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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1956-04-302O4 APRIL 30, 1956: continued NE~ ENGbAND TEL. & TEL. CO- LA~fRENCE ELECTRIC CO: The Board voted unanimously to g~ant permissinn to these companies %o maintain poles, wires and fixtures on New Clark Street, northwesterly from a point approxi- mately 60 feet northwest of Osgood Street, 21 poles. Order to this petition, when grantedl will cancel and 'supersede grant 'dated 12/30/1955, Book 7, Page 306, in its entirety. No hearing required. ~he Board granted permi$si6n'to these .two companies for. relocating poles,' Wires, cables and fixtures on C~eat Pond Road, approximately al32 feet southwest of · South Bradford Street, i pole. (remove 2 poles) DEPT~RTMENT OF CORPORATIONS & TAXATION: Lett&r received from Edward C. Wilson, Associate Commissioner informing {he Board that the to~n of North Andover is to be commended for the good-work thatis being accomplished and for the healthy financial condition of this town, as a result of the audit for the year ending December 31, 1955. BELLIA PROPERTY: A l~tter was rece'ived from Thomas J. Lane requesting info'marion as to ~th~ 'status of the Anthony and Fortuna~a Bellia property at the present time. .The'.board voted to request this information from' ~alph Brasseur and a written, report from him as soon as possible. GO SLO'#' SIGNS: The Board voted' to request the Chief of Polic~' .to place ?Go. Slow, sign~t' the Housing Project , at' least at both entrances to this project.. · INSURANCE PROPOSALSE .......... '' A ~oup of'school teach'irs' came to this mee{ing %0 discuss various ma~tersb'pertai~g to the ~nsurance proposals. ~ll proposals, were aocep~ted by the board and many', questions were answered, by various agents. However~ the board felt that they should hav~ opportu~ity to look over' the p~oposals and also 'be in a position to iisten'~to each agent 'with respect ~.~,- , ..tm ~is or her proposal and. asked that_ they return next Monday.evening.at sight o~cl$ck ., c';, a~d-there-will, h~e sufficient time for discussion. Ail were .agreeable to this and th~ i A t?r was closed unt ORDER OF ESTIMATED ASSESSMENT UNDER CHAPTER 80. : ~, ~, The Board of_ Selectmen adopted the following order under this date,.,hy unanimous vote of the Board~ Which vote is as ~follows: ,~O~ED.O~het~rTHe,Boax~i~f~SelecKmen~o~der.Tan, est~m_~te,,of~assassments iiude~.Ch~pt~r 80 ,, as~ a~cmosequ~nce~ ofe.thei~mte,~'ofo~heh To~m~Meetin~s'~h~ld ~ ond'Marchdl3~,lp~ ~n~Nafchdlp, /./. 1955:.w~thbrespect tO ~/t.*t3J,~mnD~iv~;:'~Bradstreet~ma'd~;~.~ffoodbridge:Road and Putnam Road, a.copy of Which estimated assessments is' filed in Chapter ~0 folder, in the $electmen's :. file and is made a part of this vote. ~ · - Estimated order.~of assessments will be recorded at 'the P~gistry of Deeds ~/ithin the ~. ' .thirty days a~owed, after acceptance of the streets as public ways. · ~.~-.APPROVAL FOR SNO/f REMOVAL E~PENDI2UEES- E~RGENCY: ....... ~'~' . '- ~ ~ Approval received from the Advisor~. Board 'or a majority thereof for the expenditure 'of $595.80 during the Snow ~emoval Emergency which was declared on April 8, 1956, ./~ in the Highway Department. Treasurer and Accountant nctified~of this .a~proval. .~,·MEET!NG~E; CHAPTER 8S: ..... Mr. Finneran opened the meeting and informed those present that the Selectmen had invited the Board of Assessors, Highway Surveyor, ~a~hC. ollector and :Ralph .Brasseur, ¢.E. .rm..meet with this group .to discuss Chapter ~§Owork :as it relates to Mifflin Drive, Bradstreet .~oad, Putnam. Road and ~foodhridge Road..Mr. Finneran stated ~that there were four articles in the 1954 warrant of the annual ~own meeting and that the tbwn voted favorably on these four articles with the work to be done. under Chapter 80. Th~ work was done under the supervision of the Highway Surveyor, tha Selectmen then'-held a hearing to which all abutters, were. invited and the Board of Selectmen adjudicated~ these four streets. They were included as articles in the.annual ~own warrant of 1956 and all four streets were acceptmd as public ways a~ this meeting. He then informed those present that the board would listen to anything they had to say. Mr. Morris J. $ergi stated that he did not think they should be assessed '~uch a large amount of money'for the kind of road they have. ' Mr. carry stated that the road will be repaired and Oiled, all four of them. Mr. Occ.upinto of Mifflin Drive inqu~ed as to ~the specifications required. ~Ral'ph Brasseur, C.E. stated that there are no specifications in Chapter 80;~ 2he money is se.