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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-03-BOS-min61-135 Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes March 2, 1998 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, March 2, 1998 in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Office Building at 7:30 p.m. Chairman McSweeney, Mr. Busa, Mr. Fenn, Mrs. Eddison, Mr. Enrich; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; and Ms. Smith, Executive Clerk, were present. Boston Edison Grant of Location Hearing – 16 Hayden Avenue Mr. McSweeney opened a hearing on the petition of Boston Edison Company for a grant of location for conduit to be installed to provide electric service to a new building located at 16 Hayden Avenue. There being no questions Mr. McSweeney declared the hearing closed. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the petition of the Boston Edison Company to lay and maintain underground conduits and manholes, with the wires and cables to be placed therein, under the surface of Hayden Avenue southwesterly, approximately 600 feet west of Waltham Street, a distance of about 85 feet (±). Consent Agenda Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the following commitments and adjustments: a. Commitment of water charges for 12/1/97 to 12/31/97 $2,269.25 b. Commitment of sewer charges for 12/1/97 to 12/31/97 $4,917.25 c. Adjustments of water charges for 12/1/97 to 12/31/97 -$34,122.23 d. Adjustments of sewer charges for 12/1/97 to 12/31/97 -$85,234.32 Committee Resignations Traffic Safety Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept the resignation of David Kanter from the Traffic Safety committee. Personnel Advisory Board Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept with regret the the resignation of Katherine Page from the Personnel Advisory Board and to thank her for her many contributions to Lexington. 61-136 Selectmen’s Meeting – March 2, 1998 Reenactment of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and William Dawes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request of the Lexington Historical Society and the Lexington Minute Men to close off Bedford Street from Massachusetts Avenue to Hancock Street and Hancock Street to Adams Street to all but resident emergency traffic from 10:30 p.m. on April 19 to 1:00 a.m. on April 20 and that they coordinate their plans with Captain Kilmartin. Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of the meeting of January 26, 1998. Executive Session Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the executive session minutes of the meeting of December 8 and December 15, 1997 and January 26, 1998. Selectmen Liaison Reports Mr. Fenn reported that a group of six Russians from Gatchina, Russia will be visiting Lexington st from April 14 through the 21. Gatchina is a center of high tech industries, particularly nuclear. Three of the guests speak English. The Town is looking for host families and companies either doing business or thinking of doing business with Russia to let either he or Ed Shapiro know. Mrs. Eddison mentioned that she has received a request from a city in Australia who might be interested in becoming a sister city to Lexington. She will explore further and keep the Board informed. Mr. Busa mentioned that last year Lexington Rotary become involved in operation Angel Wings which is an effort to bring children afflicted from the Chernobyl disaster to the States. Rotary will assist in providing fresh fruits, vegetables and water to the 152 children when they arrive at Logan the end of June. Executive Session Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 5-0 by roll call vote: Mr. McSweeney, Mr. Busa, Mr. Fenn, Mrs. Eddison and Mr. Enrich to go into executive session for purposes of litigation matters, with no intent to resume open session. A true record, Attest: Phyllis A. Smith Executive Clerk 61-137 Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes March 9, 1998 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, March 9, 1998 in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Office Building at 7:30 p.m. Mr. Busa, Mr. Fenn, Mrs. Eddison, Mr. Enrich, Mrs. Krieger; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; and Ms. Smith, Executive Clerk, were present. Reorganization of the Board Executive Clerk Phyllis Smith asked for nominations for Chairman. Mrs. Eddison nominated Peter Enrich. Mr. Busa asked to be acknowledged and made the following comments: Before I make my nomination, I feel impelled tonight to make a brief comment. During my tenure as a member of the Board of Selectmen, I can say I have worked with a variety of folks with quite different political preferences, and, it has been my privilege and pleasure to do so. Each year, immediately following our local elections, our board reorganizes, as we are doing right now. This annual selection of our past chairpersons has always been, in keeping with the majority opinion of the members at hand, and the person who could