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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1957-05-06 Special Town Meeting Minutes 261 SPECIAL TOWN MEETING Senior High School Auditorium May 6, 1957 The meeting was called to order by the Moderator, Kenneth C. Latham, at 8.P. M. The warrant was partially read by the Town Clerk when on motion of Lawrence Drew it was voted to dispense with further reading of the warrant except the Constable' s Return which was then read by the Town Clerk. ARTICLE 1. On motion of Lawrence Drew it was voted to place ■i' Article 1 on the table. ARTICLE 2. On motion of Gilbert M. Lothrop it was voted that the sum of Three hundred sixty-seven and 31/100 dollars ($367.31) be transferred from the Police - New Ambulance Account and the sum of Thirty-four and 69AOO dollars ($34.69) be transferred from the Police - New Station Wagon Account, and that said sums aggregating Four hundred and two dollars ($402.00) be appropriated for printing the Town Report for the year 1956, which appropriation is to be added to the previous appropriation for printing the Town Report for the year 1956, and that the Town Accountant be and he hereby is author- ized and instructed to transfer said sums to carry out the purpose of this vote. ARTICLE 3. On motion of Gilbert M. Lothrop it was voted that the sum of Five hundred dollars ($500.00) be transferred from Fire - New Two-Way Radio Account and be appropriated for Civil Defense, which appropriation is to be added to the previous appropriation for Civil Defense, said sum to be expended under the direction of the Board of Selectmeninstructed that the Town Accountant be and he hereby is author- ized and nstructed to transfer set d sum to carry out the purpose of this vote. ARTICLE 4. On motion of James E. Calvin it was voted that the sum of One Hundred and seventy-five dollars ($175.00) be transferred from Rebuilding Hose 2 Fire House Study Account and be appropriated for Municipal Building Janitor' s Salary, which appropriation is to be added to the previous appropriation for Municipal Building Janitor' s Salary, and that the Town Accountant be and he hereby is authorized and instructed to transfer said sum to carry out the purpose of this vote. ARTICLE 5. On motion of Lawrence Drew it was voted that the sum of Twenty-five hundred dollars ($2, 500.00) be trasnferred from Surplus Revenue and be appropriated for the purchase of chairs for the Old High School Building, and that the Town Accountant be and hereby is authorized and instructed to transfer said sum to carry out the purpose of this vote. ARTICLE 6. On motion of James E. Calvin it was voted that the Board of Selectmen be and they hereby are authorized, for and on behalf of the Town, to convey or abandon, upon such terms and conditions as they may determine, that portion of the easement acquired by the Town for in- stallation of water mains, and any other right, title and interest which the Inhabitants of the Town of Reading may have in portions of a Private Town Way known as Gleason (Private) Road, and bounded and described as follows:- Parcel 1. — Area 376 Square Feet. Bounded Easterly by Gleason (Private) Road — 41.20 feet Northerly by Parcel 2 as shown on a Plan hereinafter described — 26.66 feet Southwesterly by a reverse curve abutting Lot "A" 7 as shown on said plan — 33.64 feet and 14.62 feet. Parcel 2. - Area 1616 Square Feet. Bounded Easterly by Gleason (Private) Road — 71.72 feet Southerly by Parcel 1, said plan — 26.66 feet Northwesterly by a curved line having a radius of 50.0 feet, abutting Lot "A" 8 said plan — 85. 39 feet. Parcel 3. — 2078 Square Feet. Bounded Westerly by Gleason (Private)Road — 83.45 feet Easterly by a curved line having a radius of 50.0 feet, abutting Lot "A" 9 said plan — 100.02 feet Southerly by Parcel 4, said plan — 13.36 feet. Parcel 4. — Area 120 Square Feet. Bounded Westerly by Gleason (Private) Road — 29.46 feet Northerly by Parcel 3, said plan — 13.36 feet Southeasterly by a curved linehaving a radius of 40.0 feet, abutting Lot "A" 10 said plan — 33.64 feet. 262 Special Town Meeting May 6, 1957 All of said parcels herein described being shown on a Plan entitled "Plan of a Portion of Gleason ( Private) Road, Reading, Mass., showing Areas To Be Abandoned" dated April 22, 1957- Scale 1 inch = 40 feet, Board of Public Works, James T. Putnam, Superintendent, said Plan being a part of this description Gleason (Private) Road, running Northerly from South Street Westerly from and parallel with Pine Ridge Road, was approved by the Board of Survey on June 11, 1951. At that time Gleason Road terminated in a cul-de-sac, with a forty foot strip reserved for a future proposed ex- tension running Northerly from the cul-de-sac to a large undeveloped area. In 1955 the undeveloped area was approved for development, and Gleason Road