HomeMy WebLinkAbout1963-06-25Tuesday - June 25, 1963
Special Meeting
The Board of Appeals held a special meeting on Tuesday evening, June 25th at *
7:30 P.M. in the Town Building. The following members were present and voting:
Daniel T. 0tLeary, Chairman; Henry E. Lurid, John J. Shields, Arthur Dm,Bw~nd and
Robert J. Burke, A. M.
This meeting was held to make decisions on the hearings held on June lOth and to
further discuss the meeting the members held to view the premises of Gilbert Rea
on June 18th~
Mr. Shields made a motion that the Board will now go under an Executive Board meeting.
Mr. Lurid seconded the motion and the vote was unan!mous.
DELDUCA EARTH REMOVAL:
It was again brought up that the 'earth removal permit of E. V. Delduca exes on
July 19th, a bond of $5,000 was posted. Mr. O'Leary again read the letter from
the Bldg. Insp. regarding erosion at the site of earth removal. Atty. Trembly was
advised of the correspondence from the Bldg. Insp. The Board members would like to
view the premises before the next meeting on July 8th and also have the Bldg. Insp.
inspect it.
Mr. Shields made a motion to table this matter until the next meeting. Mr. Lurid
seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
ROBERT KEREAGE:
Mr. O'Leary read the letter received from the Fire Chief. The new set of completed
plans were presented. Mr. Lurid made a motion to GRANT the variance in accordance
with the plans. Mr. D~,,wmond seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
The Board signed the plans. The same four reasons are given for appro?al.
ALBERT STEINBERG:
Mr. 0'Leary read the letters received from the Planning Board, Board of Pub$ic Works,
Board of Health, Police Dept. and Highway Dept. He explained that in the past the
Board has gone ahead and granted the special permit subject to the approval of the
Board of Health. We can insert on the plans, if we pass it, that they must.meet
all requirements, subject to their approval, etc.
Mr. Shields said this land is in the "Water shed" area, therefore sewerage, installations
etc. must be approved by the State and local Boards of Health. He would recommen~ to
table this mstter until he bas received approval from the Board of Health, etc.
Mr. O'Leary and Mr. Lund said if he can't get each lot approved, then he is out.
Mr. O'Leary expl-~ned the procedure used on previous apartment cases. Mr. Lurid said
if he gets Board's approval first then he can go ahead and have tests made.
Mr. Shields said that's putting the cart before the horse. Youtre chan~g classification
of land before he shows evidence of building. It would be better to table this with
instructions to the petitioner to bring forth evidence of approval from the Board of
Health.
Mr. Lurid said John has a good point. If he can assure us through the Board of Health
and B.P.W., then pass on it. Mr. 0'Leary agreed.
Mr. Shields explained that he ~ews how important this is because of his experience
with the s~,~ in Andover. The petitioner should be able to prove his use of this
land , that the Board of Health will grant installation of the sewerage system, etc.
June 25, 1963 - Cont.
Mr. Shields made a motion to Table the matter.. Mr. Lund seconded ~he motion and the
vote was unanimous. A letter will be sent to Atty. Lynch telling him that the Board
was favorably inclined provided he got final approval of sanitary sewerage from the
Board of Health.
GILBERT REA:
Mr. OILeary read the notice of the meeting posted with the Town Clerk and on the
Bulletin Board as per instructions of Town Couusel~
Mr. Shields read a memorandum which he wishes to be a part of the records.
"The foregoing is submitted for documentation in the records of the Board of Appeals,
North Andover, Massachusetts.
This memorandum pertains to the petition of one Gilbert Rea to the Board of Appeals
for a permit to remove earth from his property at Chestnut and Rea Streets, North
Andover, Massachusetts. In the fore-noon of Monday, 10 June, Mr. Edward Greenwood
of Chestnut Street visited my office, identified h~m~elf, and stated that he was
seeking to discuss the matter of the petition of Mr. Rea prior to the aot~l hearing.
I was not availeble.