~ up for the four. street, for storm drainage and gravelling on each 'street. He said that this gravel will run out after a bad winter. Nicholas Nicetta inquired how much gravel was required to be put into the street and whether or not the ~right amount was put in. After reading the contract Mr. Brasseur stated that there should have been eight inches of gravel in Mifflin Drive and Mr. Nicetta stated ~hat he never put that much gravel in , more likely, it would be four inches. Mr. John Ganem inquired as %o ~then the bills were caid for ~be work done and Mr. Finneran checked the bills paid under this contract and ~he' last payment was made in July of .1955. It was charged that the contractor was paid in full before the complettom of ~he work. APRIL 30, 1956- continued Mr. Finneran informed those present that they could have objected to the adjudication of these streets and also at the town meeting but there was no opposition either time. Mr. B~asseur explained the general procedure of chapter 80.He.stated that the contract was let out in 1954 and if everything had gone along on schedule these people would have been assessed in 1955. If the contractor went back and regravelled in 1955 then the contract was fulfilled. The streets .then came up for adjudication and everybody had a chance to disapprove them at that time. If the town had not accepted these streets, the to~n would not be responsible for the work now. Edward Garvey stated that he was a tax payor and if these charges are true that the contract was violated something should be done about as he .feels that he pays part of this money. There was further discussion from various residents and Mr. Carry finally assured them that he would oil, sand and other~ise condition the.streets as soon as the weather was better and this work could be done. Mr. Andre~ Alvino then stated that this work had been done and if ~r. Cartyis willing to fix up the streets and the people should give them a chance to see what can be done and the assessments will have to be paid. Mr. Casey inquired if the payments on these assessments go from~the day, o~-assessment before interest begins. He said his bill was dated April fourth but was not mailed until April 17 thus allowing only 13 days to pay b~o~etthe attachment of the interest. Tax Collector James Dewhirst admitted that there was a lapse of time between the date of committment and the mailing and he said he would pay the interest hi~self for all,who paid their bill within the thirteen days. He ,said it would be a very small sum. He explained that the assessments can be apportioned 'by the Board of Assessors for paymen~ mo be made over a ten or taen~y ysar .period with interest. ~here was a question from one resident as to who owned the street. Mr. ~rasseur stated that the streets are owned by theabutters and the to~n has now ownership or liability for that street. Ail liability lies with~the tow-ri.after the street has be~n accepted by the town. He .explained the procedure in the old days when the de~eloper sold lots and moved out buttthe Planning Board has set up rules and ~,~ ,regulations f. or developing property and now they must do cer. tain things~before ~they get approval to go ahead. The Planning Board_can have the ,developer~put in drains, etc. Mr. Nicetta agreed with Mr. Brasseur and stated that they,have everything under control now. Most of the residents seemed to be satisfied that Mr. Carty would do the necessary work on these streets and they will wait for a while and see 'what happens. APPOINT~NT OF SERGEANTS: Atty. John A. MmNiff informed the Selectmen that he was' ~ere .in behalf of forty ..or more citizens relative to the r~cent .appointments of two sergeants to.the Police Force. He pre~ented a letter from Edgar C, Haselton who ~as definitely opposed to the appointments and his letter stated that with no discredit to the two men appointed, ~' h~ qould not rationalize the by-passimg .cf a man who attained the highest civil service mark in the examination and holds seniority over one of the appointees, who. has experience in courtroom procedures and enjoys ~.he respect and affection of~the towns- people. ' He further stated t~at no doubt the bo~ard of Selectmen h~ve givenc0n~iderable thought in promoting Doanelly and Fleming and are perhaps famLLiar with the Civil Service rule that. you must send a letter ,s~ating reasons for eliminating the high .man. He said he would like to know the reason and would ask that they reconsider their action. · He asked that they~be permitted 'to hear the letter which was san~ to the Civil Service ~ '"" Director. Mr. Finneran then read the letter which had been sent to Mr. Greehan. Mr. McNiff said he cannot overrule the vote but aechnically action will be taken to make sure that the appointments come from the list'~ reconsider this matter. However, he wo~tld like to know,the reasons of each member for their' action. He said that Mr.. Woodhouse to~p~., the list requiring a setting forth for re'cord for all time in passing by the ~irst on·'the,li~t., It seems to Mr. McNiff that the whole department is at stake. Mr. ~oodhouse has an~ unblemished record yet he doesn't rece'ive an appointment. The su'ccess of the Department depends on the degree of morale that exists. He asked'where ~be incentive is £or an officer? ~o go . ,into police duty when such a thing as this happens.He felt that this group had a right to hear from each member of the board. Mr. Finneran: When one agpires to a police officer and ~here is an opening for the selectmen have a set of values which is put on their individual choice. It is the privilege of this board ~o appoint~ any two out of the four men listed by Civil Service. These values are subject to change because of arealty of a given situation. 