Published in the October 4, 2017 edition
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Board of Selectmen closed the October 16 Town Meeting warrant last week.
There will be 14 articles appearing on the warrant. The selectmen voted unanimously to switch the start time for Town Meeting from 7:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. after receiving a recommendation from Town Moderator Arthur Bourque. Town Meeting will be held at the Lynnfield Middle School auditorium.
The selectmen submitted Article 1 for the warrant, which seeks to allocate funds in order to pay unpaid bills from fiscal year 2017.
Article 2 will ask townspeople to appropriate funds “to supplement certain accounts in the current 2018 fiscal year for various purposes.”
Article 3 requests that funds be allocated for the design, construction, furnishing and equipping of a clubhouse at the King Rail Reserve Golf Course. The funds will also be used for site work. On Monday, the selectmen decided to indefinitely postpone Article 3 (see separate story).
According to the warrant, Article 4 seeks to appropriate funds for engineering work related to the Beaver Dam Brook culvert project. Boudreau said local officials have discussed the project with the MBTA, and the warrant article seeks to allocate $25,000 for the project.
“The MBTA told us if we design it, they will send someone out to do the work,” said Boudreau. “Removing the culverts will alleviate some of the flooding issues in the Parsons Avenue area.”
Article 5 seeks to allocate funds in order to purchase and equip a new ambulance for the Fire Department. Boudreau noted the purchase of an ambulance was originally included as part of the town’s FY’18 capital budget.
“However, we had no retained earnings at the time, so we put off buying the ambulance,” said Boudreau. “I am pleased to announce that we have retained earnings from the ambulance (account), which is about $239,000. It’s not quite enough to buy an ambulance. What I have talked to (Town Accountant) Julie McCarthy about and what I will probably recommend is leaving about $50,000 in retained earnings and take the balance from Free Cash. After next year’s retained earnings are certified, we will pay the town back.”
Boudreau said Article 6 pertains to revising the town’s Personnel Bylaw, which would revamp an existing personnel policy. Personnel Board member Mike Griffin said recently the bylaw, which was last updated in 2005, pertains to recruitment, training development, promotions, job classification, compensation plans, performance reviews and employment conditions.
The Planning Board submitted Articles 7, 8 and 9, all three of which will ask the town to recodify the town’s Zoning Bylaws (see separate story).
Town Clerk Trudy Reid submitted Article 10, which will ask townspeople to approve changing the date of the April town election from the second Monday in the month to the second Tuesday. If Town Meeting approves Article 10, the vote would authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the State Legislature to approve special legislation that would amend the Town Charter in order to hold the annual town election on a Tuesday.
Article 11 seeks to authorize the Board of Selectmen to sell town-owned land on Witham Street for $10,700.
“There is a small parcel of land that abuts Route 128 that some of the neighbors have asked us to declare surplus and make available,” said Boudreau. “This article would do that. We will not allow anything be built on that property.”
Boudreau said Article 12 will ask the town to petition the State Legislature to increase the number of both package liquor licenses and pouring establishment licenses that can be issued in town.
“We currently have no all alcohol package store available and we only have one all alcohol pouring establishment available,” said Boudreau. “There is a demand for those right now.”
Article 13 seeks to have Town Meeting petition the State Legislature for special legislation that would authorize the town to convey the old South Library, 630 Salem St., to the Lynnfield American Legion for $1. He noted local attorney Jason Kimball has played a key role with the development of the warrant article.
“It will be used as a veterans facility,” said Boudreau.
Boudreau noted Article 14 is a citizens’ petition, which seeks to amend the town’s Zoning Bylaws’ portion pertaining to radio telecommunications facilities. However, he said the warrant article is included as part of the Planning Board’s warrant articles that will recodify the Zoning Bylaw. As a result, Boudreau anticipates Article 14 will be passed over at Town Meeting.
