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Home My WebLink AboutBOS MINUTES 9-17-1975BOARD OF SELECTMEN A G E N D A September 17, 1975 ,,�foo • 7-30-p.m. - Call to Order Treasurer's Warrant Minutes of the Previous Meeting Clerk's Folder Correspondence 8:1s, • 7,45 p.m. - Industrial Development Financing Authority (Review Fairfield Optical financing application.) • 8 :00 P.M. - Mrs. Delores Benson re Garden Street Drainage • 8 :30 p.m. - Barking Dog Complaint - Hearing • 9:00 P.M. - Joint Meeting with Planning Board Williams Street layout Downtown Development • - Town Manager's Report Board of Selectmen Minutes of the Meeting September17, 1975 Present: Selectmen Titus, Levine, Colella, and DeLong. Chairman Caponigro absent due to the death of a member of the family. Vice Chairman Titus opened the meeting at 8 :05 P.M. Mrs. Delores Benson of 38 Pleasant Street met with the Board to discuss a drainage problem on her property. She told the Board that she had hired equipment and men to fill in a portion of her land which she felt was being flooded from town -owned land near hers. DPW Director Bonome said the situa- tion appeared to be caused from Back Bay Brook. Town Manager Hannon ex- plained that the long -range solution would be to lower and widen the Brook, a costly project for which the Town has little funds. The Town Engineer, Ron Dubuc, said that Mrs. Benson's property sloped naturally below the street level so',that it could not be drained effectively under the present conditions. There was further discussion about funding and possible town +meeting action. Members of the Industrial Development Financing Authority and Robert Murphy, president of Fairfield Optical, met with the Board to discuss that company's expansion in the industrial park and the financing of the project. After discussion, this was tabled until next week so that the formal vote which bond counsel required could be approved with the full Board present. At 8 :30 p.m. there was a hearing on the complaint of Miss Mary E. Parsons ( against a barking dog belonging to Craig Pearl, 248 4Test Street. The Clerk of the Board read the formal complaint and referred to the log of complaints received at the Police Station. Mr. Pearl stated that he had gotten rid of one of the dogs, and Miss Parsons said that she and other neighbors were still bothered by the continuous barking of the other dog. The Dog Officer stated that he had investigated many complaints of continuous barking of Mr. Pearl's dogs, and recommended that if the dog could not be kept in the house while the owner was away, the Board should order the dog to be removed. There was further discussion, and the hearing was adjourned until next week, so that Mr. Pearl would have a chance to try to correct the situation. Miss Parsons agreed that this was reasonable. weekly treasurer's warrant approved in the amount of $91,926,85; the minutes of the September 10 meeting were approved. Two licenses were approved for the Mansfield House, 22 Thomas Street: Public Entertainment on Sunday - Jukebox, radio, & TV Pool Table. Application for a one -day all alcoholic: Beverage license; from the Rotary Club for the Bicentennial Ball at Tennis 95 in the Industrial Park. Select- man Levine stated that he would like to see this license application signed by the Rotary President rather than one member. Selectman Colella moved to grant the license for September 27. Seconded by Selectman DeLong. Vote: 2 -1 -0; Selectman Levine opposed for reason stated above, Vice Chairman Titus did not vote. (Note: this license was reconsidered later in the meeting.) -1- Board of Selectmen Minutes of the Meeting September 17, 1975 Page 2 Correspondence was 32ead. From'. -the Town Treasurer, notice of bid summary on bids taken for the financing of the School Remodeling loan. Selectmen Levine moved to accept the low bid at 5.50'% from United National Bank. Seconded by Selectman DeLong, voted 4 -0. The Board reconsidered the license for the Bicentennial Ball all alco- holic beverages. This will be held off until next week and acted upon after being signed by the Rotary Club president and application shall include from midnight until 1 a.m. on Sunday,-September 289 1975. The Town Manager and the Board reviewed rules and regulations and the schedule for the combined collection of rubbish and garbage. The three - month trial period for the combined collection will begin the week of October 6. Selectman Levine commented on letters in the paper recently concerning the Electric Light Department. He said that he thought the Department of Public Utilities is the proper' +;authority to comment on this recent hearing and make a determination. ( Members of the Planning-Board and Engineer Ralph Maloon met with the Board of Selectmen, Town Manager, DPW Director and Town Engineer to discuss a layout for the proposed Williams Street reconstruction. This is part of the preparation for a public hearing�to :,be. held on this. Planning Director Chad Maurer commented that this project should beEp- proaohed in phases the first of which would be to acquire the land needed for the widening of the road, and the then work on the realigq ment of the road near the pond. Selectman Titus discussed retaining the general characteristics of the neighborhood, i.e., stone walls, as many trees as possible, etc. Planning Board member John Wellington discussed placement of the sidewalk in the right -of -way so as to have as wide a road as possible within the alloted space. The Board members agreed that for the public hearing, each homeowner on the street should be notified. The Planning '.Director and the Planning Board met with the Board of Select - ment to discuss Downtown Development. I The Town Manager referred to the August 6 memo from the Planning Director which gave background on the pre - vious studies done on this and cited the lack of interest on the part of citizens and businesses downtown. Selectmen Levine and Colella said that they had spoken to different businessmen downtown and had received no support of the idea. The Town Manager recommended not shelving this con- cept of downtown development. Planning Director recapped his memo: he gave a dozen or so areas for a proposed committee to look into, and sug- gested that the committee report in the spring of 1977 on a detailed pro- ( posal. He said that so far, the economics of the proposal for such devel- opment has not been studied, and that should be a major concern of the committee. -2- Board of Selectmen Minutes of the Meeting September 17, 1975 Page 3 Selectman Levine suggested that the Committee be given the power to im- plement the proposal. Planning Director Maurer stated that right now the Housing Authority was the only body with such implementation powers and that it would take an act of legislature to give another committee the same power. The plan prepared by the Harvard students, downtown traffic problems, and the interest of the community was discussed. The feeling of some of the Planning Board members was that while the study would be advantageous, when it comes down to finances and implementation, not much support would be drawn. Selectman Levine moved that a 7 -man committee be formed for the study of a downtown development proposal to be comprised of the following: One member from the Board of Selectmen " " " " Planning Board " Industrial Development Commission it Housing Authority Two citizens at Large At least one businessman Staff Members: Town Manager and Planning Director l Selectman DeLong seconded this motion. Selectman Colella moved that two more members from the Housing Authority be included. Mr. Colella's motion received no second. All Planning Board and Selectmen members were in favor of the: motion of Selectman Levine. Ms. Joan wood of Union Street asked that the wording of "7 -man committee" be changed to 7- person committee. Selectman Levine said that he meant mankind when he used the word men. Appointments for this committee will be discussed at the October 8 meeting. Selectman Colella stated that a comment he had made about the Police Depart- ment had been misinterpreted in the Sun Chronicle and asked that it be cor- rected. He also commended Mrs. Beatrice Thayer of Charles Street for her work with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Drive, and asked that more volunteers come forward to help. Motion to adjourn at 10:50 p.m. by Selectman Levine, seconded by Selectman Colella, so voted. -3-