best represent the largest cross- section of our citizens. One element that I feel has always been considered is that the senior members of our group upon meeting these criteria would be considered as the chairperson. Although I have as many years’ seniority on this board as Mr. Fenn, given the political persuasion of our members, at this time, a nomination for Dan Busa for chairperson would be the last thing from my mind. Dan Fenn, on the other hand, has been a diligent and forthright representative for all of our citizens. He and I have had disagreements on a variety of issues but have always tried to find a way to reach middle ground. His views differed from mine on Lexpress but he then helped support “Unbundled Overrides”, because he felt that those were the right things to do. I respect him as a man, and a colleague, and consider him a trustworthy friend, a characteristic all too many times missing in our world today. Therefore, Madam Secretary, I respectfully nominate Dan H. Fenn, Jr. for Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. Mr. Fenn thanked his colleague for his kind words and for the nomination and said while he would enjoy the opportunity to serve as chairman, he declined the nomination. No further nominations were made and Ms. Smith declared the nominations closed. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted unanimously to elect Peter D. Enrich Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. 61-138 Selectmen’s Meeting – March 9, 1998 Mr. Enrich thanked his colleagues saying he felt it a real honor, privilege and responsibility to serve as Chairman. It is an opportunity that I accept with some humility and real pleasure. I see the primary function of the Chairman as being the facilitator for the Board and to make sure that we work together in a collegial way that is respectful of the full range of views not only of this board, but also the community. The role of the Chair is to make sure all of those views are fairly heard, presented in a way that is open and honest and in a way that really puts all the issues on the table and lets us move together toward a consensus, toward positions and approaches that we can all share for the good of the community. In thinking abut the role of the Chair, I am guided in no small measure by the two most recent holders of the Chair – Bill Dailey and Leo McSweeney; two people whose views I often disagreed with, but people both of whom I thought handled this position with tremendous respect in a way that really served those goals of being open and honest and facilitating fair discussion and a meeting of the minds around the difficult issues that we face. I hope I can follow in their footsteps. This is probably also the opportunity for me to say a word about Leo. This is the first meeting in a dozen years that Leo hasn’t been sitting at the Selectmen’s table. I know in both the years that I watched this Board from out there and in the time I have served on the Board with Leo I have developed a really profound respect for him. He is a gentleman, he is somebody who has always conducted these meetings and the other conduct of the Board with tremendous generosity of spirit and tremendous energy in a way that I could only hope to live up to. I am sure that no one will mistake that for any sort of eulogy because I think we all know that Leo’s decades of energetic, warmhearted and tremendously valuable contribution to our community is nowhere near an end and that we will see a great deal more of him around and that is tremendously important. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to draw up a proclamation using the words of praise just pronounced by Chairman Enrich in honor of Leo McSweeney’s many years of service on the Board. Mr. Enrich welcomed new member Jeanne Krieger and newly reelected member Betty Eddison. Let me say one final thing about the elections. I know there has been a lot of talk about what the elections meant for the direction of the Town. The one thing that is clear to me; all of the candidates who won for all of the various offices are people who, during the campaign, talked a lot about the importance of building consensus, of bringing together a wider group of people, and moving forward together. If I am going to take that message from the election, it needs to be at the top of our agenda and I hope that this Board, working together, can move forward in that spirit and in that direction. 61-139 Selectmen’s Meeting – March 9, 1998 Bell Atlantic Grant of Location Hearing – Meriam Street Mr. Enrich opened a public hearing on the petition of Bell Atlantic for a grant of location for conduit to be installed to provide the Church of our Redeemer telecommunications access to network services. