BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
FEBRUARY 26, 2007
Present: Sarah Cannon-Holden (Chairman), Sara Mattes, Gary Taylor
Staff: Timothy Higgins (Town Administrator), Debra Parkhurst (Administrative Assistant)
Welcome & Introductions: The meeting opened at 7:30 PM. The Chairman welcomed the public, reviewed the agenda and action items for the meeting.
Announcements: There were no announcements.
Appointments: -
Donna Brown, Candidate for Lincoln Woods Charitable Trust
Appearing with Ms. Brown was Jonathan Keyes, current member of the Trust. Mr. Higgins reminded the Board of their previous conversation with the Trustees, noting that Avram Kalisky had recently resigned leaving a vacancy that must be filled by a resident of Lincoln Woods. Ms. Brown has volunteered. Ms. Brown said that she has worked for the past 17 years at the Carroll School as accounting manager. She moved to Lincoln Woods two years ago, and was appointed Treasurer of Lincoln Woods last year. The Board, noting her appropriate skill set, thanked her for stepping up to the task. The Board also thanked Avram Kalisky for his years on the Trust. Mr. Taylor made a MOTION, Ms. Mattes seconded, to appoint Donna Brown as a Trustee for the Lincoln Woods Charitable Trust. The Motion passed unanimously.
Kevin Mooney, Police Chief; Discussion of proposed Solicitors and Peddlers Bylaw
The Chief explained that at this time, there is no bylaw to address door to door solicitation. In many cases, the solicitors come in to inform the Police, but in other cases, the department gets a call because a resident is upset about solicitors in their neighborhood. Kevin Kennedy worked on this bylaw along with Town Counsel. The new bylaw provides that solicitors and peddlers must register with the Police Department for a fee of $25.00 per license. The Police Department has the right to refuse the license in certain cases if the person has a criminal record. Many surrounding towns already have similar bylaws. Residents can put their name on a “Do Not Solicit” list held by the Town Clerk. The Board suggested that this information should go out to residents in a Town-wide mailing.
The Chief also said that the proposed bylaw does not apply to religious or Not for Profit groups. The solicitors will be given identity cards, and homeowners always have the right to tell people to leave their property. The license is good for 90 days at a cost of $15.00 per person. The Bylaw also specifies the hours within which a person may solicit. He noted that the hours to which solicitation could be limited were determined by court cases. The appeal board for denials of solicitation permits is the Board of Selectmen. The Police would provide written notice of refusal. The Board discussed that they need to provide a set of criteria for appeals.
Fire at 320 Cambridge Turnpike
Mr. Mooney discussed the recent fire at 320 Cambridge Turnpike. The first response was at 9:15 AM and by that time, the house was fully involved. Route 2 was closed for the morning and part of the afternoon. Surrounding communities provided assistance. The first response was from Lexington. Commuters called 911, and Lexington was called. The new Advance 911 technology will allow for cell phone locations to be tracked and the proper communities to be called. Ms. Mattes asked if the house had Town water. It did not, and the Chief explained that the closest hydrant was located at Lawson’s Farm. The Pumper Truck provided coverage until the hose was connected to that hydrant. Ms. Mattes expressed concern that 20% of the Town is not on Town water, and noted that concerns have been
raised in this regard with the Water Board. Mr. Higgins said that a feasibility study has been conducted. The Chairman suggested that the Water Board come in to discuss these issues of feasibility, funding and insurance costs.
Open Forum: No one was present for this
Town Administrator’s Report
Mr. Higgins said the focus has been on developing the Warrant and working with the FINCOM on the budget. The Warrant has been re-organized, and he identified articles for the Consent List. The routine low cost items are on the Consent Calendar, and he is encouraging the Town Moderator to include other items on it. The Board agreed that the potential to shorten the Town Meeting and keep it to one day increases involvement of the citizens. They discussed that many of the consent items are replacement items, and any one of them can be removed for purposes of discussion. The Board discussed if all new items, even small ones, should be on or off the consent calendar. As for the order of the Warrant, the gift has been moved up; the flag can be taken out of order, if desired.
Discussion
Snowstorm in February 14
The Board discussed the snowstorm on February 14. Ms. Mattes described her experiences driving that day. Mr. Higgins agreed that it was a disappointing response from the DPW. He was made aware of the road conditions from the Police Chief. He went down to the DPW yard and shortly thereafter the roads were improved. Mr. Higgins said that the DPW Director was out of the state at the time. In his absence, performance was not up to standard. He has requested a chronology of events that day. He also apologized to the residents. Mr. Taylor said he is gravely concerned about the DPW performance in this situation. This was a public safety hazard, not just a nuisance, and was not acceptable performance, he added. Mr. Higgins said that in the last two years, roads were usually in
good shape, and apologized to the Town and Public Safety for this.
Agricultural Commission
Ms. Mattes discussed the formation of an agricultural commission. She presented a Mission, a charge, and membership makeup. This has been in process for 18 months. The Selectmen were charged with creating and appointing a committee. Ms. Mattes has worked with the Conservation Commission towards this goal. She discussed the two types of sustainability: farming as an industry and open land. She discussed the Mission, the Charge and the Membership. The Board will review and may vote at the next meeting.
Liaison Reports
Ms. Mattes reported that Hanscom Field has put out a warning of unusual flying activity due to flight testing.
Mr. Taylor reported that Budget Coordinating Committee has scheduled discussion of the budget at the following locations and times:
PTA, Hartwell Multi Purpose Room on March 6 at 8:15 AM
Board of Selectmen, Donaldson Room, Town Offices, March 12 at 7 PM
COA, Bemis Hall, March 13 at 1:30 PM
In addition they will produce an evening presentation on March 6 for telecasting on Cable TV.
Action Items
Appoint Constable
Mr. Taylor made a MOTION, Ms. Mattes seconded to appoint Barbara A. Hartnett as a Lincoln Constable for one year to begin on March 1, 2007. The Motion passed unanimously.
IRS Reimbursement
Mr. Taylor made a MOTION, Ms. Mattes seconded to adjust the mileage reimbursement rate to be consistent with IRS guidelines. The Motion passed unanimously.
Correspondence
The Planning Board will meet on March 7 regarding the site plan for the Brooks/ Global Country for World Peace proposal to discuss the next steps, given that their last project was denied, then appealed, then withdrawn without prejudice.
The Lincoln Schools have informed the Board that according to the Master Plan study, they need to develop a second or alternative means of egress to the school, and asked the Board to consider the Public Safety Request to construct a road for this purpose. The Board recognized the bottleneck that can occur on Ballfield, Road. Mr. Taylor made a MOTION, Ms. Mattes seconded to endorse the development of another ingress/egress for the Lincoln Schools. The Motion passed unanimously.
Actions
Mr. Higgins summarized the actions from this meeting
Mrs. Holden asked for volunteer for the Lincoln Sudbury Safety Review Committee.
Adjournment
Mr. Taylor made a MOTION, Ms. Mattes seconded, to go into Executive Session pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws C.39, ss 23b for the purpose of discussing real estate and not to return to Regular Session. A Poll was taken of the Board: Mattes – aye; Taylor –aye; Holden- aye. The Regular session ended at 9:00 PM.
Submitted by Debra Parkhurst
Approved 02.04.08
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