was extended Northerly. In 1957, the original Gleason Road was accepted as a public town way at the March 1957 adjourned Annual Town Meeting. The extension of Gleason Road, which will eventually be a through way to Pine Ridge Road, makes the original cul-de-sac unnecessary, and the purpose of this Article is to abandon said cul-de-sac. Four parcels of land will receive the benefit of this abandonment. The Town will then not be compelled to maintain the sides or seg- ments of the cul-de-sac. 111 voted in the affirmative 0 voted in the negative. ARTICLE 7. On motion of Lawrence Drew it was voted that the Board of Selectmen be and they hereby are authorized to sell and convey on behalf of the Town, upon such terms and conditions as they may deter- mine, the following described lots of land and building:- 1. The land with the building thereon, situated in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, shown on a plan entitled "Plan of Land in Reading, Mass. Owned by Inhabitants of the Town of Reading", by James T. Putnam, Supt., dated July, 1956, to be recorded with Middlesex South District Registry of Deeds, and bounded and described as follows: SOUTHERLY by Salem Street (formerly called Lowell Street), one hundred twenty-one and 66/100 (121.66) feet; WESTERLY by other land of the Town of Reading, one hundred seventeen and 13/100 (117.13) feet; NORTHERLY by other land of the Town of Reading, shown as Laurel Hill Cemetery on set d plan, and by land of the Old South Methodist Church in Reading, one hundred twenty-one and 55/100 (121.55) feet; EASTERLY by land of the Old South Methodist Church in Reading, one hundred twenty-three and 10/100 (123.10) feet; cont wining 14,606 square feet of land. 2. The land situated in Readin , Middlesex County, Massachusetts, shown as Lot C on a plan entitled 'Plan of Land in Reading, Mass. Owned by Inhabitants of the Town of Reading", by James T. Putnam, Supt. dated April 22, 1957, to be recorded with Middlesex South Dis- trict Registry of Deeds, and bounded and ddscribed as follows:- NORTHERLY by other land of the Town of Reading, one hundred twenty-one and 66/100 (121.66) feet; EASTERLY by lot A on plan entitled "Plan Showing Alterations of Street Lines in Town of Reading, July 1930, Scale 1 inch . 10 feet, Davis and Abbott, Civil Engineers, Reading, which plan is recorded with Book 5527, Page 161, Middlesex South Registry of Deeds, five (5 ) feet; SOUTHERLY by Salem Street, one hundred twenty-one and 75/100 (121.75) feet, more or less; WESTERLY by Salem Street, at the entrance to Laurel Hill Cemetery, five ( 5) feet; containing 608.5 square feet, more or less. 263 Special Town Meeting May 6, 1957 3. The land situated in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachu- setts, shown as Lot A on "Plan Showing Alteration of Street Lines 1n the Town of Reading, dated July 1930, Davis and Abbott, Civil Engineers", which plan is recorded with Book 5527, Page 161, Middlesex South Registry of Deeds, and bounded and described as follows:- BEGINNING at a point ten and 10/100 (10.10) feet Westerly from a stone bound at the Northwesterly corner of Main and Salem Streets, thence the line runs Westerly ninety-five (95 ) feet, by land of the Old South Methodist Church in Reading; thence turning and running Southwesterly five (5) feet by other land of the Town of Reading; thence turning and running Easterly seventy-seven and 25/100 (77.25) feet by the new line of Salem Street; and thence Northeasterly by a curved line having a radius of thirty-four (34) feet a length of eighteen and 67/100 (18.67) feet to the point of beginning; containing 446 square feet of land, more or less. 128 voted in the affirmative 0 voted in the negative ARTICLE 8. On motion of Boyd H. Stewart it was voted that Schedule A Job Classifications under Article VIII-A of the By-Laws relating to the Wage and Hour Classification Plan be and the same is hereby amended in the following manner: - Add after Hearing Reporter, the following new Classification: BUILDING SUPERINTENDENT: Assists in the management and supervises the maintenance of the Old High School Building. Responsible for cleaning, repair and maintenance of mechanical and electrical equipment, plumbing, and structure of said Building. Provides special services such as labor for intra-office moving and makes arrangements for additional lighting and renovations. Responsible for scheduling the use of the auditorium in said Building for civic or private purposes. May allocate, requisition, and maintain office furniture. May show empty offices to prospective tenants. Keeps records of labor and material costs for operation and main- tenance of Building, and issues periodic reports to the Board of Selectmen. Amend Section 12, General Government, of the Salary & Wage Schedule, by establishing the weekly minimum and maximum