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the petition of Bell Atlantic – New England to lay and maintain underground conduits and manholes, with the wires and cables to be placed therein, under the surface of Meriam Street starting at pole number 65/4A on the westerly side of Meriam Street, place conduit in a southwesterly direction, a distance of 3 feet ±. Appointments Registrar of Voters Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to reappoint Connie Foster as Registrar of Voters for a three-year term expiring March 31, 2001. Cable TV and Communications Advisory Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint David C. Carver a member of the Cable TV and Communications Advisory Committee for a three-year term expiring September 30, 2001. Budget Issues DPW Director George Woodbury updated the Board on the status of the NESWC contract. The contract terminates in the year 2004 and the fear is that if the contract is not extended the tipping fee will go up dramatically. There was discussion of the pros and cons of using a payment in lieu of taxes again this year from the Sewer Enterprise Fund. Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of the meetings of February 2 and February 9, 1998. One Day Liquor License Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to issue a one-day liquor license to St. Brigid’s Parish, 2001 Massachusetts Avenue for a St. Patrick’s Day Party on Saturday, March 14, 1998. 61-140 Selectmen’s Meeting – March 9, 1998 DEP Recycling Grant Award Mr. White reported that the Department of Public Works has received a $3,792 grant from the Department of Environmental Protection for home composting bins, brochures and paint storage cabinets. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept a grant award from the Department of Environmental Protection in the amount of $3,792 and to establish a Selectmen’s Gift Account to receive and disperse revenue from the sale of composting bins. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 8:25 p.m. A true record, Attest: Phyllis A. Smith Executive Clerk 61-141 Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes March 16, 1998 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, March 16, 1998 in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Office Building at 7:30 p.m. Chairman Enrich, Mr. Busa, Mr. Fenn, Mrs. Eddison, Mrs. Krieger; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; and Ms. Smith, Executive Clerk, were present. Public Comments Mr. Busa speaking as a citizen and as a proud parent reported to the Board and the Town that the Hayden precision skating teams have just returned from the San Diego national championships. The Haydenettes have won their seventh gold, the Ice Mates won a gold, the Ice Cubes a silver and the Esprit de Corps a bronze. Article Assignments Board Members have assigned themselves articles for the upcoming Town Meeting. Mr. Enrich explained that many of the agenda items pertain to the Warrant and will allow the Board to take positions on the articles. Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the minutes of the meetings of February 23 and March 2, 1998. Proclamation – Women’s History Month Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to declare the month of March Women’s History Month. Airport Noise Work Group Mr. Fenn reported that Massport is putting together a noise work group and he nominated Julian Bussgang and Tony Galaitsis. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Julian Bussgang and Tony Galaitsis as Lexington’s representatives to the Massport sponsored Airport Noise Work Group. Sewer Rate Relief Funds Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to accept $19,684 from the Commonwealth Sewer Rate Relief Fund to be used solely for the purpose of providing assistance in the mitigation of sewer rate increases in fiscal year 1999. 61-142 Selectmen’s Meeting – March 16, 1998 Planning Board Planning Board members and staff were present to discuss the zoning articles in this year’s warrant. Three of the eleven articles considered the highest priority were reviewed; Article 32 Wireless Communication Antennas, Article 40 Outdoor Lighting and Article 36 Nonconforming Parking, Lexington Center. Capital Expenditures Committee Capital Expenditures Committee members were present to review their position on the warrant articles. They are recommending against Article 12 Street Reconstruction at this time as they feel it is important to conduct the survey using the proposed software to be purchased with Chapter 90 money. They also have not taken a position yet on Article 16 Bedford Street/Bike Path Traffic Signal. They have agreed on all other warrant articles. They expect their report will be ready in a couple of weeks. Mr. Enrich indicated the Board has seen a draft report put together by the Manager concerning Article 42 Guidelines for Financing Capital Expenditures. It represents a lot of food for thought. The amount of material deserves time for digestion. Mrs. Eddison felt it important to approve the push button light at Bedford Street and the bikeway. There are hundreds of people crossing there every day and it is a very dangerous intersection. School Articles Mrs. Peltz was present to report on the Article in the Special Town Meeting for 13 portable classrooms. She indicated that over a five year span the purchase of the classrooms would be about $125,000 less than the cost of leasing. Mrs. Peltz also reviewed the school construction articles for the Annual Town Meeting. She ran through a priority list and listed those areas that could wait for a major capital request and those that needed immediate attention and were not negotiable. School Project Update Mr. Busa started in January with an informal working group to come up with an affordable project. After a few weeks it was concluded that there was need for some technical support from the architects. This will cost $22,000. 