MEETING MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Monday, January 26, 2009
PRESENT: Sara A, Mattes (Chairman), Sarah Cannon Holden, Gary Taylor
STAFF: Timothy Higgins (Town Administrator), Debra Parkhurst (Administrative Assistant
Welcome & Introductions: The meeting opened at 7:30 PM. Ms. Mattes reviewed the agenda.
Announcements:
· Ms. Mattes announced that there will be a meeting regarding Hangar 24 on Wednesday at Massport. Please call Massport if you are interested.
· Ms. Mattes announced that she and Mr. Higgins will attend a meeting at Hanscom Air Force Base on Thursday, along with other officials from the HATS towns regarding Housing Privatization. Ms. Mattes also announced that HAFB is not included in the final round of Cyber Command location choices. Ms. Mattes will meet to follow up with members of Senator Kennedy’s staff.
· Mrs. Holden announced that the Long Range Planning Committee will meet on February 10 with all subcommittees present at Bemis Hall. This will be a panel discussion on the draft report. Ms. Mattes urged people to read and comment on the report. In the future State government may require that cities and towns have zoning that is in alignment with their long term plans.
· Mrs. Holden announced that the recreation department Winter Carnival is this weekend.
· Mrs. Holden reminded people that the Emergency Assistance Fund needs donations. Lincoln residents can ask for one time assistance. Checks can be made out to the Town of Lincoln, designating the “Emergency Assistance Fund” as the recipient.
Appointments:
Bemis Trustees:
The Town Administrator explained that the Trustees are an elected board and an appointment can only be made by a majority of both Boards (Trustees and Selectmen) must appoint and the appointment is only until the next election. The next election is the end of March, and the Chairman urged candidates to contact the Town Clerk’s Office regarding taking out nomination papers. Thus, no appointment will be made tonight.
Pierce House Study Committee Re: Presentation of Report & Recommendations
Bill Stason was present along with committee members Max Mason, Jean Horne, and Lucia MacMahon. Judith Gross was unable to attend. Richard Silver, Pierce House Manager, and Susan Silver, were also in attendance. Mr. Higgins introduced the conversation by explaining that a few years ago, the Town commissioned an RFP for a strategic study of the Pierce House. Initially, there were no respondents, but a town resident and professor at Bentley College recruited graduate students to conduct the Study. Mr. Stason summarized the key findings of the study:
· The Pierce House and grounds are a treasure and needs to be preserved.
· The Manager is excellent.
· Repairs funded by the CPC between 2005 and 2008 have amounted to $230,000.
· 50 major events are the average per year; so far there are 30 planned for 2009.
· Annual Revenues have been falling over the last several years, but increased by $13,000 in 2008.
· There have been operating fund deficits since 2005.
· The manager’s salary and benefits are now paid from the Town’s general funds.
· The value of Pierce House Trust Fund, which supports operations and maintenance, has declined over the last two years.
Discussion turned to the PHSC comments regarding their suggestions of the importance of developing a plan for the Pierce House to become financially independent. Recommednations included revamping the PH Committee to allow members with a certain skill set in the case that a business option is chosen. Mr. Stason reported the recommendation that there needs to be a marketing study as to what opportunities might exist for alternative functions and to make it attractive for business uses. Mr. Taylor added that there are also larger forces at play; the building is a town facility and part of the FACTS study for uses of town buildings within the long range planning process. The Pierce House SC noted that one of the recommendations included creating a more permanent structure that could house year round events.
Committee member Max Mason has designed a large tent on a platform to be located on the east side of the house that would have a modest appearance from the road. The Board reviewed the drawings. Mr. Stason reported the PHSC recommended establishing an endowment fund in order to achieve financial stability to help in long term rehabilitation, renovation, or use as an emergency fund. The Board briefly discussed the possibility of a liquor license for the House, but noted that there may be liability issues that need to be investigated. Ms. Mattes noted that Weston is re-opening their Tavern. The Selectmen said that the FACTS subcommittee of the Long Range Master Plan is looking at all Town facilities, including the Pierce House. Discussion turned to when it would be appropriate to discuss this issue with the Town at large. A handout, such as the one used tonight could be available at Town meeting. Physical changes to the
Pierce House would involve both the Conservation Commission and the Historic District Commission. The Chairman urged the Pierce House Committee to meet with those groups prior to Town meeting, so that they can provide responses regarding thjeir respective jurisdictions.
DISCUSSION:
Recommendations and Report: Ad Hoc Traffic and Roadside Design Committee (AHTRDC)
Present for the discussion: Buzz Constable and Jane Herlacher
The Chairman opened the discussion by noting that Lincoln’s main roadways were devised to remain on the periphery; the numbered roads were to the north, south, east, and west, and kept direct commerce outside of the center. Volume has increased and Lincoln’s roads have been impacted. She especially noted that increased permitting and future development along the 128/95 highway corridor may further exacerbate volume and speed of traffic through the town. In order to anticipate this, the Ad Hoc Traffic and Roadside Committee was charged with looking at available tools to address traffic volume and speed issues while maintaining Lincoln’s aesthetic as the Town moved forward with road rehabilitation. The Committee would also look at roadside paths, road shoulder treatments, landscape, fences, and
walls. The Committee has presented its recommendations. The Board reviewed the recommendations presented in an Executive Summary dated December 18, 2008, as revised with an addendum dated January 23, 2009. In particular, the Board approved the following elements of the AHTRDC recommendations:
- - that road width would be maintained (not widened),
-drainage would be improved and road shoulders restored.
