HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-06-30 Special Town Meeting MinutesCOMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
Middlesex, ss. Officer's Return, Reading:
By virtue of this Warrant, I, on June 16, 1999 notified and warned the
inhabitants of the Town of Reading, qualified to vote on town affairs, to meet at the place
and at the time specified by posting attested copies of this Town Meeting Warrant in the
following public places within the Town of Reading:
Precinct 1 J. Warren Killam School, 333 Charles Street
Precinct 2 Registry of Motor Vehicles, 275 Salem Street
Precinct 3 Reading Police Station, 67 Pleasant Street
Precinct 4 Joshua Eaton School, 365 Sumner Avenue
Precinct 5 Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street
Precinct 6 Alice M. Barrows School, 16 Edgemont Avenue
Precinct 7 Reading Library, Local History Room, 64 Middlesex Avenue
Precinct 8 Arthur W. Coolidge, Middle School, 89 Birch Meadow Drive
The date of posting being not less than fourteen (14) days prior to June 30, 1999,
the date set for the Special Town Meeting in this Warrant.
I also caused an attested copy of this Warrant to be published in the Reading
Chronicle in the issue of June 16, 1999
G2-~-~---Gam"--~,-------
Thomas Ktreeman, Constable
A true
Attest:
1
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
(Sea])
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
Middlesex, ss.
To any of the constables of the Town of Reading, Greetings:
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby required to
notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Reading, qualified to vote in elections and
Town affairs, to meet at the Reading Memorial High School Auditorium, 62 Oakland
Road, on Wednesday, June 30, 1999 at seven-thirty o'clock in the evening, at which time
and place the following Articles are to be acted upon and determined exclusively by
Town Meeting Members in accordance with the provisions of the Reading Home Rule
Charter.
ARTICLE 1 To hear and act on the reports of the Board of Selectmen, Town
Accountant, Treasurer-Collector, Board of Assessors, Director of Public Works, Town
Clerk, Tree Warden, Board of Health, School Committee, Contributory Retirement
Board, Library Trustees, Municipal Light Board, Finance Committee, Cemetery Trustees,
Community Planning & Development Commission, Town Manager and any other Board
or Special Committee. _
Board of Selectmen
ARTICLE 2 To choose all other necessary Town Officers and Special
Committees and determine what instructions shall be given to Town Officers and Special
Committees, and to see what sum the Town will raise by borrowing or transfer from
available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate for the purpose of funding Town Officers
and Special Committees to carry out the instructions given to them, or take any other
action with respect thereto.
Board of Selectmen
ARTICLE 3 To see if the Town will vote to amend the FY 2000-FY 2009
Capital Improvements Program as provided for in Section 7-7 of the Reading Home Rule
Charter, or take any other action with respect thereto.
Board of Selectmen
ARTICLE 4 To see if the Town will vote to amend one or more of the votes
taken under Article 17 of the Warrant of the Annual Town Meeting of April 12, 1999
relating to the. Fiscal Year 2000 Municipal Budget, and to see what sum the Town will
raise by borrowing or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate as the
result of any such amended votes for the operation of the Town and its government, or
take any other action with respect thereto.
Board of Selectmen
2
ARTICLE 5 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen
to acquire all or any part of the following described parcel of land in fee or rights of
easement therein by eminent domain under the provisions of Chapter 79 of the General
Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or to acquire said parcel of land or any
part thereof in fee or rights of easement therein by gift, purchase, or otherwise, for open
space and for conservation purposes in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 40,
Section 8C of the General Laws, to be managed and controlled by the Reading
Conservation Commission; and to see what sum the Town will raise by borrowing, or
from the tax levy, or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and appropriate to the
Board of Selectmen to pay for appraisals of said parcel and to pay for the acquisition of
said parcel of land or rights of easement therein, or to be used for payment of land
damages or other costs and expenses of such acquisitions, and to authorize the Board of
Selectmen and/or Conservation Commission to enter into agreements with private parties
or State and Federal agencies for financial and other assistance in connection with such
acquisition, and to do all other acts and things necessary and proper for carrying out the
provisions of this vote, or take any other action with respect thereto:
The land shown as Lot 2C on Board of Assessors' Revised January 1, 1999, Plat
245 consisting of 376,574 square feet more or less, currently believed to be owned by
Kenwood Development Corporation.