61-143 Selectmen’s Meeting – March 16, 1998 Mr. Busa reported that when the group started we thought we could put something together. The Permanent Building Committee did a good job and provided us with a lot of data. We began to focus on the high school. If we could do that with the high school, we might be able to replicate the process and do all nine schools. If you take the high school project alone, at $28 million and try to do it at $10 million it just can’t happen. We felt it would be best to back into the project from a different tack. If we were starting from scratch and building programs and policy issues from that stage, we would be asking if we spend $15 million for the high school, net to the Town of $6 million – can you build us a reimbursable project? The answer is yes with conditions. It will certainly not be a $28 million project that we had on the table. Mr. Busa was urged to go forward with coming up with a responsible project. There is $400,000 remaining from the $2.4 million appropriation and it was thought that these funds might be appropriate to use for the $22,000 needed for technical support from the architects. It was decided to ask the school committee for its endorsement. There was much discussion on how the group would continue and open up the meetings to the public as an Ad Hoc working group working with the Permanent Building Committee. Payment in Lieu of Taxes Board members discussed the option of whether to continue a $250,000 payment in lieu of taxes from the Sewer Enterprise Fund or some other course of action to reduce the budget gap. Mr. Busa and Mr. Fenn preferred to cease using an in lieu of tax payment. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 3 to 2, Mr. Busa and Mr. Fenn in opposition, to keep the PILOT at its current level and to bill the increase on the rate at the appropriate time. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 10:35 p.m. A true record, Attest: Phyllis A. Smith Executive Clerk 61-144 Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes March 23, 1998 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, March 23, 1998 in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Office Building at 7:00 p.m. Chairman Enrich, Mr. Busa, Mr. Fenn, Mrs. Eddison, Mrs. Krieger; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; and Ms. Smith, Executive Clerk, were present. Legislation re Regional School Transportation Costs Reimbursement Board members decided there was no reason to take a position on recent legislation concerning reimbursement of regional school transportation costs. Position on Warrant Articles Board Members took a position on the following articles: Special Town Meeting Article 1 Portable Classrooms – unanimous support Article 2 Fire Fighter Labor Contract – unanimous support Annual Town Meeting Article 7 Supplemental appropriation for Pool Project, 29 Rescind Unused Borrowing authority, 30 Amend General By-Laws, Wetlands Protection, 32 Wireless communications Antennas, 33 Small Lots, 34 Conversion of One Family Houses, 35 Technical Corrections, 36 Nonconforming Parking, Lexington Center, 37 Maximum, Minimum Parking, 38 Transportation Demand Management, 39 Procedures, Planned Development Districts and 40 Outdoor Lighting – unanimous support. Budget Reductions Town Manager Richard White gave the Board a list of proposed cuts to the operating and cash capital budgets he is recommending in order to close the budget gap. Board members discussed their individual concerns about the proposed cuts. Economic Development Coordinator/Director Position Mr. White presented some information concerning a potential Economic Development Coordinator/Director position. 61-145 Selectmen’s Meeting – March 23, 1998 Minuteman Vocational Proposed Development Board Members discussed a proposal submitted to Minuteman Vocational High School in response to an RFP sent out in January. Minuteman appears to be very serious about moving forward with the proposal. There was discussion about what role the Board should play and it was felt Lexington should get in touch with officials in Lincoln and express the desire of both communities, HATS and the Minuteman National Park to be participants in the discussion of the proposals submitted by Claremont Associates. Council on Aging Appointment Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the Town Manager’s appointment of Ms. Marilyn Campbell to the Council on Aging for a term expiring May 31, 1998. