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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDAC 05/31/1984DOWNTOWN ADVISORY COMMITTEE'S MINUTES May 31, 1984 Present: Chairman Stearns, McNatt, Anagnos, Seifert, D'Onofrio, Kertgen, Carpenter, Genatossio, Tartufo*, and Benjamin* 1. Meeting called to order at 7:30 P.M. 2. Discussion Items (a) Underground wires on North Main Street; (b) DPW Grant - Final Drawings; (c) Letter from the Planning Board regarding the DAC's 1984 work program; (d) Spaulding School; (e) Commuter parking lot/train station. *Edward Tartufo entered the meeting 3. Underground wires on North Main Street Chairman Stearns said that with Town Meeting finished, there is no chance of the article passing to place the wires underground. What the Committee needs to consider is what they would like to do now. The Electric Department is placing their utilities underground, and there will be telephone poles and wires left above ground. Richard D'Onofrio said that the Light Commissioners have not yet reached a concensus on this; however, they will be looking into this very carefully. A few suggestions were: (a) Possibly moving the poles to the rear of the buildings; and (b) Requesting that the telephone company consider this a second time. There was discussion regarding possibly having the telephone company place their tubing underground. Then when the telephone company decides it is time to place the wires underground, they will just have to run the wires through the tubing; and the street will not have to be dug up. Motion: To endorse our committee's committment to install all cables underground on Main Street and remove the telephone poles. Also to still pursue the telephone company to see if something can be coordinated, and whether the telephone company will install the tubing underground. (Tartufo - Seifert, all in favor) VOTED *Abstained: D'Onofrio *During this discussion, David Benjamin entered the meeting. Downtown Advisory Committee's minutes Page 2 May 31, 1984 *Note: There is a Light Commissioners meeting scheduled for Monday, June 4, 1984, at 8 P.M. Chairman Stearns will attend. Any other members that can attend are requested to. 2. DPW Grant - Final Drawings N. Main - Repair curbing, modify radious at the intersection of Cottage and N. Main, install new sidewalks, and redesign of West Cottage. Intersection of High, Samoset, Old Colony and N. Main - Richard D'Onofrio advised that the Board of Selectmen voted to direct the Town Engineer to maximize safe parking. Samoset/Old Colony - Installing granite curbing and moving Mary Frisoli's fence to allow for a sidewalk there. Court Street - Motion: To appoint Kevin McNatt as the spokesman for the Court Street area. (Seifert - Anagnos, all in favor) VOTED Rumford, Old Colony, and Thomas Streets parking area - traffic pattern, down Thomas to Old Colony and may turn right on Rumford Avenue. Also making improvements to Stearns Road. At this point, the drainage plans were presented and explained. 3. Punchlist Signs necessary (a) Downtown Center (b) Downtown North (c) Commuter Parking (d) Long Term Parking *Note: The Winthrop Street sign shall be changed to Winthrop Avenue. 4. Municipal Parking Lot There was discussion regarding changing the entrance and exit arrows at the municipal parking lot, as per Raymond Hayes' suggestion, so that they are coordinated with the banks entrance and exit. 5. Highland/Howe Streets The DPW Director noted that there was some petition from the residents in the neighborhood regarding the installation of a sidewalk, due to the traffic. He said that there is not Downtown Advisory Committee's minutes Page 3 May 31, 1984 enough money, and he would like to explore the possibility of making some minor changes around Cleveland Twist and Drill. It may be more economical to direct traffic around the Cleveland Twist and Drill property, rather than through residences. This would be an alternative to the sidewalk by directing the traffic out of the neighborhood. 6. Planninq Board's s 27, 19 the This letter listed the Planning Board's recommended projects for the DAC to complete over the next year. These projects consist of: 1. Implementation of the Downtown Improvements Grant 2. Railroad Station Study 3. Spaulding School Study 4. Master Plan element for the downtown district Railroad Station Study The land swap is still in the discussion stages. Gatra has submitted a funding request for this. Significant improvement is expected around the summer or fall. An agreement has been reached between Compark, Gatra, and the Town. Gatra will lease the station from the MBIA. Mansfield,'s current lease agreement will be amended to include a 17,000 square foot lot that the Town owns. This will be for a 10 year lease or the life of the improvements to be made. This would not be subject to the current 90 day notice, and the Town would retain the right to charge for parking if the assessment went over $10,000. Motion: To send a letter to the Planning Board stating the DAC will continue to work on Items Nos. 1, 3, and 4. However, the railroad station and the parking for the railroad station, except for the Winthrop Avenue lot, is no longer an appropriate item for this committee to focus on. (Seifert - D'Onofrio, all in favor) VOTED Spaulding School The committee has accepted the responsibility of reviewing the school, and they have visited the site. They have received 50 or 60 suggestions on the re -use of the school. It was suggested to hold an informal workshop meeting to discuss the Downtown Advisory Committee's minutes Page 4 May 31, 1984 Spaulding School. Once this is done, the committee may proceed to put together a package on the best use of the land and the building. *Spaulding School informal workshop meeting will be held on Monday, June 18, 1984, at 8 P.M. 7. Date of Next Meeting is Monday, June 18, 1984, at 7:30 P.M. 8. Motion: To adjourn (Tartufo - Seifert, all in favor) VOTED Adjournment 9:30 P.M.