Board of Selectmen
- ARTICLE 6 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen,
j with the approval of the School Committee, to rent or lease from time to time any school
building not in actual use and to authorize the Board of Selectmen, with the approval of
the School Committee and the approval of the Commissioner of Education, to rent or
lease from time to time surplus space in a school building in actual use, to any one or
more public or private profit-making businesses or nonprofit organizations; provided,
however, that joint occupancy of a school building in actual use shall not interfere with
educational programs being conducted in said building and provided that the terms of any
such rental or lease shall be as approved by the School Committee and provided that no
school building not in actual use shall be rented or leased for an initial term longer than
ten years, but with renewal options if approved by the School Committee, or take any
other action with respect thereto.
Board of Selectmen
ARTICLE 7 To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to
convey and/or abandon all or any part of the following described right to all the gravel on
and the related easement to enter onto and remove such gravel from the following described
property, and to determine the minimum amount to paid for such conveyance and/or
abandonment, and to authorize the Board of Selectmen to convey and/or abandon all or any
part of said right and easement for such amount of money, or a larger amount, and upon
such other teens and conditions as the Board of Selectmen shall consider proper and to
deliver a deed or other documentation therefor and to see what sum the Town will raise by
borrowing, or from the tax levy, or transfer from available funds, or otherwise, and
appropriate to the Board of Selectmen to carry out the purposes of this vote, or take any
other action with respect thereto:
The right to all the gravel described in the May 9, 1930 grant from Bjame Iversen
and Ragnhild Iversen to the Town of Reading recorded at the Middlesex South Registry of
Deeds in Book 5467, Page 326 upon, within and under that portion of the Iversens' land
described as:
Beginning at the southeasterly corner of Lot C shown upon a plan of land
in Wilmington and Reading, Massachusetts dated May 24, 1924 recorded
with Middlesex South Registry of Deeds and referred to in the deed of
Edward N. Hugo dated May 29, 1924 and recorded with said Deeds in
Book 4744, Page 332;
Thence the line runs westerly along the northerly side line of Grove Street
in said Reading a distance of Two Hundred and Forty-Six (246) feet;
Thence turning and running northerly and at right angles to the said
northerly side line of Grove Street northerly a distance of Ninety-Two
(92) feet;
Thence turning and running easterly in a straight line to a point in the
easterly side line of said Lot C One Hundred and Twelve (112) feet
from the point of beginning a distance of approximately Two Hundred
and Forty-Six (246) feet;
Thence turning and running on the said easterly side line of said Lot C
southerly a distance of One Hundred and Twelve (112) feet to the
point of beginning.
Board of Selectmen
4
and you are directed to serve this Warrant by posting an attested copy thereof in at least
j one (1) public place in each precinct of the Town not less than fourteen (14) days prior to
June 30, 1999, the date set for the meeting in said Warrant, and to publish this Warrant in
a newspaper published in the Town, or by mailing an attested copy of said Warrant to
each Town Meeting Member at least fourteen (14) days prior to the time of holding said
meeting.
Hereof fail not and make due return of this Warrant with your doings thereon to
the Town Clerk at or before the time appointed for said meeting.
Given under our hands this 15th day of June, 1999.
Sally M. H , Chairmav
Thomas H. Freem n, Constable
l~I hew J. Nestor; Secretaryr i
i
Camille W. Anthony
we V. mes
SELECTMEN OF READING
5
SPECIAL 'T'OWN MEETING
Reading Memorial High School June 30, 1999
The meeting was called to order by the Moderator, Alan E. Foulds, at 7:42 p.m., there being a
quorum present.
The Invocation was given by Wendall T. Wallace, Precinct 3, followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance to the Flag.
The Warrant was partially read by the Town Clerk, Cheryl A. Johnson, when on motion by Sally
M. Hoyt, Acting Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, it was voted to dispense with further
reading of the Warrant except for the Officer's Return, which was read by the Town Clerk.
ARTICLE I - On motion by Sally M. Hoyt, Acting Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, it was
moved to table Article 1.
ARTICLE 2 - On motion by Sally M. Hoyt, Acting Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, it was
moved to table the subject matter of Article 2.
ARTICLE 3 - On motion by Camille W. Anthony, Precinct 5, it was moved to table Article 3.
ARTICLE 4 - On motion by Carol S. Grimm, Chairman of the Finance Committee, it was
moved to amend the following votes taken under Article 17 of the Warrant of the Annual Town
Meeting of April 12, 1999 relating to the Fiscal Year 2000 Municipal Budget, and that the Town
transfer from available funds and appropriate funds as the result of any such amended votes for
the operation of the Town and its government:
Line Item
Amount
Funding Source
Expenses - Sale of Landfill
$50,000
Sale of Real Estate fund
F2-Libra Ex p.