At approximately six P.M., Monday evening, 10 June, said F~. Greenwood called mV home
which is an unlisted phone number and indicates considerable research to find said
unlisted phone number. He stated that his purpose was to discuss the merits of the
petition of Mr. Rea before the hearing. I advised Mr. Greenwood that I would not
discuss it but that I would perform my responsibility as a member of the Board in
accordance with the oath that I took on becoming a member. I very definitely shut
off any further discussion in connection with the petition. On that evening in the
hearing session, this writer did listen patiently and did consider all of the state-
ments made by the many various objectors, so-called. It is my memory at this writing
that at no time did any of the people supposedly in objection come out and stipulate
that they positively objected to the granting of the permit. Most of the citizens
present asked questions. Most of the questions asked were answered. Mr. Greenwood
read a prepared statement and left with each member of the Board a typewritten copy.
At no time in his prepared statement, upon reading same, was he forth-right and
outwardly stating in a direct sense that he opposed the petition.
In executive session the Board made a motion to meet on the evening of 18 June at
7:00 P.M. for the purpose of the Board collectively and jointly viewing the site in
question. The board members hearing this petition did meet at 7:00 P.M., Tuesday,
18 June. Present was the Cha**man, Mr. O'Le~ry. Other members included Mr. Henry
Lurid, Mr. Drummond, Mr. Burke,. and this writer. We travelled to the site in this
writer's car and said car was operated by this writer.
En route to the site we met Mr. Gilbert Rea, the petitioner, and his Attorney, Mr.
Morley, who desired us to hear and become aware of a new modification wherein they
were willing to establish a road across a meadow now owned by the petitioner in
order to eliminate any of the trucks that might be involved in the removal of earth,
if the petition were granted, from travelling in front of any other persons~ dwellings.
The Board viewed this alternate which the petitioner offered.
The Board then proceeded northerly on Chestnut Street viewing the land of the petitioner
and came upon some thirty residents of the general area. Soma of these people, it was
pointed out to this writer, lived a considerable distance away from the site.
June 25, 1963 - Cont.
Out of courtesy to these residents, this writer stopped the car, and Immediately the
Board was deluged with further questions, aud at this time, positive objections.
From where I sat in the driver's seat of my car, I was asked by several persons
various questions and on those that I felt I could answer, I sincerely tried to
answer as forthrightly as I could. I did sense however that they were trying to
extract from myself and other members of the Board a statement as to our specific
feelings on the matter. I, for one, evaded any direct questions that might have
committe~ myself as an individual member of the Board from exposing any of my con-
siderations to date. I did repeatedly tell the various questioners that the Board
had the petition under advisement and that no opinions or decisions or vote had been
rappen by the Board. This is the absolute fadt and as I ~rite this memoranda which
follows a considerable, lengthy, general discussion of the petition, I unequivocally
record the~fact that that individual or collective formalized voting opinions have
not been taken or requested by any Board member. To the contrary, as a result of our
meeting at this time, it was agreed that we would further individually consider the
petition and wottld hold a future meeting at which time the Secretary to the Board
would be present and could record discussions, opiuions, and votes of the Board.
During that period which my vehicle was stopped on Chestnut Street, Mr. Edward Green-
wood approached my car and from a distance of about ten feet from where I was seated,
Mr. Greenwood proceeded to berate this writer in a ~oud, very emotional, very angry
voice that cotuld be heard, in my estimation, at least three hundred yards distance,
entering into my private life, making statements that I was moving out of the Town
of North Andover, that my home had been placed on the market for sale, and questioning
my integrity to sit on the Board in as amuch as I was planning to move out of the
to~ of North Andover. I advised ~. Greenwood that he was becoming personal, that he
was on very thin ice, and that if he continued to berate in his angry tone his invasion
of my private life and rights, that it coLdd be possible that he would hear from me in
an entirely different atmosphere whereupon two other individuals ushered Mr. Greenwood
away from my car. I repeat, Mr. Greenwood was extremely emotional and it appeared to
me that he had lost all sense of reason and control of basic mannerisms and courtesies
which should be extended to one's fellow man at all times.
The Chairman of the Board also introduced to this writer as well as to other members
of the Board the fact that a petition signed by some forty or fifty individuals had
been delivered to him and it was observed that the date of said petition was sub-
sequent to the publicly advertised legal hearing held by the Board of Appeals. There
was also made known, the receipt b~ one of the Board members of a proposed sub-division
plan of Mr. Greenwoodls land which abuts that of Mr. Rea.
The foregoing is a true and accurate statement as understood and experienced by the
undersigned."
/s Joh~ J. Shields