rates for the new Job Classification of Building Superintendent as follows:- Classification Weekly Min. Max. Section 12 General Government BUILDING SUPERINTENDENT $70.00 $90.00 ARTICLE 9• On motion of Walter S. Hopkins, Jr. it was voted that the sum of FORTY THREE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN and EIGHTY-ONE ONE HUNDREDTHS ($34, 167.81) Dollars be appropriated for the permanent construction of Summer Avenue, between Main Street and Woburn Street, and to meet said appropriation the sum of FORTY THREE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN and EIGHTY-ONE ONE HUNDREDTHS ($43, 167.81) DOLLARS be transferred from the proceeds received from the State under the provisions of Chapter 718 of the Acts of 1956, as amended by Chapter 18 of the Acts of 1957• ARTICLE 10. On motion of Robert E. Turner it was voted that the sum of Six thousand dollars ($6, 000.00) be transferred from Surplus Revenue and be appropriated for the purchase and installation of Safety and Fire Protection Equipment in the school buildings, and that the Town Accountant be and he hereby is authorized and instructed to transfer said sum to carry out the purpose of this vote. 264 Special Town Meeting May 6, 1957 ARTICLE 1. On motion of John H. Austin it was voted to take Article 1 from the table. The following report was read by John H. Austin Report of the Highland School Rebuilding Committee The Highland School Rebuilding Committee, established under Article 3 of the Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting, March 18, 1957, submits herewith its report and recommendations for the rebuilding of the Highland School, damaged by fire on March 6, 1957• Article 3 of the Town Warrant for 1957 dealing with repair and rebuilding of the school and purchase of equipment for the same was so voted by the Town on motion as follows: Article 3. On motion of Robert E. Turner it was voted that there be and hereby is established a special committee to be known as the Highland School Re- building Committee for the purpose of repairing and rebuilding the Highland School and equipping said building, and the members of said committee to be the same as the members of the Forest Street School Building Committee. The Rebuilding Committee, as established by Article 3 included the following: John H. Austin Thomas F. Galvin William E. Florence George R. Larson William E. Burpee - School Committee Kenneth R. Johnson - Board of Public Works Emerson A. Willard - Finance Committee Planning The Committee held its first meeting at the Highland School March 30, 1957, electing John H. Austin, Chairman, and Thomas F. Galvin, secretary. The architect, Clinton F. Goodwin, originally engaged by the School Committee, turned over to this committee all data compiled to date on the reconstruction of the school. The committee met with the School Committee to evaluate the extent of repairs and the needs of the school. From these dis- cussions and after coordination with requirements of the Massa- chusetts Department of Public Safety the architect was able to prepars preliminary plans and estimates. It early became evi- dent that some upgrading of the building facilities was necessary in addition to strict fire damage repairs and Public Safety re- quirements, as future plans indicate this school will be a necessary adjunct to the Reading school system for many years to come. Representatives of this Committee and the School Committee met with the Finance Committee to discuss the recommendations herein contained. Scope The recommendations of this Committee are as follows; Rebuild the present roof, saving as much of the original roof framing as is structurally sound. Repair or replace all fire and water-damaged portions of the building and equipment. Incorporate into the building changes requested by the Department of Public Safety which include fire stops at stairways and stair-halls, entrance and egress im- provements, and ventilation control. Modernize the building by 1. Installing classroom wall cabinets to care for the varied materials, books, and equipment used in today' s elementary educational program. 2. Adapt the kitchen and lunch program facilities to 2h 3 Special Town Meeting May 6, 1957 properly care for the large number of children taking advantage of the program. 