LYNNFIELD — At a brief meeting Monday evening, the Select Board reviewed the proposed articles for the November special Town Meeting warrant.
They include a proposal from the Planning Board to amend the town bylaw regarding scenic roads, an appropriation for funds to demolish the existing South Lynnfield Fire Station and the design and construction of a new facility, and amending the zoning bylaw regarding elderly housing.
Paige Wilkins spoke on behalf of the Planning Board during the meeting, and told the Select Board that the proposed changes would clarify the writing of the bylaw, which was approved by Town Meeting in 2015. Wilkins said the language of the bylaw has generated confusion regarding its purpose and the procedures for how one can submit a proposal for review by the Planning Board.
“It only involves work in a public right of way that involves a tree or a stone wall,” she said. “There was some vague language that made it sounds like any work or anything that you do on a scenic road you need to come before the Planning Board.”
Wilkins said there are no clear guidelines in the current bylaw for what should be included in a proposal or application for work on a public right of way on a scenic road.
“We’ve clarified that to add in more explanation about the actual filing process, what should be in it,” she said.
The amended bylaw would also list the scenic roads in town, which are currently only listed in a separate bylaw, Wilkins said, noting that Chestnut Street, Essex Street, Lowell Street, Main Street, and Summer Street have all been designated scenic roads.
“I think it’s quite clear as to the benefits of the clarifications,” said Select Board member Dick Dalton.
Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin then walked the board through the remaining 12 articles proposed for the warrant.
Curtin said the warrant will close next Monday, Oct. 24 and all petition articles have to be submitted by Thursday.
The first two articles, Curtin said, which concern paying overdue bills from a prior fiscal year and allow for transfers within the current fiscal year budget, appear on the warrant every Town Meeting.
Articles three through five concern “capital items,” Curtin said.
Article three would amened the appropriation for two pieces of large golf equipment, which were approved in the spring but came in higher than anticipated. Funds are also needed to improve the public safety fiber-optic network, and the fifth article concerns improvements to the Lynnfield High School septic treatment system.
The next article, Curtin said, would rezone the elderly housing district portion of the Sagamore Golf Course, the site of a proposed 55-unit Senior Housing development.
The seventh article would change the definition of housing for the elderly to include detached units, which Curtin noted are included in the Sagamore proposal.
The next article, Curtin said, concerns the Public Safety and Town Hall building project, and would appropriate funds for the project.
Curtin said the next article would allow the Select Board to enter into a long-term lease with the Postal Service for the current South Post Office building at 598 Salem St.
“As Town Administrator [Rob] Dolan has explained it’s important to wrap that up to make sure that we’re not building around a building that will become vacant in a couple of years,” Curtin said.
The next article on the warrant would appropriate funds from the golf course reserve for the construction of a clubhouse at King Rail Reserve Golf Course, and Curtin noted that previous attempts to do so have been unsuccessful due to issues with a larger proposal, and conservation concerns that have been “ironed out.”
The next article proposed for the warrant was submitted by the Board of Health and would do a “couple of things,” Curtin said.
“One, would eliminate from our bylaws the section called ‘Board of Health fees.’ The Board of Health is empowered under state statute to impose fees without going to Town Meeting. This would preclude them from having to go to Town Meeting every time they want to change a fee on some kind of service they provide and the other thing they’re doing is deleting all the smoking regulations that predate the most stringent state regulations we’re all under. These are antiquated and outdated regulations.”
The final article proposed was requested by the Conservation Commission, and would allow the commission to appoint alternate members.
“The Board of Appeals has alternate members that if someone has conflict, or someone can’t make it to a case, they can put an alternate on the board so that petitions aren’t held up. The Conservation Commission would like the same thing, to have some alternate members for similar cases. But that’s not contemplated in state statute,” Curtin said. “So we would need a home rule petition that would go to the state that would allow us to appoint alternate members of the Conservation Commission.”
Select Board Chair Phil Crawford said the articles would be gone over in more detail at the board’s next meeting, when they officially close the warrant.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
