books, and Dr. Rosenthal replied that they have a C.P.A. Mr. Richards asked to wnom the clinic would report, and Dr. Rosenthal replied they would have to have a system acceptable to the Town. He said there is no established formula and the clinic found that, exclusive of salaries, it costs about $2.00 a visit. The Chairman asked if the clinic was looking for this at the Annual Town Meeting, and Mr. Blake replied in the affirmative. Dr. Rosenthal said in Arlington he has been assured there are sufficient funds in the budget should the other towns go along. In Bedford, they are working on appropri- ating a sum of money in the School budget. In Winchester, the Board of Health suggested they would like to have the Appropriation Committee think it over, and recommended that it be a special article. Mr. Richards asked what would happen if one of the towns does not approve an appropriation. Dr. Rosenthal replied that there has been some talk about curtailing services to these towns. Mr. Richards asked what would happen if more than one town did not contribute, and Dr. Rosenthal replied that the clinic would close. The Chairman said the Board would take the subject under advisement and discuss it with the Board of Health. He said Mr. Blake would hear from the Board. Messrs. Blake and Rosenthal retired at 9:11 P.M. Mr. John MacNeil, Chairman, and four other members of the Lexington Association of Independent Insurance Agents, met with the Board. Mr. MacNeil stated that they would like the op - Insurance portunity of reviewing all the Town's insurance and report hack at a later date their recommendations. He said they would secure the best engineering, plus a lot of other things for thebenefit of the Town, if, at a later date, the Selectmen choose to allow them to handle the Town's insurance. The Chairman asked how many members there were in the association and Mr. MacNeil replied nine. Mr. MacNeil said they would recommend what they think would be of advantage to the Town on a continuing basis and keep the Town's program as up to date as possible. Cmo 1 1 75 The Chairman said the Board would take the matter under consideration and let Mr. MacNeil know its decision. The group retired at 9:17 P.M. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted that it would be permissible for the association to re- view the existing insurance program of the Town. The Chairman suggested that Mr. Converse Hill of Brewer & Lord be advised. A group of retidents in the Concord Avenue area met with the Board in regard to traffic control. Mr. Richard Corazzini, 253 Concord Avenue, said Traffic the group feels that the road is poorly taken care of control by signs, and that 35 mile an hour speed limit does not mean much to most drivers. He stated that in the last two weeks there have been two accidents; two cars and a child hit. He said he felt the road should be patrolled more closely and that the speed limit should be reduced to 25 miles an hour, traffic lights instal- led at Concord Avenue and Waltham Street and safety crosswalks marked off. The Chairman explained that traffic signals are under State regulation and so are speed zones. He asked if the group felt the major problem was enforce- ment. Mr. Corazzini said they would like a survey made if it has to be and have the police out with radar two or three times a week. Mrs. Elizabeth Flynn, 310 Concord Avenue, said the traffic has increased and when this petition went out, the general feeling was that something had to be done before something terrible happened. She said the cars travel 40 or 50 wiles an hour, pass the school bus, and pass each other. She said they thought traffic lights might be a control. Mr. Raymond Flynn, 310 Concord Avenue, said he did not think anyone expected to have a police officer on duty continually. He said they were asking for proper signs,.a stop light, and anything that will stop the children from being hit. Mrs. Kramp, 149 Concord Avenue, said one ofthe concerns is the fact of snow when children will have to walk in the road. She said a stop sign at Pleasant Street, Waltham Street and Blossom Street might help. Mr. Carroll explained that the speed zone signs there now are not legal signs and the Chief of Police could not take anyone into court. He stated the only way to make a speed sign legal is to have e,.tensive surveys made and the posted speed must represent the 76 speed that is at least 85% of the people traveling the road. He explained that the Selectmen cannot arbi- trarily decide on the speed limit. The Chairman reported that the Chief of Police is now in the process of having a survey made. Mr. Burnell said the Chief has also assured him that he will have Concord Avenue patrolled. He ex- plained that the department does not have enough of- ficers to assign a car to Concord Avenue entirely. He assured the group that there will be police officers checking mornings and evenings. He stated that he uses Concord Avenue, and has used it for some twenty years, so he is familiar with the situation. He said the Board is concerned about the situation, is working on it and will put in operation many of the things the people are asking for. Mrs. Flynn asked if traffic lights would be in- stalled, and