HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988-04-26 Board of Selectmen Minutes i
MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
April 26, 1988
The meeting convened at 7 : 35 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting
Room, 6 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Chairman Eugene
Nigro called the meeting to order. Present were Chairman Nigro,
Vice-Chairman Graham, Secretary Ziegler, Selectmen Landers and
Russell, Town Manager Hechenbleikner, and a number of interested
citizens.
On motion by Landers seconded by Ziegler the minutes of 4-12-88
were approved with minor amendments.
Liason Reports
John Russell reported on the dedication of the Public Works
Facility last Saturday. Eugene Nigro reported that Judy LeBlanc
was awarded an "Outstanding Volunteer" award by the Greater Bos-
ton United Way, as one of the ten outstanding volunteers of the
area.
Estimated Rents
On motion by Ziegler, seconded by Russell, the Board of Selectmen
established the rents at the Pearl Street School at $5.25 per
square foot for fiscal year 1989, by a vote of 5-0-0. Assistant
Superintendent Ron Winslow was present and indicated that the to
tal rent from the facility was approximately $93 ,000 per year
which did cover the costs of operating the facility.
Licenses
On motion by Russell, seconded by Ziegler, Auctioneer's Licenses ,
for one year were issued to William J. Carvalho, Sally M. Hoyt,
and Frank J. Sparaco by a vote of 5-0-0.
On motion by Russell, seconded by Ziegler, five taxicab licenses
were issued for Donald A. Gale, doing business as Courtesy Cab of
Reading. This was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Selectmen Rus-
sell indicated that he would like to see some improved service
for the elderly, including providing a place for the elderly to
sit. The Town Manager indicated that Mr. Gale had been looking
at enlarging the shed on Haven Street for this purpose. It was
also indicated that the fleet should perhaps be upgraded to
provide for newer vehicles.
On motion by Ziegler, seconded by Landers, the Common Victualer's
License for Wayside Dairy Maid on North Main Street was approved
by a vote of 5-0-0.
On motion by Ziegler, seconded by Landers, the Class II License
for Classic Cars of Reading was disapproved on a vote of 5-0-0.
Mr. Paul Lazzara was present requesting the license. Entered
into the record were memorandums from Jonathan Edwards, Director
of Community Development, and Edward Marchand, Chief of Police.
The Board directed that a letter denying the application be sent
to Mr. Lazzara with a copy to the property owner.
On motion by Russell , seconded by Ziegler, four limousine
r
Minutes of 4/26/88 Selectmen Meeting - Page 2
Hearings
A number of residents of the Buckingham Drive area were present
for the hearing in response to a petition for the removal of the
dog known as "Buddy" at 18 Buckingham Drive. The Secretary read
a letter from James H. Watts, III, Attorney for the dog owner,
Mr. Higgott. That letter indicated that Mr. Higgott would war-
rant to the authorities that the dog will not at any time in the
future be returned to the Town of Reading. Following discussion,
it was moved by Graham, seconded by Ziegler that Mr. Henry Hig-
gott of Buckingham Drive, Reading, Massachusetts, be ordered to
warrant to the Board of Selectmen of Reading that the dog known
as "Buddy" belonging to the Higgott family has been removed from
the Town of Reading and will not, in the future, be returned to
the Town. In case of a breach of this warrant, it is ordered
that the Town Manager impound, remove, or take whatever other ac-
tion is necessary to ensure the safety of the citizens of Read-
ing.
Discussion/Action
On motion by Russell, seconded by Ziegler, the Board approved a
proclamation declaring May "Senior Citizen Month in Reading" by a
vote of 5-0-0.
The presentation of the Inflow and Infiltration Program by Wil-
liam Redford was postponed since Mr. Redford had to be at a hear-
ing in Woburn on this evening.
The Town Manager gave an update on the Depot status. Chairman
Nigro suggested that a study committee be formed including two
citizens of the depot area, a member of the Board of Selectmen
(Russell Graham agreed to serve) , a member of the Community Plan-
ning & Development Commission, and a member of the West Side Task
Force. The Town Manager and other staff will be available to
this committee. The committee was to make recommendations with
regard to the proposed MBTA agreement, and to make recommenda-
tions with regard to parking restrictions in the depot area. In-
terested residents spoke, and questioned plans for snow removal,
what the MBTA was proposing to do on their land north of Woburn
Street, whether the MBIA would fund the core area traffic study,
whether the Selectmen had taken a position on moving the bus
layover to the depot, and expressed general concerns about the
status of parking in the areas surrounding the depot. It was
suggested that the entire process ought to be better publicized.
The Board directed the Town Manager to go ahead with negotiations
with the MBTA as outlined including the following:
1. Emphasis on establishing a new station with improved
rail service to the north of Reading to intercept some
of the traffic that is now using the Reading station.
2. Pursue' the improvement to the parking in the depot
area with no limitations on the Town's ability to regu-
late the parking in the manner that the Town deter-
mines.
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Minutes of 4/26/88 Selectmen Meeting - Page 3
3. Development of the core area parking and traffic plan `
at the earliest possible date with funding to come from
any available source.
On motion by Russell, seconded by Ziegler, the Board voted 5-0-0
to recommend the Incentive Aid .Grant application by the School
Department to fund the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning`
Technician position.
On motion by Ziegler, seconded by Landers, all five members, on
roll call vote, voted in the affirmative to go into Executive
Session to discuss items of litigation and personnel and not to
return to regular session.
Respectfully Submitted,
j �
Secretary
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