$15,000
Gl-Police Salaries
$10,000
Jl - School
$100,000
J2 - Vocational School
$12,000
Hl-Debt Service
$55,500 from Cemetery Sale of lots
On motion by Camille W. Anthony, Precinct 5, to move to amend Line Item F2 by adding
$5,000; Line Item Gl by adding $15,000; and Line Item J1 by subtracting $20,000.
Motion to amend does not carry.
Original motion carried.
2/3 vote required
136 voted in the affirmative
11 voted in the negative
Report by Maria E. Silvaggi, Chairman of the Board of Library Trustees:
The Board of Library Trustees is back. Last spring, members of this body rose to support our
requested increase of $20,000 for materials, and we are grateful to them for that support. Now
we ask you to vote the increase, which will help us to reach the 15% of total budget which the
MA Board of Library Comm. requires be expended for a minimum standard library.
Please consider these four points:
FIRST: The MA Board of Library Comm's requirement stipulates that a municipality will raise
the 15% sum for MINIMUM standard library. For the past few years, Reading has met the
standard by pooling trust fund income, donations and by using part of the state grant.
The state frowns on use of the state grant to meet the 15% because such circumventing of the
spirit of the grant results - ultimately - in less money made available for materials. The state's
point is that all of these sources of income: trust funds, donations and the state grant should be
pooled - after the town has budgeted it's 15% in order to create a higher standard than minimum.
And now that the MA Board of Library Cormn. seeks to increase state aid significantly, we
should not jeopardize it by failing to meet the state requirement.
SECOND: Reading Public Library (RPL) is NOT a minimum standard library because
Reading's residents - YOU - will not allow it. You hold RPL to a high standard of performance.
When you come there you expect more than minimum service as we perform our two, basic
functions - namely, research and the delivery of the materials you require for information
gathering, for on-going education and for your recreation. The fact is that we do not have
enough money in any of our departments to meet the demand from our customers for picture
books to large print books.
THIRD: The impact of education reform on the library budget is real. Let me offer an example:
Recently, after our young adult division budget was expended, we learned that the schools have
inaugurated a summer reading list in the middle schools. In order for us to have available
enough copies of the required list, we had to appeal to the Friends of the Library, who gave us
money for books. It now appears that the high school may be changing its list, and we may be
seeking more donations to provide those materials. Meanwhile, in one instance, we bought 11
copies of a book on the required list, and even BEFORE school was out, there was a waiting list
of 24.
FOURTH: We remind you that every dollar of this request will translate into books, research
and reference texts, audiobooks, and videos, materials for the people of all ages who make over
200 thousand trips each year to Reading Public Library.
This money will be well spent and will make life better for Reading residents. It lies within the
power of Town Meeting members - as it rightly should - to accomplish this important goal.
Thank you.
-2- Special Town Meeting
June 30, 1999
ARTICLE 3 - On motion by Camille W. Anthony, Precinct 5, it was moved to amend the
"Town of Reading, Massachusetts, Ten Year Capital Improvements Program, Fiscal Years 2000
through 2009, by adopting the Capital Improvements Program printed 10 June 99, as provided
for in Section 7-7 of the Reading Home Rule Charter.
ARTICLE 5 - On motion by Camille W. Anthony, Precinct 5, it was voted to authorize the
Board of Selectmen to acquire all or any part of the following described parcel of land on Mill
Street in fee or rights of easement therein by eminent domain under the provisions of Chapter 79
of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or to acquire said parcel of land or
any part thereof in fee or rights of easement therein-by gift, purchase, or otherwise, for open
space and for conservation purposes in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 40, Section 8C
of the General Laws, to be managed and controlled by the Reading Conservation Commission;
and that the Town raise by borrowing under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 44, Section
7(3) or any other enabling authority and appropriate to the Board of Selectmen the sum of Eight
Hundred Thousand Dollars ($800,000) to pay for the acquisition of said parcel of land or rights
of easement therein, or to be used for payment of land damages or other costs and expenses of
such acquisitions, and to authorize the Board of Selectmen and/or Conservation Commission to
enter into agreements with private parties or State and Federal agencies for financial and other
assistance in connection with such acquisition, and to do all other acts and things necessary and
proper for carrying out the provisions of 'this vote:
The land shown as Lot 2C on Board of Assessors' Revised January 1, 1999 Plat 245
consisting of 376,574 square feet more or less, currently believed to be owned by Kenwood.