Mr. Burnell replied that he hoped they would be. Mr. Eisenberg, 1.70 Concord Avenue, asked if the Board was going to petition for a traffic light. Mr. Burnell replied it is under study, and that traffic lights would be a great help. The Chairman explained that there is going to be a relocation of Waltham Street which willchange the situation and he thought the State would hold off until after that construction which he understood would start next summsr. The group retired at 9:45 P.M. Mr. Homer J. Hagedorn, Chairman ::executive Board Town Meeting Members Association, met with the Board. The Chairman read a letter from Mr. Hagddorn ad- vising that the association voted to ask the Board to include an article on tax exemptions in the warrant for the Special Town Meeting scheduled for January 28, Article 1963. The Association would like the Town Meeting to have the opportunity to ask the Selectmen to memorialize the General Court so that the General Laws could be so amended that in those: towns and cities where valuation is currently on a fair and full cash level, higher exemptions would be allowed qualified applications. The Association also voted to ask the Board to insert in the warrant for the Special Town Meeting Article an article ordering the publication of the assessment rolls of the Town in booklet form and appropriate the necessary funds. 1 Mr. Richards asked how much the booklet would cost, sn d Mr.Hagedorn replied the estimate the associ- ation came up with was about $4,000 or $5,000. Mr. Richards said, in other words, the vote would have to carry an appropriation of $5,000 and Mr. Hagedorn said it would be something like that. The Chairman read a letter from hrs. Hagedorn re- questing that the General By -Laws, Article XXII, rela- tive to the removal of snow and ice, be amended so that the area to which it applies would be enlarged to include the neighborhood shopping districts in the C-1 zones of the Town. Mr. Hagedorn and Mr. Carroll retired at 10:15 P.M. Mr. Harvey Newgent, real estate bperator, 27 Depot, Square, met with the board. Mr. Newgent stated that he has been working on a program for quite a while. It means money to him and to many people. He said he feels at the moment that he has a program where he is doing business with the Town. The idea involves the Central Block. He said Central he feels it is important to the Town to control the Block block. There is a price on the block and it is for sale. Mr. Newgent has a party who would give the block to the Town. In that way, the Town will own it and Mr. Newgent would like something in return. He said "A" would purchase theroperty and give the Central Block to the Town. The Town will then give to "A" 9.6 acres of land which happens to be the Town barn. The Town will need a place to move its Town barn to. He said he could bring in about $1,000,000 in assessments on the Town barn which means $40,000 income. He said the Town will have $40,000 a year income on a place zoned for C-1 where he could put in a shopping center. He said out of that money, the Town can make arrangements to enter into a contract to buy another tract of land, for example, the J. C. Mangy building. In the meantime, the Town will take down the Central Block and his original purchaser will now agree to buy back the block for $120:000. The Town will have $120,000 to put towards new Town barns or to purchase the Hunt Block, He said $120,000 would not purchase the Hunt Block. His buyer will pay the difference and buy the Hunt Block. Mr. Newgent presented a plan he had prepared for the possible development of the Central Block, Depot Square and Hunt Block. He said the end result is that everyone makes money and the center of the Town can be controlled by redevelop- ment. He requested the Board to present to the January 77 Article 78 .Licenses Town Meeting #1. Sell 9.6 acres to his buyer in return for the Central Block; #2 Accept the Central Block as a gift and then authorize an architectural firm to study the depot square area; #3 After plans are made, in turn, sell back the Central Block to his buyer. He requested that the Board do business with him and he said he ex- pected that the Board would work through him. He said he would want to have this presented to the Special Town Meeting. Messrs. Burnell, Legro and Newgent retired at 10:45 P.M. Letter from the Board of Health pertaining to job description of the Executive Health Officer was referred to Mr. Evans. Appointments were held over until the next meeting of the Board. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to grant the following licenses: Wild Acre Inn Common Victualler Countryside Fish & Chips n it Concord Hill Market tt ft Concord Hill Market " " Geoffroy's Pharmacy n n Five Forks Service Center « " Brewster's Inc. n n Wild Acre Inn Innholder Lexington Motor Inn, Inc. " Taxi, Drivers: George Blaisdell, William Imlach, Louis Salk, Irene Rivais, William Callahan, Robert Ross, Paul Rivais Upon motion duly made and seconded,it was voted ('',Permit to grant permission to the Lexington Lions Club to hold a Clown Show in Cary Memorial Hall on Sunday, February 10, 1963. The meeting adjourned at 11:10_P.M. A true record, Attest: ,Eiec tiv ' Cler i, Select n