Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes
December 18, 2006
PRESENT: PersonNameSarah Cannon Holden (chairman), Sara Mattes, Gary Taylor
STAFF: Tim Higgins (Town Administrator), Debra Parkhurst (Administrative Assistant)
Welcome & Introductions: The meeting opened at timeMinute30Hour197:30 PM. The Chairman welcomed the public, reviewed the agenda and action items for the meeting.
Announcements – The Selectmen announced that applications for needs based discounts for NSTAR are available in the Town offices (Selectmen and Clerk) and the COA.
Appointments
Representative Susan Pope
The Selectmen welcomed State Representative Susan Pope, and thanked her for her years of service and support in response to Town needs and issues, as well as her availability to the public through coffees and office hours. They Board also discussed her past service on both the School Committee and the PersonNameBoard of Selectmen for the Town of placeCityWayland. Ms. Mattes especially thanked Ms. Pope for her support of recent home placeCityLincoln home rule petitions involving senior tax relief and the liquor license.
placeCityLincoln Woods Charitable Trust
Robert DeNormandie and Jonathan Keyes (placeCityConcord, StateMA), current members of the Trust, were present for the discussion, along with Lincoln Woods President Kathy Ramone. Mr. DeNormandie explained that the Trust was begun to support low income residents of Lincoln Woods by providing loans for those who might not otherwise be able to afford the initial deposit to become part of the cooperative. As the value and price has increased, this has become more difficult. The Trust currently has $450,000 in outstanding loans and $200,000 liquid assets. The Trust processes six to ten turnovers a year. The initial endorsement was $100,000 from Community Builders. Their investments are fairly conservative. The interest on a loan is not paid until a resident leaves the community. Following the
resignation of long time trustee Avram Kalisky, they are seeking a third member for the Trust who must be a resident of Lincoln Woods. The Board will place an ad in the paper. The new member must be a resident of Lincoln Woods.
Route 2 Safety Upgrade
Present: Fire Chief Artie Cotoni, Police Chief Kevin Mooney, John Snell Planning Board, Jim Bailey, Commander Concord Barracks, State Pollice, Eoin Trevelyan, resident.
Mr. Higgins introduced Mr. Snell the “point person” for the Town on the Route 2 project who will update the Board. Mr. Higgins also noted an increased concern for public safety recently due to substantial accidents. Mr. Taylor also asked if the Board could have a brief description of how safety is weighed into the process for MPO decision making on funding. Discussion turned to two recent accidents, one involving a dump truck and one involving two vehicles. Mr. Higgins commented that these were not isolated events; there is an average of 50 accidents a year, one-third of these resulting in personal injury. Crosby Corner is due for upgrades. Recent jersey barrier installations have made a difference in the safety. However, the westbound approach to the corner remains particularly difficult
for braking. Mr. Boynton of 34 placeCityCambridge Turnpike said there are rear end accidents almost daily in the winter. A recent meeting between addressStreetMass Highway and representatives from placeCityLincoln, placeCityConcord, and placeCityActon indicated that the project is on “the list.” However, the project is very expensive, with $31.5 million for construction and $30 million for land appropriation. They expect that the 75 % design will be ready in March. Discussion followed on traffic enforcement, improved signage, eliminating left hand turns as well as resurfacing to remove the “washboard” effect. Mr. Snell expressed the concern that a series of repairs or minor improvement could slow down the process. Commander Bailey of the Concord Barracks said that his safety concerns are all along the Route 2 corridor. The severity of accidents make this area stand out and he could request fresh signs, flexible
poles, etc. Mr. Snell addressed the “scoring” of the accident rates and explained that improving the explanation and understanding of the severity of the accidents could change the MPO scoring. It was suggested that the local representatives could work with the Concord Barracks on improving this information. Eoin Trevelyan, resident of 7 Oak Knoll, has attended recent meetings and believes that consideration of the project has changed due to the fact that this is a 30 million dollar taking and the MPO has a small budget. He suggested the project is too big for the MPO. Discussion followed on the need for wider political support. The Town can move forward on these issues by addressing accident scoring, working with the region, in particular, the Concord Barracks and putting pressure on the MPO to get to “yes.” The Selectmen suggested that the design team should come to a meeting for discussion, particularly in regard
to staging issues. Some concern was expressed over the effect this will have on Route 2A, increasing its use as a commuter throughway during this time. Discussion continued on the Right of Way takings. There was a question if there was a role for the Federal government and Senator Kennedy’s office in this. It was agreed that there should at least be a meeting with State Representatives and Senators.
Open Forum – No one was present for the Open Forum.
Town Administrator’s Report :
Appoint Special Police
Mr. Higgins reminded the Board that two years ago they had singed a Memorandum of Understanding with the placePlaceNameMinuteman PlaceTypeNational Park. That agreement required that Park Rangers would be appointed as Special Police. There are presently three rangers to be appointed. Chief Mooney reported that they will pass placeStateMassachusetts training and then they can assist with traffic issues. Additionally, the Town of placeCityLincoln can help them if the need assistance in enforcement. Mr. Taylor made a MOTION to appoint Kevin C. Kavanaugh, Anthony R. Sudnick and Geoffrey C. Grossman from placePlaceNameMinuteman PlaceNameNational PlaceNameHistoric PlaceTypePark as special Police Officers. Ms. Mattes seconded and the MOTION passed unanimously.
Discussion
· Mr. Higgins reviewed the Town Meeting Calendar and previewed the list of warrant articles.
· Mr. Higgins told the Board that the Affordable Housing Trust has just started to meet and discussion has started on the possible need for professional help as well as funding from the CPC, Lincoln Foundation, and/or Town Meeting.
Budget
Mr. Higgins briefly discussed the budget, noting that special education and class size policies drive the budget for the schools, noting that the High School is particularly difficult. Mr. Taylor added that the 3% budget would mean a one million dollar shortfall for the high school district. Mr. Higgins said that placeCityLincoln is in a stronger financial situation than it has been in a long time and it is now possible to look at the capital side and rebuild reserves. However, they are waiting for reports from the schools and the FINCOM.
Liaison Reports
· Mrs. Holden reported on the CAC meeting she attended with John Snell. Mrs. Holden reported on a recent meeting of the Long Range Planning Committee where they broke into small groups for discussion. The next meeting will be with the consultant. to guide the process. Mrs. Holden reported on a meeting in placeCityBoston (Faneuil Hall) with Governor-elect Deval Patrick She noted that most of those on the transition team were mayors. Noting that the last time local governments were represented well was during the Dukakis era, the Selectmen hoped that there will be a mechanism for smaller communities to be represented.
· Ms. Mattes thanked the Police and Fire Chiefs for their summary reports for the Hats meeting. She said it is reassuring to hear about the inter community collaboration.
· Mr. Taylor reported on a signed Memorandum of agreement between the Deaconess and the Water Department, and that this needs a follow through with DHCD. He also said they Deaconess will be opening a marketing office at the Mall.
Action Items
The Board reviewed the BOS Meeting Schedule.
The Board reviewed correspondence.
Mr. Higgins summarized action items
The Board reviewed and signed the Warrants.
A MOTION was made and seconded to go into Executive Session pursuant to MGL Chapter 39, Section 23B, not to return to regular session. A poll was taken of the Board: Mrs. Holden – aye; Ms. Mattes – aye; Mr. Taylor – aye. The vote was unanimous and the regular session adjourned at timeMinute20Hour99:20.
Submitted by Debra Parkhurst
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