Development Corporation.
On motion by Michael F. Slezak, Precinct 6, it was voted to move the question. ,
2/3 vote required
118 voted in the affirmative
17 voted in the negative
On original motion:
2/3 vote required
120 voted in the affirmative
18 voted in the negative
Anne M. Krieg, Town P1amler, presents that the Community Planning and Development
Commission on June 28, 1999, by a motion duly made and seconded, it was voted:
"We, the Community Planning and Development Commission, in keeping with the 1991 Master
Plan for the Town of Reading, and upon review of Article 5 of the above-noted Special Town
Meeting, do hereby vote unanimously; to send a favorable recommendation to Town Meeting
members on this article."
-3- Special Town Meeting
June 30, 1999
ARTICLE 6 - On motion by Sally M. Hoyt, Acting Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, to
move to authorize the Board of Selectmen, with the approval of the School Committee, to rent or
lease from time to time any school building not in actual use and to authorize the Board of
Selectmen, with the approval of the School Committee and the approval of the Commissioner of
Education, to rent or lease from time to time surplus space in a school building in actual use, to
any one or more public or private profit-making businesses or nonprofit organizations; provided,
however, that joint occupancy of a school building in actual use shall not interfere with
educational programs being conducted in said building and provided that the terms of any such
rental or lease shall be as approved by the School Committee and provided that no school
building not in actual use shall be rented or leased for an initial term longer than ten years, but
with renewal options if approved by the School Committee.
Motion does not can y.
ARTICLE 7 - On motion by Sally M. Hoyt, Acting Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, it was
voted to authorize the Board of Selectmen to convey and/or abandon all or any part of the following
described right to all the gravel on and the related easement to enter onto and remove such gravel
from the following described property, and that the minimum amount of Thirty Five Thousand
Dollars ($35,000) be paid for such conveyance and/or abandonment, and to authorize the Board of
Selectmen to convey and/or abandon all or any part of said right and easement for such amount of
money, or a larger amount, and upon such other terms and conditions as the Board of Selectmen
shall consider proper and to deliver a deed or other documentation therefor:
The right to all the gravel described in the May 9, 1930 grant from Bjame Iversen and
Ragnhild Iversen to the Town of Reading recorded at the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds in
Book 5467, Page 326 upon, within and under that portion of the Iversens' land described as:
Beginning at the southeasterly corner of Lot C shown upon a plan of land
in Wilmington and Reading, Massachusetts dated May 24, 1924 recorded
with Middlesex South Registry of Deeds and referred to in the deed of
Edward N. Hugo dated May 29, 1924 and recorded with said Deeds in
Book 4744, Page 332;
Thence the line runs westerly along the northerly side line of Grove Street
in said Reading a distance of Two Hundred and Forty-Six (246) feet;
Thence turning and running northerly and at right angles to the said
northerly side line of Grove Street northerly a distance of Ninety-Two
(92) feet;
Thence turning and rum-ling easterly in a straight line to a point in the
easterly side line of said Lot C One Hundred and Twelve (112) feet
from the point of begimling a distance of approximately Two Hundred
and Forty-Six (246) feet;
-4- Special Town Meeting
June 30, 1999
Thence turning and running on the said easterly side line of said Lot C
southerly a distance of One Hundred and Twelve (112) feet to the
point of beginning.
2/3 vote required
117 voted in the affirmative
8 voted in the negative
ARTICLE 2 - On motion by Sally M. Hoyt, Acting Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, it was
moved to remove Article 2 from the table.
ARTICLE 2 - On instructional motion by William C. Brown, Precinct 8, it was moved that the
Finance Committee as allowed by the Reading Home Rule Charter investigate the Lease of space
in the Reading Memorial High School by the School Committee and/or the Board of Selectmen,
in particular the amount of square footage used by REAP so called, the amount of rent paid,
missed payments, penalties, if any, since the inception of the REAP lease, and to report its
findings to Town Meeting in November.
Chair in Doubt - Counted vote requested
57 voted in the affirmative
54 voted in the negative
ARTICLE 2 - On motion by Sally M. Hoyt, Acting Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, it was
moved to lay Article 2 on the table.
On motion by Sally M. Hoyt, Acting Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, it was voted that this
Annual Town Meeting stand adjourned sine die.
Meeting adjourned at 11:01 p.m.
155 Town Meeting Members were present.
hnso
A true copy. Attest: iTowinlerk
-5 - Speci
al Town Meeting
June 30, 1999