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 7:50 p.m. A true record, Attest: Phyllis A. Smith Executive Clerk 61-146 Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes March 25, 1998 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Wednesday, March 25, 1998 in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Office Building at 7:00 p.m. Chairman Enrich, Mr. Busa, Mr. Fenn, Mrs. Eddison, Mrs. Krieger; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; and Ms. Smith, Executive Clerk, were present. Budget Cuts Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to make the following capital budget cuts: $280,000 street reconstruction, $555,000 street resurfacing, $94,471 DPW equipment, $25,000 Sutherland Park playground improvements, and $25,000 of the funding for the Stabilization Fund. Town Manager Richard White presented the Board with a list of budget reductions based upon discussions with the School Committee last evening. The Board members approved all but four of the proposals and restored the following items: Records Management $8,816, MIS Staff person for full year $20,000, sidewalks $10,000 and Historic Districts Clerk $2,949. The Board further approved the following cuts: $52,000 DPW Expenses for electricity, $24,900 Finance Department Clerk, $25,000 DPW Expenses for sidewalks, $32,000 DPW Personal Services for Management Analyst, $5,000 Board of Selectmen Personal Services additional clerical hours, $35,000 Fire Expenses for vehicle, $9,578 Library Expenses for computer terminals, $8,000 Police expenses car plan, $6,000 Finance expenses for MIS Training, $7,051 Inspectional Services Personal Services part of time of HDC Clerk. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the operating budget for article 4 as proposed by the manager. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 7:55 p.m. A true record, Attest: Phyllis A. Smith Executive Clerk 61-147 Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes March 30, 1998 A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was held on Monday, March 30, 1998 in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room, Town Office Building at 7:00 p.m. Chairman Enrich, Mr. Busa, Mr. Fenn, Mrs. Eddison, Mrs. Krieger; Mr. White, Town Manager; Mr. Cohen, Town Counsel; and Ms. Smith, Executive Clerk, were present. Use of Battle Green Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the request from The First Baptist Church to conduct an Easter Sunrise Service on the Battle Green on Sunday, April 12 from 6:30 to 7:15 a.m. Appointment – Fair Housing and Human Relations Committee Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to appoint Thomas Montanari to the Fair Housing and Human Relations committee for a two-year term expiring September 30, 2000. Executive Session Minutes Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to approve the executive session minutes of the meetings of February 23, March 2 and March 16, 1998. Budget Adjustments Mr. White explained that the actions taken by Town Meeting to fund the supplemental appropriation for the pool project by borrowing $80,000 will free that amount up if the Board should choose to add back some items previously cut from the budget. Board Members expressed their preferences as follows: Mrs. Krieger to add back into street resurfacing, Mr. Busa to reduce the amount of the payment in lieu of taxes from the Sewer Enterprise Fund, Mr. Fenn to add to the appropriation for the Reserve Fund to provide some funding for Special Ed. Overruns. Mr. Enrich indicated that the Appropriation Committee has given some favorable thoughts to adding to the Reserve Fund hoping to get a better fix on why the school department has an overrun each year. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted 3 to 2, Mrs. Krieger and Mr. Busa in opposition, to increase the amount requested for Line Item 2310 Reserve Fund to $230,000. 61-148 Selectmen’s Meeting – March 30, 1998 Proclamation – Visit of the Russians Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sign a proclamation of welcome to the delegation of six business and government leaders from Sister City Gatchina, Russia who will be arriving in Lexington on April 14. Hanscom Mr. Fenn distributed a revised statement of goals for the HATS Planning Group. He asked the Board members to give him their comments or reactions and he will share them with the Planning Group. Minuteman Tech Proposed Development Board members discussed getting two Planning Board members, representatives of HATS, Nancy Nelson from the National Park, the Lincoln and Lexington Board of Selectmen involved in the Minuteman Tech proposed development. Mrs. Eddison volunteered to head this effort for the Board. It was also decided to schedule a meeting with the Planning Board after Town Meeting to discuss this issue and others. Upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to adjourn at 7:45 p.m. A true record, Attest: Phyllis A. Smith Executive Clerk