- -Sloped granite curbing would be installed in the Historic District, where there was curbing in the past with some additions adjacent to the Library.
- -Stone walls would be repaired and guardrails repaired or newly installed where appropriate.
- -Travel Lanes would be 10’ wide on secondary roads, and 11’ wide on major roads.
- -Sideline Road striping would be maintained at 2’, wherever possible, and would help provide predictability for both drivers and bicyclists.
- -Bedford Road would be paved for its entirety, including the where it adjoins Route 2A, a State Highway. This final 300’ is an additional cost. In past road projects, paving to the intersection was the norm.
- -The Board discussed using chip seal in the Historic District as a type of distinguishing treatment and perhaps some degree of traffic calming. However, there is a cost consideration, and the chip seal could be added later. There is also concern that the chip seal surface might be unacceptably noisy. Discussion followed on accident “hot spots” which tend to be at intersections, particularly along Route 117.
- -The Board discussed monitoring speed once the roads are in place to see if speeds increase. The Board recommended that two temporary/moveable speed “humps” be bought at this time, and technically, permanent ones can be applied later, if deemed necessary
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- Discussion followed on cross walks located where paths cross roadways. Buzz Constable (member of the AHTRDC) said that 12 to 18 paths intersect with roads. The Selectmen said they were concerned with setting precedent for approving these crosswalks all over town. It was also noted that the Historic District Commission did not approve the signs that are required for crosswalks to be used in the District.
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- Discussion turned to roadside treatments at the intersection of Trapelo and Old County Roads. It was suggested that some amount of funding be left in there for details which could be bid out separately.
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- The Town will also get estimates for speed boards. (We have estimates of humps. We need more info on the big speed board that is moved around town.)
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- Discussion turned to the use of a traffic island on Bedford Road to lower speed. Bedford Road resident Jane Herlacher said that she and other neighbors believe there is a speed problem on Bedford road. However, the Traffic Committee study did not indicate that there is a speeding problem on Bedford Road. Another iteration of a traffic island for Bedford Road (north) has been put forward by the neighbors. Traffic Committee members said there are issues of snow removal, maintenance, drainage public safety travel impediments, bus routes, as well as car headlights that could negatively impact neighbors. Chairman Mattes said they don’t know how this could be implemented without study and putting the Bedford Road replacement off into the second phase. Mr. Constable believed that this iteration has not been fully investigated. Mr. Higgins did not see how the dollars for Phase 1 could cover the entire scope for this new work, but design dollars could be freed up from Phase
2 to study the design for this. The Board discussed that they need input and comment from Public Safety before any design work is done. They need comments by next week regarding the traffic island in order to determine how to phase the Bedford Road (north) portion.
- The Board continued to review the list of recommendations from the AHTRD Committee. The Board voted to approve the overall project recommendations of the AHTRDC w/ the exclusion of some site specific recommendations.
Town Meeting Warrant Articles
Mr. Higgins quickly reviewed 46 Warrant articles with the Board.
Mrs. Holden made a MOTION to support the Town Clerk Article (increasing the term of office from one to three years). Mr. Taylor seconded and the Motion passed unanimously.
Budget Discussion:
The Governor has announced cuts to State Aid Budget of: $82,000 for FY 09 and $100,000 for FY10. FINCOM might support an additional $40,000 to $50,000 over the base budget of 2.5 % increase for the FY 10 Budget. Mr. Higgins discussed where the additional funding might go. He suggested that Information Technology get $10,000 for increased cost of software and hardware; Public Safety get increased funding to restore training funding that had been reduced (up to 30,000). The remainder he would direct to increased administrative support in the Town Offices, specifically, the Town Clerk and ZBA. The Board discussed supporting the $50,000.
Comprehensive Long Range Plan
The Board discussed the “Draft Land Use Assessment Criteria developed by the Land Use and Economic Development subcommittee of the Long Range Planning Committee. The Chairman noted a lack of data regarding projected needs and revenues, such as revenues generated from South Lincoln. She questioned how the town can vote on a plan without an understanding of the financial implications and a discussion of revenue streams, an estimate based on modeling, and potential development scenarios. The Board noted there is a list of criteria, but no direction about how they would be applied. There is no discussion of priorities or conflicts. Mr. Taylor also expressed concerns about certain of the proposed criteria. There was concern that as currently proposed the criteria could create more problems than they solve.
Action
· A MOTION was made and seconded to close the 2009 Annual Town Meeting Warrant. The Motion passed unanimously.
· A MOTION was made and seconded to approve the original budget set at 2.5% with the addition of $50,000 to be distributed as discussed and to cover certain IT support activities and
· increased administrative support for the ZBA and Town Clerk Offices. The Motion passed unanimously.
· Minutes were deferred.
· Warrants were approved and signed.
The Meeting adjourned at 10:30 PM.
Submitted by Debra Parkhurst
Approved on February 23, 2009
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