7/ith a board these deliberations are subject to similar standards because of existing condi- tlons in any one given period of selectmen. Mr. Finneran stated that he had twice n~minated E~erett $?oodhouse and that he had also voted for the Norman Fleming, the second man on the list. ~an there was a deadlock, he felt that he had no other re- course than to vote for the third man whose nomination had been made by Mr. Broadhead. ~r. McNiff felt th-; he did not wait long enough in this instance and he could have continued to nominate the number one man. Mr. Finneran said he made his choice and he had no intention of changing his vote. Mr. Kirk: Mr. Kirk's first choice was Officer Farnham. It was based on his personal conviction ~hat a patrolman with 28 years of service, which was clean, dependable and intellij~nt would best fulfil the interests of the townspeople in gaining this '206 APi~L 30, 1956: Continued Mr. Kirk's second choice was like his first, based on personal convictions of the best interests of the department and of the town and so he nominated Norman Fleming. Mr. Broadhead stated that if tho record of markings were open, the townspeople would find that Officer Donnelly actually received the highest mark in the w ritten examination of all four eligible aen. He emntioned that he and Mr. Donnelly were lifelong friends and went to schonl ~ogether. His experience has been on the third shift where a sergeant is needed and where he will serv~ when his appointment has been approved. He stated that he cannot feel that he would chanje his vote under any circumstances. Mr. McNiff went on to discuss Officer Farnham and his length of service as well as the fact that there had not been one word of adverse comment on him. He has no blemish on his record and the fact that he is considering retirement in a short time Mr. McNiff feels that a differan~ decision would have far reaching effects as time goes on. ~esetwo experienced men will be put into the backroom-and take orders from younger, inexperienced men. He strongly suggested that ~the board reconsider their action. Edward Garvey stated that he was not included in this group of people but ~vas interested in why Everett ~oodhouse was ignored. He did not object to any ~quastion- lng that Mr. Garvey might make. Either before crafter the appointments ~ere made one of the Selectmen informed Officer Woo&house that there ~.~s nothing personal in the appointment but that it was s~rictly political. He thinks that the Police Department should be kept clear of politics. He referred to experiences in other · communit~es where leaders of police departments had be~n convicted of felonies and misdemeanors. Harold Lynch of Stonington stated that this was a'small representation of%ha people of the town. He has never come out to such a meeting as this but he reads all about the town, ho~ frugal the tow~ is with respect to taxpayor,s money.and always felt it was a wonderful town to live in. Until last Monday evening, he was full of admiration for the town officials but after reading~ Tuesday,s account of what happened, he said it was something he could not s ~omach. He mentioned the good man who had been. passed over but this ~wcutd make no difference to. a politician. He said he would personall~start a crusade 'as of now to- put ~hese men ~out Of' office. John Farnham stated that this was a political racket and that Mr. Finneran would hear about it. Mr.~ McNiff re-read the letter sent to Civil Service and asked the ~board if they would care to elaborate on their statement. Mr. Finneran felt that the letter was self-explanatory and no comments would be hecess~ry~ .. Robert Ayer stated that the decision made by the board would ~ffect them next ~rch when ~they were running for office again and he ~felt that they should reconsider . Edmund E~land stated that the selectmen are in office to give all possible to the to~n and they should reconsider this appointment. · He Asked for an opinion as the people were doing ull the tal~ing and they ~anted to hear from the board. Mr. Ftnnsran stated that each member had voiced his opinion and that the letter to Civil Service was sufficient in his opinion. He said he would not change~ his vote and would stand on his own record. Mr. Kirk and Mr. Broadhead each stated that they would not change their vote and if they 'had to vo~e"again, they would vote exactly the same. · Mr. Finneran thanked the resident's for their interest in coming before th board and the matter w~s closed. Mr. McNiff left a list of names of the persons who were interested in this 'matter, some of whom were unable to be present at this .meeting but wished to- be recorded as opposed. R~D$ FOR PAINTING TO~N BUr. LDING INTERIOR ~he following bids w~e received for the painting of t0w~ building; Lorin Stefani- Bid of $1686.00 from Andover Earl Pomerte'au,N~Andover $~'595 excluding Silva Brothers, Lowell, $2,000 outside fire escapes which would run ~?alter L. Davis, Methuen, $1-395.00 $200 more, or a total bid of ~1795. Bert's ~,eneral Painting-Lowell, $1619.00 Oote's Painting Service, Lo~eLl $1759.O0 The Board did not award the cohtract to Mr. Davis but voted to request that ~he come before the board, with references,-proof of insurance and financial status and also that the three lowest bidders be so checked. Mr. Davis~ v~ill meet' with the board on next Monday evening a% 7:30 P.M. CHAPTER 80-P~LPH FINCK Atty. Ralph Finck came before the .board to ask if they would request an opinion · from Arthur A. Thomson sn the assessments made under Chapter 80 last month. The Board voted ~o ask for this opinion in the very near future.