3. Improve the toilet facilities by installing new metal toilet compartments in both boys' and girls' toilet rooms. Cost of the Project Repairs and Renovations 1141,780.00 Architect' s and Engineers' Fees 9, 300.00 Equipment, including replacement of that destroyed, salvaging and refinishing partially damaged items 20, 920.00 Contingencies 20,000.00 Total Cost $ 192, 000.00 Financing On the basis of an appropriation of $192, 000.00 being approved by the Town, the Finance Committee has suggested the financing of the project in the following manner: From available funds $ 92, 000.00 Bond issue, 5-year, within debt limit 100, 000.00 Total appropriation $192, 000.00 (Signed) John H. Austin Emerson A. Willard George R. Lerson Thomas F. Galvin William E. Burpee Kenneth R. Johnson On motion of Lawrence Drew it was voted that Report be ac- cepted as a Report of progress. On motion of Lawrence Drew it was voted to place Article 1 on the table. ARTICLE 11. On motion of John H. Austin it was voted that the sum of One hundred and ninety-two thousand dollars ($192,000.00) be raised and appropriated for the purpose of repairing and reconstructing the Highland School building and for the purchase of equipment and furnishings for said building; and to meet said appropriation Fifty two thousand dollars 052,000.00) be appropriated by transferring said sum from Sur- plus Revenue, and Forty thousand dollars ($40,000.00) be appro- priated by transferring said sum from Overlay Surplus Reserve Fund, and the Town Accountant be and he hereby is authorized and empowered to transfer said sum to carry out the purpose of this vote, and that the Treasurer, with the approval of the Selectmen, be and he hereby is authorized to borrow the sum of One hundred thousand dollars ($100, 000.00) to be borrowed within the statu- tory limit under the authority of Chapter 275 of the Acts of 1948 as amended, and to issue bonds or notes of the Town for the said One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000. 00) payable in accordance with the provisions of said Chapter 275 and of the 6aue -Eew3 . ) of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts so that the whole loan shall be paid in not more than five years from the date of issue of the first bond or note, or at such earlier time as the Treasurer and Selectmen may determine, and said bonds and notes shall be signed by the Treasurer and countersigned by the Selectmen, and the High- land School Rebuilding Committee established under vote of the Town at the Annual Town Meeting held on March 18, 1957, is hereby authorized to proceed with the repairing and reconstructing of said Highland School building and the purchase and installation of equipment and furnishings for said building and to enter into all 266 Special Town Meeting May 6, 1957 contracts and agreements with respect thereto, and to do all other acts and things necessary or proper for carrying out the provisions of this vote. 125 voted in the affirmative 0 voted in the negative ARTICLE 12. On motion of R. Tracy Eddinger it was voted that the sum of Two Hundred dollars ($200.00) be raised and appropria- ted for the purpose of maintaining state-aided vocational educa- tion in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 74, General Laws and Acts amendatory thereto or dependent thereon, and that such sum be expended by and under the direction of the School Committee. 76 Voted in the affirmative 44 Voted in the negative On motion of Lawrence Drew it was voted to take Article 1 from the table . On motion of Lawrence Drew it was voted that Article 1 be indefinitely postponed. On motion of Lawrence Drew it was voted to adjourn, sine die, at 10:00 P. M. 132 Town Meeting Members were present. A true copy Attest Town� er c TOWN WARRANT for SPECIAL SPATE PRIMARY NOVEMBER 19, 1957 (Seal) TOWN OF READING COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS Middlesex, as. To either of the Constables of the Town of Reading, Greeting: In the name of the Commonwealth you are hereby required to notify and warn the inhabitants of said Town who are qualified to vote in Primaries to meet at the polling places designated for the four precincts in said town; namely Precinct 1, Pearl Street School; Precincts II and III, Joshua Eaton School; Pre- cinct IV, Senior High School; on TUESDAY, the NINETEENTH DAY of NOVEMBER, 1957 at seven o' clock, A. M. , for the following pur- poses: To bring in their votes to the Primary Officers for the Nomina- tion of Candidates of Political Parties for the following office: REPRESENTATIVE IN GENERAL COURT for EIGHTEENTH REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT The polls will be open from 7 A. M. to 8 P. M. And you are directed to serve this warrant by posting an attested copy thereof in at least threepublicplaces in each of the four pre- cincts of the town not less than seven days prior to November 19, 1957, the date set for the meeting in said warrant and to cause this warrant to be published in the Reading Chronicle one day at least prior to said date. Hereof fail not and make due return of this warrant with your do- ings thereon to the Town Clerk, at or before the time appointed for said meeting. Given under our hands this twenty-eighth day of October, A.D. ,1957 Lawrence Drew A true copy Gilbert M. Lothrop Attest James E. Calvin William H. Dewsnap Selectmen of Reading Constable of Reading